CZ P10c Review

The CZ P10c was CZ’s attempt to get into the striker-fired market which is much larger in the USA.

When designing the CZP 10c CZ attempted to take some of the great features of their CZ 75 series and adapt them to a more modern design.

CZ did take a similar shape as far as the grip goes of the CZ 75 and apply it to the CZ P10C.

The CZ P10c was introduced in 2017 and was designed and manufactured by CZ. It was imported into the USA by CZ USA.

For those of you familiar with the brand CZ you’ll recognize them most likely for their iconic CZ 75 design of handgun.

CZ had previously tried to modernize their offerings with the CZ P07 and CZ P09 series of handguns that are double action single action hammer fired polymer-framed pistols. We’ll cover the striker-fired design in the CZ P10c Review.

That’s really where most of the similarities end considering the CZ 75 is an alloy framed or still framed double-action single-action pistol, while the CZ P10c is striker-fired with a polymer frame and more modern slide profile.

Let’s dig into the details of the CZ P10c and see how it stacks up compared to other guns on the market.

Features

The CZ P10c ships with a 15 round magazine that is manufactured by Mec-Gar.

For those of you familiar with Mec-Gar you’ll know that they’re an OEM manufacturer for the most well-recognized and respected pistol manufacturers in the world. Mec-Gar makes some of the best pistol magazines out there period.

Unlike the CZ 75 series, CZ P10c magazines are only available through CZ.

This means that they are a lot more expensive than their CZ 75 counterparts that are offered directly through Mec-Gar.

The magazine itself is based on the CZ P07 series, but CZ P07 magazines will not work with the CZP 10c.

The reason CZ P07 mags will not work in the CZP 10c is they have a different cutout for the magazine release. The CZ P10c magazines have cutouts for both the P07 and CZ P10c. So, the CZ 10c mags are backward compatible with the CZP07 series.

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Now, most P07s that are shipping currently, ship with the same mags the CZ P10c uses which help CZ simplify their supply chain.

When it comes to inserting the magazine there is a slight bevel all the way around the mag well which does help a little bit in getting a good insertion into the magazine well.

The backstrap on the rear also extends down below the magazine and matches up with the bevel giving you a guide to help insert the magazine into the mag well.

Grip/ Ergonomics

The CZP 10c has really good ergonomics being based on the iconic CZ 75 design.

The difference between the grips that you’ll note right off the bat is obviously the polymer frame and the fact that the CZ P10c does not have any kind of grip panels or stocks like the CZ 75. The CZ P10c comes with three different backstrap offerings that are held in place by a roll pin at the bottom of the grip.

So, they are fairly easy to install and uninstall.

Backstraps

The three different grip options give you a wide range of customization possibilities. There is no beavertail on the gun like the CZ-75, but there is a deep tang that feels really good in the hand.

And the way the pistol grip is designed with the high undercut under the trigger guard, and the deep tang it forces your gun high into the hand, giving you a good high grip on the CZ p10c.

This is an important ergonomic feature for newer shooters who are not as used to gripping high on a handgun.

The way the grip is designed essentially forces you to get a proper grip on the pistol.

Grip Tang

The one downside of this deep tang is if you’re carrying appendix or at the three to four o’clock and you grip the gun using the top of the slide and top of the rear sight.

When you draw, transitioning your thumb down into a more traditional grip as the gun comes out of the holster you will find it harder to get a consistent grip using that method of drawing the gun.

If you get a full firing grip before you draw the gun, you will not find the deep tank to be an issue on the CZ P10c.

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That is completely a training issue and something you may or may not have to workaround.

CZ P10c Review Texturing

The texturing of the CZ P10c is what I would call artwork and artwork in a good way.

The CZ P10c has without a doubt the best factory texturing of any pistol in this price range.

And the reason for that is the texturing on both the front strap and the back strap is extremely aggressive and has these sharp little triangles that really dig in the hand allowing you to get a fantastic grip on the gun.

That said, the aggressive texture does not extend to the side panel so will not cause discomfort when you’re carrying the gun up close to the body.

As well the texturing is permanent, so it will not wear and tear your hands as you would expect. It feels very aggressive when you’re holding and gripping hard down on the gun and some people may not like that, but you forget it the second you take your hand away from the grip.

I honestly have to say this was the most innovative and well-thought-out feature on the CZ P10c.

There are also texturing spots up in front of the takedown lever that gives you a good place to index your support hand thumb or your firing index finger.

They add a nice little balance to the look of the gun but don’t do much in the way of effective texturing.

General Feel

The general feel of the CZ P10c is absolutely excellent and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a shooter who does not like and appreciate the ergonomics of the gun.

The texturing is second to none and in my opinion as stated before, the absolute best feature of this gun.

