New to Me CZ 85 Compact in .40 S&W w/ Questions

[jameslovesjammie]

'04 would make more sense, as I believe these were made 2002-2006.

Does the gun have a firing pin block?

[Dan51]

Is there a '94 in the circle by the ejection port?  This will tell you the year of manufacture.

This gun is nearly identical to the 75 Compact .40.  Same rail/slide profile,  ambi safeties, upswept beavertail, and steel frame.  The only thing about this gun that should make it a 85 is an ambi slidestop, which your model seems to lack.  The 85 Compact markings seem unique.

As far as magazines go, you should be fine with modern P06 magazines.  Factory 75 Compact .40 magazines were known for reliability issues that eventually doomed the pistol.  Standard CZ/Mecgar .40 magazines will also be reliable, as well as aftermarket Promag 10 round magazines designed SPECIFICALLY for the 75 Compact .40.

Shoot the gun and let us know how it goes!  The added weight of the steel rail actually makes this compact gun heavier than the longer barreled 75, and recoil is quite negligible.

I shot it to test for mag function yesterday using PMC 165 gr. HPs. 20 rds. No issues. Shot like a champ and recoil was no worse than a 9mm. Seems to be a sweet shooter so far.

Thanks for all the input.

[Cyanide]

Very nice indeed Dan, congratulations!

[Dan51]

Very nice indeed Dan, congratulations!

Thank you.
I'm loving this CZ.

[Dan51]

I ordered a stainless guide rod, and it should be here tomorrow w/ a new 17# recoil spring.
I went ahead and took the slide off to prep for the new parts.
Upon inspection of the poly guide rod, it seems to have been damaged more after firing 30 rds.
There may an underlying cause for this that I'm not aware of, or it may be due to wear and tear.
Here are some close ups of it.

[Dan51]

I may have found the cause for the guide rod damage. I just talked to the previous owner and he said he replaced the recoil spring w/ a 20#'er to lessen the distance his brass was flying. I also noticed the slide is a bugger to rack full distance.

Would this cause the damage to the poly rod? I'm thinking it is contributing.

[painter]

20 lbs is pretty heavy for a recoil spring with anything but full house SD loads or what I like to call gimmick loads labeled +P+. Wolff list 17 lbs as the stock spring and that should be plenty.

I think you might be on to something.

[1SOW]

That almost looks like heat or chemical damage.  It doesn't look like just "impact" damage,  but looking at pics is not actually seeing it after shooting.
The rods aren't expensive.

[Sancho]

I never heard of an 85 compact either.

By strange coincidence, I found a steel, 40 S&W compact last week in a Boise-area gun shop.  It looks the same but says "75 Compact" on the slide.  It has a rail like the P-06 but only the left side safety.  I didn't know that existed either.

Sancho.

[gdawgs56]

I never heard of an 85 compact either.

By strange coincidence, I found a steel, 40 S&W compact last week in a Boise-area gun shop.  It looks the same but says "75 Compact" on the slide.  It has a rail like the P-06 but only the left side safety.  I didn't know that existed either.

Sancho.

Those were produced for a short time


-Jason

[Dan51]

Problem identified and solved....I think.
After reading this 'sticky' in the Gunsmithing forum, (http://www.czfirearms.us/index.php?topic=14687.0) the recoil spring was nearly 1/4" too long.
I followed the procedure in the sticky, and now the spring is the correct length and the slide racks so much easier.
The spring became a 'pipe' at the end the slide's travel, smashing the guide rod. 

[75Plus]

Dan, the original recoil spring was probably a flat coil type which allows more turns to collapse into a shorter stack. The picture shows a CZ 75 Compact original spring. In a Tanfogolio Witness 40S&W Compact.



Joe

[Dan51]

I've never seen a flat spring in person, interesting.

I received the stainless rod from CGW Friday, but I'm waiting for the springs from Wolff before I install the rod.
I looked @ CZCustom for a poly guide rod, but I'm not sure which to get. Help would be appreciated in selecting the correct one.

[Dan51]

I received and installed the recoil and extra power extractor spring from Wolff today along with the Cajun SS guide rod. I have a poly guide rod on the way for a back up.
As soon as the rain stops, I'll fire a couple mags to test everything.