The Original CZ Forum
CZ PISTOL CLUBS => CZ75, 75b, 75 SAO inc the Transitional => Topic started by: Butterman on March 26, 2017, 11:38:07 PM
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Hi All,
I recently bought this CZ75 B that was an Israeli Police surplus pistol. Looks like it had a long service life with lots of holster wear.
It's number 1626 in the photo below:
(https://static.wixstatic.com/media/16370a_828ca385d112479cbf296d0585951600~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_935,h_695,al_c,q_90/16370a_828ca385d112479cbf296d0585951600~mv2.webp)
It fired okay from my CZ P-01 magazines and from the beat to death mag that came with it. No misfeeds but it lacked the smoothness of my P-01. Earlier today I took it apart and cleaned it. I just did a field strip not a complete disassemble but scrubbed a lot of dirt/black off the gun. The feed ramp was completely black and I had to scrub with some pads and cleaner to get to the nickle colored metal underneath. The mag looks like it was used to nail boards or something. I had to unbend it then use several tools to get the bottom off. It was starting to rust. I cleaned it up and used a new mag base plate I had.
Questions I have for this group:
1. What is the barrel coated in? Is it nitrided? It's silver in appearance. The rest of the pistol looks like the black poly coating.
2. Looks like it was made in 1998. Is this the same CZ 75 B that is made today?
3. I'm looking to have some fun upgrading this for USPSA and plinking with friends. The sights are beat up and the front sight paint is mostly gone. I was wondering if any of the new fiber optic sights would fit?
4. I saw that Cajun Gun works does a race gun kit with a new hammer and other parts. Anyone do this themselves? Any recommendations for "tuning" this gun? I'd like to stay in the "Production" class.
5. The grips are old and stiff and almost slick. I'm thinking of getting some new rubber ones from CZ. I love the grips on my P-01. I see lots of the aluminum grips on offer. Anyone recommend them or can shine any light on what they are good for?
Thanks all for your input!
(https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10212372525132050&set=a.4173347575808.174607.1347857078&type=3)
https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/17498602_10212372525132050_7862525962309782570_n.jpg?oh=fc0c900a7c7f4aa35ac4259ad55935cc&oe=59576B3F
(https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/17498602_10212372525132050_7862525962309782570_n.jpg?oh=fc0c900a7c7f4aa35ac4259ad55935cc&oe=59576B3F)
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I can't see the picture
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Welcome to the forum
Most of your questions are answered in detail in the forums.
The stickys above the Gunsmithing forum have a lot of pics and instructions for DIY upgrades. sights, action parts like hammers, sear, disconnector, firing pins, springs, etc x10. :) CZ CUstom Shop, Cajun Gun works and more offer a
W I D E assortment of aftermarket upgrades.
Either CZC or CGW Competition rear and F.O. front sights are often used for USPSA and range target shooting. In 98 most 75s have the front sight dovetail that runs from front to rear on the barrel. Retention is by using a small pin the also holds the barrel bushing. If like this, then you are good to go.
The BBL is likely coated with a heat treatment that was black and a little rough looking. CZ did this for a number of years. A number of owners just polish it off with no apparent harm. Others just leave it on.
Several here have threads with pics showing restoration of older and transitional models of the 75. Your pic didn't show up. If you can get the pic posted, it might help identify parts needed.
Sounds like a neat project. Others will chime in with experience restoring the 75s.
Grips: The aluminum grips that accept grip tape are often used by competitors for a firm grip. They come in different thicknesses along with aftermarket variations that meet shooters' needs.
Do some research and be sure to ask any questions you have. Questions are smart. ;)
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I have the CZ rubber grip panels and HiViz fiber optics on mine and they work great for me. I would recommend you only use OEM CZ mags in it too, had problems with other mag makers.
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Can folks see the picture now?
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Yep, sure can.
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#1625 :-X drool...
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(https://i.imgflip.com/1m7ozd.jpg) (https://imgflip.com/i/1m7ozd) (https://imgflip.com/memegenerator)
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Welcome to the forum
Most of your questions are answered in detail in the forums.
The stickys above the Gunsmithing forum have a lot of pics and instructions for DIY upgrades. sights, action parts like hammers, sear, disconnector, firing pins, springs, etc x10. :) CZ CUstom Shop, Cajun Gun works and more offer a
W I D E assortment of aftermarket upgrades.
Either CZC or CGW Competition rear and F.O. front sights are often used for USPSA and range target shooting. In 98 most 75s have the front sight dovetail that runs from front to rear on the barrel. Retention is by using a small pin the also holds the barrel bushing. If like this, then you are good to go.
