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!

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below and we will get back to you.

This article is courtesy of The Loadout Room.