If there is one thing I believe I bring to this gun writer’s game, it’s insight and detail. For example, one of the first things I noticed about the CZ 75 P07 is that CZ cleverly built this gun with not just one, but with two complete sides…right hand, top photo, left hand bottom photo. I know! How cool is that? But there is much more…
| Model |
CZ 75 P-07 Duty |
| Chamber |
9x19mm (Luger) |
| Capacity |
16+1 rounds |
| Frame |
Polymer |
| Slide |
CNC from bar stock |
| Sights |
White Outline |
| Adjustment |
Windage Only – Drift |
| Barrel Length |
3.7″ |
| Rifling |
Twist 1:9.7″ Hammer forged |
| Weight |
1.7 lbs Empty |
| Length |
7.2″ |
| Height |
5″ |
| Width |
1.5″ |
| Trigger |
SA 4.5 lbs DA 10.3 lbs |
| MSRP |
$579 |
| Options |
Tritium Sights, 40 S&W |
Complete kit…
While the P-07’s price is moderate, the P-07 is sold complete with a padded hard case, manual and the contents shown to the right; gun, two 16 round magazines, cleaning rods, gun lock and parts to switch the gun from ambidextrous decocking controls to thumb safeties.
At 3.8″, the P-07 barrel is inline with other CZ Compact series guns, however, at 7.2″ it’s overall length is 0.100″ longer than the P-01.The no snag rear sight utilized on the P-07 gives it a 5.9″ sight radius compared to 5.3″ for the balance of the compact product line. The minor increase in overall length over the P-01 appears to be the product of a slightly longer beaver tail.
Ed. Note 2/22/2010: Some of these dimensions have been revised based on updated information and minor documentary correction.
A Yvonne Strahovski amongst the Ugly Bettys
Yes, I admit to owning a Glock (top) and using one for a home defense gun…but that’s only because I also use it around the shop when I have woodworking projects in process. Never know when dowels or nails will have to be driven into hardwood when a hammer isn’t handy. Remember, always empty the Glock and clear the chamber before using it for this purpose.
Whenever I see a Smith and Wesson M&P (bottom), I keep thinking fish and waves, maybe because of the fish scale slide surfaces or the wave pattern on the somewhat bulbous grip, but there it is – fish and waves, fish and waves, waves and fish. The muzzle end looks like it was bitten by a bench vise.
The CZ 75 P-07 has angular aft slide and frame serrations, which are must easier to grasp and hold. All of the the low profile controls are large which means they don’t project out to potentially snag on clothing, however, magazine release, slide stop and ambidextrous decocking or safety levers can be operated with an average human size hand. The grip thumb relief is a good depth and radius giving the gun a natural point. The grip stippling and front/aft ribbing and the guard front ribbing combine for an exceptional hold. The under rail is ready to hold whatever items the owner wishes to hang on there; lights, lasers, lunch, etc.
Decocker or thumb safety option
The CZ 75 P-07 was received with decocker controls in place; pushing downward on either side control lever with the gun loaded and cocked, the hammer is lowered safely and the gun can be cocked and fired in double action mode by simply pulling the trigger.
With the thumb safety controls installed, the gun is loaded, the hammer is left in the cocked aft position and the safety is switched on to limit trigger movement and to prevent hammer fall.
Personally, I prefer the decocker configuration. I can’t actually think of a circumstance when a thumb safety would be better as a practical matter.
The two parts needed to convert the decocking function to a thumb safety set up are included with the P-07 and are easy to install. While noted in the manual as “Exchange of control elements”, there is insufficient instruction…unless a person already familiar with the process or removal of the related parts. A detail illustration of the changeover can be found in animated gif form on the CZ web site. In short form –
The gun’s slide assembly is removed as per the instruction manual and the hammer is then pulled back to the fully cocked position. Downward pressure, a thumb works well, is applied to the ejector which causes it to release the left decocker control, and allows that control to be pulled from the frame. The hammer decocker spring will fall free…catch it.
