There are obvious differences when comparing the CZ 75 Compact vs Glock 19. The Glock 19 is a polymer striker-fired handgun with no thumb safety while the CZ 75 compact is a steel frame Double-Action Single-Action gun with a thumb safety that can be carried cocked and locked. Despite those differences, the guns are very similar in size and both have 15 round capacities.
Size
| Metrics | CZ 75 Compact | Glock 19 |
| Weight No Mag(Oz) | 29.4 | 21.4 |
| Weight Empty Mag(Oz) | 32.4 | 23.9 |
| Weight With A Full Mag(Oz) | 38.9 | 29.4 |
| Height(top of Slide to bottom of Magazine Baseplate)(Inches) | 5.1 | 4.89 |
| Length (Inches) | 7.17 | 6.99 |
| Width of Grip(Inches) | 1.37 | 1.18 |
| Width of Slide(Inches) | 0.93 | 1.00 |
| Width Across Controls(Inches) | 1.26 | 1.33 |
CZ 75 Compact vs Glock 19 Concealed Carry
At a little more than 3/16 inches longer from the grip the top of the slide the CZ 75 Compact is technically larger than the Glock 19 and also has a much wider grip. The grip on the CZ 75 Compact has is shapely enough that the extra girth will print similar to a Glock 19 with most clothing. From a practical standpoint, most people won’t see a difference in the ability to conceal either gun.
Now, where they really start to differ is in their weights. There are approximately 10 ounces of weight savings in the Glock 19 vs CZ 75 Compact so that gives massive points to the Glock 19. When it comes to your long-term health a lighter-weight gun will have a less negative effect on your joints and back but that comes at the cost of shoot-ability. I can carry a Glock 19 without a belt using our singleton holster but I wouldn’t dare try carrying the 75 Compact without the support of a good gun belt.
Ergonomics overall
If you consider ergonomics to be how a gun feels in the hand then many would consider the 75 Compact to have excellent ergonomics. The ergonomics of the Glock 19 are a topic of considerable debate.
No one really says the Glock 19 feels great in the hand but it’s easy to make an argument that feeling great in the hand doesn’t isn’t necessary to get proper leverage on the gun to control recoil. In my opinion, the Glock grip allows you to gain leverage on the grip in the right places to effectively control the gun.
Both guns allow you to get good control of the gun but I’ve found to Glock is a little easier to apply leverage than the 75 Compact especially if you have larger hands.
Glock
The Glock 19 is currently manufactured in 3 main variants the Glock 19 Gen 3, 4, and 5. The Glock 19 Gen 3 has no modularity on the grip while the Gen 4 and Gen 5 variants have the ability to add 4 different back strap configurations. This allows the Glock 19 to work really well for shooters with larger hands so they can get more distance on the trigger reach and leverage on the front and backstrap of the firearm.
You can switch out the grip panels on the CZ 75 Compact and there are a wide variety of aftermarket options so you can decide the profile and amount of traction you would like to have on your grips. There are multiple, wood, G10, carbon fiber plastic, and rubber grip options so your ability to customize the sides of your grips is near limitless.
The Glock 19 is currently manufactured in 3 main variants the Glock 19 Gen 3, 4, and 5. The Glock 19 Gen 3 has no modularity on the grip while the Gen 4 and Gen 5 variants have the ability to add 4 different back strap configurations. This allows the Glock 19 to work really well for shooters with larger hands so they can get more distance on the trigger reach and leverage on the front and backstrap of the firearm.
You can switch out the grip panels on the CZ 75 Compact and there are a wide variety of aftermarket options so you can decide the profile and amount of traction you would like to have on your grips. There are multiple, wood, G10, carbon fiber plastic, and rubber grip options so your ability to customize the sides of your grips is near limitless.
CZ 75 Compact vs Glock 19
When comparing texturing on the CZ 75 Compact vs Glock 19 it can get complicated due to the multiple variations of the Glock 19 in Gen 3-5. The Glock 19 Gen 3 has its standard texturing which is very slick and inferior to the texturing on the CZ 75 Compact factory grips. You can also sometimes find a Gen 3 Glock with the RTF2 texturing which is really grippy and better than anything available for the CZ 75 Compact even on the aftermarket.
