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CZ P-07: The Better Glock 19

This is a shooting review of the CZ P-07 Gen 2 in 9mm. I have put over 5000 rounds through it without any malfunctions.

I am going to do my best to describe what it is like to shoot this pistol to this round count. Now just to get it out of the way, you get the pistol with two mags, two backstraps, a manual safety conversion kit, a cleaning brush and patch rod, a lock, and a test target with a manual. And all this is secured in a black plastic box, secured by golden plastic tabs, with the CZ logo on the front for an MSRP of $530.

CZ has grown in popularity in recent years, due in large part to their relatively new line of polymer framed pistols. The CZ P-07 in particular has become a big hit, in my opinion, because it is about the same size and capacity as the Glock19, but with a different…..everything.

It is the same height (5”), about the same width (minus the controls, which really don’t make much of a difference when carrying), and length (but with a 3.8” barrel w/ standard rifling). It may be a little thicker, but with all the angles, it seems to carry so much better than the Glock.

You will see that the CZ P-07 has a lot of character inside and out. CZ put a lot of attention-to-detail into this design, and it shows. When holding the pistol, it feels like I’m shaking hands with the pistol instead of just holding it. The texturing on the front of the grip and on the backstrap are perfect for keeping your hand secure in all conditions, wet or dry. I stuck with the smaller of the backstraps, since I have smaller hands. And of course, as with almost every CZ, it points naturally. The CZ P-07 inherited the slide-in-frame of all the other CZ 75 style pistols, which I have found to be quite easy to run. CZ, over the decades, has perfected this design and made it incredibly durable and reliable. The slide is a little wider than the traditional CZ 75 design, but this allows it to be easier to manipulate along with a couple other factors that we will get into later. Now it has departed slightly from the traditional full contact with the frame, and has adopted the current style of four smaller frame rails.

The CZ P-07 slide serrations on both the front and the back are sharp and positive, allowing for an easy hold on the slide. Racking the slide is still about as easy as it was right out of the box. That being said, the slide rails have zero wear, but the frame is just now showing some minor hints of wear. Right above the trigger guard there is texturing for your trigger finger to rest “straight and off the trigger” while you manipulate the pistol.

All the controls on this pistol were well thought out. I found all of them to be quite intuitive in their operation and locations. The reversible magazine release protrudes out a comfortable amount and is almost the perfect size for the grip. Even with the slide locked to the rear, the mags still like to shoot out of the magwell, which is lightly beveled. The regular CZ 75 mags also fit this pistol, which is good for those wanting extra mags that won’t cost about $40 a mag.

The slide stop/release, which doubles as the takedown pin, is flat and has two rounded horizontal serrations. I experienced good results with it when I used it as a release, but I’m still partial to power stroking. The decocker is ambidextrous and is shaped very well for positive manipulation with your thumb. It doesn’t interfere with a two-handed grip, being that it sits above where your thumb could comfortably rest. Actuating the decocker takes little effort and once you rotate the serrated lever down just over 45 degrees, the hammer snaps right into the quarter-cocked position. I don’t care how loud the decocker is and I still don’t understand the problem some people have with it. If you’re decocking it, the fight is over; you’ve cleared your surroundings and you’re ready to holster your pistol. It is absolutely safe to use the decocker to set the hammer down on the P-07. These guns have firing pin safeties, which will prevent the firing pin from being able to reach the round without you pulling the trigger.

The sights on this pistol are kind of cool. They are metal, photo-luminescent, adjustable, and removable with an Allen key. They are pretty low profile, compared to other sights on the market. The rear sight is very much like a Novak rear sight in that it is almost snag-proof. One handed manipulations off of a belt or shoe with the sights is possible, but there isn’t much room on it to work with. I found that if you use the ejection port instead, it works just as well. When I got to 500 rounds, my sights came loose and my rear sight moved about freely under recoil and made me think that there was an issue with me and my shooting. Eventually I checked the sights and saw the rear one was a bit off and the front sight was loose. I got out the Loctite and an Allen key, and centered and secured the sight with the help of a laser boresighter. And after almost 5000 rounds, they are still snug, so no big deal.