Next the trigger bar is pressed downward and the right decocker control is rotated upward into the vertical position and pulled free of the frame, as illustrated top right. To install the thumb safety parts, the process is reversed with the trigger bar depressed and the right thumb safety control inserted in the frame. The decocker spring is omitted then the gun is set up for a thumb safety. The ejector is depressed and the left thumb safety control is pushed through the frame and keyed into the right thumb safety control. The slide is reinstalled. Pictured below, thumb safety installed.
Interesting design elements…
The P-07 has angular slab cuts on the side of its slide that deepen as they near the muzzle; a slide machined from bar stock into triangulated form is very rigid, light in weight and aesthetically appealing. Adding to that theme is the slide riding inside of the frame rails which provides a good deal of lateral stability during slide cycling. The paneled stippling and textured matte black frame work well with the matte metal parts for a solid overall look and feel.
While lateral support for the slide runs the full length of the frame, 6.250″, as a byproduct of the slide inside of frame geometry, vertical slide motion restraint is similar to a 1911 autoloader design which has proven reliable for one hundred years plus. The surfaces marked in yellow above are the surfaces that prevent the slide from lifting during cycling, approximately 1.75″ of the total 13″ of linear surface. All of the steel parts have a very nice, uniform black nitride treated surface.
The CZ 75 P-07 is a short recoil, camming locked breech autoloader. The P-07 does not utilize radial locking lugs at radiused barrel and slide surfaces for lockup, but rather the gun locks up at the large rectangular surface above the barrel’s chamber.
Omega trigger system
One of the design changes incorporated into the P-07 is CZ’s Omega trigger, an element that permits the decocker/thumb safety swap. The Omega trigger is also credited with reducing trigger pull length and, by reducing the trigger assembly parts count, reducing overall trigger group wear and tear. The primary difference I can see between Omega trigger guns and earlier style triggers, beyond the newer generation’s use of a single sided trigger bar rather than a closed loop, is mostly at the back end of the trigger assembly. The complicated, expensive, ejector of the earlier models that mounted the sear and related parts has been replaced with a simple insert that replaces a number of casting with fewer simple precision stamped parts and makes more use of the gun’s poly frame to hold shaft mounted parts in position.
| Measurement |
Omega |
Original |
| Trigger from grip |
3.25″ |
3.25″ |
| Travel – Cocked to sear release |
0.375″ |
0.375″ |
| Pull double action |
10 lbs 2 oz |
9 lbs 1 oz |
| Pull single action |
4 lbs 1 oz |
6 lbs 0 oz |
Checking only examples on hand, the Omega trigger was consistently lighter in single action pull, what the gun would see in normal use and the gun feels solid in trigger pull. No hollow, pinging spring sounds as is the case with a number of competing brands.
Shooting impressions
The CZ 75 P-07 caught me by surprise. I loaded up a couple of magazine, fired the first five or six shots to put a little wear on the gun and to see how many places new gun oil would squirt from. Noticeably missing was poly frame sting, something I’d come to expect after shooting a number of Glock and S&W poly framed guns. The P-07 felt more like an alloy or even a steel gun. With snow on the ground, more on the way and temps in the teens, the usefulness of a large open trigger guard was fairly obvious with gloves on. The P-07 had a steady feel I’ve not found with similar mission Glocks or SIG firearms.
Two hand hold shooting produced consistent 2.0″ – 2.5″ groups at 50′ with some 124 grain carefully and moderately handloaded ammo. That’s very good for me and the gun was easy to shoot, soft on recoil and easy to recover for follow on shots. I was able to put 16 shots in a 6″ circle at the same distance, not rapid fire, but with barely a pause between shots. Again, for me that’s good. I did not shoot the P-07 from a rest, or run through a large number of ammo types, although I can say that 147 grain ammo shot about the same as the 124’s. I did not shoot any 115 grain loads as I have, over the years, moved away from this bullet weight in 9mm Luger.
I’m a believer…
I guess the best way to sum up my experience with the CZ 75 P-07 is that I purchased one from the RealGuns gun shop. Would I change anything about the gun? Sure, always room for improvement. I’d like to see the very sharp edges taken off serrations, both frame and slide. They are cut clean, but a little too sharp. I’d like to see something other than white outline and Tritium sights as an option. Fire Sights would be nice, particularly for a gun that would serve so well as a defensive firearm, home or carry. That’s it. Nice gun, well finished, good shooter.
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