Another P10C First Report (Amateur Version)

[Sooltauq]

Okay, so new P10C FDE field-stripped, fully cleaned, and lubricated, shooting MagTech 115gr.

Grip: The grip shape is ergonomic, but the grip texture is pretty aggressive to the point of being noticeably uncomfortable but not to the point of unbearable. Seems like this leads to a lighter grip than normal; one also gets the impression that the grips are meant for somebody wearing gloves. You sort of get used to it after a while, and I seriously doubt that somebody in a tense situation would give it any thought. But it is aggressive, as in aggressive VZ grips that haven't been sanded down at all.

Trigger: High expectations based on online reviews about the trigger no doubt resulted in some disappointment, as there was quite a bit of take-up in the trigger. It's actually pretty good for a striker-fired pistol, but I can't honestly say that it is the best stock trigger that I've ever encountered. Didn't really feel any discomfort while shooting, but came home to find a small (about 5mm) blood blister on the bottom of my trigger-finger; don't know what that's all about.

Slide Release: Major buzzkill. I hoped that it would start to ease up with use, but it's still so tight that two hands and a lot of strength are required to release that way. Never really knew how much I used the slide release until now. Not sure what next course of action is there; maybe try to smooth it out myself.

Magazines: No problemo, released just fine. Seems like you either get the mag release problem or the stiff slide release problem, but not both.

Shooting: Good, seems to like being fired quickly as opposed to deliberate round-by-round. Did have one instance around the 150 round mark where the slide failed to go into battery about .25 inches short -- not sure what that was all about. Ejected the round, inserted it into a new magazine, and no problems then or afterwards. I'm chalking that one up to normal break-in teething and giving it no more thought. Recoil was typical CZ -- mostly straight back and somewhat muted; about what I would expect normally with a .25 caliber pistol.

Accuracy: Annoying tendency to put the bullet where I was actually aiming, rather than where I wanted it to go. Seriously, any problems with accuracy were of course solely attributable to the shooter. Didn't like the sights at first but warmed up to them.

Overall: Good, but not the bestest pistol ever. The general impression that I had the whole time was "this is a service pistol designed for mass production and a low price-point". It's sure not going to replace any of my other CZs for range shooting anytime soon. On the other hand, I've only put a couple of hundred rounds through it, and all my other CZs were different pistols around the 500-round mark than they were out of the box, so need to wait and see. Maybe I'll warm up to it; maybe it will warm up to me. We'll see.

Suggestion: If you are thinking about buying a P10C, I'd borrow or rent one somewhere and try it first to see if you like it, and take the online reviews with a pretty big grain of salt. It's very, very different than the 75 series in all its variations; completely different deal, apples and orangutans.

Anyway, my $0.02.

[deadduck357]

Much thanks for the unbiased write-up.

As for the finger blister, some others have reported they're finger getting raw from dragging the trigger guard.

I haven't actually gotten to handle one yet but with abundant reports of overly aggressive grip texture has me somewhat deterred.

[justifiablyfit]

I agree with Sooltauq on every point. I just returned from my 1st range trip. Only 150 rounds but honestly,  had I had more ammo with me, I would have left anyhow. My hand is raw from the backstrap. I will switch out for the medium backstrap later tonight. The trigger measured just a hair understanding 6lbs out of the box but the reset makes up for it a little. I will post pictures from the range when I return home this evening. 

Sent from my SM-T817V using Tapatalk

[Sooltauq]

Only 150 rounds but honestly,  had I had more ammo with me, I would have left anyhow.

I know the feeling. I took 250 rounds with me, shot 200 and had one of those "this just isn't fun" sort of moments, so brought a full box back home with me. That hasn't happened since I took my Kimber Solo (model P.O.S.) out to the range. Still hoping to warm up to the P10C, and will try to shoot again in the next couple of days.

To be clear, the P10C is a good pistol. It's not a bad pistol. But it really is a low-cost service pistol at its core, and if you have (like me) been spoiled with the metal and hammer CZs, then, to quote Austin Powers, this "just isn't my bag, baby." I never had a P-07 or P-09, but the P10C feels alien, as if it were made by some other manufacturer altogether. BTW, on first impression, I don't think the P10C is nearly as good in many respects as the 75 compacts -- it's like going from a Cadillac Escalade to a Jeep Wrangler,* i.e., unless you are in LE, you're probably better off to drop the extra $100 or $200 and buy a 75 of any type than to drop it on the P10C.

But, again, I'm going to give it a chance and see what it's like at 500 rounds.

*Nothing again Jeep Wranglers BTW, they are rugged and get the job done. But if I had to drive eight hours somewhere, probably not my first choice.

[armoredman]

But I like Jeep....
Thank you for the review, nice work. More unbiased reviews the better.