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Ergonomics are well thought out and will work for experienced and non-experienced shooters alike.

But inexperienced shooters will see a major benefit from a gun like this as it will force them to have good technique.

WTT3D Magazine Extensions

If you want to run a 19-round or 21-round CZ P10F Magazine in your CZ P10F you can get the CZ P10c magazine sleeve from WTT3D. It’ll prevent over insertion as well ass improve the ergonomics.

CZ P10c Review Sights

The CZ P10c comes in multiple variants. Some made in the USA and others made in the Czech Republic.

Now there will be some differences between those guns.

One of those differences is sites. If you buy the variant made in the Czech Republic it’ll come with metal three-dot sights which are frankly mediocre. The sights themselves are actually aluminum instead of steel.

So, they’re slightly less durable than a standard set of metal iron sights.

If you buy one of the US pistols, it’ll likely come with a front night sight.

The tritium vial itself will be green tritium but will be surrounded by an orange ring and the rear sight will be blacked out. The sights on the American-made version are absolutely excellent. If you want to buy aftermarket sites there are also a growing number of offerings of those as well.

Red Dot Optic

Now if you plan to mount a red dot optic to the CZ P10c there are a variety of people milling the CZP 10c for red dots. But CZ also has a factory option called the CZ P10c OR that is made in the USA and works quite well.

One thing unique about the CZ P10c OR from other red dot compatible handguns is, it does not include any mounting plates for the different red dots.

So, you’ll have to order them directly from CZ USA or you’ll have to go to one of many aftermarket options.

In theory, this lowers the base price of the gun so that you don’t have to pay for optics plates that you aren’t using.

The cover for the optics plate mounting area fits in nicely with the gun and definitely looks like it was made just for that area of the gun. It even has serrations that extend up onto the cover that match the serrations at the rear of the slide.

CZ P10c Review Controls

Safety

The only external safety on the CZP 10c is the trigger safety which makes the gun drop safe. The safety works as advertised and there are no issues there. It’s a trigger safety there’s not much more to say.

Magazine Releases

The CZ P10c made in the Czech Republic has ambidextrous magazine releases which are known for being somewhat stiff.

They’re a metal mag release and they have a somewhat sharp edge and depending on how many rounds you have on the magazine still it can be quite a bear to unload the gun.

This varies widely from gun to gun though and CZ has been making small improvements on the guns themselves.

The American-made version is a swappable one-side-only release.

So, it comes set up for a right-handed shooter being on the left-hand side of the gun. The shape of the mag release itself is very similar to the original checkmate CZ P10c.

For example, on the CZP10c OR, the magazine release is nicely checkered on the top same as the original CZP 10c; but it has a slightly softer corner on the top corner of the magazine release.

Most find this magazine release much easier to use than the regular CZP 10c magazine release.

CZ P10c Review Slide stop

The slide stop on the CZP-10c is completely ambidextrous in matching and honestly somewhat ingenious.

My one complaint about the slide stop is that it can be quite stiff and sharp. One unique feature of the CZ P10c slide stop that extends also to the CZ P10c OR is that the slide stop itself is a complete square that sits around the magazine well.

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Most slide stops are stamped sheet metal why this is metal injection molded or milled. Based on what I’m seeing, it looks to be metal injection molded, but as long as the part was properly designed there will not be any durability issues.

The magazine has an index point that catches the follower of the magazine in the normal place on the front of the follower.

But the slide stop itself catches the slide at the rear center of the ejection port which is way different from most of the slide stops on them.

Catching it in the center rear behind the ejection port on the slide means that the force to drop it is equal from both the right hand and the left-hand side of the gun.

Ambi

So, if you’re an ambidextrous person or a left-handed person, this slide stop design is probably going to be ideal for you over most other slide stops on the market.

Most other slide stops heavily favor a right-handed shooter, and it will be much easier to drop the slide using a right-hand centric slide stop than it will the left-hand centric slide stop.

The slide stop itself catches on the left-hand side of the gun where a right-handed shooter will be using their thumb to drop the slide.

This gives a right-handed shooter more leverage to drop the slide.

The CZ P10c slide soft themselves are completely and perfectly ambi mirrored on each side they are very low profile as well and somewhat sharp on the top so that could be a complaint about many shooters.

Although I don’t find myself complaining about it it’s definitely something to be aware of. And as I stated before the slide is much stiffer to drop than most other traditional pistols.

CZ P10c Review Overall Ergonomics

Overall, the ergonomics of the CZ P10c series are absolutely phenomenal.

The slide itself departs from the traditional CZ 75 slide design; in that, it has the more traditional slide rails which sit within the frame themselves versus on the outside of the frame of the handgun.

