Alternatives to P07?

T

Tenguns

New member
I’m in the process of zeroing in on a range and home defense gun for my fiancé, here’s some criteria and background:

Gun will NOT be used for concealed carry
She is familiar with the controls of her Ruger SR22, no other experience.
She has vetoed revolvers as a possibility
Strongly prefer a 9mm with 3.5-4" barrel length. Maybe a bit longer, but nothing shorter.
All my handguns are steel-framed, and she feels they are too heavy. So, polymer.
Definitely need a soft shooter here—if she’s not comfortable, she won’t train.
External safety or decocker strongly preferred for her at this time.
We can ultimately travel to let her handle a few options, but we don’t live anywhere near where we can rent and shoot. (but we do have access to an indoor range)
$500-600 price range

This criteria has led me to the CZ-P07, which has everything on the checklist. Also looked at the CZ-P01, but the P07 looks to have the better trigger, polymer possibly has a longer service life than aluminum, and the P07 is a little less expensive. Not seeing anything to sway me to P01, but happy to be educated.

So, I feel like the P07 is a good option for her, but I have limited experience with polymer handguns and I’m wondering if there are any other good alternatives to consider that meet this same criteria. I would like her to be able to handle the P07 along with at least a couple other similar options and let her choose what feels best in her hand. Thanks for any suggestions!
 
The P-07 is a great option....The DA/SA offers a little more forgiving of new gun owner mistakes. It's accurate, reliable, easy on the budget...what's not to love??? 450 bones will score you a gen 2 which has better sights, trigger profile, slide, backstraps and a few other things I can't remember right now.

A 07 is on my list for sure, I like the P series grip better than other CZ's it just points like a champ.

I have the P-09 but the 07 almost won out in the end, but they only had the new one in 40 when I went to buy.
 
A few others for her to check out could be the SIG SP2022, the Beretta PX4 Storm, and the HK P2000 which recently has dropped quite a bit in price.

The HK P2000 comes with 4 different backstraps to better fit the shooter. Just don't let her handle the HK P30 though. ;)

Good luck!
 
Ten - since she's already familiar with the SR22, why not a Ruger SR9?

Unlike the SR22, the SR9 is a striker fired pistol. Didn't know if DA/SA hammer fired was one of your requirments or not.

I myself have an SR9c, the compact model. Very sweet shooting, light recoiling pistol. I would imagine the full size SR9 to be the same.

My only other shot is that one of the reasons the SR9c (and likely the SR9) is a soft shooter is it has a pretty stiff spring. I suspect this is true of other soft shooting 9 mm's. Not really a problem, I don't think, as technique can compensate for lack of hand strength. Although it might be an issue for some with arthritis or other health issues.

In any case, good luck to you and the Mrs. Enjoy the search!
 
Canik 55-c. $350 OTD.

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I have handled a S&W sd9ve and I own the 40 cal version. They are generally inexpensive and dependable and might suit your needs.
 
Thank you ALL for the information, I intend to research each of the options suggested above! I took a very quick look at the PCR and I'm not immediately clear on how it's different than a P-01, but I'll figure it out.

Interesting that the Ruger SR9 was mentioned. I did look at this previously, and was somewhat startled to see one on Bud's for $330! It's a SR9E...not sure how it's different than other SR9 variants, but it kind of threw me for a loop that this full sized 9mm is essentially the same price as we paid for her little SR22. What gives with that?? I love getting a good value, but I'm willing to pay more for quality. Is it really in the same league as a P07 for that price? It looks a tad big for her, but maybe not. She doesn't have big hands, but she is 5'9...long slender fingers with pretty good reach, so maybe.
 
Nothing wrong with a P-07 or P-09 which is a little bigger than the P-07.

Other polymer DA/SA hammer guns would be the Beretta PX4, FN FNX, Sig 2022. Used you might be able to find a HK like a USP, P2000 or P-30 in your price range.

Metal frames would be the Beretta 92 and CZ P-01. Used models would be the Sig 229/228, 226 that you may find in you price range.

The Walther P99 AS is a polymer framed DA/SA striker model.
 
The PCR has no light rail, the P-01 has a rail.

The SR9e is a "value" version of the SR9... A few cost cutting features, I think poly sights and other similar changes. The SR9 is a good pistol, but I am not a fan of all the extraneous safeties...


