Impact Machine Slides: A New Vision for a Classic Platform

If you’re around me for any amount of time, especially on the range, I will tell you all about the CZ platform and how great it is. After all, there’s a reason that the overwhelming majority of top shooters have a CZ of some flavor on their gun belt. 

The numbers speak for themselves. At the 2023 IPSC European Handgun Championship in Greece, more than half of the competitors in the Production and Carry Optics divisions were using CZ handguns. The rest were split among pistols from over 15 other manufacturers. CZ’s dominance isn’t limited to Europe, either.

In the 2020 USPSA Nationals in the U.S., the most popular Production Division handgun was the CZ Shadow 2, with 39% of shooters opting for the hefty 46.5-ounce platform. This trend has continued over the last several years, and just going to any local USPSA match will likely yield the same results. 

Despite all of this support from the competitive shooting community, the “wonder nine” created by the brothers Koucký in the mid-70s doesn’t have much in the way of aftermarket support outside of the small parts made by household names like Cajun Gun Works CZ Custom. Unlike Glocks, Sigs, and other platforms, virtually nobody makes aftermarket slides for the CZ-75 platform. 

Save for one. Impact Machine. 

Given that I’m a devout CZ fan, and have written thousands of words on one of the most emulated platforms of all time next to the 1911 (you can read more here), this clearly was on my radar. 

Impact Machine makes performance parts like hammer struts and optic plates, to be sure, and also can mill probably anything you want to send in. Whereas some companies won’t touch CZ 75B variants, IWI Jerichos or others, Impact Machine has no issues, but that’s not what this article is about. They can also coat your pistol in over 15 different types of Cerakote, TiNi, CrN or the tough-as-nails DLC, or Diamond-Like Carbon.

I reached out and spoke at length to Scott Milam, founder of Impact Machine, and learned a lot about the CZ platform, machining, and what goes into making these types of parts. Let’s start with the products themselves. 

THE SLIDES 

I tested a variety of these slides, from the full-size slides that fit any standard CZ75b variant like my SP01 Tactical (pictured). You also have the option to run these on competition guns without a firing pin block, like my CZ Custom SP01 Shadow Target II. 

The only real difference between these two is the FPB plunger is missing from the latter, but they are aesthetically the same slide, minus back-up irons n these photos. These slides are wider than the stock CZ slides (.980 vs .930), which means you can direct mill and mount an RMR (or other optic) to the slide, without the use of interstitial plates, as shown. 

They have the same rough outline at the back as a CZ with the curvature by the hammer. But that’s about where the similarities end. You can opt for stock or Cajun internals, and build out your slide with whatever finish, porting, or slide cuts you want. On the two full sized pistols pictured, these are bare bones with a DLC coating, but as you can see from the photos, they can add some flavor to the slide before they ship to you, and even port your barrel for you! 

They start life as a solid block of 416 stainless steel, most of the machining is done in one machine but Impact Machine finishes them (optic cuts, top cuts, ports etc) in another specialized machine. All of this is done in house, in their shop, which grew from 400 sq ft and 1 machine to now nearly a half dozen and a larger shop. They also have some cut for an RMR/507C with no sights, ports etc for a quick ship option, if you’re itching to get one quickly. Other than that, each one is made to order, with care and attention to detail. 

Now this begs the question – how come nobody has done this before? In my humble opinion it’s because they lacked vision. Scott Milam had that vision, and made a big bet against it, leaving Cajun Gun Works to strike out on his own, and fill a market need. 

Additionally, CZ slides in general are hard to mill; literally and figuratively. “Believe it or not, we were told for years it could not be done. Several reasons, the factory CZ slide is very hard, probably some of the hardest on the endmills, period. Which makes it hard to say ‘these are as good as a factory slide’ but keep in mind you can't go out and buy a replacement slide for a CZ like you can for many other brands. So we tested these for years before releasing them to the public. Well over 50k rounds across 4 shop frames we have,” Milam explained to me in an interview. 

Scott, a soft-spoken, humble self-described “follower of Christ” with a charming Louisiana drawl, was gracious enough to walk me through the whole process in a series of phone calls and emails over the last few months. 

