Overview
The big takeaway on this model is that it takes a well-liked gun that has been around for almost a decade and gives it a series of small updates, as well as an integrated single-port compensator.
The compact, semi-automatic, striker-fired P-10 C 9mm was first introduced in 2017 and has continued to evolve over the past decade. Featuring a 15+1 magazine capacity, its 4-inch cold hammer-forged barrel, in addition to its new compensator, now sports a heavier profile to help keep the gun flat. The sights have been brought over from the new Nocturne P-09 series. The optics footprint uses a plate system.
For full disclosure, CZ sent Guns.com this P-10 C Ported for review purposes. All testing, a bit over 800 rounds downrange, was done on this one pistol, which has been under evaluation since July.
The Specs
- Overall length: 7.3 inches
- Barrel length: 4 inches
- Sight radius: 6.1 inches
- Overall width: 1.21 inches at the widest point over ambi controls, slide is 1.05 inches.
- Overall height: 5.3 inches to the top of the slide
- Magazine capacity: 15+1 double-stack OEM (ships with two steel mags and two +2 extended base pads)
- Trigger pull: 5.1 pounds (10-pull average)
- Weight, with empty OEM magazine: 26.8 ounces
- Weight, loaded/equipped: 37.5 ounces ("heavy" with 17+1 rounds of Federal 9mm 147-grain Federal HST JHP, and Surefire X300T mounted)
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MRD Optic Footprint: plate system with multiple options
Features
Easy and intuitive to install, they use an L-shaped floorplate rather than the button-style floorplate used in the flush-fit mags, and the process is reversible. We were able to do it in two or three minutes. A cornucopia of extended P-10 base pads is readily available on the market from Ascalon, Manul, Shield Industries, and Toni System, including brass, polymer, and aluminum in multiple colors, running to +5 capacity. If you can dream it, it is probably out there waiting for you.
The port, simple in concept, is effective in operation, helping to return to target quickly and keep the gun shooting flat due to the drop in felt recoil impulse as opposed to a more classic P-10 C. Here is a mag of 1,220 fps Speer 124-grain Gold Dots.
Trigger
The striker-fired action on the CZ P-10 C uses a tabbed trigger with a safety lever insert. The insert runs to the end of the trigger shoe, which is the way it should be (looking at you, Rost-Martin), and isn't noticeable in action. The trigger travels about 0.4 inches to a wall with a crisp break that averaged 5.1 pounds in our testing. Reset was short (CZ advertises it as 0.16 inches) and tactile. The P-10 series always had a well-liked trigger, and the pack on the new P-10 C does not stray from the original's design.
Here is the break and reset in live fire. Plus, you get a feel for the recoil.
When it comes to accessories, triggers, etc., the P-10 C has been wildly popular on both sides of the pond, so getting custom and semi-custom work done to the pistol is definitely on the table.
Reliability
The short answer to this one is that the CZ P-10 C Ported is one of the most reliable pistols we have evaluated. Over the course of about 800 mixed rounds across several ammo types and loads, we did not have a single stoppage. We didn't even suffer from a slide failing to lock back on an empty mag. And that is on a gun right out of the box with no additional lube or prep.
Accuracy
The ported barrel/slide pushes the front sight back along the slide a little bit, but you still have a 6.1-inch sight radius left over. We didn't use the P-10 C with an optic as we didn't have a plate on hand, but the irons are excellent three-dot steel sights with luminescent inserts. Even at that, we accomplished excellent practical accuracy at 15 yards unsupported, easily keeping it in the Alphas for sure.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Flat shooting
- Accurate
- Rock solid dependable
- Decent trigger for a striker-fired gun
- Serious aftermarket support
- Lots of holster options
- Optics ready
- Includes +2 base pads
Cons
- The optics system uses plates.
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The gun doesn't ship with any plates.
Conclusion
The P-10 is a great pistol to start with and was no slouch when it came to giving the public what it wanted. The new P-10 C adds some extra features, upgrades the ergonomics, allows for easy optics installation, and oh, yes – is ported. Ports and comps are divisive in the pistol community. Some argue they aren't needed, while others will take the option every time. The compensation, well executed with a combination of a meaty new barrel with a single dorsal port lined up with a matching ported slide, is simple, but it works. You can feel it. Speaking of work, the pistol never left us hanging on the range.
We don't have much to dislike about the new P-10 C Ported.
About the only gripe we would find was that its optics system uses plates at a time when it seems like a lot of companies are going to a direct milled (no plates needed) format (even CZ does this on the new Nocturne). This is exacerbated by the fact that no plates are included with the gun. Even Beretta and Walther at least give you a voucher for the first plate for free. Maybe offer the true believers a coupon code or something here, CZ.
Other than that, the P-10 C Ported is a Czechmate, and probably the nicest pistol under $600 we've reviewed in a long time.
