Central Texas buys pistols for three reasons: the truck, the house and the range out past Gatesville. CZ's new DUTY 4.0 is a plain-spoken answer to all three. It is a striker-fired 9x19 service pistol on a serialized internal chassis, with a fiberglass-reinforced polymer frame, a 4-inch unthreaded barrel and a slide that mounts red dots directly with no adapter plate. Fixed sights come standard.

Waco and Temple shooters who want a nightstand gun usually go full-size: the DUTY 4.0 F holds 17+1 (19+1 with the extended base plate), weighs 780 g and stands 143 mm. For carry around Bryan, Corsicana or Tyler the DUTY 4.0 C is the one, at 15+1 (17+1 extended), 770 g and 135 mm. Each is offered with a manual thumb safety as the MS model or without. CZ's refined SFDA trigger breaks at 25±4 N (about 5.6 lbs) with a 4 mm reset. $729 MSRP; Austin and Georgetown orders ship like the rest of Texas.

Pick the C when the gun has to disappear under a cover garment. It gives up two rounds to the full-frame model (15+1 against 17+1) and about 8 mm of grip height, and in return it is 5.3 in (135 mm) tall and 27.2 oz (770 g) light.

What is new under the slide is the serial-numbered modular chassis. The serial number lives on the internal chassis, not on the polymer grip, so the frame module is a part you can change while the gun stays the same gun. Around it CZ put a reworked SFDA striker trigger, rated at 25 ± 4 N (5.6 ± 0.9 lbs) with a 0.16 in (4 mm) reset and 9 ± 1 mm (0.4 ± 0.04 in) of travel, and a slide cut for direct-mount optics. CZ's own photos show it wearing Holosun, Aimpoint and Shield reflex sights.

This is the version with a manual thumb safety. The three internal safeties (firing pin block, trigger safety, drawbar safety) are the same as on every DUTY; the lever is an extra for people who were trained on one or simply want one.

The CZ DUTY 4.0 C MS suits anyone who wants a modern optics-ready 9mm with CZ's grip and a trigger that is better than the class average: concealed carry where your state allows it, home defense, and range time that does not need a full-frame grip.

Texas has no permit to purchase and no waiting period. Choose the Texas dealer closest to you, whether that is in Waco, Temple or anywhere else in the state, and the DUTY 4.0 ships to them. Your dealer runs the background check at pickup. Ammo and gear ship to your door, and the live stock and price check happens as you order, before you pay.

Questions buyers ask: How long until I can pick it up in Texas? Texas has no waiting period and no purchase permit. Once the pistol reaches your dealer and the background check clears, it is yours. Is the DUTY 4.0 barrel threaded? No. The factory barrel is 4 inches and not threaded. Fixed sights are standard and the slide is cut for direct-mount optics. What does MS mean on the CZ DUTY 4.0 C MS? Manual safety. It adds a thumb safety lever to the firing pin block, trigger safety and drawbar safety that every DUTY has.