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CZ SP-01 Phantom Review

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The CZ-75 is a nearly forty-year-old design that was ahead of its time. Designed by the Czech siblings Josef and František Koucký in 1975 (hence the designation) for export to the west for hard foreign currency, the CZ-75 was something altogether different. It was an all-steel 9mm double-action pistol that used a staggered box magazine. When introduced, its closest competitors were the single-action Browning Hi-Power and the aluminum framed S&W M59. Thin, accurate and reliable, hundreds of thousands of CZs and unlicensed clones have found a following around the world.

To compete with the polymer market, CZ went back to the drawing board and came up with the Phantom. Based on the legacy ’75 and its younger brother the SP-01, the Phantom replaced the very heavy steel frame of the disco era and moved to a polymer one.

Ergonomics and Recoil

The CZ is a gentleman’s gun with an old world feel to it. The grip is very thin and almost elegant when compared to the clunkier polymer guns like the Beretta PX4. You almost expect that it is a single stack magazine inside the grip rather than an all-business 18-shot (in 9mm) double. While there is some muzzle flip, the gun fires beautifully. Double action pull is light and the trigger feels very thin, like a Browning HP and the pistols of yesteryear.

Calling the gun mildly recoiling and a joy to shoot is like saying Marilynn Monroe was cute.

However, like the guns of its original designs vintage, it comes standard as a right hand only weapon with very little functionality for lefties.

Trigger and Accuracy

Accuracy was good, but the pistol takes some getting used to before you can make and keep accurate patterns and pull off plate drills. The long double action, thin trigger and narrow slide give it a distinct feel that needs to be overcome through lead equity, but once done it yields good results. In single-action mode, the trigger isn’t as crisp out of the box as most would expect, but after a short break-in period, the trigger works like a charm. A tight slide fit due to inside-the-frame pinned steel rails (like the hyper accurate SIG P210) gives the gun a very efficient lock-up.

The Phantom is accurate enough that competition versions are in heavy use with IPSC competitors.

Reloading and Disassembly

Even though the Phantom is new to the gun market, the pistol will accept many of the legacy CZ75 parts and accessories including (best of all) magazines. The reload process, both for magazines and magazine exchanges is a no-brainer.

Disassembly, however, is a little different story. A hybrid DA/SA design that fires from a locked breech based on Browning’s linkless cam system means that it breaks down rather like a Colt 1911/Browning Hi-Power, which may be odd for someone who has never done it. Instead of a dedicated take down lever, you use a slide lock to hold the unloaded Phantom out of battery before removing the slide stop completely from the frame. It’s not overly complicated, but proper reassembly for first-time users can be a nail-biter.

Reliability and Durability

The CZ functioned well in tests and spit out brass with no issues. While extensive trials have not been conducted to the same level that has been done on other polymer pistols such as the Glock, the Phantom comes from a long line of reliable guns. After testing with the Czech government, they have been adopted by the Czech Army’s paratrooper and special operations units and are seeing hard service.

Final Verdict

There is a growing underground of CZ lovers in this country and after shooting this gun, it’s easy to see why. While it’s a little heavier and a little funkier than some of the other pistols in its class, the Phantom brings a nice flavor with it that is really unmatched. It gives you the feeling that if John Moses Browning had access to polymer, this is the gun he would have built. It is a brilliant point-and-shoot pistol that just feels good. On the downside, it’s only currently offered in 9mm.

Ranked #4 of 10 in our Best Polymer Handgun Comparison

Springfield XDM Review

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Designed in the late 1990s by Croatian firearms wonk Marko Vukovic as the HS2000, Springfield Armory brought the gun to the US as the XD in 2001. Built after such bar-setters as the HK VP70 and the Glock 17, the pistol benefited from these preceding guns and built upon them. Since then, the XD design has matured constantly and now stands as the XDM.

