Big Sky Country is rifle country, but a 9mm service pistol rides in a lot of trucks between Missoula and Livingston, and CZ's new DUTY 4.0 is a strong one. It is CZ's new-generation striker-fired 9x19, built around a serialized internal chassis so the fiberglass-reinforced polymer grip frame is modular. The slide mounts a red dot directly, with fixed sights as backup, and the barrel is 4 inches, unthreaded.

You can have it two ways, each with or without a manual thumb safety (MS). The DUTY 4.0 C, the compact, carries 15+1 standard and 17+1 with the extended base plate at 770 g and 135 mm tall; it suits Bozeman and Kalispell shooters who carry in the hills. The DUTY 4.0 F, full-size, carries 17+1 (19+1 extended) at 780 g and 143 mm, the better choice for the ranch house in Hamilton, Dillon or out past Butte and Anaconda. CZ's refined SFDA trigger runs 5.6±0.9 lbs with 9±1 mm of travel and a 4 mm reset. New release, $729 MSRP.

Capacity on the carry-size is 15+1, with a 17+1 option through the extended base plate. Height is 135 mm (5.3 in) and the empty weight 770 g (27.2 oz). If you carry, this is the DUTY to look at; if you mostly shoot at the range, see the F.

The MS model carries a frame-mounted manual thumb safety on top of the firing pin block, trigger safety and trigger-bar safety. Everything else, chassis, trigger, slide and optics cut, is the same as the version without the lever.

The chassis is registered and modular, which is CZ's way of making the grip frame swappable. The frame itself is fiberglass-reinforced polymer, 33 mm (1.3 in) wide, on a four-inch barrel and a 188 mm (7.4 in) overall length. The SFDA trigger breaks at 25 ± 4 N (5.6 ± 0.9 lbs) and resets in 4 mm (0.16 in). Optics mount directly to the slide; the photos from CZ show Holosun, Aimpoint and Shield footprints.

Best fit: daily carry, a home-defense gun that also rides along, and new shooters who want one pistol for everything. Shooters coming from a CZ 75 will recognize the grip angle; shooters coming from any other striker gun will notice the trigger first.

Order online and pay at checkout. Name any licensed Montana dealer near you, in Billings, Missoula, Havre or anywhere else; leave it blank and we will find one. The DUTY 4.0 goes dealer to dealer, and you get tracking when it leaves the warehouse. Your Montana dealer handles the background check and the state's rules at pickup. Ammunition, optics and parts ship straight to your door where the law allows.

Questions buyers ask: What if I do not know a dealer near me in Montana? Leave the dealer field blank at checkout and we will find a licensed Montana dealer for you. The pistol ships to them and you collect it there. Is the DUTY 4.0 a good truck gun for Montana? At 188 mm long, 33 mm wide and under 800 g, with 15 to 19 rounds depending on model and base plate, it is a full-use 9mm that rides easily in a console or on the hip. 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 trigger-bar safety that every DUTY has.