Just ordered a used CZ 85 from AIM Surplus

[painter]

What shape is the trigger guard pictured in the manual?

It might have shipped with a 'transitional' pistol. Square guard with a pre-b slide.

[M1A4ME]

You're right.  The owner's manual shows a square front trigger guard on the cover and in the diagrams/drawings explaining how to field strip the pistol.

[schutz85C]

The for sale classifieds in this forum has an offer for a pre-85B rear and staked front sight. Good price.

[M1A4ME]

I bought a set of similar sights a couple weeks back when I saw they were made for the Pre B guns (staked front sight).

Seems like "bad news", I got the 85 mostly apart this afternoon and no matter which hammer pin I have in the gun the hammer has a lot of sideways slop.  The original pin is just shiny from use, no grooves or uneven appearing wear.  I'll put the new pin in anyway, since I have it.

I have a question about the screw that holds the magazine release spring and trigger bar spring in place.  It is staked in place.  It looks like someone took a sharp chisel and used it to displace metal from the frame up against the knurled side of the screw.  It takes a narrow bladed screw driver tip (got out the set I bought when I worked on my Browning Auto 5) but the screw wouldn't budge with a "reasonable" amount of force.  I'm wondering if it will turn loose before I break the tip.

Anyone have a tip for removing that displaced metal?  Or getting the screw to turn anyway?

I can leave the old springs in place, they appear to be working fine, I just figured I'd put the new ones in since I had them.

[M1A4ME]

Got it.  Just "leaned" on it and the screw turned loose.

Well, replaced all the springs in the CZ 85 except those two little ones behind the safety slide/stops in the back of the frame.

Some fun getting the magazine release spring compressed and into place.  Took about three tries.  The old one was narrower than the new one.  I guess the constant compression over the years had put a "set" in it.

The spring that puts upward pressure on the trigger bar had flat spots worn on the loops at the end.  I replaced it, too.

I replaced the hammer pin, but the wobble is still there, not as bad, but it still visibly "leans" over to the left when down on the firing pin/slide, but you can no longer push it over far enough with your finger to contact the slide.

No issues getting the safety springs/slide things in/out of the frame.

I did put the sear cage in the first time BEFORE I put the pin in the frame that olds the hammer pin it.  You know how it goes, it went together so easy/quick the first time.  The second time (after I put the pin in the frame) I had a heck of a time getting the right side safety back in.

Made me a little slave pin for the trigger/spring out of a small nail and after filing it short enough not to hang up the trigger in the frame/channel it made getting the trigger pin back in much easier.  I used the slave pin to get the spring/trigger in the frame, then used a small punch to push through the frame and knock the slave pin out, then drove the trigger pin back through to push the punch out.  Some back and forth, but it worked pretty slick.

Put the new hammer spring in and installed a plug with the lanyard loop on it (I know, not original but I like it).

I also replaced the extractor.  The old one looked so good I wonder if it was original.  It was blued, not parkerized.  It was really packed with grease/oil/crud in behind the extractor.  I got all that cleaned out and installed a new spring, the new extractor and and reused the pin.  I have a new pin but figured I save it for the parts installation after the refinish job is done.

With the new springs in it the little stopping point after the initial trigger movement is very, very difficult to feel.  Sometimes I can get it, sometimes I go right through it and drop the hammer.  It was very easy to "feel" prior to the new hammer spring and trigger return spring.

Oh, did not replace the spring in the sear block.  Didn't buy one (for some reason).

I need to take it to the range again.  I've got so much to do and it's so bleep hot/humid out there lately.

[painter]

I've found that a short section of spray nozzle over the sear spring can aid in installing the safeties. It keeps the spring from dropping into the groove and preventing the safety from seating.

[M1A4ME]

That sounds like a good idea.  I used a very sharp little pick to work under it and lift it up on top of the sleeve of the right side safety.  Just took multiple tries to get the tip of the pick in there and keep the spring on it while lifting it up and to the right.  The left side was easier once I thought about using the pick to push the safety detent/spring to the rear of the frame.  Then the left side safety slid right in.

I checked with a local place that was recommended for the cerakote job only to find out they don't cerakote.  They use gun cote and the guy gave all kinds of reasons gun kote is better than cerakote but I'm sticking to my "guns" on this one.

[1SOW]

Anyone have a tip for removing that displaced metal?  Or getting the screw to turn anyway?

A small impact screw driver with a fitted blade should pop it loose if the home made stake isn't too excessive.  You don't want to shear that screw off.
After that comes "maybe" using  canned "freezing spray" from an electronics shop to try and shrink it a tiny bit. Then the impact driver again.
Just a thought.

[M1A4ME]

Well, the cleaner the barrel gets the worse it looks.

Badly pitted in the grooves and while turning it around with a light in I noticed the chamber is also badly pitted on the top side. 

It looks bad enough I don't believe I'd have chanced firing it had I seen the chamber prior to now.