The BBL is likely coated with a heat treatment that was black and a little rough looking. CZ did this for a number of years. A number of owners just polish it off with no apparent harm. Others just leave it on.
Several here have threads with pics showing restoration of older and transitional models of the 75. Your pic didn't show up. If you can get the pic posted, it might help identify parts needed.
Sounds like a neat project. Others will chime in with experience restoring the 75s.
Grips: The aluminum grips that accept grip tape are often used by competitors for a firm grip. They come in different thicknesses along with aftermarket variations that meet shooters' needs.
Do some research and be sure to ask any questions you have. Questions are smart. ;)
Thanks for the insight! Great forum!
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I have the CZ rubber grip panels and HiViz fiber optics on mine and they work great for me. I would recommend you only use OEM CZ mags in it too, had problems with other mag makers.
Thanks for the recommendations! I think I'll order up some new rubber grips and take a look at the HiViz.
All my mags for the CZs are OEM. I run both S&W and ACT mags in my M&P without issues. Bulgarian and Russian mags in my Makarov seem to all work. Thanks.
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#1625 :-X drool...
I'm new to these models, what is special about that pistol?
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I'm new to these models, what is special about that pistol?
For me? I like the old-school charm of a spur hammer and that one also has the thinner, round trigger guard, too.
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Complete tear down, cleaning and inspection of parts/condition.
When I rebuilt my Pre B CZ 85 (also a former Israeli use pistol) I put new springs in it, just to make me feel good (maybe) but that's the only way to know how much wear/tear is on them - by putting brand new ones in it.
Since the extractor was out (for the cleaning/inspection) I also put a new extractor in it. Again, a wear/tear thing. Now I know the extractor is good to go.
I had to replace my barrel, too, it was badly pitted in the barrel and chamber (fitting a new barrel to some Pre B's is more work than others due to the changes in the way the slide and barrels are made/fit together).
It's fun. It costs even more money (new parts and refinishing) but you can end up with a very well functioning and very pretty handgun.
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Complete tear down, cleaning and inspection of parts/condition.
When I rebuilt my Pre B CZ 85 (also a former Israeli use pistol) I put new springs in it, just to make me feel good (maybe) but that's the only way to know how much wear/tear is on them - by putting brand new ones in it.
Since the extractor was out (for the cleaning/inspection) I also put a new extractor in it. Again, a wear/tear thing. Now I know the extractor is good to go.
I had to replace my barrel, too, it was badly pitted in the barrel and chamber (fitting a new barrel to some Pre B's is more work than others due to the changes in the way the slide and barrels are made/fit together).
It's fun. It costs even more money (new parts and refinishing) but you can end up with a very well functioning and very pretty handgun.
Thanks for the input! My barrel looks pretty good, I think, but I am looking to take the gun to a gunsmith for a full assessment and have them install the upgrades, mainly the sights. Still too new to do it myself. I have a gunsmith friend (pro, not amateur) that I'd like to watch while he worked. He's mostly retired but I think a six pack may do the convincing...
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Man if I could get it shot with clear protectant I would leave the finish. I think its neat. There is a local company that offers "Battleworn" Cerekote jobs
https://www.google.com/search?q=area+15+battle+worn+cerakote&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjO9Ijk1fnSAhUE02MKHe2mD_MQ_AUIBigB&biw=1280&bih=889
Yours is authentic! :)
I really like the spur hammer and round trigger guard. Nice score
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I bought a pre-B that had light rusting, so I decided to cerakote. The finish on yours looks okay still.
I'm guessing that a detail strip and cleaning will get the gun functioning smoothly. I wouldn't touch any internals unless they're obviously broken/non-functional.
I wouldn't be able to 'soup' up a pre-B, just too historical. Like putting dove tail sights on a USSR military Makarov.
Maybe new sights, and 'smith the magwell, and leave it at that?
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I would upgrade all the internals and leave all the external use alone!
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I will shoot it a few more times before I do anything. The clean and lube made a big difference already.
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Since your gun is not a Pre-B and you purchased it to run in Production I would do the following:
Replace the grips with either the Shadow or full sized LOK Bogies. Put skate board tape on the front and rear grip straps. The Bogie grips from LOK will give you optimum grip you need to compete.
I would replace the sights with the EZ-D 9/40 that is sold by CGW's
I would install CGW's Pro Package and polish all the internals
If you are going to finish it I would go with Cerakote to stand up to the constant holstering/unholstering.
I would install the CGW's 10X bushing
These mods will put your gun where it needs to be to be competitive as far as sights, grips and the action. The barrel you asked about is not coated, it's just plain steel.