Impact Machine started during the middle of the pandemic. “I started with one small CNC machine in a 400 SQ FT shop. In order to survive and not base Impact Machine on what I did before, I took any and everything I could to keep the lights on. We cut many slides in the early days that customers were told, ‘It’s impossible!’  So it forced me to get way outside my ‘comfort’ zone and at times, I thought I made a huge mistake. But as time has gone on, I now know that without that period I would not be where I am today. I don't like to hear ‘it can't be done’…so call it stubborn, call it foolish, I call it constantly getting better. Now we have 5 machines that run everyday, teaching my sons how to draw and do cad/cam has been awesome. We do as much as we can ‘in house’, which ensures we take responsibility for issues, if they show up,” Milam explained of his origins. 

You see, Scott’s father David founded Cajun Gun Works. Scott got his start there, but struck out on his own to fulfill his calling: he wanted to do more, and that included making slides. 

They started with full size slides for the SP01 platform, mainly due to the market opportunity. He explained to me that California, for example, does not allow the Shadow 2 to be sold there – but they do allow the SP01 series. Moreover, anybody with a kitted out SP01 – like myself – could just buy a new slide and use the same gun for production/limited as they do for carry optics, simply by switching the slide out. 

The full size slides will also fit on a P01, or compact frame pistol, but worry not: Impact Machine makes P01 slides as of this year, and boy do they run. I got my hands on a ported P01 slide, that not only is beautiful, but shoots flatter than a pancake that’s been steamrolled. Hyperbole aside, it truly does track and shoot exceptionally flat, albeit loud. Milam and I joked about the downsides of porting when we spoke : the noise, and the gas if you have to shoot from retention in a self-defense situation. 

TESTING

In testing, after the break in period, the slides performed well. Given the tight tolerances, it did take several magazines in each slide to break in, with the full size guns seemingly breaking in faster than the compact p01 slide. That said, my Shadow 2 had a similar issue, and was extremely picky with certain reloads (the crimp needed to be perfect for me to get optimal feeding and extraction, I couldn’t run the same practice loads I run in Glocks in that either). 

Before I sold my Shadow 2, I also had to check my handloads in the barrel to ensure they were crimped appropriately, so it seems that exercise came in handy. 

In total, I ran 1500-2000 rounds through these slides and after a break in, they performed wonderfully. There is minimal play on the slide – far less than a plastic fantastic like a Glock – and with one of my CZ lowers, there is zero wobble; I’m talking 1911 territory. 

The crowned, match grade barrels are outstanding. They are thicker than a standard barrel, and this lends itself to better harmonics. What’s more, Impact Machine makes these in house as well, from blanks. 

Shootability 

All of the slides – the SP01 with FPB, SP01 Shadow, and CZ P01 Ported Slides – shoot so incredibly well. The extra mass on the slide gobbles up recoil, and keeps the gun incredibly flat. 

The full size slides allowed me to get some splits (0.16 in some cases), eclipsed only by some SAO guns I have with trigger travel that is measured in handfuls of millimeters. They index well, they point well, and since it’s the same lower I run in competition, there is no learning curve. It is essentially like getting another gun that has the same trigger and manual of arms as my go-to competition rigs.

But there is something about the difference in dimensions and reciprocating mass that makes these slides run somewhat flatter. Aside from being able to get a direct mount to the slide, with a lower optic height-over-bore which lends itself to premium accuracy, it’s just heavier, which means more mass to soak up the recoil. While the SP01 platform, in my humble opinion, is a recoil sponge, these slides increase that factor by double digit percentages. I tested all these slides with optics, and after breaking in, they are quite pleasant to shoot. 

Accuracy

Impact Machine also makes their own barrels of 413 stainless – which again is tough to do and extra CZ barrels are hard to come by. Reason being, CZ (and most Czech manufacturers) make lowers, slides, and barrels that are matched. Unlike a Glock or Sig platform, there aren’t many aftermarket options. This in itself is unique. The barrels are crowned, and boast outstanding accuracy without barrel bushings or other extraneous parts. The lockup is tight, and so are the tolerances. Once more, there is a break-in period. 