It looks like a CZ 75 barrel will work in the CZ 85 but both CZ Custom and CZ USA are "out of stock", unless I want a 6" barrel and I don't, not really.

Just called CZ Custom.  Stuart said the left side slide stop will fit the Pre B CZ 85's but he's not sure about the right side due to a change from the earlier guns to the newer ones.  I ordered both sides anyway as he said the frame could be modified to use the right side if the diameter is to big (later slide stop on an earlier frame/gun).

Now to wait till the barrels come in stock.  The more money I spend on it the more it's going to feel like I should have just ordered a new CZ 85 Combat.

I may try refinishing it myself.  I did a FAL one time that turned out great and still looks great after just over a 1,000 rounds.  We'll see.

[painter]

The right side slide stop is definitely smaller on your gun.

Did you check to see if CGW has a barrel?

[M1A4ME]

Yeah, they didn't show a CZ 75 or 85 barrel (should be the same thing, I hope).

I couldn't stand the waiting and ordered a threaded CZ 75 barrel today.   I'll be looking up the thread on barrel fitting in a few days.  I need to slow down, just agree (with myself) I'm going to order a bunch of new parts and order a big order vs. the two or three things every other day or so.

[1SOW]

I think a  used 75 bbl showed up in classifieds not long ago.  Might be worth a look-see.
You could also post a "wanted" there.

[M1A4ME]

Well, I got the barrel this morning with the mail.

Got it fitted to the slide.  A comparison of the old barrel, a bright light, two pairs of glasses (so I could get my face up close and see how the barrel and slide moved/fit together, a sharpening stone and some oil and I was ready to start.

Got the new barrel fitted to the slide.  Much tighter than the old one.  But then again the old one was 28 years old.

Then I got started on the slide stop, frame, barrel lug eye-balling.  I was still trying to figure out just about where/how much metal to try to polish out of the "bean" hole in the barrel lug when I realized the slide wouldn't go fully to the rear.

Found a new barrel won't fit an old Pre B CZ 85 slide, as is.

Picture of the barrels side by side.  You can see the shiny areas where metal was removed to get the barrel to move far enough to the rear to permit lock up.



The, if you look on the bottom corners of the chamber area you can see the old barrel has those nice square corners "removed".  I'll guess there was a reason more making the barrel that way, back then vs. the newer design.  I took my P01 apart and the chamber area on it is the same as the new threaded barrel.

So, I looked at the slide, too.  The slide is made different on the Pre B CZ 85 than on the P01.  See those stepped down areas as you move towards the front of the slide.  The slide "necks" in in two steps (no idea why) and that is the area that the old barrel's chamber area is cut to clear.  The new barrel will not clear those narrowed sides and keeps the slide from going fully to the rear when the slide contact the bottom of the chamber area that isn't cut/machined away like on the old barrel.




I checked the PO1 and it is straight from back to front when looking at the bottom of the slide.  No step down/narrowing of the slot.  I guess the next step, if I want to use that new barrel, is to remove those small necked down rail areas on the inside of the slide.  They don't run all the way to the top of the inside of the slide, they just stick out enough to contact the squared off areas of the new barrel.  It shouldn't be too bad.  Going shooting tomorrow though (do you believe my oldest son actually took a day off from work to go shooting with me?)  Surprised me.  I gave him my old P14 and he wants to shoot it.  He's wanting a smaller handgun for concealed carry so I'll take the CZ 75 Compact, P07, P01, XDM 3.8 and an M&P and let him shoot all of them.

[M1A4ME]

One more on the old gun.  I've been back and forth so many times the last few days about modifying the frame to all it to use all those 16 round magazines I put the +2's on a couple weeks ago.

This morning was nice and cool outside and after the dog walk I got started.  I'm not sure how long it took but I got it looking like I wanted.  The magazine hole in the magazine is centered in the hole in the frame for the magazine release.  I just need to put the magazine release and spring/screw back in to make sure the alignment is correct and it works.  This will give the CZ 85 use of several magazines that also work in the CZ 75 Compact and the P01.  Not 14 round magazines, but 16 round magazines with +2 extended bases installed that I bought from CZ USA a few weeks back.

I think it turned out pretty good.  Notice the dark area in the front of the frame?  It was in the metal from the start of the metal removal.  Not sure what it is other than something that is not nice shiny pure frame metal. 



Hard to see the dark spot.  Looks real small.  Picture came out a little to "bright".  Also makes one rear corner look like the angle is different on the cut.  Oh well, a couple more things to do then it'll be ready for the refinishing.

[M1A4ME]

Got the neckdown area out of the slide and bagged/packed up the parts and pieces for mailing to Primary Machine for cerakoting.  It's in the mail.

Pictures when the parts get back, then I'll have to put it together.

I think there's only one tricky part, getting the front sight tenon modified (it's square while the original was round) and then getting the front sight properly staked in position.

It won't be the most accurate CZ I own, but it'll be pretty and should shoot pretty good for an old gun.