For more information, visit https://cz-usa.com/product/cz-p-10-c/.
To purchase a CZ P-10 C on GunsAmerica.com, click this link: https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.htm?T=CZ<id-all=1&as=730&cid=150&ns=0&numberperpage=50&.
The P-10 C from CZ-USA is a polymer-framed, striker-fired pistol for a very reasonable price of under $500 retail. Image courtesy of manufacturer.
The CZ P-10 C, which is quite a lot to spit out, is the latest foray of CZ into the polymer frame market. We haven’t seen a striker-fired CZ in quite sometime, and I wouldn’t say the CZ 110 was a huge success in terms of numbers sold. I have spent a little time on the CZ P09, and I will say it wasn’t my personal cup of tea. It looks like the Czech engineers spent that time in the lab though, turning out a very different pistol for the US market.
The controls and ergonomics of the pistol are generally well thought out, and it is very controllable. Image courtesy of manufacturer.
SPECS
- Chambering: 9mm
- Barrel: 4.02 inches
- OA Length: 7.3 inches
- Weight: 26 oz
- Frame: polymer
- Grips: n/a
- Sights: Combat type, white dot, fixed
- Finish: nitride finish
- Capacity: 15+1
- MSRP: $499
The P-10 C is a compact, which is a good place for an introduction to the pistol market. CCW still trumps duty guns as far as sales go, but I bet we see a CZ P-10 full size in the not to distant future. This model features backstraps in three sizes (small, medium, and large) and they actually do change the size of the pistol’s grip front to rear. This has been a complaint in some models; the grip panels are so similar in size as to be irrelevant. The CZ requires you to drive a roll pin out to change grip panels, but I have written elsewhere I don’t really see this as a negative. Once you have switched to the size you like, when are you ever going to change again?
The pistol came packed in a nice foam-lined plastic case along with some spare magazines and interchangeable backstraps.
The P10 also includes a lanyard hole in the backstraps, showing us they haven’t forgot the LE and military customer in this design. (The requirement to use a lanyard is more common than most people would think). The grip has a grenade style checkering that is quite aggressive, and one of my favorite features of the pistol. The gun really stays put in your hands. I can’t help you with “is it uncomfortable if you have soft, effeminate, weak hands that are mostly used for the wood on a ‘ban coal’ protest sign, made of 100% post-consumer recycled fair trade laminate that is BPA free?” I use skateboard tape on all my personal pistols, and this has rather jaded my ability to judge for most people.
The pistol employs interchangeable backstraps for adjusting the grip to fit your hand.
I also like that CZ went ahead and checkered a place on the front of the frame for your non-dominate hand thumb. This gets out a lot, and I like the CZ attention to detail in there. The trigger guard has been undercut to make your hand positioning more comfortable, and prevents the notorious polymer callous on your shooting hand middle finger. As the trigger guard is very large, you should have no problem reaching the trigger even in heavy winter gloves. It is also an aesthetically pleasing square. I am completely serious on that, the hard 90 degree angles just look right, and really complements the appearance of the gun. The front of the trigger guard also features some texture, in case you learned how to shoot from watching old TJ Hooker reruns. Seriously, stop that. The front of the pistol features a true Picatinny attachment point for lights and lasers etc. I am glad to see pistol manufacturers adopting the Picatinny standard. Having your own rail dimension just makes life harder on all of us, and drives the cost of accessories up. I’m looking at you, Smyrna.
The Guts of It
The take down of the pistol is like that of most modern polymer pistols. Those familiar with other models will have no problem with pull the trigger, pull the slide slightly to the rear, pull down the take down lever, slide comes off. Oh wait, add unload the gun to that first part. Some companies have gone to extreme lengths to remove the “ pull the trigger part”, but I think jury is still out on that one. Does the introduction of some other method introduce additional parts? Are those more failure points? Does anyone on earth advocate taking a gun apart without first ensuring it is empty? At least it can be said that CZ is treating us like grown-ups on this one. Anyway, the take down lever is steel, and has serrations to make using it easier.
The pistol features ambidextrous controls to ensure ease of use by the broadest range of shooters.
The slide release lever is quite large, also steel, and also serrated. Despite the fact that the slide release is easily twice the size I am used to on a polymer gun, it never once got in the way. Zero accidental slide locks, which can be a problem for me on other brands with extended controls. And this thing is so big, you are unlikely to miss it in an adrenalin-enhanced reload. Points to CZ. It is also truly ambidextrous, which after a recent debacle I now check. As in, there is a slide release lever on both sides of the gun, and depressing either one releases the slide equally well. The magazine release is also ambidextrous, steel, and checkered in a square pattern.
