CZ 75 D PCR compact v. Bersa TPR9c 9mm - your exp/opinion of either or both please

I am in the market for a compact da/sa decocker 9mm, and these are on the radar. Would like to hear from those of you that have experience with these particular firearms. Please and thank you.

I have extra large hands (actually extra long fingers) and the CZ 75D compact did not fit my hands well at all. To the point that I gave the gun to my girl friend.

The distance from the back of the grip to the trigger was way too short so I had to hold my trigger finger at an awkward angle to fire the gun. The curved trigger was not comfortable at all and would pinch my finger on every shot. Although it is well made the pistol just really rubbed me the wrong way. I really love my Beretta 92 and its manual of arms so I figured I would love the CZ compact too... not so!

My gf with petite hands really likes the pistol and shoots it well. What really matters is how well a gun fits its owner not how well it fits someone else on the internet.

The first pistol I ever purchased was a Bersa 380. The hammer cracked where it pivots around the pin. It sat in the safe for 35 years until I found a replacement hammer on ebay about a year ago. It shoots fine now but my tastes have progressed over the years. I could not find anyone in USA that would warranty my Bersa even though it had a lifetime warranty when I bought it ages ago. The smaller Bersa 380 fits my extra large hands better than the CZ 75D compact does.

Are you planning on carrying this gun? It took me a long time to get used to carrying a plastic striker fired gun after learning to shoot with DA/SA guns but after I got comfortable I will never switch back. There is just no comparison to the comfort of carrying a plastic gun that is half the weight of an all metal DA/SA. My DA/SA guns are relegated to home protection and range duty.
 
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CZ.

The PCR and P01 are the same pistol, minus the rail and lci.
The P01 went through a extensive torture test for the Czech army.
Can't get the link to work.

CZ P-01 gets NATO approval. The next Generation of perfect pistols
2003-02-01 09:24:31

The P-01 is now a NATO classified pistol and issued the NATO stock number NSN 1005-16-000-8619.

The CZ P-01 is the culmination of several years of exhaustive design and testing. Ceska Zbrojovka has always had some of the most rigorous testing requirements in the world but, the Czech National police has required that they go even further, the testing regiment for this new pistol was the most demanding anyone has ever encountered. There are almost 20 specific requirements covering everything from accuracy to interchangability, from safety to reliability/durability and everything in between.

The pistol: The CZ P-01 is a Gen 3 pistol that began as a requirement for a lightweight compact pistol that will deliver the accuracy and durability of a full size, full weight pistol. This was no small task, several manufacturers declined to even start the project.

The first thing you notice about this pistol is the M3 light rail on the frame, a first for CZ, the alloy frame is a little wider at the top than a steel CZ 75. This adds strength and rigidity for mounting the light and increasing the accuracy and service life of the pistol. The P-01 also sports enhanced controls as well as a drop free magazine and a lanyard loop.

The pistol was required to pass a wide variety of tests:

The police required that the pistol ensure the highest level of comfort, an extended slide release was added as well as an extended magazine release and the trigger was reshaped to give a more consistent pull throughout the trigger stroke.

The pistol must be 100% reliable in extreme conditions, the following is a list of some of the minimum requirements.

Must be able to complete the following without failure:

4000 dry firings
3000 De-cockings
Operator level disassembly 1350 times with out ware or damage to components.
Complete disassembly 150 times, this is all the way down, pins, springs etc.
100% interchangability, any number of pistols randomly selected, disassembled, parts mixed and reassembled with no failures of any kind including loss of accuracy.


Safety requirements:

Drop test
1.5 meter (4.9”) drop test, this is done 54 times with the pistol loaded (blank) and the hammer cocked. Dropping the pistol on the butt, the muzzle, back of the slide, sides of the gun, top of the slide, in essence, any angle that you could drop the gun from. This is done on concrete and 0 failures are allowed! A failure is the gun firing.

3meter drop (9.8”) 5 times with the pistol loaded (blank) and the hammer cocked, This is done on concrete and 0 failures are allowed! A failure is the gun firing.

After these tests are complete the gun must fire without service.

The factory contracted an independent lab to do additional testing on guns that previously passed the drop tests. These pistol were dropped an additional 352 times without failure.

The pistol must also complete an environmental conditions test:
This means cold, heat, dust/sand and mud.
The pistol must fire after being frozen for 24 hours at –35C (-36F).
The pistol must fire after being heated for 24 hours at 70C (126F)
The pistol must fire after being submerged in mud, sand and combinations including being stripped of oil then completing the sand and mud tests again.

Service life:
The service life requirement from the Czech police was 15,000 rounds of +P ammo!
The pistol will exceed 30,000 rounds with ball 9mm.

Reliability:
The reliability requirements for the P-01 pistol are 99.8%, that’s a .2% failure rate.
This equals 20 stoppages in 10,000 rounds or 500 “Mean Rounds Between Failure” (MRBF)
During testing, the average number of stoppages was only 7 per 15,000 rounds fired, this is a .05% failure rate, a MRBF rate of 2142 rounds! Over 4 time the minimum acceptable requirement.
The U.S. Army MRBF requirement is 495 rounds for 9mm pistols with 115 grain Ball ammunition.

