CZ P-10 C Ported: A Manageable Slick Shooter

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There was a time in the not-too-distant past when handguns were bifurcated into two distinct categories: defensive handguns and competition handguns. Today, those lines are blurred to the point where one can scarcely be distinguished from the other. Optics, compensators, extended controls and other features that were once reserved for match guns are now at home on handguns kept or carried for protection. CZ’s new striker-fired P-10 C Ported, optic-ready and compensated, is just such a handgun.

Introduced to the U.S. market in 2017 after three years of development, the P-10 was CZ’s entry into the striker-fired market. The compact P-10 C followed soon thereafter, and the new P-10 C Ported adds a compensated barrel and ported slide.

The P-10 C Ported is built around a fiberglass-reinforced polymer frame. Unlike many models on the market today that use a serialized chassis and interchangeable grip modules, the polymer frame on the P-10 C Ported is the serialized part and cannot be swapped out. The frame is of a size that makes it concealable while allowing for a full-fingered grip, and it’s molded with aggressive texturing for a secure hold. Certain areas of the frame are kept smooth to allow the hand to slide easily into position prior to drawing the gun before locking in on the texture. There are even textured panels on the frame where the support hand thumb resides.

The frame is molded for a high grip, including an undercut trigger guard, and the frame extends rearward over the web of the hand to ensure there’s no chance for the slide to bite exposed skin. The dust cover doubles as an attachment point for a light or laser, which many people consider a must-have on a defensive handgun.

Grips and Trigger

The backstraps are interchangeable, and three different sizes are included. Changing the backstraps requires removing a roll pin, which should be done with a proper roll pin punch to prevent damage to the pin. I’m sure the pin is a metric size, but a 1/16-inch punch works just fine. The outside of the pin is serrated to ensure it can’t walk out of place during use. I chose the smallest of the backstraps since I tend to shoot handguns with smaller grips better.

The trigger, which features a safety lever in the blade, is one of the more attractive features of this handgun. The feel of the trigger is superior to many striker-fired handguns on the market. The one on my sample broke at 4.75 pounds with a tiny bit of creep, and it had a very short reset—0.16 inch to be exact.

The magazine release is made from steel and is checkered to prevent the thumb from sliding off during operation. Though not ambidextrous, the release is reversible and can be moved to the right side of the frame. The serrated slide stop is ambidextrous. Dual takedown levers are located above the trigger guard.

The slide is machined from steel, with five sets of flats creating the modern profile. Deep, angled cocking serrations are cut into the slide at both front and rear. Lateral serrations are also machined onto the top of the slide forward of the ejection port. These cuts are both practical, giving the user plenty of real estate with which to manipulate the slide, and aesthetically pleasing.

Optics

The P-10 C Ported is optic-ready, but CZ did not skimp on the iron sights; they are of good quality. The luminous irons are mounted in dovetails. These sights form a three-dot sight picture, day or night. The surfaces of both the front post and the rear blade are serrated to eliminate glare.

While no optic plate is included with the pistol, plates are available for all the common formats, including the Aimpoint Acro, Trijicon RMR, both Holosun footprints, Leupold DeltaPoint Pro and others. The optic cut is covered with a steel plate that is held in place using two Torx fasteners.

The most obvious feature of the slide—the one that sets the P-10 C Ported apart from the standard P-10 C and P-10 C OR (optics ready)—is the single gas port just behind the muzzle. Coupled with the compensated barrel, this cut slide channels propellant gases upward to counteract muzzle rise. Although integral compensators can increase muzzle blast from the shooter’s perspective, they are no doubt effective in making the pistol recoil flatter.

Some internet commandos may characterize such a feature as inappropriate on a defensive handgun. But a shooting buddy of mine—a former member of Delta Force who has been in dozens, perhaps hundreds, of gunfights on multiple continents—disagrees. He carried a compensated pistol way back in the 1990s.

Design

The P-10 C Ported has a slide-mounted external extractor, along with a frame-mounted fixed ejector. Polymer-frame semiautos designed before pistol-mounted optics became popular often suffer when it comes to mounting height because their extractor assemblies limit the depth of the optic cut, resulting in a mounting surface that is higher than on other handguns. The P-10 C Ported’s extractor design does not suffer this malady and allows the optic to be mounted noticeably lower.