The accuracy is on par, if not better, than with the stock slides, with the compact providing slightly better accuracy. That said, I did test to see if my factory P01 barrel ran well in the beautifully textured and ported P01 slide; it did. Whereas I thought the parts of CZ’s all needed to be fitted, and were unlike Glocks or Sig 365s where you could just drop a barrel in here, a slide in there, I was pleasantly surprised to be able to mix and match. 

That said, in only 1 case did the stock set up beat the Impact Machine Set Up, and this was only done with My Sp01 Tactical, as it has a dot on both set ups. Shooting the Shadow Target II or the P01 would have given us disingenuous results. Shots taken from rest at 15m, groups of 5. 

Aesthetics 

Aesthetically they’re just slick-looking. Thick in the right places (like your college girlfriend), textured where you need them to be, and with a nice DLC coating on top. You can have these coated, ported, or cut in  any way you want. In fact, they offer a “dealer’s choice” where you could have them cut in a way that isn’t available on their website. This is what I asked Scott to do to my P01, and I love the look. It shoots, better than it looks. 

Fit and Finish 

Aside from just a standard slide with milling for an optic, they also offer various porting options. Since porting seems to be all the rage on handguns of all shapes and sizes, I inquired if he was seeing this trend in his shop, and what the underlying drivers were. “Years ago when Carry Optics [shooting divisions] were just in the beginning, we had to get creative with weight requirements for certain classes and or organizations. So we have hundreds of programs (we do all our programs ourselves) so making changes isn't scary or something we can't do. We took some of our most popular top slide cuts and that's what we offer. We also have a “dealers choice” which could be anything even cuts we have not released yet. 

Cross Compatibility 

As briefly mentioned, you can run your stock barrel in any of these slides, but the Impact Machine (ICM) barrels come crowned and they cut them from premade blanks. The ICM barrels are a bit thicker, which lends it to better harmonics and thus accuracy. As also mentioned, they require a break-in period.

You can use your standard plastic guide rod or an aftermarket stainless steel guiderod like the Cajun Gun Works ones that I run in my full sizes; however, with the P01 frames you need to use the plastic guide rod to install a stiffer spring. They ship with a reduced power spring, but I did have some issues getting my reloads going into battery. I switched to a 16lb (green) P01 spring, and she’s fully reliable. With factory ammo, it’s good to go (but when you shoot as much as I do, reloads are economical and let’s be real, fun to tinker with). 

The one thing that I’m on the quest for, and if you’re reading this and can help please reach out, is a good holster. I’ve been told that the Sig P320 holsters will fit, and without getting political on the topic, there will likely be a bunch of those around. I have been running a Tier 1 Concealed MSP with a TLR-1 on the lower, and she fits perfectly. I’m still looking for an option to concealed carry the P01 slide. 

One last thing that I find very cool – the SP01 Shadow slide fits my prized pre-B CZ75 in hard chrome, creating a rig that the commies would be jealous of. With a mailbox-size optic on top, I’m almost expecting a letter from Khrushchev telling me how jealous he is of this setup.

LOOSE ROUNDS

Serving a clear market need, Impact Machine manufactures high-quality slides from a single black on 416SS, and they take care and attention to everything they do.

Just talking to Scott Milam, the founder and visionary behind Impact Machine for an hour, his zeal is infectious, knowledgeability palpable, and humility through his faith apparent. He’s got a gift for working on CZ’s, he told me they’ve just always made sense to him, which is baffling to me since it’s one of the few platforms I won’t DIY anything on (that pesky sear cage!).

Perhaps it’s in his blood, perhaps he’s like John Moses Browning where he’s just mechanically gifted, or perhaps it’s his calling. When we spoke, we touched on faith, and he was humble and said “God gave me this gift, I should do something with it.” And he is. Keep your eyes peeled for more things coming from Impact Machine, like comps and other goodies, but if you like CZ’s like I do, they’re worth checking out. 

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