Moving up to the slide, the dimensions look one way and measure another. Due to the thickness of the frame design, the gun looks like the slide is going to be oversized. Measuring shows it is not, it is about the same width and height as other popular models. I really liked the aggressive cocking serrations that are front and rear of the slide; fronts are usually what you over pay to have added after market. The slide has also been milled on the sides of the top, to what resembles a five-sided barn shape. It reduces the overall weight of the slide, and makes for a very attractive pistol.
The sights are of the three-dot variety and low profile in their design.
The sights on mine are a three-dot affair, though they seem to be luminous paint, not tritium, which is to me an odd choice. The rear sight is a dovetail that is unique to CZ, which at the moment limits your aftermarket choices. Arguably not the best decision by CZ, and something to consider when buying this pistol. The front sight is the same as this in mounting, and is narrower than most out of the box guns. I liked that the sights are steel, and the narrow front is easy to pick up. From the first second of shooting, the sights proved to be very good. This is a nice change for the consumer, not immediately needing to spend $100 to upgrade the dovetail protectors the factory installed.
How about the internals? Well, it turns out I am not an engineer. Nothing is glaringly obvious as a bad idea, and everything seems to work.
The author liked the large, squared trigger guard of the pistol.
Where It Counts
As I said in the video, it took me a minute to adjust to this gun. Nothing wrong with it, it’s just a little different. The rear of the frame is cut to move your hand forward and under the slide, which also acts as a beavertail to protect your hand. It feels a little strange at first, but I have to conclude this design is part of what made the gun so controllable. And it is controllable. Very controllable.
The grip is a little bit small for my tastes, but that does contribute to the concealability of the gun. By small, I mean it was difficult to get as much grip from the support hand as I like. My hands are on the big side, but I am not a giant. I generally wear a size large glove in mechanics or ski gloves. The trigger, which is the main selling point of the gun, is lighter than many other polymers. My trigger gauge said 4 pounds, 6 ounces, but my tools also weren’t made by Zeiss. I am willing to contend that 4 pounds even is accurate, as advertised.
The author ran the pistol through some drills on the range and came away impressed.
My one real issue with the gun is how they got that trigger pull. I like triggers that have a set mechanical stop, then you apply pressure and they break, and the gun shoots. The CZ P-10 C trigger has what feels like a stop point, then some more movement without a stop behind it, then the gun shoots. This is a subtle movement, but it is present. I would guess 99.9% of the shooters that pick up this gun won’t even notice. To be fair, on the range, I barely noticed, too. The gun is incredibly accurate, and the speed drills I was shooting with this gun speak for themselves. It handles well, it is easy to control, and the trigger isn’t bad. I for one would really like to shoot this gun in .40 S&W, see how it tames that beast. At a street price of under $450, this CZ is absolutely a bargain.
For more information, visit http://cz-usa.com/product/cz-p-10-c/.
To purchase a CZ P-10 C on GunsAmerica.com, click this: CZ P-10 C.
I own multiple CZ’s myself and they are super!
What’s wrong with T.J. Hooker? Captain Kirk in a police uniform, you can’t go wrong with that! Don’t be too hard on Shatner, he’s used to shooting phasers.
Clay I have handled two of the CZ P10-C. I love the feel but I couldn’t bring either one home with me, the advertised 4 to 5 lb Trigger was 7 & 1/2 pounds tested on two different Trigger scales. If either had been the 4 & 1/2 lbs as advertised I would be a proud owner of the new CZ P10-C. One Trigger was smoother than the other, but I won’t put up with 7 & 1/2 lb Trigger pull.
I only hae one striker fired weapon in my 103 gun stable, a VZ 58. Myself I just don’t care for striker fired guns and other than that one I have none. And don’t even get me started on Glocks,,,,I hate them and they do absolutely nothing for me with there grip angle
weirdness and cheaped out feel !! Just Junk imho. You can have my share of all plastic guns. I own only one of those too, a MK3 ruger,,,,,real steel is the real deal and nothing can match it.
Hello Clay, love the videos very informative! As an aside be careful placing the firearm in you chest carrier as shown. I have seen accidental discharges due to the draw strings (similar to the ones on your carrier meant to secure the rifle magazines) becoming entangled between the holster and trigger, thus depressing the trigger and causing an AD. NOT trying to be the safety police, just don’t want to loose one of my favorite reviewers!