Now the trigger is an interesting one for sure. My first impression of this trigger was that it was gritty, long, and heavy on the double action. That was when I was pulling the trigger super slow straight out of the box. The single action had a slight wall, after a lot of take-up, and then a mushy break. Before shooting it, I broke it down completely and stripped all the factory oil off the metals, before reassembling everything and lubricating where I felt it’d enhance the performance. A few spots can be lubed to help improve the trigger: The trigger spring, the sear spring, the sear where it rubs on the hammer, the hammer spring, and between the trigger bar and the grip wall. You will find that by lubing these few points that your trigger pull on SA will reduce in weight and the DA, though it will remain relatively the same weight, will smooth out. After about 3000 rounds, I found that I didn’t need to oil all of the above points anymore.

I will note that at 1200 rounds, the stock trigger spring broke. The sign you will notice is that the trigger on DA will immediately and dramatically drop in pull weight. It was just a bad spring, and it was replaced by CZ immediately. I haven’t had any issues with the new trigger spring so far, but I do have two other springs just in case. After 5000 rounds, the trigger has worn in well, and all the friction points are worn smooth. Other CZ fans have described their triggers as being like a fine wine, and I’d have to agree in this case. There is definitely no need to polish stuff like the sear or anything else. Just shoot the pistol and you will get a naturally good trigger without voiding your warranty. The one thing that surprised me above all else, is how this pistol is so easy to shoot well. I have made comments before about how it feels like this pistol is laughing at me when I shoot it fast. My groups stay tight and the gun doesn’t kick much at all. Even with +P loadings and NATO ammo, this pistol is back on target right away and is ready to pew-pew again. These pistols are just so easy to shoot and it will really surprise you, if it hasn’t already. This is how you get bitten by the CZ bug.

This pistol was well designed and has again proven that the Czechs really do know how to build a combat pistol. This pistol in particular is my favorite mid-size pistol to carry. I have fallen in love with the CZ P-07 and I intend to shoot it out to 10K before doing another review. As far as the two issues I had with this pistol, I must say that they were quite trivial. It runs fine, shoots really well, is easy to handle, and is a great value for those watching their wallets. CZ has continued to improve their manufacturing methods in one way or another, and this pistol has inherited all the benefits and then some. With this standard of quality, it’s no wonder why people like me are fine with the bite of the CZ bug. I sure will be buying more guns from CZ. You’d be doing yourself a disservice to turn down CZ just because of preconceived notions. Run it before you shun it!

by David Donchess

David Served in the USMC, deployed twice and got wounded. Retired and moved to Alaska. Has a passion for reviewing and testing guns and gear of all kinds. Enjoys working to dispel myths and show that you can train and practice in a realistic, safe, and practical way.

CZ 82 – the Milsurp 007 Would Love

James Bond likes the CZ 82. Okay, so Bond’s signature firearm was a Walther PPK, and not the CZ, but at my first sight of the Czech military pistol, I couldn’t help but to recall the hero’s famous blued compact. The Walther’s design predates the 82, and its Russian predecessor, the Makarov, by many years (49 and 20 years, respectively), but in addition to their passing resemblance, they are all blowback operated firearms.

The physical resemblance was enough to call the CZ 82 to my attention, but the price (being a military surplus firearm, they’re not too difficult to acquire with a holster and mag – or two – for somewhere in the realm of $200) was what encouraged me to do some reading up on it and the 9x18mm Makarov cartridge.

The Russian Makarov PM was designed in during the Cold War, in 1977. It adapted the German “9mm Ultra” cartridge into what would become the 9x18mm MAK. The round is slightly shorter and wider than the NATO standard 9x19mm variant. Consequently, any NATO force that came across 9×18 ammo wouldn’t be able to use it for their standard sidearms. In 1982, Czechoslovakia (then closely tied to the USSR) improved the Soviet single stack with their military issued VZ 82 (often stamped CZ 82 for US import). The VZ/CZ 82 was the double stacked compact Makarov pistol issued to the Czechoslovakian army until their dissolution into the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic in 1993.