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Since your gun is not a Pre-B and you purchased it to run in Production I would do the following:
Replace the grips with either the Shadow or full sized LOC Bogies. Put skate board tape on the front and rear grip straps. The Bogie grips from LOK will give you optimum grip you need to compete.
I would replace the sights with the EZ-D 9/40 that is sold by CGW's
I would install CGW's Pro Package and polish all the internals
If you are going to finish it I would go with Ceracoat to stand up to the constant holstering/unholstering.
I would install the CGW's 10X bushing
These mods will put your gun where it needs to be to be competitive as far as sights, grips and the action. The barrel you asked about is not coated, it's just plain steel.
Thanks for the great recommendations and specifics! Has anyone polished the internal components in a vibratory tumbler using walnut shells?
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Polishing in a tumbler will do nothing except clean the parts up.
If you mean polishing contact areas to smooth and lighten the action, then you must use stones, sandpaper and polishing compounds.
My '86 variant is so rough internally that if I polished it smooth, there's little doubt that it would never function again.
Settled for smoothing the high spots a bit.
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Study the link below and you should get the idea of what you should be doing when polishing the internals.
http://www.czfirearms.us/index.php?topic=42537.0
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Not saying it's hard, not saying it's easy.
But, remove too much metal and you'll have a non functioning pistol that needs new parts.
Sometimes, removing metal at the wrong angle (another way of removing too much, even though you may not physically take as much metal off as the first way) will end up with the same non functioning pistol that needs new parts.
What you really want is to smooth the metal surfaces for your first attempt. Some improvements may require removing more metal than just smoothing up the surfaces but that's another way to mess it up if you go too far.
Do it slow, do it right, with tests along the way to insure you're getting improvement without removing too much metal and you can end up with a very reliable, very neat handing/functioning pistol.
Either way, you'll learn more about your new pistol and how to take care of it.
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Since your gun is not a Pre-B and you purchased it to run in Production I would do the following:
Replace the grips with either the Shadow or full sized LOK Bogies. Put skate board tape on the front and rear grip straps. The Bogie grips from LOK will give you optimum grip you need to compete.
I would replace the sights with the EZ-D 9/40 that is sold by CGW's
I would install CGW's Pro Package and polish all the internals
If you are going to finish it I would go with Cerakote to stand up to the constant holstering/unholstering.
I would install the CGW's 10X bushing
These mods will put your gun where it needs to be to be competitive as far as sights, grips and the action. The barrel you asked about is not coated, it's just plain steel.
I've received the Bogie grips and really like them. The rest is on order with CGWs. I will post updates periodically. Thanks for the assistance!
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I'm new to these models, what is special about that pistol?
For me? I like the old-school charm of a spur hammer and that one also has the thinner, round trigger guard, too.
I bought the CZ-75, item 1625, from the mosin crate.
The slide is mismatched, barrel and frame are same number.
I cleaned it with mineral spritis and ballistol.
Even with a mismatched slide the fit is tight. Nothing rattles in it at all. It's very easy to rack up.
The trigger feel is almost as good as on my S&W 686+, performance center tuned revolver.
I do not have competition level handguns, but compared to other three CZ-75s I have, the trigger on that beat-up pre-B 75 feels best. Also, it has a captivated steel guiding rod, my more modern 75s have plastic rod.
It's a joy to shoot. I have put at least 600 rounds through it in 3 range trips this month alone.
I was thinking about sending it to CZC for a check and restoration.
But I'm not even sure if there is any reason to replace anything in this gun.
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This was my third purchase from the mosin crate and I've been happy with all three purchases. They are usually not pristine beauties but they all have fired well and been in good shape. I shoot my guns and don't want perfect finish guns for just rubbing and looking at. Two of the three were Israeli police turn ins that have seen a ton of holster time. My CZ75B wasn't so smooth at first but I gave it a big cleaning and lube and it's super smooth now. I've ordered up the parts to upgrade it but haven't been in town enough to do it. I'm prepping for a race in May at Road America for my other hobby racing that is consuming any free time I have.
One of the other guns was a Yugoslav CZ99 (Crvena Zastava, nothing to do with our favorite Czech manufacturer). It's got great wear patterns that people love and it shoots like a dream. I've received two offers to purchase it while at the range from buddies, they can't shoot it enough. I thought that buying it might have been a mistake after I purchased it and experienced some buyer's remorse waiting for it to arrive. It didn't help that when I took off a grip to clean it one of the springs launched itself into the garage never to be found again. I fashioned a replacement out of a paperclip and it worked well testing it at the range. I managed to find a replacement spring at Numrich.