Ergonomics and Recoil

The XD series of pistols have, since their inception, used a near-vertical 103-degree angle, similar to the classic Colt 1911 longslide. This feature carried over to the XDM. The frame has been molded with thumb cutouts that lead naturally to the trigger guard and the ambi magazine release. Slip resistant slide serrations that are angled and on both the front and rear of the slide give the XDM top end a nice modern look while adding to the overall functionality. There are other neat little bonuses such as a loaded chamber indicator and striker status indicator that can be both seen and felt, which is good in low-light, pucker-factor-rich situations where a press check is impractical. Interchangeable backstraps and Mag X-Tensions provide a level of flexibility in your grip choice.
Recoil is manageable in the 9mm and in the .40 versions has a little muzzle flip which can be expected in a polymer-framed pistol.

Trigger and Accuracy

The trigger of the XDM is nice. Like the Glock, it has a safety trigger with an inset fore-lever that must be depressed before the trigger lever itself will fire a chambered round. Gratefully, it has shorter travel than the Glock and a very short reset for rapid follow-up shots. This is helpful as in many cases the second shot can be even more important that the first.

Rounds on paper are no problem with this pistol due to a precision manufactured match-grade barrel that comes standard. Speaking of barrels, the XDM uses old school Enfield rifling, not the newer and more hip polygonal type. As a crash course in what this means, many prefer the polygonal for longer barrel life, while others the traditional Enfield for the capability to fire unjacketed lead bullets. It’s an apples to oranges type of thing– both are still fruit. Moreover, if you follow this analogy, the XDM has several different sized oranges with 3.8-inch, 4.5-inch, and 5.25-inch barrel lengths offered in all three calibers (9/40/45) to choose from.

Reloading and Disassembly

Unlike the Glock which makes you pull the trigger to disassemble, the XDM breaks down with a dedicated take-down lever like the Beretta 92 and SIG P-series pistols (with the exception that it points up instead of down), which is nice in a polymer framed handgun. It’s hands down safer if you don’t have to actuate that trigger to disassemble. In addition, compared to other guns in its class like the Phantom and P30, which have a slide stop to remove, the take down of the XDM is easier.

The XDM also has the largest in class magazine capacity, holding 19-rounds of 9mm or 16-rounds of .40 in a flush-fitting steel (not plastic) mag. The magazine release is placed a little lower on the grip on the XDM when compared to the previous Springfield models, which allows better actuation.

Reliability and Durability

There have been several torture tests documented with XD/XDM platforms running well over 20,000 rounds without major issue. In our testing at TGR, we found no systematic issues to complain about. The gun is covered with Melonite, a salt nitriding process that has a similar look and feel of Glock’s Tenifer finish. Springfield offers a limited lifetime warranty on their guns, which is refreshing. The only thing that scares us on the XD is that the primary factory is in Croatia and Springfield doesn’t offer armorer classes like SIG, Glock, and other makers do, which means the odds of having your XDM repaired locally are slim. For this, we dinged the gun a couple points just out of wariness over long-term (think twenty years from now) durability.

Final Verdict

The XD was long imported as a rival to the Glock and there is no shortage of Glock vs. XD scraps that have taken place in the vaunted halls of internet message boards. They don’t have the same following in competition circles that CZ does, neither do they have the same mass appeal that the Glock has garnered in law enforcement circles due to brilliant marketing. What they do have is a very nice, affordable and feature packed polymer-framed pistol that holds a lot of bullets and does everything asked of it. While the Phantom tied the XDM with the same number of points in our review, the fact that the CZ is slightly less expensive and has a larger supply of knowledgeable local gunsmiths and parts behind it, narrowly put it ahead of Springfield’s polymer gun.