I prefer my steel CZ. Plastic and CZ doesn’t seem right.
Does anyone know when the full size cz p10 will become available and for sale?????
Just because it’s not a Glock is no big selling point with me. I abandoned my stable full of Glocks for the CZ 75 many decades ago, but I will not set my CZ 75B aside for another Glockenspeil wanna-be. To this day I hold no animus towards Glocks & Glock shooters; I’ve just moved on. I have owned CZ rifles, pistols & shotguns & have never found a one of them wanting. Now that CZ has a devoted following is not the time for them to take a detour & lead us down the primrose path. Just reading looking through the article & comments, I see any number of CZ fans who want this to be another winner. So do I. Hope to get the opportunity to shoot one soon.
So many guns out there that look almost exactly the same. All of these guns also have one other thing in common, they all compare themselves to a Glock. I’ve sold a lot of firearms through the years and one thing I have definitely learned is that if you want a polymer striker fired handgun, just buy a Glock.
Clay, nice review…glad to have you back. One question though: How do you think this new CZ P10C compares to the Remington RP9?
I stand by my video about the RP9. Worst pistol I have ever touched. This CZ P10 wasn’t my favorite gun, but it did shoot like a house on fire. If you are a CZ fan, you will like this. And if you want a striker fired that isn’t a Glock, also an excellent choice.
I guess you never touched a 1980s Ruger semiautomatic lol. Or a Leatherwood mac10 or a kbi high power or pretty much any colt 1911 made before 2005 or the early Taurus striker guns um and others I traded off over the years that have faded in my old and distracted brain
Excellent review and great video as well!
GunsAmerica are you serious? Another “let’s pump this junk” down our readers pie holes. Come on!
Plain ol’ junk!
I was going to put a deposit on a P10 last week but, since no one seems to know when these pistols will actually be available, I bought another 75 compact instead. My daughter wanted a Glock 19 but she really loves the CZ so I talked her into the P10…. she says she will wait another month, if they are still a no-show she’s going to buy the Glock.
You should show you daughter the Walther PPS M2.
I have 2 CZ long guns and really like them both. A .204 with set trigger and a .17 Mach 2 . Only bad thing , the .17 Mach 2
ammo is hard to find but it’s a real tack driver . I will be buying this CZ auto as soon as I can find one based on this article and
the great experience with my rifles . I shot a Glock 23c in .40 cal. for a while then gave it to my son because it was so dependable and accurate .
I’m glad someone could actually get their hands on one of these things. TALK ABOUT A BOTCHED PRODUCT LAUNCH. CZ holds the undisputed title. At least S&W and Glock had the intelligence to manufacture thousands of copies of Shields and G43s up front to meet demand. I have an LE buddy who ordered a P10C in December, 2016, and he was put off by CZ for months until he smartly cancelled the order and just bought a Glock 19. The P10C is apparently like a clear picture of Bigfoot or a unicorn. I’ve heard for years from gunwriters about how we should buy American guns first, which was a direct stab at Glock before they started manufacturing in Smyrna. Well, you never heard such criticism about CZ. If they would just make the P10C here in the States, they wouldn’t have to worry about the Czech factory’s timeline.
Is it me, or does the back end of the slide look like it was borrowed from a Glock? While I have a number of plastic striker-fired pistols, I still prefer a handgun with a hammer. But then I’m looking at 70 at my next birthday.
I can see why CZ went with a plastic/striker pistol design; it is much less expensive to build, even with CNC machining cells and it is lighter in weight for those who carry.
I’ll stick to my hammer pistols, though; My CZ 9mmMakarov works fine and is very accurate. My CZ 75 is old like me but still shoots better than I can, and my CZ 95B is my go-to when I want a .45acp. pistol. Yeah, I have others (more than I can easily remember offhand stuck away in my safe) but CZ has always been a go-to for me because the darn things work and are comfortable to use. Now CZ has a plastic pistol? Gotta think about that one.
“If the government wants your guns, be law abiding and give them your guns: Bullets First.”
–KMacK
luv the shape of the backstrap, I bet it fits great in a lotta hands. Reminds me of the S&W Sigma, I loved the way that grip felt, too bad the rest of the pistol was a turd. Can’t wait too check this out.
