The CZ 75 Shadow 2 Orange is on sale at Safari Outdoor for R 65 599, which equates to about $ 3,470! Its still basically the same pistol as my first iteration model, made in 1978, out of the first shipment to land in SA. It cost me R 263.15 in 1979, staff price (landed cost + 15%).
What is the difference between the blue versions of the above guns and the orange versions? (I know the orange versions are significantly more expensive, but I don't know what functional or operational differences are.)
The Orange series is CZ's top tier pistols and they are hand fitted. In the S2, the Orange has a barrel bushing. In the TS2, the Orange has a bull barrel, a thumb rest (gas pedal), an aluminum trigger and an adjustable rear sight.
Man, that is a tough question. Yes it can be used for self defense. But the TS is big and heavy, with no firing block safety. What type of self defense are you talking about? Home defense? Carry? Truck gun? All of this can/will affect your choice. There are a bunch of 40S&W pistols out there to choose from and with 40 suddenly falling out of favor, some used guns can be had at pretty good prices. If it is the CZ75 platform you like, look at the CZ75B in 40S&W.
40S&W has fallen out of favor for no real reason. As soon as the police agencies abandoned it, so did the civilians. The only thing that's keeping it alive is USPSA and IPSC, where it is the preferred caliber for Limited and Standard divisions.
