P-09 : Are they that unreliable or fragile ?

[tercel1989]

I had a P-09 for a short while. It was nice but only shot it rarely. I sold it. I was about to try to find another and I am reading all kinds of problems like trigger springs breaking and DA mode not working. And there's a few threads about people having the front internal rail inside the frame getting "galled" up from the slide damaging it. Can anyone please give me some good old common reports on the pros and cons of this pistol ? Thanks for any information.

[M1A4ME]

I have a couple.  A 9MM and a .40.

Mine are basically stock.  Only aftermarket parts are the reduced power trigger return spring and firing pin block spring from CGW.

Well, My P09 9MM does have a red dot sight and back up sights it didn't come with but the internals are still factory.

I just shoot mine.  I shoot'em, I clean'em and I lube'em.  No attempts to see how far I can go without treating them right to find out when the abuse breaks something.

Having said the above, it's possible for any brand/model to break.  I had a nice, new S&W M29 break the first weekend I had it.  Same for the M&P 9 I bought several years ago, broke that first weekend.

My P09 9MM is the most accurate semi auto center fire pistol I've ever owned or pulled the trigger on.  More accurate than the CZ Tactical Sport that cost more than twice as much as the P09.

[radagast]

Both Wife and I have P07s Which are essentially shrunken 09s . Got over 5K rounds through mine with one malfunction. She's got over 3K though hers with two. All 3 were in one box of off brand ammo, so I'm not very concerned. Switched to more laser ammo practice during lockdowns, and haven't had any problems. I've kept both pistols impeccably clean and lubed, and trust either one to do it's job. I am going to replace both trigger springs and FP retainer pins soon since those seem to have earned a reputation for problems.
     Gotta give this forum a BIG Shout-out for all the valuable info and encouragement I've needed to become familiar with the internals of these pistols. Understanding what each part makes you realize what an amazing piece of machinery they are !
     OH, I didn't mention that mine was a "dog" as delivered, and needed a lot of polishing and break-in to shoot like my Wife's does. Hers was a "tack driver" OOB !

[Claymore504]

I have owned 3 P07s and 3 P09s. Currently have 1 P07 and 2 P09s. I would not say they are fragile and mine have been 100% reliable. There is just some extra care that needs to be taken for dry fire. Use an oring under the hammer to protect the firing pin retaining pin frombeing damaged and you are good to go. The P09 is my favorite polymer handgun period and I have tried pretty much almost everyhting out there. The triggers out of the box can be very different. All of mine have a few CGW parts and some polishing and they are good to go. My Elite LTT Berettas that came direct from Langdon have amazing triggers that blow my CZ P09 away, but I still shoot the P09 better. There is just something special about the P09 (and P07) for me.

[CCWLearner]

I have two P-07's that I purchased new in 2017 and 2018 and neither of them had any out-of-the-box reliability issues, other than the well-known firing pin retaining pin issue that is easily solved with an aftermarket part from CGW for 5$.

The issue with the wear on the front rails in the frame, from contact with the slide, has always turned out to be a non-issue that stops progressing over time.  It's just part of the break-in to allow it and then knock it off with a small file.  Never heard of it causing any kind of actual failure.  Also, those rails are part of a front insert that is replaceable.  I have spare front and rear inserts in case I ever have a real problem with them.

Some people have had the trigger return springs break, others haven't.  Personally I have used the CGW part which sells for 7$ and never had them break.  If you're worried about it, you can replace them every year or 5K rounds or whatever to ease your worries.  I periodically detail strip my pistols for cleaning and inspection, and usually replace that spring with a new one while I'm in there, if that pistol has been seeing a lot of dry or live fire.  So I also have a little bag with a few used ones that never broke on me.

Lately it seems as though CZ's quality control may be allowing some broken P-07 / P-09 models to ship, based on the number of significant problems reported on this sub-forum, including a few with the decocker and this latest report of the trigger bar in the P-09.  I guess what that means to me is that if I purchase a new gun right now, I'd really run it through the ringer for at least 1-2K rounds before doing any custom mods that might void the warranty, so that I could send it in as necessary to correct any out-of-the-box issues.

I also noticed on the CZ-USA web store that a lot of factory parts for these guns are currently out of stock.  There are always things out of stock, but right now it is more than usual.  I don't know what supply chain issues they are having or how much they are re-prioritizing parts and labor for sending weapons to Ukraine or whatever, but it's something to be aware of.

[boatdoc55]

I have two P-07's, 9mm and 40S&W and two P-09's 9mm and 40S&W and all four go bang each and every time I need them to. I expect this to continue for a very long time.

[alp3367]

 I'd say they are extremely reliable. Had some as range rentals back when I ran a large range. Those things were run hard and never had an issue.

 But even good reliable designs can have issues from time to time. I've seen parts of Glock slides shear off, Walther locking blocks crack, etc. etc. Everybody puts out the occasional lemon.

[415Shooter]

I’m a bit late commenting, but wanted to share my $.02. I have a P-09 and it’s been rock solid for over 3,000 live rounds. That said, I got into competition shooting and have about 3,000 more rounds of double action dry fire. My trigger return spring finally broke a week ago. A few other CZ competitive shooters with a ton of experience said that DA trigger pulls basically wear the spring harder on the P-09 and it will last about 2,000 rounds or more before failure. So if you do a ton of DA dry fire, you may have it break sooner than with SA only or live fire. I basically view it as a consumable now. And it’s really easy to replace.  I ended up using the M*Carbo kit when mine broke.

[briang2ad]

I'll start on a positive note believe it or not.  Honest Outlaw shoots TONS of ammo and guns and his P07 is his second favorite and to him his most reliable handgun.  That says a ton.

I have to concede that in my experience, the TRS is a weak link to all CZ hammer gun DESIGNS.  Plenty of folks here NEVER have a problem.  I have - I've replaced MANY TRS.  I dry fire in DA a bunch as you should and they wear out and break.  Just my experience. 

Other then that they are superbly reliable and tough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnW-yhmlTQ4

[CDKJudoka]

What Brian said. The TRS and the slide stop pin/lever are the only real weak points on the CZ75 (That includes the P-07/09) design. I have always made sure to have spares of both on hand. Other than that, they are rock solid and pretty much Glock like in their reliability and durability.