Blowback Operation

More than any other element, there is one feature that made this gun stand apart from other handgun I’ve fired: it’s blowback operated. That method of function impacts both its design and performance. With the blowback style of operation, the force of the pressure caused by the gases that expand upon igniting the gunpowder within the casing causes the bullet to hurtle forward, exiting the barrel. But, as Newton’s second law teaches, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. That is, as the bullet speeds off in one direction, the same force acts in the opposite direction upon the slide. As the barrel and frame of the CZ are integrated, the slide moves rearward, compressing the recoil spring and ejecting the spent casing. The recoil spring then forces the slide forward again as it decompresses, stripping the next round from the magazine and pushing it into the chamber.

Recoil

This operation gives the sensation of recoil a very different feel from short recoil operated handguns, such as the M1911 or Glock 17. The sensation is a pronounced, snappy kick, and the visible result is in its muzzle flip. Ballistically, the 9×18 Mak cartridge is closer to the .380 ACP (9mm short) than the 9x19mm Parabellum, so, although the recoil is snappy, it isn’t forceful, like how the .45 ACP pushes back, and target re-acquisition is still quick.

Construction

The CZ 82’s blowback design also gives it a unique takedown. To field strip the CZ, the trigger guard must be pulled forward (toward the muzzle) and down (how odd is that?). Next, the slide must be pulled rearward to its fullest extent, and then lifted upward to separate it from the frame. Field stripping the CZ reveals the oddity of its frame-integrated barrel. While having fewer parts makes the takedown (and, conversely, the reassembly) simple, the more important benefit it offers is in accuracy, as the barrel is connected to the part of the gun that the shooter grips.

Accuracy

In most short recoil operated firearms, the barrel unlocks from the slide by “tilting” vertically, allowing the slide to continue moving backward over it. The movement of the barrel between each round fired makes it less accurate than a barrel that remains fixed. However, the barrel feature that most contributes to the CZ’s accuracy is its rifling. Like the barrel of a Glock, the CZ 82’s barrel has polygonal rifling – slightly more accurate than traditional rifling.

Range Performance

As I mentioned earlier, the CZ 82’s blowback operation gives it a unique feel at the range, especially in terms of recoil management. At nearly an inch and a half wide, the CZ’s grip is round and large. The CZ 82 is a smaller handgun, but it still offers grip space for all three fingers. The trigger on the CZ is DA/SA. In double action, the pull is long and heavy. The single action pull is lighter, but still somewhat long. It’s not clunky, but not as crisp or light as a Glock, or even the Beretta M9. The trigger may not be remarkable, but at least it doesn’t detract from being able to shoot it well. The sights, on the other hand, are a definite weak point. The rear sights are two small white dots, and the front sight is a narrow white blade.

On the model for this review, the paint of the front sight was almost completely chipped off. After a little research, I’ve found that this is a common issue. It seems to be an unfortunate side effect of picking up a military surplus weapon – they’re often well-worn. A couple coats of cheap fishing lure paint helped brighten up that undetectable front sight, though, and now I have less issue tracking my sight picture.

Reliability

This Czech gun lives up to CZ’s reputation for building solid pistols. After firing a couple hundred rounds of milsurp, Blazer, and even Winchester white box through it, I’ve only had one failure to feed (with the WWB). Unlike my Kimber SIS Pro, the CZ 82 doesn’t choke up when running dry and dirty, either. Pull the trigger, and it goes bang, every time.

Carry Considerations

This pistol performs reliably and accurately, but when considering it for conceal carry, its small size is another advantage. It’s not a pocket rocket, like the Nano. Where the Nano measures just over 4” tall and 5.6” long, the CZ 82 is notably beefier at 5” (tall) by 6.8” (long). But where the Nano only carries 6+1, the CZ’s double stack mag holds 12, and one in the chamber. The trigger on the CZ 82 is DA/SA, and it also has an ambidextrous frame-mounted safety. This allows the carrier the option of “cocked and locked,” or to carry with the hammer dropped. But, while the hammer is dropped, the frame safety cannot be engaged.