The Gen 4 texturing is also pretty slick but the Glock 19 Gen 5 texturing is more aggressive and I’d say it’s slightly better than the CZ 75 compact mainly due to the texturing on the front and backstraps while the CZ 75 Compact front and backstraps are slick. So the short answer is the Glock Gen 3 RTF2 and Gen 5 texturing are better than the CZ but the CZ grip texturing is better than Gen 3 and Gen 4 Glocks
The Glock 19 is currently manufactured in 3 main variants the Glock 19 Gen 3, 4, and 5. The Glock 19 Gen 3 has no modularity on the grip while the Gen 4 and Gen 5 variants have the ability to add 4 different back strap configurations. This allows the Glock 19 to work really well for shooters with larger hands so they can get more distance on the trigger reach and leverage on the front and backstrap of the firearm.
CZ Grips
You can switch out the grip panels on the CZ 75 Compact and there are a wide variety of aftermarket options so you can decide the profile and amount of traction you would like to have on your grips. There are multiple, wood, G10, carbon fiber plastic, and rubber grip options so your ability to customize the sides of your grips is near limitless.
When comparing texturing on the CZ 75 Compact vs Glock 19 it can get complicated due to the multiple variations of the Glock 19 in Gen 3-5. The Glock 19 Gen 3 has its standard texturing which is very slick and inferior to the texturing on the CZ 75 Compact factory grips. You can also sometimes find a Gen 3 Glock with the RTF2 texturing which is really grippy and better than anything available for the CZ 75 Compact even on the aftermarket.
The Gen 4 texturing is also pretty slick but the Glock 19 Gen 5 texturing is more aggressive and I’d say it’s slightly better than the CZ 75 compact mainly due to the texturing on the front and backstraps while the CZ 75 Compact front and backstraps are slick. So the short answer is the Glock Gen 3 RTF2 and Gen 5 texturing are better than the CZ but the CZ grip texturing is better than Gen 3 and Gen 4 Glocks
CZ 75 Compact vs Glock 19
When comparing texturing on the CZ 75 Compact vs Glock 19 it can get complicated due to the multiple variations of the Glock 19 in Gen 3-5. The Glock 19 Gen 3 has its standard texturing which is very slick and inferior to the texturing on the CZ 75 Compact factory grips. You can also sometimes find a Gen 3 Glock with the RTF2 texturing which is really grippy and better than anything available for the CZ 75 Compact even on the aftermarket.
The Gen 4 texturing is also pretty slick but the Glock 19 Gen 5 texturing is more aggressive and I’d say it’s slightly better than the CZ 75 compact mainly due to the texturing on the front and backstraps while the CZ 75 Compact front and backstraps are slick. So the short answer is the Glock Gen 3 RTF2 and Gen 5 texturing are better than the CZ but the CZ grip texturing is better than Gen 3 and Gen 4 Glocks.
Slide
This is an area where the Glock 19 has a clear advantage. Due to the internal frame rails, the CZ 75 compact slide is hard to manipulate because it’s very narrow and short. Many will say this is this feature makes it a flatter shooter by giving it a lower bore axis but the Glock 19 actually has a lower bore axis. Personally, this is my least favorite feature on the CZ 75 series of guns.
The Glock slides have a variety of slide serration styles and they all work better than the CZ 75 Compact serrations even though the 75c serrations are more aggressive. This is due to the anemic profile of the 75 slide. So the clear winner is the Glock 19 vs CZ 75 Compact.
Sights
The CZ 75 Compact comes with 3 dot sights that are serviceable but not great by any means and the Glock 19 comes with a variety of offerings from the factory. From the factory, you can get a Glock 19 with plastic slot filler sights, 3 dot Meprolight Glock branded night sights, and Ameriglo night sights. All the Glock sight offerings with the exception of the plastic sights are better than the CZ 75 compact sights.
When comparing aftermarket sights for the CZ 75 Compact vs Glock 19 Glock is again the clear winner. Dawson precision and CZ Custom have some sight options for the 75 compact but you won’t find much else while almost every sight option ever made is made for Glock.
If you want to mount a red dot Glock has their factory MOS system and there are a large number of shops that will mill your Glock to accept a slide-mounted optic. There are also shops that will modify your CZ but the work tends to be a lot more complicated and expensive.