If only Springfield had a factory that was not ten times zones away…

Ranked #5 of 10 in our Best Polymer Handgun Comparison

Glock 17, 22 & 21 Review

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When someone says ‘polymer handgun’ the first thing that pops into the minds of many shooters is Gaston Glock’s Safe Action pistol. Developed by a firearms newbie (old Gaston made curtain rods and knives in his garage workshop long before he designed a pistol), the Glock 17 was revolutionary for its time. Built around the Austrian Army’s criteria for a new replacement for worn out Steyr pistols, the Glock had only 33 parts, a polymer frame and held an amazing 17-rounds in each polymer magazine. Today, in their fourth generation of evolution, the full sized Glock handgun comes in versions chambered for 9x19mm (Model 17), .45ACP (Model 21), .40S&W (Model 22), .357SIG (Model 31), and the unique .45GAP (Model 37). The 10mm auto caliber Model 20 hasn’t made the jump over to the 4th Generation as of yet, and with the decline in popularity of that round, may never.

Ergonomics and Recoil

Gaston Glock designed the canted grip of the gun to about 110-degrees, which is about the same as a Ruger MkII rimfire pistol or a 1900s era Luger P08. This is a little sharper than most other pistol manufacturers and takes a little getting used to by those who are familiar with a ‘straighter’ grip such as that found on the 100-degree Colt 1911. Early 1980s and ‘90s Glocks have very rough, blocky grips whereas the new Gen 4 designs have a new system of finger grooves in the front, stippling on the grip sides and come with three detachable modular backstraps to semi-customize to the shooter’s hand. The 17/22/31 model is also a winner in the overall thinness category, which earns points in the concealed carry community. Recoil on various models is acceptable but the beefy Model 21, with its double stack of .45ACP rounds, is notoriously hard on the hands of small statured shooters.

The new models have a reversible and enlarged magazine catch that comes standard in right-handed operation, but can be swapped over for southpaws. The slide release, however, is right side only. Striker-fired, there is no hammer or decock to get in the way which streamlines training while eliminating potential appendages for clothing to snag on.

Trigger and Accuracy

The Glock trigger has a ‘trigger within a trigger’ pivoting system that helps eliminate the possibility of the pistol firing unintentionally due to inertia or impact. Trigger pull with this design is right at 5.5-pounds, which is firmly in the realm of a single-action gun, however the trigger travels just a hair under a half-inch which kind of creeps to some extent when compared to other pistols in the class.

Accuracy of the pistol is rather impressive, with a long and workable (6.5-inch) sight radius across a smooth plain of monolithic slide top. Polygonal, right-hand rifling with a 1: 9.84-inch length of twist (in 9mm) contributes to the pistol ‘doing its part’.

Reloading and Disassembly

Glock magazines have a polymer shell enclosing a metal liner, which can be seen around the feed lips. These mags on the Gen 4 guns are some of the strongest in the industry and have an extremely stout spring. We here at TGR are no ‘girly men’ (did we mention the Glock comes from Austria?) but still could not load the final rounds in test G17/22/21 mags without the aid of the enclosed mag loader that ships with the pistol. However, once left loaded for a couple weeks the mags became ‘broke in.’

Field stripping a full sized Glock is not a problem with a cleared weapon. Simply remove the magazine, check the chamber for brass and ammo, work the trigger and push the slide back slide back slightly, and then depress the take down buttons to release and ease off.

Reliability and Durability

The Glock is one of the most durable pistols ever made. For decades, there have been legions of field testers that have abused the pistol with everything from cement mix, potting soil, and vanilla pudding, encased it in ice, Jell-O, and other oddball media, buried it, thrown it from airplanes and dropped thousands of rounds through it. There are early model 9mm Glocks with more than 300,000 rounds through them that are still ticking.

While Glock’s standard warranty is just one year, most report and find that if you do have issue even decades later, the factory is there to assist gratis –so long as it’s not full of pudding when you send it to them. With millions of these pistols out there and the company holding armorer classes every day, odds are there is someone close to you that can affect any repair.

