Welcome to the blog! Today we're presenting our first-ever side-by-side review! Today's gun in question is the CZ Sharptail. This is a sharp looking 20 gauge side by side and we're super excited to get hands-on with a type of shotgun that we haven't had much experience with. If you have experience with the CZ Sharptail or side-by-sides in general, please let us know on the TFL COMMUNITY! Let's go!     

CZ Sharptail 20 Gauge SxS:

• The current MSRP of the Sharptail is $999, but we got it from Reeds for less than that!
• This is primarily an upland and field gun. We enjoyed shooting clays with it as well
• Get a FREE case of Federal Ammo with a purchase of a new shotgun from Reeds priced at $500 or above!

QUICK SPECS

• 20 gauge (12,28, 410 gauge available)
• Side by side break action
• 5 chokes that come in a nice hard case - But of course, we've swapped those out with a Carlson's Choke Tube
• 3" chamber 
• 28" Barrell 
• Shotgun Weight is 6lbs 5oz
• 14 1/2" Length of pull (LoP can be changed by purchasing different-sized recoil pads) 
• 1 1/2" Drop at comb
• 2 1/4" Drop at heel

TRIGGER

• This Sharptail had a nice crisp break - It also has a mechanical trigger which means the trigger reset for a second shot isn't dependent on the inertia of the first shot
• 6lbs 9oz (Average pull weight) The trigger feel reflects this weight - A bit heavy for Steve

ERGONOMICS

• The first thing we noticed was the very spender pistol grip - This allowed for a very nice trigger grip with a straight-back pull
• The pistol grip has some light checkering for grip
• The Sharptail has a beavertail, or splintered forend, which doesn't give you a lot of vertical grip movement. This isn't a gun you could comfortably mount while pointing a finger
• Steve wasn't able to all the way down on this gun because of his long neck - Fitting yourself to this gun will take longer than your standard semi-auto
• The checkering is decent for the pricepoint and really comes together nicely with the rest of the gun
• The recoil pad is flat and has no flex. If I were to adopt this shotgun, we'd put a FalconStrike on it.
• Speaking of the recoil pad, the top edge of it transitions into a hard plastic instead of being cushioned all the way up. This is to help you mount quicker and more comfortably as the hard plastic won't catch on clothing as much as a cushion would. Super cool detail for the price of this shotgun
• The receiver is color case-hardened and displays some nice engraving detail
• The top lever and top tang safety also have some engraving detail. The overall craftsmanship of this CZ is very nice - similar to the Franchi Instinct if you're familiar with that shotgun
• The barrel selector and safety are configured together and both operate very smoothly
• We really appreciate the simple ivory bead on front!
• The Sharptail is balanced right in front of the hinge point - This is Steve's preference as it'll result in a smoother swing out front
• There is no auto ejectors - The Sharptail has extractors so your shells don't go flying everywhere
• This shotgun is constructed very nicely with a lot of desirable ergonomics. Very impressed for the price point so far

RECOIL/RELIABILITY

• You'll always be pleasantly surprised when transitioning from a 20 gauge to a 12 gauge. We really enjoyed shooting this side by side
• Reliability is a hard thing to cover with just a couple of rounds through a brand-new gun. All we can sy is so far, so good! If YOU have a CZ Sharptail, let us know on the TFL COMMUNITY how it's held up! 
• As we continued to shoot, Steve mentioned how he had barely noticed the recoil as he was more focused on his mount, and hitting his targets. It's a good sign when recoil becomes unnoticeable!
• Overall, this gun was a blast to shoot

BREAKDOWN/QUALITY OF BUILD

• One word, simple!
• The forend and barrel came apart with not issue or hassle
• However, we did notice that there was some debris build-up under the forend - Most likely random dust from the headwind we were experiencing 
• The action appeared to be very solid - relative to price, the whole build is fantastic in our opinion

SPEED SHOOTING

This evaluation is important to us because it tests how all the moving parts come together. We know you're not buying a shotgun to shoot as fast as possible. But when it's against the clock, every element of the usability of the gun is tested, from the recoil to the balance, point-ability, the mount, literally everything we look for in a shotgun. Plus, Steve's a professional trick-shooter, so this provides a unique insight into the gun that no other review will cover!

• The first time Steve recorded on 2 hand-thrown clays was a .93 - After review, we think he threw a little early. These mechanical triggers really get to work though!
• It's worth mentioning that your sight picture is much different with a side-by-side. We've never reviewed a side by side so this was definitely hard to get used to in such a short amount of time with the shotgun
• Steve's first clean hit was a 1.09 with his fastest time being 1 second flat

Overall, this gun is a lot of fun to shoot. There's a bit of a learning curve when it comes to mounting up and getting your sight picture dialed in, but thought-out that process, we really appreciated the way this CZ came together. It made the learning very enjoyable. We haven't shot a lot of side by sides but for now, this Sharptail is an awesome option for the price it comes in at. Highly recommended.  Chime in on the TFL community to let us know your experience and if you think it's worth it!

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