CZ 75 Compact vs Glock 19 Controls
Glock is famous for not having an external thumb safety while the 75c has a thumb safety mounted on the left-hand side of the gun which is ideal for a right-handed shooter. There is currently no decocker feature on the 75 compact so you’ll need to manually decock the gun if you wish to carry your CZ in Double Action. You can also carry the CZ cocked and locked.
Not having ambi features the CZ loses some points to the Glock but the lack of those features won’t be an issue for many users. If you’re a left-handed shooter and plan to use the gun for defensive purposes the Glock will probably be a better option.
Trigger
The trigger systems on these guns are as different as they can be. Neither system is necessarily better than the other they just offer a different set of features. The DA trigger on the CZ 75 compact is incredibly smooth but heavy and the single action trigger has a rolling break and is somewhat of a disappointment. There are tons of aftermarket options available if you want to improve the trigger on your 75 Compact.
Again the performance of the Glock trigger is going to be based on which generation you choose. The Gen 3 triggers are normally heavy with a hard wall, the Gen 5 have a really nice controllable rolling break that many people tend to be quite happy with. The Gen 4 sits somewhere in between with a break that isn’t a hard wall but not quite a rolling break either.
Glock has more aftermarket trigger options out there than any other gun so you can make any generation of Glock feel much different than it does from the factory. You can spend from $15 to hundreds modifying every part of the trigger system. I don’t believe there is a clear winner here and it’s really going to come down to you and what features you would like from the gun.
Glock 19 vs CZ 75 Compact Slide Lock
The slide lock on the CZ is hard to reach for most shooters and is blocked by the safety. To drop the slide you’ll want to use your support hand thumb after inserting the new magazine. It’s much easier to reach the slide stocks on the Glock with your primary hard thumb and the Glock 19 Gen 5 has ambi slide stops so that’s also a pro.
CZ 75 Compact vs Glock 19 Magazine Release
The magazine release on the Glock and CZ are similarly placed and I’m going to say their mostly equally. Using metal mags the CZ gets a slight advantage for speed of releasing the magazines but overall reload times are likely to be similar from the standpoint of releasing the magazines.
Magazine Well
Again the multiple Generations of the Glock make part of the comparison of the CZ 75 Compact vs Glock 19 more complicated. There is a massive bevel on the Gen 5 Glock 19 and the Gen 3 and Gen 4 have a slight bevel. On the CZ 75 Compact, there is no bevel whatsoever but if you have a good technique that won’t be an issue but if you miss your reload slightly the Glocks will be a little more forgiving.
CZ 75 Compact vs Glock 19 Quality
Having a steel frame makes the CZ 75 compact seem like a more quality gun and wins in this department. I would even consider the CZ 75 Compact to be an heirloom quality firearm that your great great great grandkids will enjoy.
Aftermarket
Every option imaginable is available for the Glock 19 while there are barely sufficient options available for the CZ 75 Compact. The lack of sight options for CZ is it’s the biggest downside.
CZ 75 Compact vs Glock 19 Asthetics
This is 100% personal preference and I can’t decide. It’s really like comparing a nice brand new car to a classic. Both look good and each is better looking in their own way. Would you rather drive a classic or something you see every day driving down the highway?
Shooting
You’re going to be hard-pressed to find a better shooter than the CZ 75 Compact. The double-action trigger and heavy frame are an amazing combo. It’s an incredibly soft shooter. I’ve had a couple of people go out the next week and buy CZ 75 compacts after shooting mine. The shorter slide really tracts well and marginal shooters shoot fantastic with this gun.
A Glock 19 also shoots well but it doesn’t shoot as well as the 75 Compact. If you’re looking for a gun just to shoot at the range then the CZ is the clear winner.
CZ 75 Compact vs Glock 19 Price/Value
At $646 MSRP the CZ isn’t cheap but it’s not expensive either. Getting a full steel gun with a smooth trigger I believe makes it an exceptional value. Street price is normally $600 but they aren’t a common gun to find at most local gun shops and supply varies greatly throughout the year.
The Glock 19s range from $599 to $753 MSRP but street prices run from $500 to $620 depending on slighting options and can be found at most FFLs. Both are decent values for what they are.
