Zev Technologies
Zev Technologies has probably elevated the Glock design more than any other company. As a quick recap, Zev started as a high-end Glock customization company, but in 2019 it released the OZ9 line, which was a complete re-design of the Glock platform with all parts built in-house.
Full details are in my review mentioned above, but to sum up, Zev redesigned the internal chassis of the gun to be heavier, stiffer and modular. It also improved the grip and trigger. Taken all together, this completely changed the shooting characteristics of the gun. It shot faster and smoother than any conventional Glock, while keeping original Glock parts compatibility.
Zev started developing a cult following. I know a bunch of guys who are diehard fans, and I totally understand why. If you equate a shooting a normal Glock to driving a Honda Civic, shooting a Zev is like shooting a tuned-up Civic from “The Fast and The Furious” movies.
Reliability
But there were a few issues – most notably, reliability. The V1 shot like a racecar, but also could break down like a racecar, at least for some shooters that pushed the guns hard.
This is why I was very happy to hear that the biggest change on the V2 was the upgrade to the internals. The V2 moves to mostly all Glock Gen 5 compatible components except for the recoil system, which remains Gen 3. Of course, these parts were also re-designed for the V2 to improve reliability, accuracy, and trigger performance. While compatibly remains, performance is increased.
I’m happy to report that so far, I have had no reliability problems. Now, only time – and many owners’ reports – will determine if it is truly more reliable. I know the team at Zev takes its work very seriously, and it really says something that they released this new iteration to address customers’ concerns. I’m very hopeful about these improvements.
More Modularity
The next major upgrade is the change in chassis options. By chassis, I’m referring to the internal steel subframe that contains all the fire control parts. The V1 came in standard size and compact chassis. The standard chassis worked with the G17 and G34-length slides, and the compact chassis only worked with the G19 slides.
Now, all the OZ9 V2 chassis are compact chassis, but they work with all slide lengths. But the compact chassis does not mean you can’t have a full-sized grip. Remember, the chassis is removable and interchangeable. The all V2s are available with two grip sizes: a shorter G19 grip and a full sized G17 grip.
The V2 allows the user to mix and match any grip size to any slide length. This is a great improvement that makes everything simpler. Other than that, there are a few more cosmetic changes such as improved slide cuts and serrations.
Different Model Lines
The Version 2 improvements are available in Zev’s Elite and Combat lines. The Elite is the top-of-the-line competition-oriented series. They all come with black coatings and bronze barrels, flat front triggers, mag wells, and match barrels.
The Combat is geared towards more duty and harsh environment use. These don’t have slide cuts to keep out debris. They come in either FDE or gray, no mag well, curved triggers and pro barrels.
Zev’s economically priced line, the Duty series, is still the V1 guns.
The Test Gun
For this review, I received an OZ9 V2 Elite Hyper Comp. As I just said, the “Elite” denotes Zev’s premier-tier pistol with every bell and whistle they could cram into it. Mine came with a G19-length slide but a standard-sized G17 grip. It’s basically a 19X.
“Hyper Comp” means it includes a specially designed island-ported barrel. This barrel uses four tapered ports to vent the expanding gases to offset muzzle rise. “Island” means that the slide has been cut out to accommodate the ports, and the front sight has been integrated into the barrel. The front sight does not reciprocate with the slide but stays more still on the barrel. This makes iron-sighted shooting faster.
But Zev guns are all optics-ready, so I installed a Holosun 507C green dot. I’m a big fan of the fact that the Zev slides are cut with an RMR footprint, so Trijicon and Holosun red dots attach directly to the slide without an adapter plate. This allows them to sit very low on the slide, which minimizes height-over-bore issues and makes finding the dot easier.
Performance
This pistol is very soft-shooting. Zev has worked some magic with the ports, the 1911 grip angle, and the internal chassis system. In combination, it is the softest shooting G19-sized, polymer-framed gun that I’ve ever tried.
Then there is the trigger. For a Glock-style, striker-fired trigger, it’s very good. I got a consistent 5-pound pull. It’s not exactly a crisp two-stage 1911 trigger or a typical rolling break Glock trigger, but it’s somewhere in between. The reset is short and audible.
I think the OZ9 V2 is an ideal do-it-all gun, if you like striker-fired guns. The short slide is perfect for concealing, but the full-sized grip allows a very good purchase for controlling recoil. The lightweight overall package lets you carry it all day, but the porting mitigates the muzzle rise.
There are no controls or safeties, so there is nothing to forget in a self-defense situation. You just point and shoot. But because the recoil impulse is so good and the trigger so nice, you can shoot this gun fast and accurately in any competition setting.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this is probably the highest evolution of the Glock design. I don’t think you could ask or want anything more. Yes, you must pay a premium price for it, but considering the cost most guys put in to upgrade a standard Glock, why not buy something designed from the ground up as a superior product? It really is worth the money.
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