CZ P09 Nocturne: A Modern DA/SA, Hammer-Fire Pistol

I’m an unabashed CZ fan, which comes from a love of DA/SA, hammer-fired pistols.

My problem with CZ is that they’ve fallen a little behind when it comes to modernizing their DA/SA duty style guns, but they seem to be rectifying that with the new CZ P09 Nocturne series of handguns.

How CZ Stays Modern

CZ, as a brand, isn’t afraid of throwing optics on handguns. The striker fired P10 series all come optics-ready. Their competition guns are optics-ready, too. However, they’ve ignored their standard duty style, hammer-fired designs for years. 

As optics became a mainstay on my handguns, I shot my CZs significantly less. Then, out of nowhere, the Nocturne series came out of nowhere and finally scratched the itch I had for a modern, DA/SA, hammer-fired, polymer-frame pistol.

The P09 Nocturne series has introduced an optics-ready design, which is no easy feat on a traditional CZ-style slide. The internal slide rail design doesn’t give you much meat on your slide, so you can’t go too deep. This limits your optics options, and CZ had to stick with the Shield RMSc footprint, which is a footprint designed to accommodate smaller-than-average optics.

Beyond going optics-ready, CZ also addressed another common criticism. That super small slide can be tough to grip and rip, so CZ redesigned the slide texture with deep cuts to allow for a better grip. They also redesigned the grip texture to make it a bit more aggressive for a firmer grip on the gun as a whole.

The new Nocturne is available in both full-sized and compact platforms, and I have the full-sized version in my hands. This duty-style pistol comes with all the basic features you expect from a standard handgun. We get a Picatinny rail, interchangeable backstraps, and two magazines.

Going Dark With the Nocturne

Let’s talk about reliability. Upon release, the Nocturne series was criticized for being unreliable due to ejection issues. In reality, what was happening was that people were using screws that were too long, which impacted the ejector. The thin slide can be peculiar about the screw length.

You have to be picky about screw length, but there is no proper universal length because optics are different. If you encounter reliability issues after mounting an optic, check the screw length, specifically the length of the screw on the right side. You can even inspect the ejector to see if an optics screw is causing it to malfunction.

With that said, I had no reliability issues over 500 rounds of steel-cased Monarch ammo. The gun operates smoothly and doesn’t mind dirt or grime. I shoot at a sandy range, and even the sand at the range doesn’t gum up the gun or its magazines.

Fast and Straight

Mastering the long double-action trigger can be a challenge, but if you’re like me and just tend to prefer a DA/SA gun, it’s one worth overcoming. The P09 Nocturne’s trigger isn’t fancy, and it’s not a trigger you’d find in a race gun. It’s a fairly standard duty double-action trigger. The trigger pull isn’t exceptionally smooth, and it’s constantly gritty throughout the entire long pull. It’s about 11 pounds.

The single action cleans up nicely with a little take-up and a crisp break. The reset comes out fairly long and is not particularly impressive. Overall, the trigger comes out to average. It’s not great, but it’s also not bad enough to detract from accuracy. The P09 can deliver solid hits on torso-sized steel at 50 yards. At 25 yards, I can ring gongs, hit reduced-sized IPSC targets, and clean up a plate rack.

On paper, in single action, from a rested position at 15 yards, I can put five rounds into a roughly 2-inch sized group, sometimes 2.1, sometimes a little less. I’m using a measuring tape and not calipers, so allow for a little +/-.

The DA/SA actions work well for rapid shooting. The first long double-action pull makes sure you’re intentionally hammering that trigger. To me, it’s a little extra safety feature I like to have when going fast or under stress. When you take that first shot, it reverts to single-action, allowing for a light and crisp pull that enables you to hammer those follow-up shots quickly and accurately.

P09 Nocturne Features

1 Optics Ready

2 Suppressor Height Sights

3 Interchangeable Safety/Decocker

4 Interchangeable Backstraps

How to Clean Your P09 Nocturne

Ensuring you keep your P09 Nocturne clean will keep it’s longevity. So, be sure to check out this video below to see some good tips and tricks.

Getting a Grip

The P09 Nocturne scores high in ergonomics, as CZ always does. The Nocturne solves some early complaints with the aforementioned deeper slide serrations. They are deep and grippy. I can rack the slide with the hammer down without much effort. You can get a nice, tight grip on the slide and work it with complete confidence.

From there, I have to mention the underappreciated safety/decocker design. You get to pick between one and the other. Users can pick from a decocker or a safety. Just replace one with the other. The safety allows for locked and cocked carry. Either option is ambidextrous and easy to manipulate.

The magazine release is interesting. You can press in like any standard magazine release, or you can push forward with your thumb against the magazine release. The shape of the grip and the magazine release make it easy to drop the magazine by pressing your thumb forward. It’s handy, easy to use, and nice for shooters with smaller hands.

Like all classic CZs, the P09 Nocturne has a svelte and thin grip. It fills your hand nicely and is incredibly comfortable. The beavertail allows for a nice, high grip on the gun without the fear of hammer or slide bite.

The Nocturne series is well-made, easy to shoot, accurate, and incredibly ergonomic.

P09 Nocturne Pros and Cons

Best Accessories for the P09 Nocturne

Streamlight TLR-1 HL-X		Front-Loading Battery Dual High/Low Switches  1500 Lumena	See Best Price
CHPWS EDC Enclosed		RMSc Footprint Multi Reticle Enclosed Emitter	See Best Price

Important Links and Resources for Your CZ P09 Nocturne

Are you looking for more info on your P09 Nocturne? Or have you lost your user’s manual? Don’t worry.  We’ve got you covered.  Check out the links below.

• Find your manual here
• See manufacturer specs here