Glock 19 vs CZ 75 Compact Pros/Cons
Glock 19 Pros
- Sight Options
- Optic mounting options
- Lightweight makes carry easier
- Aftermarket options for everything
- Sights
- Trigger
- Etc…
- Gen 3 RTF2 and Gen 5 Texturing
- Slide Stop is easy to reach
CZ 75 Compact Pros
- The heavy frame makes the gun a soft and easy shooter.
- Smooth DA trigger
- Aftermarket trigger options
- Aftermarket grip options
- Heirloom quality firearm
Glock 19 Cons
- Has more violent recoil than the 75c but it’s still controllable
- Does have the heirloom qualities of the CZ 75 Compact
- Gen 3 and 4 Texturing
CZ 75 Compact Cons
- The heavy steel frame makes carry hard
- Very few good sight options
- Slide Stop is hard to reach
- Small magazine well
Enjoyed your analysis. I’ve owned both for years- & respect both- but they are different guns. Hands down, the CZ is the better shooter, & if it was several ounces lighter, it would be my preferred carry. For the last 50 years, I have also always held a preference for 1911 based hammer guns, (ok, so that’s a personal preference). A downside are the sights- but after considerable searching, I found an effective replacement.
The Glock 19 is another matter. As a gun, I think it is inferior to the CZ, ( especially the factory trigger), but it is so simple to operate, the factory sights are faster to acquire, & to deploy it- you don’t even have to think.
So, in a gunfight, which would you prefer? Tough question.
I’ve got a ton of rounds through a 19 and lots of dry fire reps. So I’m actually more comfortable with it. There is no doubt for most people the CZ will be a better shooter for most people. But I’d still take the Glock mostly due to weight and consistency. If CZ made something similar in size to the Glock 43 and 48 with the 75B DA/SA trigger then I’d consider a P01 or PCR (due to weight) but I like using the same system.
Look for the CZ 75 RAMI…g43 size
I love the CZ for pumpkin shooting
I would like a cz75
I suppose weight means a great deal. Still, if you have to combat a determined or berserk attacker, which would you consider most important: a reportedly materially better shooter or a lighter load to carry?
Let’s assume you have gone to the trouble of getting a permit and are planning to shell out $650, or so for an everyday carry pistol. That purchase decision strongly implies that you •believe• you have a significant chance to someday need the pistol for self defense. In that case, the better •shooter• would seem the obvious choice.
If nine ounces truly makes the difference between a physical disability or no disability, take some objects out of your pockets, get a backpack or a tactical vest, or some combination of the three.
I live in Soviet California; so, until last week’s Supreme Court Decision, we average Californians pretty much had a simple concealed carry decision. Carry nothing or risk going to jail—at least that is my perception. Maybe one day soon, we will have to wrestle with actually choosing a carry pistol we can actually carry.
The weight with full mag vs empty mag is clearly wrong. Glock is one ounce less than CZ. If they both hold 15 rounds then they both would be the same relative difference empty/full.
I had never used teh CZ before,but after reading this article, i feel like having one
It’s a great gun! So much fun to shoot!
Glocks are inferior weapons and theyre cheaply made. The only, only, reason there’s so much hype is due to the outstanding marketing department at Glock. I own a Glock 19, it’s garbage. I own a few Cz pistols, Cz 83, Cz 75b Compact, are my two favorites. They shot well, low recoil, very good accuracy, easy disassembly. They’re a simplified 1911 basically.
I love my CZ’s I have the full size 75B & the 75 compact…but you can’t honestly say the Glock is a inferior weapon otherwise the large position of Law Enforcement would not carry them also the Military is using them…saw a video on YouTube about a month ago where 2 Gus put 1,000rounds through a Glock 19 in less than 18minutes and had only 1 FTE’s…very impressive so say the least.
Get the PCR CZ. Aluminum frame shoots as good as anything. Very close in weight
I guess Glock rounds weigh less than CZ rounds? The CZ rounds added 6.5 but the Glock rounds only added 5.5. Yet the hold the same quantity…
I have owned many weapons in my day and my CZ p01 BD is one of the few I would never get rid of. It is a masterpiece of design and function, utterly reliable, and dead sexy to boot. Glocks are good but I can’t say I would never part with one. The trigger was a natural for me after many years of double action revolvers. I have yet to find anything that I would consider a flaw in my P01.