How much different is it from the CZ 75 in all its versions? Do the trigger groups interchange with the trick ones? Does the safety/decocker work the same way?
No there is no decocker. This is a standard striker pistol and seems to have no design familiarity to the CZ75
~Duh~ another plastic “wundernine” The GLOCK salesmen on here Astound !
I’m with the author on the .40 SW caliber. I’ll wait to see if this happens. and hopefully soon. I like CZ pistols and have owned a couple. Good quality, and this is a good price too.
Excellent looking pistol and a great little review!
I smell a glock patent infringement lawsuit coming from a mile away.
Indeed! CZ used to make good weapon’s system, now they are just pumping junk.
Good review Clay! I’m a CZ junkie but don’t do plastic guns, tried em and just can’t do it. But I see where CZ is going with it. CZ is the best kept secret in the gun world. I own three and actually they won me away from my beloved 1911, not all the way, I still cheat. If they will co-operate you should ask CZ for a Sports tactical to test, it’s one of the finest pistols I’ve ever picked up.
But, your dog is killing me, every time he barks I get up to see what’s bothering my dog.
This CZ looks nice, almost as if it required a patent license from Glock to build.. so can anyone point out any significant reason to buy this CZ instead of the tried and true Glock(s) with a proven track record, excellent machining/finishing, aftermarket parts options, and endless array of holsters (ect)? At a glance I fail to see the point of it, even the street price difference isn’t worth it when hunting for holsters or changing the sights.
Because it’s NOT a Glock!!!
LOL!!!!
Based on my CZ-75SA (course/crappy machine marks, gritty trigger, mediocre coating, etc) .. NOT being a Glock is NO advantage or positive attribute here. Knowing it fits into G19/23 holsters makes it even worse in a way…its now a bona fide Glock knock-off.
Whilst I WAS being a bit facetious, and I have owned several since they first came out, I am not as enamored with the Glock as many here are.
I was there in the beginning, with the swollen mags, the crappy trigger, and the broken plastic recoil rods of the first Gen 1 Glocks.
It is NOT the end all, be all of handguns as some would have one believe.
Like the AR platform, they have come a long way, and are great guns now.
And the first two Generation pistols had a grip I just couldn’t come to ‘grips’ with. Like holding a block of wood, especially compared to a 1911. But I have small hands.
Glocks are great guns, but so are many others.
The P10c fits perfectly well in any Glock 19/23 holster. Almost like they did that on purpose….
A properly shaped grip, designed to fit a human hand
Glock’s user manual specifically warns against shooting reloads. The barrel doesn’t support the case wall. This is also why they’ve had .40s and 10MM blow up. This is cheaper, doesn’t have plastic sights, has a grip made for a human, has a better trigger, and isn’t so weak that it can’t handle reloads. If that’s not enough to convince you, then by all means… buy a different gun
CZ has always made top notch products for the firearms market; I know I competed with a professional shooter who used CZ pistols for years, and I can guarantee you they stood up to every other gun out there and then some that guy beat those guns to death and they still ran even after hundreds of thousands of rounds….
I see this model is just as impressive and handles in climate weather pretty well, too…….
Good job, CZ I’ll be picking one of those up one of these days!
Wow thought it was a Springfield at first. And I see they have the adjustable panels, which made the Springfield a winner for me. It’s too bad Springfield took what I felt was a step back with the “grip zone”, and lost the adjustment of the grips. Luckily I still have the older model that makes the adjustment possible.
I think this gun will be stealing away buyers from Springfield….
Some of us with “soft, effeminate, weak hands” really are women who don’t like having the skin torn off our hands!
I think Clay’s comment was at least partly in jest, and directed more to soft and weak-minded people like Bill Clinton, Charles Schumer, and that lot. I bet Jessie Duff doesn’t like having the skin torn off her hands either (Google her), nor does anybody. The grip areas can be mitigated with sanding, etc.
I don’t know, Im torn. I went and bought a CZ because I wanted that classic design. I know everybody wants to be in on the polymer striker gun game. At least they went with fully ambi controls vs having to swap the mag release.
But Im curious why is it glock is the only company still putting plastic sights on a pistol?
Polymer sights are cheaper than steel ones. That’s the only reason why Glock puts them on. This helps to keep the profits up.
Clay,
Good article and vid. Q on the mag release and corresponding rear movement of the trigger: Does this only happen when the slide is locked back? Is this part of a mag disconnect feature?
Looks very good overall.