CZ-USA is another company trying to keep things simple and affordable this year with its own compact offering. The new P10 M bucks the high-capacity, micro-compact trend with its single-stack form factor that yields a 7+1 capacity. Another contrarian aspect to the P10 M is the removal of the slide stop. CZ claims this was done for a cleaner exterior and to prevent this deep carry pistol from snagging on clothes. I’ve never had a slide stop snag on clothes before, but I guess it’s possible. Either way, the removal of the slide stop requires the user to manually rack the slide once a fresh magazine is inserted.
The P10 M is a striker-fired pistol, similar to other models in the P10 series, but the trigger is a bit different than the other models. It has a heavier pull and isn’t quite as crisp as P10 pistols I’ve tried in the past. My assumption is that the trigger pull was made heavier to add a bit more safety for the ways this pistol might be carried on a routine basis.
The P10 M does, however, offer up some nice qualities and features that I’ve come to expect from the P10 series. The frame relief and ergos are there for a relatively high grip on the pistol and, despite its size, there is a Picatinny rail for mounting accessories. The slide wears a robust nitride finish as well as a set of white, three-dot sights for easy visibility in daylight conditions.
The grip texturing on the P10 M is quite aggressive. During our testing a couple of the guys liked that quality about the P10 M since it locked the pistol into the hand. However, a couple of them didn’t and made sure to point out the waffle-iron impressions in their hands. Even so, most of them agreed the P10 M handled recoil well and was a good shooter for the size. Accuracy was superb and reliability was perfect as well.
The two things that everyone kept revisiting was the heavy trigger pull (since all of them have tried other P10 pistols) and the relatively low round count. Ten years ago, the P10 M would have been close to a home run for its size, but the world has moved on and most folks are looking for more capacity. Even so, with an MSRP of $505, the P10 M has a lot going for it with its shootability, accuracy and reliability.
