It is no secret I love CZ firearms. In a world of polymer, striker fired guns the CZs are overlooked. CZ’s biggest problem is not producing a lightweight, compact, concealed carry firearm, but that is another discussion for another time. Today we are talking about the CZ P09, formerly the CZ P09 Duty. The Duty moniker was dropped, and now the P09 is CZ’s full-size polymer handgun. Designed for police and military work the CZ P09 is a big gun. This full sized beast is good for open carry and is not for the faint of heart for concealed carry.
The CZ P09 boasts a cold hammer forged 4.53 inch barrel. In 9mm it has a 19+1 standard capacity. The newer models come with +2 base plates for a total capacity of 21+1. You’ll recognize this is well above normal, with most full sized 9mms holding 17+1 at best. The CZ P09 does not play around when it comes to capacity. The weapon is a double action / single action design. The CZ P09 can be converted from decocker or safety, and the factory provides options for both. The CZ P09 utilizes the same Omega trigger system as modern CZ 75s. The Omega system is insanely simple, but we’ll talk about that later.
The CZ P09 comes in a variety of different models. The standard is a black frame with blued slide and barrel. There is a suppressor ready version which is the same as the standard with a threaded barrel. There is also the newer suppressor version, with a Ghost grey frame, suppressor height sights, and a threaded barrel. The model being reviewed here is the FDE variant with night sights.
If you don’t like Glocks you’ll love the CZ P09. Nothing against Glocks, but they have a number of features I do not care for. First and foremost the CZ P09 has zero finger grooves, and the grip is well checkered from the factory. The weapon is hammer fired so you have the ability to restrike. The factory night sights are superbly bright in low light. The sights give a very clear picture at day and night.
The CZ P09 shoots wonderfully. The ergonomics are remarkably similar to the CZ 75, and that is excellent. The grip width is perfect, the high beavertail makes it easy to gain a high grip on the weapon , and the decocker or safety is well placed for easy use. The CZ P09 shoots straight and handles well. The weapon points very naturally, and the grip angle is perfect.
The magazine well is partially beveled, and the magazines are tapered. The effect is a drop free magazine and easy reloads. The magazines are all metal and work wonderfully. The weapon is not compatible with standard CZ 75 magazines. I did find that the CZ 75 factory extended magazines work in the P09. I’ve only used the factory 26 round CZ 75 magazine, so don’t take my word for other magazines.
The magazines are large, especially with the plus two baseplates. They actually fit well into 5.11 MP5 magazine pouches.
The weapon does have a few downsides. Extra magazines are expensive. They cost 40 to 45 dollars apiece. The other problem is that because this weapon isn’t a Glock or S&W M&P holsters can be difficult to find. I’ve found a few different options for both IWB and OWB.
The trigger pull in both double action and single action is exactly what you expect. The trigger is perfectly acceptable, but it is far from perfect. The trigger has a long reset, which is one of it’s few detriments. I’m not one to let my weapons stay just average or acceptable.
The gun proved to be very reliable, very easy shooting. Recoil was minimum and muzzle rise is very low due to the low bore axis CZ handguns are famous for. The aggressive grip texture keeps the weapon in your hand, and when concealed carrying provides a painful sand paper effect after long periods of carrying the weapon. The high beavertail in the grip makes a nice, high grip easy and possible. The night sights on my model are nice and bright but also very easy to use in both the day and night. Shooting the weapon is a joy, except for that long reset.
What can we do about it? First off we, meaning I, looked into a little company called Cajun Gun Works. Cajun Gun Works is one of two prominent CZ aftermarket companies. This company isn’t about making the gun look cooler, they’re about making the gun run better. They also have by far the best customer service I’ve ever experienced. I chose to install a short reset kit, and a reduced power trigger return spring. The Short reset kit necessitated the installation of the reduced power hammer spring, and the reduced power plunger spring to guarantee proper installation.
I emailed the company with just a few questions, and the next day, a Saturday they replied in detail. They answered the questions I had and sent me the links I needed to complete the install. The install itself was actually pretty easy. CZ’s Omega trigger system is surprisingly simple. The only thing I disliked was that I needed a metric punch to install the reduced plunger spring and extended firing pin.
The difference is night and day in the trigger. The reduced power hammer spring makes a big difference when it comes to trigger weight and made the trigger much smoother. The short reset kit reduced the reset by at least half and makes for a much cleaner trigger pull. The reduced power plunger and reduced power hammer spring make small, but noticeable differences in trigger pull. The parts cost me a little over a hundred dollars but are well worth it. The kit is an excellent addition to the CZ P09 and they make similar kits for most CZ pistols. The Omega trigger system is very simple and easy to disassemble. Installation took less than an hour, and that was me being very thorough.
Don’t get me wrong, without the kit the CZ P09 is still an amazing pistol and is completely acceptable in its stock form. I tend to like to make things better, especially guns. You also get a much better understanding of how your weapon functions when you detail strip it to install these parts.
Before I installed the kit I took it out and measured a five shot group. Immediately after the install I took the weapon out and fired another five shot group. Regular group testing is great, but I did these groups a little differently. My testing method was done at fifteen yards and I shoot from the draw. I draw the CZ P09, and fire five rounds. This is deliberate, aimed fire, but it’s one string of fire. This gives me a decent idea of how accurate the weapon is in a practical sense relative to my own skill level. The targets below are the results of the before and after fire.
The CZ P09 is a big gun, but if you are in the market for something that is accurate, reliable, and fun to shoot it’s an excellent choice. The CZ P09 is an affordable weapon. The variant with night sights costs around five hundred dollars. The weapon fills the role of truck gun, home defense handgun, and for the dedicated concealed carrier it’s a monster. The CZ P09 is certainly an underrated weapon and easily sits in the same or an even higher class than the Glock 17, the VP9, or XD series.
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