CZ 2075 RAMI – The First Subcompact From CZ
CZ has been known for the popular CZ 75 handguns ever since they hit the market. Up until 1992, there was no option for those who wanted to carry CZ 75-style handgun without having to cope with its full-size weight and dimensions. This all changed, somehow, with the introduction of the CZ 75 Compact series. Despite being a bit friendlier in terms of concealment possibilities it was still a tiny bit heavy and long for a proper EDC community. Somebody at CZ realized that and the result was CZ 2075 RAMI. But let’s have a look at the development a bit closer.
All CZ and Colt fans have probably heard about Colt Z 40 project. For those who have not, we recommend our earlier article on this topic here.
Long story short, Colt decided in the early 1990s to cooperate with CZ on a brand-new handgun for the global market. It was supposed to be a kind of a mixture of excellent features of the CZ 75 and a no-less popular Colt 1911. The grip angle from John Moses Browning’s masterpiece was blended with a trigger system and inverted slide rails of CZ 75. That all was wrapped around a double-stack magazine holding 10 rounds of the hot new .40 S&W cartridge.
We all know that this short prequel to a later CZ and Colt partnership did not result in Colt adopting this very decent firearm. Instead, the iconic American manufacturer decided to design a new handgun on their own. The final product – Colt 2000 was a commercial failure but CZ ended up with a gun that was pretty much ready for serial production. There was a problem, however. CZ had already a full-size duty handgun in the portfolio – the venerable CZ 75. It would have been very silly to allow Colt Z 40, or CZ 40 to be more accurate to cannibalize the sales of the sister product.
That was the moment when somebody realized – what if we take advantage of the alloy frame, cut it on both ends, shorten the slide and introduce the gun as a subcompact which we are missing in our portfolio anyway? Well, what an idea!
The development of the new subcompact handgun started in 1997 when CZ designers Radek Hauerland and Milan Trkulja started working on the prototype. Btw. if you are wondering what RAMI means, take a look at the first two letters of the designers‘ names. See?
In the beginning, they worked on the project in their free time as the subcompact pistol was not in the late 90s in CZ’s R&D program. That all changed at the very beginning of the new millennium. By the end of 2000, there was a first prototype prepared. Chambered in .40 S&W the first version lacked the external slide release lever, just like the current „tiniest“ CZ – model P-10 M. The idea was to make the gun as flat and anti-snag as possible. Soon after the handgun was introduced, this particular feature was re-considered and RAMI received a standard CZ 75-ish slide release lever.
On top of that a 10-round version chambered in 9mm Luger was introduced for those, who preferred a bit more conservative caliber. The polymer sleeve allowed for the use of CZ 75 Compact magazine extending the capacity to 14 rounds of 9×19.
In 2005 CZ portfolio was further enhanced by a polymer version called CZ 2075 RAMI P. This was actually the very first CZ 75 clone with a polymer frame made in Uherský Brod. This is nowadays a rather popular collector’s item, especially if you own one of the 200-piece limited edition with a glossy stainless steel slide.
The flat safety aluminum version was further supplemented by a „D“ RAMI in 2008. Initially known as CZ 2075 BD RAMI it featured a decocker lever on the left side of the gun. This was probably „the most carriable“ version of CZ 2075 RAMI as it allowed for a safe decocking to a safety notch.
Apart from a version in non-lethal 9mm PA Rubber version, there were also several other prototypes that never made it to serial production for various reasons. One of them was the DAO-only version for those who prefer long and consistently heavy trigger pull. Another example of a „never-happened“ RAMI was a version chambered in .45 GAP preceded by a .357 SIG prototype.
The RAMI was discontinued in 2021 in favor of the new CZ P-10 S, but it still remains very popular across the shooter community. Do you perhaps own one too?
Source: David Pazdera, Legenda jménem CZ