[cznine]

Grip: The grip shape is ergonomic, but the grip texture is pretty aggressive to the point of being noticeably uncomfortable but not to the point of unbearable.
Trigger: ....Didn't really feel any discomfort while shooting, but came home to find a small (about 5mm) blood blister on the bottom of my trigger-finger; don't know what that's all about

I believe it is actually from your finger dragging over the sharp tip of the trigger safety dingus....I discovered the same thing.....I took some sand paper to mine and eliminated that issue.

[Sooltauq]

I believe it is actually from your finger dragging over the sharp tip of the trigger safety dingus....I discovered the same thing.....I took some sand paper to mine and eliminated that issue.

Good advice; I'm going to try that.

[SKILCZ]

Having fired an "aggressive" option aftermarket stippled Glock, I'm wondering if the CZ P-10C stippling is any more aggressive than that.  It took some getting used to the Glock, but now I love the aggressive pattern. 

[gunkucool]

"........I believe it is actually from your finger dragging over the sharp tip of the trigger safety dingus....I disc...". Cznine, would you put the picture about that sharp tip here please? Also, i see on your sign you have PPQ too; how do you feel/ compare it with P10C in general (trigger, mechanical accuracy.. Etc)?

[Sooltauq]

Second time out with the P10C, another 250 rounds (now up to 450), no problemo. Gusty winds caused all embarrassing misses.

The P10C is now getting much closer to what I hoped it would be when I purchased it. The slide release has gone from impossibly stuck to slightly stiff, which is just fine with me. This time out, I didn't notice the grip at all. As I had not sanded them or anything, I guess that I just got used to it a lot faster than I thought that I would. In fact, they seemed about right.

As opposed to my first time out when I really didn't pay much attention to it, this time I got to concentrate on the trigger reset, which really is quite remarkable in a good way. On the first shot, there is considerable take-up, but on second and subsequent shots, the trigger doesn't have to travel much at all, and it breaks cleanly and consistently. As I got used to it, my rate of accurate fire started going up dramatically -- not just spraying a bunch of rounds inside the large circle, but putting shots on or next to the bullseye at a pretty quick pace. Is the trigger alone worth the price? Well, uh, it just might be.

I can start to see now what I didn't see at all on the first trip, which is that this can really be a pretty fun little range pistol in addition to a solid LE service pistol. Oh, and I didn't bring any 9mm back with me this time either. This time out, the P10C felt like a CZ; a tack hammer.

Quibbles and Bits:

The trigger dongle chewed up my trigger finger again. As my previous blister had calloused, this didn't cause any pain or discomfort, but it chewed up my callous pretty good. Suggestions on how to sand it down, i.e., what part of the dongle, and what to avoid in doing so, would be greatly appreciated.

There is a ~1mm gap between the frame and the magazine that kept pinching my pinkie, painfully so. I presume that rounding off the frame at that point and the base of the magazines at that point will reduce that. Suggestions there appreciated also.

[earlan357]

"........I believe it is actually from your finger dragging over the sharp tip of the trigger safety dingus....I disc...". Cznine, would you put the picture about that sharp tip here please? Also, i see on your sign you have PPQ too; how do you feel/ compare it with P10C in general (trigger, mechanical accuracy.. Etc)?

It's not so much the "dingus" as it is the pointy edges of the gap in the trigger.  While the middle of the dingus sticks out past the trigger face when pressed, the very tip of the dingus actually travels inside the "fangs" allowing them to dig up into your finger under recoil. 

[Sooltauq]

What is the best way to address this? BTW, my dingus itself doesn't have smoothed edges -- the edges on it are sharply squared.

[incogneato]

"........I believe it is actually from your finger dragging over the sharp tip of the trigger safety dingus....I disc...". Cznine, would you put the picture about that sharp tip here please? Also, i see on your sign you have PPQ too; how do you feel/ compare it with P10C in general (trigger, mechanical accuracy.. Etc)?

It's not so much the "dingus" as it is the pointy edges of the gap in the trigger.  While the middle of the dingus sticks out past the trigger face when pressed, the very tip of the dingus actually travels inside the "fangs" allowing them to dig up into your finger under recoil. 

Yep. Even after filing the dingus flat and lightly contouring every edge possible, it still likes to chew a bit. I also believe the narrow ridged/serrated trigger face contributes to it. I'd love to see an optional trigger much like the wider/flatter Glock trigger of their full-size vs the ridged trigger on their compacts.

[HST]

Can't wait for Cajun or Apex to come out with a flat faced trigger , whoever comes out with it first is going to make money because most people will want to change it right away.
Probably the number one complaint about the P10.

[cznine]

"......Also, i see on your sign you have PPQ too; how do you feel/ compare it with P10C in general (trigger, mechanical accuracy.. Etc)?

I find the actual ergonics of trigger on the PPQ  feels much better than the P10c.  The take up is identical between the 2, break is a bit crisper on the P10c, both have negligible and identical overtrAbel, and the P10c has shorter reset. The P10c reset is about 60%-70% of the PPQ. Right now with 300 rounds thru the P10, it's seems about a half pound heavier pull than my PPQ. Much less "flip"  during recoil on CZ.