Final Verdict

The Glock is something of the people’s champion. Through its Blue Label program and liberal deals made to agencies of all size, Glock has long cornered the law enforcement market. This has led to the gun being wide spread in all levels of society. However, the design, while revamped every few years, seems a little dated when compared to the newer HK and S&W products that offer better ergonomics. Still, at a price point in the $400 range and its near universal acceptance, it’s hard to beat.

Ranked #3 of 10 in our Best Polymer Handgun Comparison

Heckler & Koch P30 Review

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Heckler and Koch is best known for their superb all metal frame pistols such as the 1980s classic P7M13, and the MK23. However, as a true master of their craft, they have also produced several polymer-framed pistols. They quite literally invented the genre with the innovative VP70, the world’s first polymer pistol, introduced a dozen years before Gaston Glock decided to stop making curtain rods. Their USP and P2000 series pistols have a legion of supporters and users that include the US Customs and Border Patrol agency. Their best full size polymer frame design now stands as the P30 pistol.

Designed by Frank Henninger and using the same basic short recoil–operated locked breech with a modified Browning-type linkless cam action and vertically tilting barrel of the P2000, the P30 is updated with a more advanced set of features. Standard options include the Picatinny rail commonly seen in most combat grade pistols made since the end of the Cold War, interchangeable back strap inserts that are used along with swappable grip shells to adjust grip size and cant, a recoil reduction system and a serrated decocker for SA/DA models. Like the Beretta PX4, the P30 comes standard with Polygonal bore rifling, billed to promote accuracy and extended barrel life.

An optional “S” model adds an ambidextrous safety on both sides of the frame. HK makes extensive use of nitro-gas carburization in metal components to provide an extremely hard coating that resembles a black oxide. It has sold well to German and Swiss police forces, in many cases replacing 1970s and 80s produced SIG P-series pistol.

The P30 was designed to be the ultimate law enforcement pistol. While similar to the P2000, the P30 made various improvements in ergonomics. The P30 is fully ambidextrous and features interchangeable backstraps as well as interchangeable grip shells for even more customization. It has a forged barrel and the overall build quality is top-notch.

Ergonomics and Recoil

If you think three backstraps that come with most polymer guns are “innovative” think again. Even cheap headphones now come with small, medium, and large earbuds. True innovation is the P30, with not only three backstraps, but six asymmetrical side panels as well. That means there are exactly 27 ways to configure the grip on the P30. So is this a marketing gimmick or the real deal? That depends. Many people are just fine adapting to the feel of a specific handgun; for them 27 different configurations is no doubt overkill. However, the P30 is currently the only handgun that doesn’t ask you to compromise. The custom grip and ergonomics make the perceived recoil a non-issue with the P30. This is a very soft shooting gun.

Trigger and Accuracy

A popular option for the P30 is a new hybrid trigger system. The HK gang offers what they call the HK Law Enforcement Modification (LEM) trigger with a bobbed hammer that gives full time constant trigger pull on a double-action non-striker fired hammer, much like the legacy Double Action Kellerman (DAK) concept on SIG’s P-series pistols. With two large German manufacturers who cater to military and police sales producing this same flavor of action that gives you a double action trigger that breaks like a single, expect it to appear in other designs by other companies.

The standard trigger on the P30 is not great. Not only is it a bit heavy, but it is very long and a bit inconsistent. The P30 trigger also has to be fully extended before it resets, something that can take some getting used to during rapid fire. The sights on the P30 are superb and feature a Super-LumiNova paint that really helps when transitioning into a darker environment. Accuracy was seemed better than average in our tests, especially at rapid fire and for a gun this size.

Reloading and Disassembly

Reloading was fast and easy thanks to the dual paddles on each side of the triggerguard. Breakdown is much the same as the HK USP and P2000 designs before it, via a center pin that holds the slide/barrel/spring assembly to the frame itself. Unlike the USP the P30’s take down pin does not come completely out during field stripping, which is a nice improvement.

