Smoothing the Action

[schmeky]

I have decided to start a thread that details key areas of the CZ action that benefit from smoothing.  The gun in this thread is a CZ Custom Shop SP-01.  It has the comp hammer, tactical sights, 13# hammer spring, and the hammer strut has been contoured and ploished.  I could not test the DA before since my electronic scale only goes to 12#'s and this pistol was off my scale.  Anyway, here's a before pic of the trigger bar:



This is an after pic of the same trigger bar.  The DA disconnector contract area on this trigger bar is the worst I have ever seen.  The tooling used to cut it was worn out.  However, it can still deliver good performance with careful prep and polish.  I use 3M aluminum oxide paper in 400-800-1000 increments, followed by a super fine polishing compound done with a felt wheel mounted on a dremel.  I should be able to see my finger prints in the polished areas of the trigger bar once done, in essence, it's a mirror finish.  I'll work through the action and post pics as I go.

[coolbox]

ouch!

wow!

(first pic, and second pic, respectively)

what about corrosion/rusting of fully polished stuff. I do not have access to dremel etc, will 1000 grit aluminum oxide serve the purpose, with a bit of compromise?

[Stuart]

tag.

be careful on some areas though..the tool marks can be so bad and deep, that if you polish too much to remove all the tool marks you can take too much metal off and affect the timing.

but even with deep tool  marks you can still get a smooth moving action that will be ten times better than stock.

[JDuncan]

Great Post! Awesome pics! Thanks for the tip, Schmeky!
-JD

[schmeky]

Stuart,

Is absolutely correct.  If there are deep tool marks, do not attempt to remove them, since it's the smoothness of the area that matters, not the appearance.  This trigger bar has really bad tool marks on the disconnector contact face, so it will get smoothed only, the tool marks will remain.  Here's a pic of just how crude this bar is, but I am finished with this area:

[ThompsonCustom]

Wow thanks for the step-by-step and pics I think this should be made a Sticky in the CZ related Frequently Asked Questions, Gunsmithing/Maintenance sections. Very nice work as always!

[tekarra]

Excellent post schmeky and I look forward to the followups.  Thanks.

[Stuart]

This will definitely be a great thread to sticky or bookmark.

Schmeky would love to see more of your mods and *secrets* 

[schmeky]

I ain't got no secrets, you guys can have anything I got for free

I will pick up on this in the next day or so since there are obviously other areas that need to be addressed.  I've been really busy lately and like to take care of customers first.  I hope this thread will help the CZ bretherin' extract the most from their CZ's. 

Besides, I know others (Stuart?) have something to contribute as well. 

[schmeky]

Here's the trigger bar and disconnector as they look when installed in the pistol.  I estimate 85%+ of the friction in DA is right here, so taking extra time to smooth and polish in these areas will deliver great dividends.   The goal is to remove as little metal as possible and still acheive a a mirror finish.  Also, nothing beats the actual wearing in of the action, so I consider this as the foundation for an even smoother action in a short time frame.

I have also been testing a very high content moly grease that can actually lower the DA pull a few ounces by itself, so I add the moly in these critical areas when I do a final reassembly.

[kobus]

wow ! amazing and interesting.  thanks for this post 

[bozwell]

Great post.   I have a very general polishing question for you guys - I'm working under the theory that there are no stupid questions so bear with me. 

How do you work the different sandpapers into some of the small crevices?  Are you cutting small strips of sandpaper and holding them up against some flat object (if so, what works best)?  I realize how small some of those little nooks are, so I'm curious how you'd recommend sanding them effectively.  Also, I'd be a bit worried about rounding off some of the edges when doing the sanding.  After all the sanding is done, do you apply a light coat of oil to these parts?  I don't want to attract a lot of dirt into the sensitive parts of the gun but is there any risk of the polished/unfinished parts rusting without a coating of oil on them?

[nothing]

I use strips of sand paper cut to fit small files. I use rubber cement to attach the strips. Basically I'm just making a very small sanding block. After sanding I use a degreaser to flush away any metal shavings and then apply a very light coat of rem oil using a q-tip.

[schmeky]

To get to the rear of the trigger bar, I have a modified dremel attachment.  I cut small narrow strips of sandpaper, then hold it on the dremel attachment with a very small o-ring.  Makes changing out the sandpaper strips a snap.  I'll post a pic of this little tool.

On the main trigger bar and exposed areas, I use 400/800/1000 and keep it wet with WD-40 (I buy WD-40 in the gallon can).  Also remember it's critical to alternate your sanding pattern, up-down, then side-to-side, but go lightly, not much pressure.  This alternating pattern will produce the desired level of polish quickly and efficiently. 

Lastly, I have a super fine polishing compound I use a small felt dremel wheel with for obtaining a glass like finish.  Polished metal is slow to rust since the pores of rough steel are essentially eliminated.  Just a light coat of lube will keep the polished parts rust free.

[jwc007]

This will definitely be a great thread to sticky or bookmark.

I quite agree!  Done.

Great thread!