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What this means is the CZ P10c has a taller slide than most of its CZ counterparts.

This taller slide means you have more space and real estate on the slide to grab the gun with your hand either using the forward serrations or the rear serrations.

If this gun had a smaller slide it would probably be difficult to manipulate the slide. One misnomer we should note here is most people think the CZ-75 has an extremely low bore axis in which fact it does not.

And that’s because you measure the bore axis from the center of the barrel down to the web of the hand.

Due to the beavertail and frame design on the CZ 75, the hand sits lower than most people think it would. Now on the CZ P10c the bore axis is slightly higher than a Glock, but it is still very low compared to most other handguns even with the traditional slide design because the rails don’t actually affect the bore axis of a gun.

The front and rear serrations work quite well and they have quite a bit of bite to them, but not so much bite you worry about cutting your hand.

They’re perfectly sufficient for racking the slide. I do wish the serrations on the front portion of the slide would extend higher up onto the chamfered portion of the slide versus ending on the relatively narrow flat.

Trigger

Now the trigger in the US made CZ P10c OR is going to be slightly different than the Czech CZ P10c.

The trigger in the Czech CZ P10c is going to have very light take-up and a slight bit of creep before the weight builds up, and then a hard wall that actually moves into more of a rolling break.

So, it’s quite a good trigger in terms that it’s very short and has a short reset.

From the reset, you feel just a slight bit of creep before you hit that wall, and then it goes into the rolling break again.

The US-made CZP10c OR has a very similar trigger and that there is a light take up creep. But the creep feels more plasticky on the CZ P10c OR that’s made in the US before you hit that wall and again feel a rolling break after you hit the wall.

The reset happens to be the same except again the creep after the reset feels more plasticky and like it’s dragging on the frame before the trigger finally breaks.

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Overall, the triggers are very close, but I slightly prefer the trigger on the CZ P10c out of the Czech Republic.

The only real difference is the plastic feel.

That said I would take the CZP 10c OR over the standard CZ P10c, just due for the red dot mounting option.

The trigger shape itself is somewhat flatter than a traditional trigger design. It’s still curved but it’s a very slight curve and seems to be a hybrid between the flat triggers of today and the curved triggers of the past decades.

CZ P10c Review Maintenance

The CZP 10c takes down just like a Glock. So, it’s an extremely easy gun to take down and clean.

Maintenance on it is about as simple as it can be, although maintenance can be a little bit more difficult than a Glock if you start stripping apart the frame and firing mechanism.

But you likely won’t have a need to do that.

Aesthetics

Overall, the CZ P10c is an attractive gun, it’s not great, it’s not horrible, it’s just a decent-looking firearm.

The polymer on the gun is slightly shiny and frankly looks a little bit cheap. The milling of the slide is clean, and in my opinion, the us-made variant appears to be a little bit higher quality than the Czech-made variant of the gun.

A lot of that is due to the roll marks on the gun itself.

The roll marks on the Czech gun appear to be stamped whereas the roll marks on the CZ P10c OR appear to be milled or laser engraved into the gun before finishing. The slide serrations look great and the chamfered slide is definitely a nice touch.

CZ P10c Review Shooting Impressions

The CZ P10c really shines when you get it out on the range. When you shoot it you’ll really come to appreciate the grip of the gun and how it works in unison with the trigger.

The gun just falls right back on target due to what a good grip you can get, and the sights track extremely well.

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The texturing is aggressive enough to allow you to grip with the gun but after shooting hundreds of rounds through it; your hands will not be bleeding like a lot of more effective stippling on the market.

Also, the texturing on the CZ P10c is not going to wear out like a lot of the custom stippled options.

Final Impressions

Overall, I think the CZ P10c is an awesome offering and you’re going to have a hard time going wrong by purchasing one.

The biggest downside I would mention is the size of the gun. The CZ P10c holds 15 rounds and is slightly bigger than a Glock 19.

It fits in a size category between a Glock 19 and a Glock 17.

The size category of the CZ P10c seems to be without a hump a lot of people can conceal it just fine.

But a Glock 19 is a better-sized gun to conceal. And if you find yourself concealing a Glock 19 really well, you might not want that extra size with any more capacity. That’s really the only downside of the CZ P10c I can see besides the deep tang in the grip.

That tang in the grip is probably the biggest reason that I am not carrying a CZP 10c as my carry gun.

That said, if I got a full grip from the draw, I would probably be carrying a CZ P10c, as that tang would no longer present an issue and would actually be a plus for how well it forces my hand up high on the gun.

Even the most inexperienced or mediocre shooter is likely going to get a fairly decent grip on a CZ P10c just due to how it drives the hand into the gun.

Comment what you think about the CZ P10c.

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FAQs CZ P10c Review