Let me start off by saying that I'm not trying to piss off Glock owners with the title of this post, but I do recognize that may be the end result so let me explain a bit.

Most people are aware of the Roland Special build/concept, but if you're not I'll give you the quick & dirty. It was pioneered by Chuck Pressburg of Presscheck Training & Consulting sometime around the late 2000's. Consisting of a Glock 19 cut & equipped with a Trijicon RMR, a compensator & a weapon light typically in the form of a Surefire X300. The idea was to have a sidearm that gave the user every possible advantage in a gunfight when a rifle is not applicable for one reason or another.

At the time this concept was very forward thinking & not extremely popular amongst his peers, but in the end he was proven right. Now adays you would be hard pressed to find a professional that didn't run an optic & a light on their sidearm, but the compensator still has yet to be widely adopted. I suspect this has something to do with some fudd lore about them still floating around but I digress.

I decided to take this concept & modernize it for the current times. The original gun of the Roland Special was a Glock like previously mentioned, & hardcore fans of it will say no other platform can be used & still be called one. And that may be true to some extent, but the concept of the Roland Special was just that, a concept & not a specific build list. The idea is a reliable, repeatable platform that gives you the biggest advantage. Long as those terms are met & I stick to one or two rules, I'd say it's a fair game. Plus I wanted to show it could be done with something other than a Glock.

BREAKDOWN

• Handgun | P-10 C Slide / F Frame | CZ USA

The G19 was chosen over the G17 in the original Roland Special due to the length of the 19 with a compensator sat about flush with the end of the weapon mounted light. And at the time the G45 had not came to market otherwise I suspect Chuck may have chosen that due to the extra ammunition capacity it offers.

Regardless I chose to go with a compact slide riding on top of a full-size frame due to the extra capacity as well as the extra control the full size offers. Retaining the compact slide will help me stay true to an original aspect of the build as well as add some reliability to the final product. Which I will cover once I get to the compensator section.

• Optic | EPS Red 2 MOA | Holosun

The original optic was a rugged open emitter red dot from Trijicon called the RMR which even by today's standards is a nice piece of glass. However there have been improvements to the technology since the conception of the Roland Special.

Primarily going from an open to an enclosed emitter red dot which offers a more reliable sight picture. Rain, snow, dirt, dust, mud or general debris would all take an open emitter dot out of commission unless one had a q-tip readily available. All of those concerns are largely put to rest with an enclosed option. Consistency is the name of the game we play.

I wanted to stick with Trijicon if at all possible, but at the time of completing this build the only enclosed option they offered was the RCR. Impossible to get ahold of unless you're in the know or have a government contract. I ended up landing on the Holosun EPS due to my previous experience with the optic left me confident in its ability to reliably preform, even in less than ideal conditions.

• Optic Plate | EPS Cut Steel Plate | Athena Precision

Unless your slide is milled directly for your specific optic, you will need an adaptor plate to marry slide to the optic. As you can imagine this is a critical component that will be experiencing a ton of macro and micro vibrations. While some aluminum plates can do the trick, I prefer something made from hardened still for such a crucial part.

Athena Precision makes all theirs from hardened heat-treated steel and are such a step up from your standard 7075 aluminum models. I highly encourage anyone utilizing an adaptor plate to do so of one made from steel as its the direct connection from your optic to your weapon system.
Anyone interested can use code Rebel_Spirit_Operations for a nice discount.

• Barrel | Velocity Defense Threaded Barrel | Killer Innovations

The CZ P-10 C model I had picked up, came with just your standard non threaded barrel. And since this project requires a compensator, swapping my existing one out for a threaded version would be a necessary step.

Killer Innovations produces some amazing quality barrels that come with an 11-degree target crown & the boring, rifling & chambering are done using a process called Single Point Technology which all adds to accuracy.

• Compensator | HC10 CZ P10 | Herrington Arms

Since KKM didn't produce products for the P-10 series, I decided to go with the HC10 from Herrington Arms who are well known for producing some amazing compensators. Thanks to its design, when paired with a compact slide & full size frame, the bottom half of the compensator rides inside the frame of the handgun.

This little detail adds some redundancy to the platform in a way perhaps unintended by the manufacture. If the mounting screws connecting the comp to the barrel where to ever come loose or be lost completely, due to it setting inside the frame this will force the comp to stay in the upright correct position.

• Weapon Light | X300 Turbo | Surefire

The turbo series of lights offered by Surefire focus more on candela rather than lumens, offering a strong focused beam that can stretch out to impressive distances. I could seriously rant for days on why I believe a high candela light is a better option vs one focusing on lumens but in short, it's for defeating light barriers.