Heritage:
The P-01 is based on the CZ 75, the most used pistol in the world. Over 60 countries use it as the standard side arm of their Armies, National police forces, National security agencies or other Law enforcement organizations. No other pistol can make this claim.
 
I know Bersa put out a few new guns at the 2024 SHOT show, so maybe they are changing up their image and trying to compete with the Tsias, Girsan and other Turkish offerings.

Bersa is an OK gun, the three or four .380’s I fired over the years remind me of my FEG SMK-380. Serviceable, but not premium, stuff.

I have a bit more experience with CZ pistols; i own six 9mm and one .45 caliber CZ. My P-01 Omega and 75D Compact both have Cajun Gun Works innards, making both guns into a very smooth shooting compact pistol.

My P-01, 75D Compact and 2075 RAMI.
IMG_0405.jpeg

Personally, I would roll with the CZ. I admit I am a bit biased however, so try to handle and/or shoot both as much as possible before you buy to see what fits you best.

Good luck! :thumbup:

Stay safe.
 
I've owned and shot both. I have to agree that CZ is a much nicer pistol, but I wouldn't pass up a good deal on a Bersa. Actually, the Bersa's tend to be much more affordable than the CZ's and mine have been perfectly reliable. Of the two, CZ has a better trigger.
CZ has a much better supply chain for parts and service. Ir's easy to find extra mags and upgrades for the Cz. Bersa mags can sometimes be hard to find. There are a couple certified service centers that work on Bersa pistols but not as many as CZ.
I understand that the new Bersa pistols are made here in the US so, hopefully, the parts supply will improve. I also hope Bersa can make them here and keep the price affordable.
 
I've never held or fired a Bersa TPR9c. It appears that pistol has a manual safety lever?

I do have a CZ75D PCR. It has no manual safety lever.

Just on that alone, that's why I picked the PCR over other double stack hammer fired 9mm pistols. I am accustomed to not having a manual safety lever on "defense" pistols, and the CZ decocker was a deciding factor.
 
I am in the market for a compact da/sa decocker 9mm, and these are on the radar. Would like to hear from those of you that have experience with these particular firearms. Please and thank you.
PCR over all, best metal frame hammer fired CCW pistol in the world, IMHO.

b1LMLRp.jpg
 
Only one poster so far states experience with the Bersa TPR9c. Seems like the initial reaction is, no way any Bersa compares to any CZ. But the TPR9 series is a relatively new pistol, not the old "Thunder" series and has a frame-mounted safety, not the funky old slide-mounted deal. Not a lot of reviews out there, apparently.

Comparing any CZ to the old Bersas, I'd also say, no way, go CZ and don't look back. But to be fair, unless we've compared it directly (and fired one), we're just speaking to our bias toward CZ (and I'm as big a fanboy as the rest of you all).
The Bersa in question:
1707803759256.png

But, I don't see me giving up any of my CZs for one, though...
Lok grips.jpg
 
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I've owned and shot both. I have to agree that CZ is a much nicer pistol, but I wouldn't pass up a good deal on a Bersa. Actually, the Bersa's tend to be much more affordable than the CZ's and mine have been perfectly reliable. Of the two, CZ has a better trigger.
CZ has a much better supply chain for parts and service. Ir's easy to find extra mags and upgrades for the Cz. Bersa mags can sometimes be hard to find. There are a couple certified service centers that work on Bersa pistols but not as many as CZ.
I understand that the new Bersa pistols are made here in the US so, hopefully, the parts supply will improve. I also hope Bersa can make them here and keep the price affordable.
Thank you for the sharing your hands on experience. Appreciate the input and points on parts availability.
 
, no way any Bersa compares to any CZ. But the TPR9 series is a relatively new pistol, not the old "Thunder" series and has a slide-mounted safety, not the funky old frame-mounted deal.

apparently a Hillary Hole too. :(
 
I have the CZ PCR and a polymer CZ P07. They are almost identical in size and weight. The P07 has a better out-of-box trigger IMHO, but both are great hammer-fired decocker pistols.
 
A buddy of mine has the CZ 75 Compact which is very similar to the PCR. It is an amazing handgun.

I had a Bersa Thunder many years ago and it was actually a good handgun for me. Ive shot one of their newer models, not sure if ite's the same one you are looking at or not. Only a couple rounds. But it shot decent and felt nice. The owner is happy. I think the new Bersa is a quality firearm in it's price range. But the CA PCR is a higher quality pistol.
 
All I can say is that I wish I had kept my CZ PCR. I used it for trade fodder and would rather have it back. That pistol fit like a glove. Still have some VZ coyote grips if anyone needs a set or wants to trade something similar for BHP or Beretta 92! Probably worth it's own thread in the trading post but I just remembered while replying.
 
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