Reliability and Durability

The P30 performed flawlessly in our tests and most reviews we have read second the P30’s reliability. Also, since the P30 is essentially the same inside as the P2000 which went through extensive trials and R&D before its adoption by the US Border Patrol. In a recent test conducted by HK, a stock P30 fired 91,000 rounds and kept on ticking.

Final Verdict

The only true downside of this HK polymer product is that the MSRP of it is over $1,000, which is almost twice that of its principal competition, the Glock 12/22 and the Smith M&P series. For this, however, the end user gets quasi-night sights, coated with photo luminescent (but non-radioactive) paint standard and HK’s long record of R&D success behind it.

Ranked #2 of 10 in our Best Polymer Handgun Comparison

Smith & Wesson M&P Review

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When Smith & Wesson came out with their new polymer pistol in 2005 to compete with Glock they came out swinging. To leave no doubt as to whom they were marketing it for they named it the M&P, or Military & Police. Today about 300 police department around the United States have adopted the M&P and many believe the M&P is the front-runner in replacing the M9 for the Army.

The success of the M&P doesn’t lie in doing something different, but doing a lot of things right. It has a positive safety and ambidextrous controls. Although being a lightweight polymer gun, it balances well and features high capacity steel magazines. It was also the first gun to perfect the adjustable back straps, so you’re sure to get a comfortable grip. It possesses Glock-like reliability with a great fit and finish. Finally, it’s just fun to shoot. Follow-up shots are quick and the trigger is great.

Ergonomics and Recoil

Although introduced on the SW99, the M&P is the first pistol to really perfect interchangeable backstraps. Having the option of three different sized backstraps with different palm swells, as well as a fourth option (being able to shoot the M&P with no backstrap) is ingenious. It means that those shopping for a pistol won’t need to reject the M&P just because of the feel of the grip. It also means that police forces and militaries can buy in bulk and know each soldier will be provided a firearm with a custom fit. In addition to the backstraps, the M&P just feels right with its comfortable and natural feeling grip. The M&P is a joy to shoot and a lot of that has to do with the lack of perceived recoil. This most likely has to do with the fact that the M&P sits low on the hand and recoil seems to go straight back.

Trigger and Accuracy

The trigger on the M&P is light and smooth. It is about 6 pounds but it feels lighter. It is also very consistent because of having to be reset by the slide after each pull. The sights on the M&P are a three-dot pattern and easy to adjust. For our pistol reviews we don’t place too much of an importance on accuracy. However, from simply firing the M&P we could tell it is a very accurate handgun and easily surpasses many of the other handguns in this review with regards to accuracy.

Reloading and Disassembly

Reloading was easily achieved and although we are all right handed, the ambidextrous magazine release is a huge plus for those who are left-handed. However, we took one point off because of the magazine release safety. Overall, disassembly of the M&P is an absolute breeze and ranks right up there with some of the best takedown designs. There is a slightly tricky step of pushing down a tiny yellow lever through the open chamber before you can remove the slide. It’s an annoying step, but one that forces the shooter to retract the slide before disassembly. However, we didn’t subtract any points since you can always dry fire it to get the slide off.

Reliability and Durability

We didn’t have any problems with our M&P at the range. Reliability in general should be pretty good as it incorporates a stainless steel guide rod and the slide only connects with the frame in four places, allowing more dirt to escape than with a full-length rail designs. We would expect long-term durability to match that of the Glock, but don’t feel right ranking it as high as the Glock’s proven design. In addition, Smith & Wesson released the results of a 50,000 round test and noted some of the smaller parts had to be replaced. One thing we like, however, is the metal magazines that should provide years of flawless use.

Final Verdict

The M&P is one of the finest pistols on the market and should definitely be considered by anyone looking to buy a polymer pistol. Smith & Wesson had the advantage of studying the Glock for years as it replaced their Revolvers as the most popular police sidearm. They took everything agencies and shooters love about the Glock and kept it, while improving on its weaknesses. The result is our choice for the best polymer full size pistol.

Ranked #1 of 10 in our Best Polymer Handgun Comparison