It's finally here! The CZ 1012 review is long overdue and I'm super excited to bring you an in-depth look at this popular shotgun today!

CZ 1012 SEMI AUTO SHOTGUN

This CZ has an MSRP of $749 for the All-Terrain. The basic field model is $679. I got mine for EVEN LESS than that at Reeds Sports

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QUICK SPECS

• 12 gauge Inertia
• Finished in "All-Terrain" which is green Cerekote hardware and walnut (Black synthetic and camo options available as well)
• 3" chamber
• 28" Barrel (26" available)
• 6lbs 8oz  
• Length of Pull 14 1/4" 
• Drop at Comb 1 1/2"
• Drop at Heel 2 1/4"
• Comes with 5 chokes (C, IC, M, IM, F)

TRIGGER

• 6lbs 7.5oz (Average pull weight)
• The trigger is heavier than I like and dry firing it feels really sponge.

ERGONOMICS

• The first thing I noticed was that the forend grip felt nice! I liked the texture and shape - very easy to grab
• Next, It seemed as if the pistol grip was maybe a bit tight more me - if I focused on my grip my fingers felt claustrophobic
• I wouldn't call the bolt release oversized, but it is still very adequate and easy to operate. The shape of it is unique as well
• Nice little triangular safety on the front side of the trigger
• Using the loading port felt pretty natural - I like when manufacturers consider ease of use in these areas and I think CZ is right at the price point. One of my favorite guns the SX4 has sharper edges on the loading port and is more expensive than this gun. Love that detail!
• The trigger guard is nicely sized and sports that more modern/rigid/geometrical design that everyone's into nowadays. Can't even lie - I'm with it!
• All around the texture is great. It all feels nice - nothing particularly fancy though. Just solid
• This CZ has a flat vented rib
• Simple white bead on front - all you need!
• The one thing super basic above all is the butt pad - nothing fancy and the rubber doesn't seem to have much comfort to it. I'd consider investing in a recoil reduction pad like a Falcon Strike so you can effectively adjust your length of pull while reducing recoil!
• I also really enjoyed the forend cap and that it has swivel studs for a sling

Breakdown/Quality of Build

• Typically breaking down these inertia guns is much easier than a gas gun. The CZ1012 stayed true to that with a super easy breakdown
• Although the brand new trigger group pin was still a bit tight and difficult to get out, I enjoy that it is a single pin design - makes it even easier to break down!
• Overall all of the moving parts are very very standard for an inertia-driven gun
• As far as build quality, it seems to be well built.
• A build quality thing I noticed was how the receiver met the forend(Wood on metal) Where the wood comes to an end, it seems to have super rough edges and doesn't fade smoothly into the receiver. This may be super nit-picky, and it could be an individual problem with my gun too. Figured I'd mention it.

RECOIL/RELIABILITY

• These inertia guns have more recoil than a gas gun, so consider that. With that said, It came nicely straight back into my shoulder
• As far as reliability, I am pretty impressed. Inertia guns would normally struggle cycling from unconventional positions. This one did alright as she got warmed up. I have seen better though
• This gun definitely feels pretty good to shoot - It seems that that recoil is taking a bit longer taking more time for me to get follow-up shots - speed shooting will tell!
• Recoil is sometimes relative to gun fit, so you may experience recoil different than me - OR you could invest in a recoil reduction pad like a Falcon Strike
• I haven't had this gun long enough to test its "Reliability" to the fullest extent, but It shot fine for this review - If you have this gun, let me know how it's holding up!
• It overall handled all the positions and shells I threw at it!

SPEED SHOOTING

• I was able to accomplish shooting three hand-thrown clays in 1.16 seconds
• It took me .67 to get on in, .26 to hit the second clay, and .23 to finish it off, certainly not lighting speed,
• As I mentioned in recoil, it seems like this gun cycled slower than what I'm used to. BUT with that said, It didn't take me long to get my score because I was feeling very natural mounting and pointing this gun every time

In summary, I think that the CZ1012 is a pretty good gun for the money. I could point it and hit targets very naturally! The biggest downside of this shotgun was the trigger. It was heavy and sponge, giving me some issues when speed shooting. This is a gun to consider being that it's a reliable, good-looking inertia gun for less than a thousand dollars. I would really like to do a head-to-head showdown between this CZ1012 and the Weatherby Element. That would be epic. Thanks for stopping by! 

Whether our targets in the field or our targets in life, we will only hit what we are focused on so live the #targetfocusedlife 

Stay Target Focused,

Steve