Simple like the operator...But it works, like the operator

I often represent myself as a simple man and in truth I am; I don't mean simple as in stupid or basic of thought, only a fool would take me for that. I mean that I like simple things, find value in simplicity and abhor pretentiousness. It's in line with that ethos I purchased this firearm years ago and I've enjoyed shooting it. There's no frills, nothing fancy; it simply does its job over and over and is dependable - Simple like the operator.

My CZ P-09 holster rig. It's a Double Alpha rig with Guga Ribas holster. The inside of this rig is hook-Velcro which attaches to the loop-Velcro of the inner belt worn on my belt-loops. The shooting glasses are by 5.11 used for for low-light situations; I prefer my Oakleys usually.

CZ P-09

I haven't shot this gun for about a year however today put almost 200 rounds through during a practical run-and-gun competition. The discipline is called IPSC, a technical shooting sport that creates real-world military and law enforcement scenarios.

I don't usually use my P-09 for competition anymore as it's not the best for the job, not if one wants to win, but today I blew the cobwebs out of it rather than shoot my CZ Shadow 2 which is more suited to the task.

The P-09 is a handgun designed for military and law enforcement use rather than competition being durable and capable of operating even under the most difficult of conditions; think mud, rain, snow, dust, sand and so on. It's tough and reliable by design. CZ drew upon their relationships with many organisations around the world when creating this handgun and maximum reliability and accuracy together with shooter comfort were the key elements focused upon. They got it right.

It's a polymer handgun, the frame being constructed of glassfibre-reinforced polymer. The slide, barrel and the other minor components that need to be metal are extremely resistant to corrosion and mechanical failure or damage. It's robust.

Recoil has been kept to a minimum and the gun returns to target well after each shot, even when firing rapidly, which is what the gun is designed to do. All sharp edges have been removed for comfort in the hand and they've added the serrations to the front of the slide for those who prefer front-cocking as I do; it gives something to grip onto when racking the gun. They reworked the trigger and hammer and the backstraps are interchangeable for shooters with different hand-sizes to get a more suitable/comfortable grip. The front and rear sights are luminous so in low-light operations the shooter can easily acquire targets.

In standard trim it'll take 19 +1 rounds [That's 19 in the magazine and 1 in the chamber.] When I shoot it that's 10 +1 due to draconian firearms laws in my country...But that's another post entirely.

My CZ P-09. I have had the slide [top silvery part] and the slide stop cerakoted [ceramic-paint] because I wanted to - It has no function. I know, that goes against the 'simple' ethos I have but come on, even I give in to myself at times.

Above on the front of the slide you'll see the serrations for front-cocking and halfway back some serrations on the black frame just in front of the slide stop which is where I grip with my left thumb when shooting which helps manage recoil.

The sharp-eyed amongst you will note there is no safety on this gun. It uses a de-cocking lever instead which, when the gun is cocked [I usually say racked], drops the hammer down to stop just before the firing pin. It is considered safe in this condition - Round loaded, but a double action trigger-pull to fire.

To fire one just pulls the trigger which pulls the hammer back and then drops it on the firing pin. That's called double action i.e. hammer back then drops forward as opposed to single action which is when the hammer is left in the back position and only has to drop forward when the trigger is squeezed. Anyway, don't worry about all that; not important.

Why I don't use it in competition

It's a very nice gun to shoot; sure, not as smooth as a finely tuned IPSC race-gun, or even my Production-Division CZ Shadow 2, but it feels nice in the hand and in my opinion is far better than it's polymer competitors; or was at the time of its original release. But it's not suitable for competitions when one gets serious about gaining good results against competitors with more suitable firearms.

When compared to my Shadow 2 it is sub-standard and one of the main reasons is the sights that are nowhere near as precise. The front sight is too fat and too low and the rear is simply imprecise.

With a low and fat front sight, designed for close-quarters targets at distance can be completely obscured. In IPSC I man need to accurately shoot to some 40-50 metres which is where the P-09 becomes a problem. The luminescent dots are good for low-light close-quarters operation like room-clearing but are useless at greater range where more precision is required.

In a field situation where ranges are out past 20-30 metres or so one would holster the handgun and operate with one's rifle instead; generally speaking of course. So I transitioned over to the CZ Shadow 2 and rocketed up the rankings; I'm not the best shooter ever, but the P-09 was holding me back. In short it's a gun designed for defensive operations or close-quarters combat action like room-clearing not for competition.

I had fun with it today though and contented myself with the enjoyment of shooting rather than placing well against the seventy or so others who competed. I came home and cleaned it, tucked it into bed [gun safe] and will shoot it again at some stage...The zombie apocalypse maybe, or should that read covid-zombie apocalypse?

Simplicity. I have a need for it and this handgun represents that very well. I don't buy show-pony firearms as I don't see the point.

My equipment has to work as desired/required every time as its primary function. Reliability, durability and repeatability. Secondary is the availability of components to make ammunition [I make my own] and so I buy calibres that are not obscure or rare. Common-place calibres that are readily available beat those that are difficult to obtain any day of the week in my opinion. This ethos is applied to accessories and equipment like scopes, bi-pods, holster-rigs, range finders, binoculars, ballistics-solvers, weather meters, spotting scopes and so on...Even packs and bags to be honest.

Simple, but works is preferable to pretty but doesn't work and when things get real, when shots count, an operator will thank himself/herself for holding to that strategy.

Anyway, today was a pretty good day. I don't know where I finished although I'll guess top third so 23 or above of 70 the shooters. I actually slowed myself down seeking better accuracy knowing the gun wouldn't keep up; with no performance-pressure I ended up having more fun. I like fun...Simple fun.

So...That's what I was up to today...What about y'all? Tell me below...And if you want to come shooting with me let me know, I'm sure I can work something out...Australia isn't that far from everywhere else right? 😁