My work in private security for the past 15 years has proven to me time & time again that light barriers exist in all areas at all times of day. Lumen biased flashlights just don't have the juice needed to look past the barrier & depending on the circumstances can even lower the distance your able to see.

Having a spotlight on your weapon system is also a very effective way to blind you target momentarily which can be used to the operators' advantage in many different ways. They do run the risk of bouncing light back at the user in super close quarters however there are practices to mitigate that effect & running other lights such as helmet or vest mounted in those areas is a common practice. But in my opinion, a candela biased light provides the user with more benefits and options than the ladder.

• Thumb Rest | Grip Control Module | Black Steel

This is a completely new aspect compared to the traditional Roland Special, but absolutely falls in line with the nature or theme of the build. The same way a red dot does not give the user a new capability but simply enhances an already existing one, the same goes for the thumb rest aka gas pedal.

The added leverage point it gives the user to control muzzle rise provides a massive advantage when it comes to fast rapid shots. Some handgun frames are starting to come with small ledge built into the frame itself & can produce the same effect largely. However, a true gas pedal changes the angle at which pressure is applied downwards which in turn returns the muzzle & red dot closer to the original firing position. It also reduces the chance of the firearm slipping compared to the small built in ledge.

The Grip Control Module from Black Steel is a real solid attempt at having your cake and eating it too. It replaces the original take down lever of the platform with one that has a thumb rest attached to one side. The rest itself is spring loaded meaning its compressed against the gun when in the holster but soon as it's drawn out, the spring forces the ledge down & into position. In my opinion this is one of the biggest advances in handgun tech since the adoption of the red dot.

• Striker | NP3 OP Striker | Overwatch Precision

NP3 coated components have an amazing natural lubricity to them & as a result tend to run better especially when dirty. The Overwatch Precision striker has a slightly changed geometry & combined with the coating reduces the pull weight of the trigger by .5 lbs. but more importantly provides a more consistent trigger press.

To be honest the trigger pull weight and style is subjective & in the end doesn't make a massive difference in the overall performance of the platform.

• Striker Spring | 15% Reduced Weight Striker Spring | HB Industries

Similar to the Striker, this upgrade is a small but pleasant one. However this could arguably cause the platform to be less reliable depending on a host of factors. I have just over 5,000 rounds behind this spring with no noticeable uptick in any kind of malfunction.

• Stippling | Self Applied | Yours Truley

Stippling is partially a preference thing but at the same time its 100% a performance aspect particularly in less-than-ideal conditions when the hands or gun are wet. To achieve increased texture one can go about it in a few different ways. One of the most common forms is some form of precut textured adhesive like Talon Grips. While these do a decent job, I have found that during prolonged time in hot temperatures the entire grip adhesive portion would slide around while using the gun. Making the platform both slippery and sticky all at the same time if that makes any sense. The grip portion would slide off exposing portions of the gun with the sticky adhesive still on it.

To avoid this I went down the stippling route. I decided to try and do this process myself rather than sending it off & paying $200 for it to be done for me. Initially I wanted to try some fancy pattern to make it look real fancy like, but after doing some test runs on the case the gun came in, I decided to just keep it simple stupid. The finial results left me somewhat satisfied. The border I attempted looks like garbage, no getting around that, however the stippling is very functional & provides excellent texture for the end user.

Conclusion

The finial result left me with a platform that I believe still follows suit of the Roland Special aka the Offensive Handgun. The trigger was reduced from a 4.5 lbs to a 3.2 lbs with a very clean & repeatable break. Muzzle rise is virtually nonexistent with the comp & proper pressure applied to the thumb rest. Standard magazines put the capacity of it at 19+1 & use of the factory extension baseplates turn that into 21+1. Which is a very healthy amount.

I am keeping a watchful eye on the 15% reduced weight spring & at the first sign of light primer strikes or issues cycling it will be the first thing I swap back out. But over the past 5,000 rounds its worked flawlessly. I understand CZs are not for everyone, & even though I do shoot them very well, I have found myself wanting a fatter grip in order to achieve more contact with my support hand. Luckly every component of this build can be purchased for the Glock platform as well.

I appreciate everyones time for the read

For more builds like this check out Rebel Spirit: Firearms Training & Gear | Rebel Spirit Combative Training Applications

For video format check out https://youtube.com/@rebel_spirit_operations?si=ebACrCQfIkYlDbEU