VZ 58 MALFUNCTIONS

[FRENCH RIVIERA]

I Had this problem with my first VZ58 and sometimes with the new one. My English is no good enough to explain exactly what happened, but I found that :

The shooter describes exactly and perfectly what happen:

If somebody knows how to solve this problem 

The second thing that happened was that I discovered the "CZ gremlin" which is the name given to a little reliability issue with the rifle. A gunsmith can fix the problem, but it only happened once. Basically what happens is when you fire a round, the action cycles ejecting the spent cartridge and loading a fresh round into the chamber, but the striker slides forward with the bolt, and there's no way to fire the round (the striker is supped to hit the firing pin which ignites the round's primer (which makes the gun go "boom")). This means that when I pulled the trigger, nothing happened. This wasn't a hang fire because I didn't even hear the "click" of the firing pin snapping forward. I took the magazine out of the gun and racked the slide. I inserted the round again and sent the slide home again. Inserted the magazine and pulled the trigger. BANG! The rest of the day the rifle functioned without a problem. If the problem persists I'll take it in somewhere and have them fix the problem. It's a common problem and supposedly easy to fix.

My Gunsmith really didn't know how to fix the problem, he just gave me another CZ. But sometimes I've the problem again.
I use Wolf, Barnaul and S&B amo.

[armoredman]

Sounds like disconnector/sear issues, bad juju. Too bad you aren't here in the States, as Czechpoint could have you up and running ASAP. Have you called CZ-UB directly? Did it come from thier factory, or a differant one?
Don't worry about your English - I know people who lived here thier whole lives who cannot write and speak English intelligently!

[Dos]

I've read that the Canadian version suffers from the "Gremlin Problem".   The reported fix is to weld a tab to the underside of the bolt like the US version has done.  This momentarily delays sear/disconnector action to fix the associated disconnect problem.

[CzechPoint]

As stated above, this is not an uncommon issue with rifles CZ UB sells (CZ 858).  The "Gremlin" may happen to one person and not to another.  Or, it may happen in one shooting position but not in another position.  The problem is attributed to a combination of recoil and trigger squeeze.  D-Technik found this issue themselves while test firing their prototype rifles.  Their solution was to weld a tab to the bolt carrier to make contact with the disconnector while cycling.  When the tab makes contact with the disconnector, the sear is released upwards to hold the striker to the rear (firing position).  This added plate eliminates the "Gremlin" entirely. 

Dan

[FRENCH RIVIERA]

Ok, thanks a lot,understood, but I really don't know how to do that on my own VZ.... and I've just one bolt, so Can't afford a wrong job.

If somebody can sell me and send me a Bolt with the "tab" it could be great ....Or if you have an address in Europe...

But I know It's quite Difficult from Us to France...

If it depends of the recoil, I ask myself, if a muzzle break could solve the problem...

[armoredman]

Hmm, export a rifle bolt from USA to France? Bring in the lawyers! I have no idea...

[CanuckZ]

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showpost.php?p=246474&postcount=1

Posez votre question ici pour une r?ponse compl?te.

[CzechPoint]

FRENCH RIVIERA,
I do not have any experience with non tabbed bolt carriers so I cannot confirm if the issue is resolved with a muzzle break (although I doubt that will fix the problem).  D-Technik often sells parts to other European countries.  If you would like, send me an e-mail and I'll have D-Technik contact you about the possiblity of shipping a tabbed bolt to France.  Their written English is excellent so communication should be fairly easy.

Thanks,
Dan
dan.brown@czechpoint-usa.com

[armoredman]

Way to go, Dan, comes through again!

[FRENCH RIVIERA]

Dan,

I sent you an email, I hope D-Technich or somebodyelse will solve my "cz gremlin" problem.

Thanks a lot.

[tekarra]

Talk about taking the extra step!
Dan, you are a gentleman.

[nwcp]

That's odd. My VZ58 was imported for CZ USA and doesn't have the tab. It also hasn't failed to fire... hopefully it will stay that way. 

[CzechPoint]

nwcp,
Are you sure your bolt carrier does not have the tab/plate?  D-Technik rifles have never been sold without it and I've never seen a bolt carrier missing the plate.  There's always first, but I've not heard this before.

If possible, I'd really like to see a photo of it.

Thanks,
Dan

[FRENCH RIVIERA]

Hi Dan,

First Picture is tabbed Bolt which is sold on czechpoint website:




The Second one and third  are my "personal bolt" little bit dirty 





What do you think about it ??

Thanks you for connecting me with D-Technic (now Czech small arms company) I ordered the tabbed bolt and I'm waiting for it. I just hope it will work well into the receiver.

[CzechPoint]

Hi FRENCH RIVIERA,
Good to hear you have one on the way.  Looking at the pic, your bolt carrier is a regular surplus one.  A few Canadians have added the plate to their carrier and have reported success with it.  I believe it should work for you too.  Let us know if it eliminates the problem.

Thanks,
Dan