A few months back I jumped on the blem P226 frame deal from Matrix Precision. I decided that a full-size, red dot equipped gun would be fun for range use and occasional informal steel challenge matches at our local club. My son has been shooting those with me and decided that he wanted a similar setup, but since he has a CZ bias, he opted for a P09 instead.

Both guns came with unmilled slides, and both needed work. Mine has been done for over a month, but we finally got all the parts in for his and assembled yesterday.



The P226 started out as a stripped frame and needed built from the ground up. There's another thread on that, but basically it's a Revenant arms parts kit with a few factory bits mixed in (like an SRT kit), and a Grayguns trigger, strut, and guide rod. It's wearing a Holosuns 407K, and the slide was milled and refinished in DLC by Parker Mountain Machine.


The P09 got a McCarbo spring kit and a polish job by yours truly to fix the abysmal factory trigger. It's now very smooth and crisp. DPCustoms did the milling and melonite refinishing of the slide to mount the 407C. In the process they milled off the factory rear dovetail (the factory rear sight was junk and loose in the dovetail anyway) and milled a new one behind the optic for a Glock-style sight, and that cut is now filled with a rear sight from Dawson Precision. We kept the factory front sight.

Both optics were purchased from DaBigBR here on the forum, and the upper for my P226 came from cyberphobia through the classifieds.



The Franken226 slide rides very smoothly on the rails and the grip fits my hand like it was made for it. The slide release and decocker are very positive, and there is zero "bounce" when The slide goes into battery. The gun just feels tight and well fit. The grayguns trigger and strut give it a very smooth and consistent DA trigger pull, with no stacking or binding, and the SA pull rolls nicely to a crisp break. The 407K has a smaller window then a lot of other optics, but it's footprint doesn't extend beyond the edges of the slide, so it won't interfere with my thumb shooting one-handed. I'm finding that I actually kind of like the 6MOA dot, too...it's clearer and better defined than some others, even with my astigmatism.

The P09 is wearing the large grip backstrap, because we both found it rolling to the left with the smaller one. The grip still feels a little thin to my hand, but I can hit just fine with it, and my son says he prefers it to the P226. Post McCarbo kit, the trigger is incredibly smooth and rolls to a clean break, both in DA and SA. I really like the shape and feel of the trigger shoe, which surprised me as looking at it I didn't think I would. The slide release and decocker lever are big and plastic. They have a little slop to them and don't feel as positive as the Sig controls, but they work fine and are easy to reach and actuate. The 407C is big and thick with a decent-sized window that is pretty forgiving when trying to find the dot. The dot itself has poorer definition than my 407K...it's basically a blurry blob to my eye, but I have no trouble making hits with it.

We took both guns out and shot them, both running each gun just to try and give them a fair shake. Unfortunately my target pictures didn't turn out because I got sweat or bug spray or something on my camera lens, but using B8s we shot controlled pairs with a DA/SA transition from 3 yards, 5 shots in 5 seconds from 10 yards, and slow fire from 25yd. We also ran the plate rack. We each shot both guns pretty well, but did slightly better with our own (I managed a 49/50 on the 25 yard B8 with the P226, which I was pretty happy about!), so I feel like we made the right choices. Now to have a Wednesday night when I don't have to work so we can go shoot some steel challenge!

Great review and a nice set of firearms. I love the home built 226 and have a complete P228 kit in need of a frame. Revenant will be getting some of my business soon.

Why would you want old, outdated, heavy, guns that you have to learn two trigger pulls on. Jesus man are you trying to get you and your son killed. What kind of a father are you?

Seriously though. Those are both amazing builds. I really dig the CZ. I’ve never owned a poly CZ but always very much liked the P07/P09.

Enjoy them as well as the time with your son.

No co-witness on the SIG?

Take care, shoot safe.
Chris

quote:

No co-witness on the SIG?

It's there, but just barely. The low deck height of the 407K allows me to see just enough of the sights that I can confirm the red-dot zero if I have to, and could shoot with them in a pinch, but if I ever decide to regularly use this gun in a serious defensive role I'll probably put suppressor-height X-Rays on it. In it's current role, the regular night sights work fine and make holster selection easier.

quote:

I really dig the CZ. I’ve never owned a poly CZ but always very much liked the P07/P09.

It has definitely grown on me...enough that I kinda want to get a P07 now. My kid originally wanted a Shadow2, but this was less than half the price and much more achievable. After shooting it he said, "Dad, I don't think I need a Shadow anymore."

My Shadow2 experience is limited to putting a few rounds through one at the range and holding a couple in gun shops. IMO the grip and weight of the Shadow feels better in my hand than the P09, but the action on the P09 is supurb and, while I'd have to shoot them side by side to be sure, I doubt the paper would look much different between the two after I was done.

The Shadow 2 is one of those guns that make people like me look like they know how to shoot. It’s on “my list” so to speak. I’ve shot a bunch of them and out of the box they are pretty well sorted range guns. I wouldn’t want to use one for defensive use personally but on the range they are pretty sublime. STI/Staccato’s are similar in my hands. They don’t do it for me aesthetically, nor am I a SAO guy but on the range I shoot them amazingly…..ok THE GUNS shoot amazingly and cover up a whole host of sins.

I grabbed a P09 when they were $300. I love it. I had trigger work done by czcustom that made it even better. I left it in DA/SA. I carry it more than I carry my P8A1 or USPc or 92FS.

quote:

Originally posted by Chowser:
I grabbed a P09 when they were $300. I love it. I had trigger work done by czcustom that made it even better. I left it in DA/SA. I carry it more than I carry my P8A1 or USPc or 92FS.

Dang. If I could find one for $300, I'd get another. Or even moreso a P07! That's a killer deal for what you get.