The magazine release can also be engaged from either side of the pistol. As I mentioned before, the 82 isn’t a pocket-sized sub compact, like the minuscule Nano. At 28.6oz, it’s closer to the full-size Beretta M9 (weighing 33.3oz). There are lighter options on the market with increased capacity (e.g., the Glock 19 at 20.99oz with a magazine capacity of 15 rounds, standard), that give the heavy CZ competition in the compact handgun realm.

Another point to evaluate is the ballistics of the 9mm MAK round itself. At the time of its design, it was the largest round possible with blowback operation, but the limits have been pushed since the original Makarov’s inception in 1977. For example, HiPoint pistols are low-price firearms that currently utilize blowback operation for calibers .380 ACP to .45 ACP. With muzzle velocities in the 1k fps range, the 9mm MAK is ballistically closer to the .380 than to the 9×19 Luger (with typical velocities ranging from 1,200-1,400 fps). The lighter punch of the round amounts to less penetration, which is a notable consideration for self-defense firearms.

Conclusion

The CZ82 has some history associated with being carried by the Czech military before the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, but its operation and simplicity make it an interesting firearm apart from the politics associated. The operation is unique and takes some getting used to, but it allows for an accurate little pistol that doesn’t kick too hard. It’s not the smallest compact on the CCW market, but it does offer decent capacity for its size. The sights and trigger pull could use a little attention, but for the cash you’d be dropping on it, it’s a reliable performer. The CZ82 may not have the fame tied to Bond’s little Walther, but, if you’re a good enough marksman, you’ll never miss.

by Destinee

Destinee is also a vlogger. She publishes videos on weapons, gear, and fitness on her YouTube channel every Tuesday and Thursday.

SB Tactical Releases Side-Folding Brace for the CZ 805 Bren S1

Originally published on Tactical Life

Photo by SB Tactical

We’re big fans of SB Tactical around here. We’re also big fans of the CZ 805 Bren S1. So it was only natural that SB Tactical would read our minds and release the SBT805, a pistol brace designed exclusively for that PDW pistol.

RELATED STORY: Compact Thunder – CZ-USA’s 805 BREN S1 Pistol

Developed in partnership with Manticore Arms, SB Tactical’s SBT805 is an integral, side-folding brace, giving the end user all the advantages of the CZ 805 Bren S1 pistol while simultaneously boosting control by offering a third point of contact. It’s ATF-compliant, U.S. veteran-designed, and comes assembled and ready to install. In the press release, SB Tactical is careful to point out that installation of the SBT805 doesn’t change the CZ 805 Bren S1’s pistol classification.

Introduced last year, the CZ 805 Bren S1 pistol is chambered in .223/5.56×45 and sports an 11-inch old hammer forged barrel with a two-port muzzle brake. Also included is a 1/2×28 muzzle threading; aluminum frame; top and bottom Picatinny rails for optics and lights; and polymer grips. It accepts AR15/M16 STANAG magazines and has an overall length and width of 22.75 inches and 6.7 pounds, respectively. The MSRP is $1,799.

“The CZ 805 Bren S1 Pistol is a popular PDW pistol, and our customers have been asking for a high-quality, folding brace from SB Tactical,” SB Tactical founder and CEO Alex Bosco said. “The installation of an SBT805 enhances usability and enables the CZ 805 Bren S1 Pistol to remain compact for ease of transport, storage, and concealability.”

Weighing in at 15.1 ounces and with an overall length of 10.2 inches, the SBT805 is offered in both black and flat dark earth. The price is $249.99.

RELATED STORY: SB Tactical’s Brace Takes 2 Sig Pistols to a New Level of Kick Ass

For more information, go to sb-tactical.com.