One of the softest shooting 9mm pistols I have shot is the Sig P226. I like mine very much. It is a full size pistol with alloy frame. Some with small hands may have issues with the size. The P229 while smaller feels larger in the grip. They make an "E2" grip to decrease grip size... but many including myself, dislike the E2 very much. It can also affect the trigger pull, as the hammer strut had to be redesigned.


The Walther PPQ is a good pistol, soft shooting... I liked it, my fiance felt it didn't have enough grippiness, and it felt loose in the hand. She was a novice shooter at the time, so her opinions would likely be different now.


The M&P, Sig 2022 or P320, HK VP9, XDm... all good pistols. There are many to choose from. Figuring out what action type you prefer is a good place to start narrowing choices.


The P-07 is a good pistol. The second gen is the one to get. The hammer has an angular shape on the gen 2, while the gen 1 is rounded, that is the easiest way to tell them apart.

The recoil on a CZ pistol is a little more brisk than some others, but the recoil is straighter into the hand, which can aid in quick follow up shots.

My fiance loves her CZ 75, but she has issues manipulating the slide quickly, which is not a good thing if you plan on using the pistol for defense. The slide is short, and the cocking serrations are small and shallow, while I have no trouble with the slide, she doesn't have enough finger strength. She can use it well enough to not need assistance at the range, but clearing malfunctions quickly and effectively is another matter.

The P-07 and P-09 solve that issue I believe. The slide is a just a little taller and the serrations more aggressive. Makes for a much more secure grip and easier manipulation.
 
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For striker fired weapons meeting your criteria, I would strongly second the SR9 suggestion. Has a thumb safety, similar to the SR22 that she is comfortable with. I believe the M&P striker fired pistols also come with the option of a thumb safety so you should look at those, too.

If she prefers the DA/SA mechanism with decocker, the already-mentioned SP2022 is a great option. In my experience, extra mags are a little spendy though.
 
P07

In my experience and opinion, you will do little better than the P07 Duty. The trigger alone is almost worth the price of the pistol. The P07 Duty is reliable and accurate. There is a caveat though, some pistols may hold their value a bit better (Glock's for example).
 
A cz shouldn't loose value any faster than say, a Glock or s&w... It may even hold better due to the harder to find nature of them... You can go to any gun store and get a glock.

I have noticed cz getting easier to find in local shops though.
 
Couldn't recommend the P-07 more. If you've arrived at that point, IMHO you aren't going to find a better pistol. I don't have a single bad thing to say about mine. Get it. You will love it.
 
Best gun purchase I ever made. Was looking for a polymer da/sa duty sized gun.
Although I wished I would have waited a few weeks until the new edition came out. Got the version w night sights and extended barrel so at least the older version had that going
 
The PCR has no light rail, the P-01 has a rail.
Click to expand...

There's a heck of a lot more to the P01 than that.:rolleyes:

You can't go wrong with either the P07 or P01...which uses forged aluminum BTW.;)

I started with a 75bd, had it for a decade then realized the P01 does everything the 75 can but is lighter and has a rail. It's the only gun I've ever owned that hasn't jammed after thousands fired...reloads no less.
 
Whatever you do let your fiance make the final decision.

I doubt you would want her picking out a gun, shoes, or underwear for you. :D
 
a Compact 75 with a regular powder load firing 115g is a kitty cat. So soft. I carry mine (PCR D) with +p 124g Hornady XT's and it's still sweet. With the same load my Rami is also soft, but it's probably shorter than what you're looking for. Check out the PCR D and the P-01 if you can find one. My near constant buying/selling/trading of handguns ceased when I acquired the PCR D and the Rami almost two yrs ago.....:D
 
a Compact 75 with a regular powder load firing 115g is a kitty cat. So soft. I carry mine (PCR D) with +p 124g Hornady XT's and it's still sweet. With the same load my Rami is also soft, but it's probably shorter than what you're looking for. Check out the PCR D and the P-01 if you can find one. My near constant buying/selling/trading of handguns ceased when I acquired the PCR D and the Rami almost two yrs ago.....
Click to expand...

Understand, too, that when you're talking about small, metal CZs, the Compact (with a capital "C") is a model, not just a frame size. That model has a steel frame and a safety. The other compact CZs are alloy-framed and have deocckers. The alloy-framed models are lighter and will have a bit more felt-recoil than the steel-framed version. (The RAMI can be hand with either a "safety" or a "decocker" -- but unlike the P-07, it's not user changeable.
 
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