The P-10 C Ported uses a one-piece, cold-hammer-forged ported barrel. The new Ported’s barrel is 10 percent heavier than the standard P-10 C barrel, adding weight to counteract recoil and muzzle rise. The barrel uses an integral ramp that feeds cartridges directly from the magazine and into the chamber. The muzzle, which sits flush with the face of the slide when in battery, has a deep radius at the crown.

The P-10 C Ported magazines have stamped steel bodies with polymer base pads and bright orange polymer followers. Using steel instead of polymer is a benefit because polymer magazine bodies must be thicker to maintain structural integrity, which can limit capacity. Capacity for the CZ is 15+1, and two extended polymer base pads are included, along with steel replacement floor plates. Installing these base pads takes a few seconds and adds two rounds of capacity, bringing the total to 17+1.

The safety, or lack thereof, of striker-fired handguns is a hot topic these days. The P-10 C Ported has no manual safety but rather three passive safety devices. The trigger safety prevents the trigger from traveling to the rear unless depressed. The firing pin block does not allow the pin to move unless the trigger is pulled. Finally, there is a trigger bar safety. This combination of features prevents the pistol from being fired unless the trigger is pulled, including when dropped.

Finish and Finish

The recoil system on the P-10 C Ported features a polymer guide rod and a captive flat-wire spring.

The fit, finish and overall construction of the P-10 C Ported are very nice for a handgun in this category. The steel components are given a black nitride surface treatment. This process creates a rock-hard finish that is extremely resistant to corrosion. Reliability was 100 percent throughout testing, with the P-10 C Ported gobbling up three different bullet weights and profiles with ease.

I’ve owned a P-10 C for several years and, although I don’t shoot it regularly, I felt like I had a good baseline for what shooting the P-10 C Ported would be like. I’ve fired numerous ported handguns that seemed to offer no noticeable reduction in recoil or muzzle rise. The P-10 C Ported was not one of those.

The P-10 C Ported is one of the flattest-shooting 9mm handguns I’ve fired in recent memory. I’m sure a high-speed camera or microphone could prove that this compensator produced more muzzle blast, but I couldn’t detect it. I also shot the pistol at twilight and didn’t notice any flash. Perhaps the flash-suppressing chemicals used in some modern powders can take that credit.

Technology and Accuracy

I wasn’t able to secure an optic plate in time for my review, and I’m at an age when clean focus on the sights is becoming a real challenge. Nonetheless, I was able to shoot tight groups from the bench, and shot the gun well at closer distances while evaluating the compensator’s effectiveness. The P-10 C Ported proved to be both mechanically accurate and very shootable in practical scenarios.

With a suggested retail price of $549 and a street price around $420, this handgun is a steal. It combines proven reliability with modern features—particularly a superior optic mounting system and a very effective compensator—in addition to the great trigger and configurable grip the P-10 C already had.

If you’re wondering why we’re seeing more guns like the P-10 C Ported, with its competition-minded features, I think two factors are in play. One is technological advancement. Optics have become smaller and far more reliable, and battery life is measured in years rather than minutes.

The second is experience. In the two-plus decades of near-constant combat that followed 9/11, many people gained enough practical experience to make informed decisions when it came to equipment. As it turned out, good guys in combat wanted to make fast hits on targets just as competitors did, and would take every advantage possible. That knowledge has been passed on to the civilian sector, and the firearm industry has worked to meet those needs.

Value

When you combine these aspects with the reliability, value and simple operation of the polymer-frame striker-fired platform, you’ve got a gun occupying a valuable position in the handgun market.

As manufacturers seek to increase the options in their popular handgun lines, we will continue to see the addition of features such as compensators. In the case of the P-10 C Ported, this isn’t merely a marketing gimmick but a truly effective upgrade to an already great handgun.

CZ P-10 C Ported Specs

• Type: striker-fired semiauto
• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Capacity: two 15-round magazines plus 2-round extenders supplied
• Barrel: 4 in.
• OAL/height/width: 7.3/5.3/1.3 in.
• Weight: 26.8 oz.
• Construction: black nitride-finished steel slide, textured polymer frame
• Sights: illuminated steel front and rear; optic-ready
• Trigger: 4 lb., 12 oz. pull (measured)
• Safeties: trigger, trigger bar , firing pin block
• Price: $549
• Manufacturer: CZ, CZfirearms.com

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