As a result, a flood of high quality clones quickly filled the void. Brands like Uzi, Magnum Research, and Springfield Armory soon made their way into the U.S., helping to launch the love affair that Americans have with 9mm pistols.
A few years later, the Czech National Police put in an order for new service guns. CZ put their best engineers and gunsmiths on the project and the result was one very impressive handgun, the CZP-01. Author George Hill describes the process in his article “CZP-01” at USConcealedCarry.com:
“Every time a problem came up, CZ fixed the design and started testing again. [Three] years’ worth of testing. The result is the P-01 [, which] could very well be the most perfect handgun ever made.” (Read more at USConcealedCarry.com)
The CZP-01 has a slick, powder-coated finish that screams ruggedness and durability. The hard plastic layer protects the metal undercoating in a uniform, smooth layer. Another nice feature on the frame is the inclusion of a light rail, which allows you to clip your preferred tactical light to the top of the CZP-01. The grips are high-quality checkered rubber that embrace your hand like memory foam.
One of the only problems with the CZP-01 is the guide rod -- it’s made of plastic. Even after a few hundred rounds, the wear and tear was evident in the form of unnatural bending and medieval-style slash marks. However, the solution is cheap and easy – all you have to do is get a metal rod installed at your local gunsmith for about $30.
During range testing, the CZP-01 exhibited impressive handling characteristics. The rubber grips help reduce the recoil to the point where it is almost unnoticeable. The smooth 5-pound trigger pull helps pump rapid fire ammo into close groupings out to about 50 feet. The gun comes with two 10-round magazines, but can easily be upgraded to compatible 14 round magazines.
Carrying the CZP-01 is a breeze. It only weighs 1.7 pounds unloaded and has a height of 5.3 inches. The overall length is 7.2 inches. Even with the double-stacked magazines, the gun is only 1.4 inches wide, so printing is not an issue.
Another interesting feature on the CZP-01 is the decocking lever at the rear of the weapon’s left side. After discharging the weapon, you can push the lever down and put the gun into a half-cocked safe mode, which is the preferred carry for the CZP-01.
The CZP-01 has been approved for use by NATO forces, which is a pretty good stamp of approval. This is a well-crafted, reliable gun that you can depend on in just about any self-defense scenario. Pick one up for about $600.