Gun review: CZ PO-7 Duty

My CZ PO-7 Duty.

As you may know, I have a CZ PO-7 Duty as my sole handgun (for now at least). I have owned it for a long time but I have never really talked about how I feel about the gun. I purchased it after Sandy Hook, but didn't shoot it for awhile after. Largely because 9mm ammo was hard to find back then. I have put a few hundred rounds through it now so I figured I could write up a review. 

First, some basic facts. The PO-7 is an updated version of the classic CZ-75 9mm pistol. The CZ-75 is one of the "wonder 9's" and one of the more venerable and respected designs for handguns. The PO-7 is a semi-compact polymer version of the pistol that has a redesigned trigger system. It's a full size handgun and has a capacity of 16+1 (though I almost always load 15 rounds because getting that last round in the mag is a pain in the ass). 

My PO-7 is a generation one pistol. The main differences between the gen ones and the 2nd generation pistols is that they dropped the CZ-75 and Duty from the name and added exchangeable backstraps to the pistol, along with some other minor changes. Though that is an improvement over my pistol, I never had any problems with the grip and it was actually a main reason why I bought the PO-7 over a Glock. When I went to the store I picked up a Glock as a first choice (I don't remember the model) and immediately knew it wasn't the pistol for me. The Glock felt like a brick in my hand and was extremely uncomfortable but the PO-7 fit my hand like a glove. Your mileage may vary of course. Some people defend Glocks to the death and there's nothing wrong with that. They just aren't for me. And there is nothing wrong if you pick up a PO-7 and say the same thing. You should buy the gun that fits your hands. 

The pistol came with two magazines, a flashlight, a cleaning rod and brush and a nice case. I don't remember exactly what I paid for it but I know it was between $450 and $500. Today you can pick up a new CZ-PO7 for around $450 or more if you want a threaded barrel. That's a fairly good deal for what the gun is and is competitive for other duty sized 9mm pistols. I don't believe that the 2nd generation PO-7's come bundled with a flashlight anymore but instead have the replaceable backstraps, which would be pointless for me. My version came with a safety, but you can switch that out with a decocker if you so desire. Magazine capacity is dropped to 15 rounds for the 2nd gen pistols, probably due to gun laws in crap states

The gun shoots very well. The pistol seems pretty accurate, though given my relatively poor marksmanship with handguns it's hard to tell. I tend to believe that any inaccuracy is largely due to my own  inexperience with handgun shooting and not due to any faults with the gun itself. 

It's been extremely reliable. I have yet to have any malfunctions or misfeeds at all, even after hundreds of rounds downrange. It seems to eat any ammunition I feed it and it hasn't failed me once. This could change in the future since I haven't put that many rounds through it but so far it hasn't been a problem. 

I really like the trigger. It's butter smooth and I like it better than some of the other 9mm pistols I have tried. For example, the Smith & Wesson M&P 9 is a decent gun but the trigger pull is just a lot more mushy. I greatly prefer my gun's trigger pull over the M&P 9's. Once again, your mileage may vary. 

Replacement magazines are fairly expensive and pretty much have to be ordered from CZ's website. There doesn't seem to be any aftermarket magazines for this gun. 15 rounders are $35 and 16 rounders are $38 and are often out of stock on CZ's website. Supposedly, regular CZ-75 magazines as well as other CZ mags, like the PO-9 work with this pistol but I haven't tired that myself and wouldn't recommend it outside of emergencies or at the range. Some people say that they fit fine, just not flush and others say they might fall out of the gun. Either way, I haven't tried it myself and it really shouldn't be an issue unless you already own a CZ-75. 

Aftermarket parts for this gun are pretty much non-existent and the CZ parts are fairly limited. That means if you don't like some aspect of the pistol, like the sights or something, you can't do much to replace it. I find the default options fine but if you are into customizing your gun, you may want to look elsewhere. 

Field stripping the gun is a pain in the ass though. It's counter-intuitive and just plain physically difficult to get the gun apart to clean it. Getting the slide to to line up perfectly isn't easy and you need to do that to take the gun apart. Cleaning the pistol normally with the rod and brush is fine but if you really want to get in there, you are going to have to work at it. It's not that bad but it took me awhile to figure out how to do it. Big hint, just watch a video on youtube since seeing it being done is a lot more instructive than the instructions provided with the gun. I'm fairly mechanically incompetent so that might be part of the problem. Others may have less difficulty than I do. 

Another more general downside with the PO-7 is how bad it is for concealed carry. Now I don't have a CCW licence and truth be told the PO-7 is a major reason why. The gun is just too big and bulky to conceal well and would be pretty hard to do so in warmer weather. I mean, you can do so in winter, but there are better guns for concealed carry. It's right in the name, it's a duty pistol so it's meant to be carried openly. If/when I get my CCW permit I will likely have to buy a more compact pistol for everyday carry in the summer months. The PO-7 is technically a subcompact and I know people carry it concealed, but for me personally, I would want a smaller gun. 

Generally speaking though, I am extremely happy with my purchase. The PO-7 is a good 9mm pistol for home defense and regular range fun. I think it would probably be a good carry gun for police or security guards or if you state allows open carry. It has a few flaws but over all at it's MSRP it's a good value. I'd recommend buying it if you are in the market for a full size 9mm pistol. 

PROS:

-high capacity

-decent value for relatively low cost

-reliable.

-good ergonomics (for me at least)

-good trigger

-reasonable accuracy

-cheap and common ammo

CONS:

-not really suitable for concealed carry
-not the easiest gun to field strip

-9mm ammo isn't the most powerful cartage in the world

-replacement magazines are relatively expensive

-magazine size will screw you over if you live in a non-free state with magazine limits

-lack of customization and aftermarket parts compared to competitors. 

NEUTRAL:

-Not everyone is a fan of the looks of the gun. I think it looks fine with a flashlight or some other accessory but the bare pistol looks kind of blocky.