The 8 Pistols That Battled to Win the Army’s XM17 MHS Competition

Courtesy of Tactical Life

By now you’re probably aware that Sig Sauer’s P320 won the U.S. Army’s XM17 Modular Handgun System (MHS) competition to replace the legacy M9 and M11 service handguns—mil-spec versions of the Beretta 92FS and Sig P228, respectively. Starting with the Future Handgun System (FHS) over a decade ago, which merged with U.S. Special Operation Command’s Joint Combat Pistol (JCP) program, the idea was to pick a suitable off-the-shelf replacement. This eventually led to the Army-managed MHS program.

The House Armed Services Committee pushed to cancel the XM17 MHS program and upgrade the M9 instead as a less expensive option. Attempting to appease the MHS specifications while meeting the House’s suggestions, Beretta created its M9A3 pistol upgrade after identifying engineering change proposals (ECPs) under the existing contract. However, shortly after that, reports circulated that the M9A3 had been rejected and the House of Representatives approved $5.4 million to procure 7,106 MHS-approved pistols for testing. Thus, Army Contracting Command released an official MHS request for proposals (RFP) in August of 2015, listing a program value of up to $580 million.

Depending on what source you listen to, there were up to 14 pistols from 12 manufacturers offered as contenders for the MHS program. The testing ended up being a $17 million process to find a replacement. The initial bidders for the contract included Beretta, CZ, Glock, FN, Smith & Wesson and Sig Sauer, among others.

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Photo courtesy of Tactical Life

9 Competition Pistol Models Ready for the Firing Line

Courtesy of Tactical Life

Competition pistol shooters want a reliable, accurate pistol that they can take out of the box, load and shoot at the buzzer. We want a pistol that performs without the high expense of a custom gun but with all the features we expect in a competition gun, like a smooth, lightweight, crisp trigger, high-visibility sights and/or the option to mount a reflex sight, a ported barrel, a flared magazine well, grips that actually fit our hand, a short trigger reset—the list goes on.

So what should you look for in an action-shooting pistol? Start with the pistol requirements in your chosen competition discipline and then decide on the caliber. Better yet, do both at the same time since they are both connected. In the case with IDPA and other disciplines, the pistol needs to fit in the box, literally. According to IDPA rules, the pistol (with the largest magazine inserted) must fit in the IDPA gun box measuring 8.75 by 6 by 0.625 inches for Stock Service Pistol (SSP), Enhanced Service Pistol (ESP) and Custom Defense Pistol (CDP) divisions. If you want to shoot Compact Carry Pistol (CCP) or Back Up Gun (BUG) divisions, the box shrinks to 8.75 by 6 by 1.375 inches and 7.25 by 5.5 by 1.375, respectively.

For IPSC Standard division, the pistol must fit within a 225mm by 150mm by 45mm box. The rules for 3-Gun Limited and Tactical are nearly the same. Pistols must be chambered in any caliber larger than 9mm and cannot have any type of muzzle device or optical sight. These restrictions are easy to follow, offering a bunch of different options.

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8 Industry Experts Pick Their Must-Have SHTF Gun

(Article courtesy of Tactical Life)

Compiled by Jay Pinsky

The question is pretty commonly heard at gun shops, barbecues and shooting ranges. Every shooter knows it, and every shooter thinks about it. What gun would you choose if you could only have one gun? It seems simple, but experts and enthusiasts alike know how difficult it can be.

RELATED STORY: 18 Experts Pick Their Concealed Carry Weapon of Choice

The question gets a little trickier when we add a caveat: What if it’s during the apocalypse? Now you have to consider ammunition; if you run out of ammo, will you be able to scrounge some up? What about hunting and self-defense?

Answering this question can be difficult, but that’s why we’ve assembled an assortment of industry experts to offer their opinions. On top of learning more about each of these gurus, these answers can also help you formulate your own.

Nick Collier

Affiliation: DoubleStar Corp.
Position: Senior Executive, DoubleStar, Training Academy Instructor
SHTF Gun: AR-15

I’d choose an AR-15 for a SHTF situation. That’s an easy choice. I have had this conversation many times with industry associates as well as family members and friends. With the thousands of variations available, the AR-15 is the best choice. My decision is based on the following: training, reliability, ease of use, size and ammunition.

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