Any CZ Love Out There?

[halfmoonclip]

And that P7 is too damned heavy, and, frankly, too valuable to beat up. But a really great pistol.
In these times, magazines are a pain. Hate to change platforms, because then there is the need to stock up with proprietary mags, fearing some future ban.
Gotta love the Gummint.
Moon

[63Qcode]

And that`s why I went with the P01 .... weight and size. Also , fit me better and was more concealable . Put 500 rounds through it and then sent it off to CGW for their workover . Now have a little over 800 rounds downrange and am really liking this gun . I`ve carried/shot my PPQ`s for over 3 years and have literally thousands of rounds through each and about the same in dry fire ..... the P01 is now my EDC . I don`t dislike the PPQ`s , just liking the P01 more .
Two things I really miss though are the paddle mag releases and the slide drop lever of the PPQ . I never had to change grip to drop a mag or slide with the PPQ , but have to shift grip slightly to drop the slide and the mag now ..... maybe just more practice is needed.
As mentioned , mags are a problem , but found some reasonably priced ones through Greg Cotes .

[militarymoron]

I don't know yet; I'm picking up my first CZ (an SP01) in about a week. Already ordered a flat trigger to convert it to SA only, and a larger safety lever on the right (I'm a lefty). I shot my friend's before deciding to pick one up myself and those were the two items I wanted to change.

Following up on my previous post (above), I finally got my first CZ; an SP01. I had shot friend's CZ75's before a long time ago (like, more than 20 years), and while I really liked the classic design and feel (it reminded me of a BHP); I just didn't get around to buying one. I had also shot another buddy's CZ Shadow 2 a year ago, and while it was nice, it wasn't cheap (and I am), so I didn't get around to buying one either.

I've been shooting my 1911's lately in .45, and my compensated G19, so it got me thinking about getting a 1911 in 9mm. However, I felt the urge to get something I didn't already have, and narrowed it down to the CZ SP01, which was a heavy steel pistol in 9mm. It was a lot cheaper than a Shadow 2, and with a few aftermarket parts, I could probably make it my 'cheap man's Shadow 2'.

Here's my SP01 bone stock, after I picked it up. I took it to the range as I was waiting on parts, shot it, and confirmed that I was on the right track as far as the parts I had ordered. This was to be a range-only fun gun. After hearing mixed reviews on the SP01 DA/SA trigger pull, I was actually surprised at how smooth the DA pull was, and how good the stock SA trigger pull was (I measured it at around 5-6 lbs). But, I still wanted to convert it to SAO. It was very pleasant to shoot, as I had expected, due to its weight and a nice change from the snappier Glocks. It certainly did feel similar to a 1911 in 9mm, which was what I was looking for.



Here's the list of parts I purchased - all were from Cajun Gun Works except the grips:

• Lok Grips Thin Bogies in black G10
• Hammer spring plug without the lanyard loop. Not a fan of lanyard loops that stick down past the mag well, especially when used with thin base plates.
• Extended RH safety lever. I'm a lefty and I have small hands so the stock SP01 safety didn't give me much purchase.
• Floating trigger pin (easier to remove and replace than the OEM pin if you work on your gun a lot)
• 11# recoil spring
• Single Action flat aluminum trigger with pre/overtravel screws
• OEM hammer strut (I didn't want to bother transferring it from the old hammer), and new strut hammer pin (no need to stake)
• Manual safety hammer kit - race hammer and adjustable sear. I wanted the more angular profile for an SA pistol as I like the look and it gives me better thumb purchase when lowering the hammer than the ring style. I went ahead and ordered it after TomMcC's recommendation.
• Sear spacer (fills up the space in the sear cage when I removed the firing pin block lifter arm)

I had watched a lot of videos on CZ disassembly etc, and was prepared to do a lot of clean up of machining marks etc, but was again pleasantly surprised to see very little need for it. The trigger bar was nice and smooth; not what I had expected from the videos and photos on the net. I did study all the parts and how they worked with each other and did some minor stoning and polishing of engagement surfaces. Probably more important when wanting to produce a very smooth double-action pull; probably less so when converting to single-action only.

Overall, the quality of the pistol (inside) was better than I had expected. I had never worked on a CZ before, but have worked on everything else that I've owned for the past 30 years, but was a bit intimidated by some of the issues that others have run into with assembly/disassembly. It actually wasn't that bad; and I was able to take it apart completely and reassemble it without issues, thanks to the plethora of great instructional videos and material online. Didn't lose any springs or small parts, scratch the gun or draw blood - always a good thing. I also removed the firing pin block in the slide and associated parts in the sear cage.

I haven't shot it with the modifications yet since I just did them today, but I'm very pleased with how it turned out. The Lok grips are thinner than the OEM rubber ones, and feel really good. Both the hammer and safety feel just like I wanted them to; the extended RH lever make it easier for me to sweep it up or down with my stubby thumb. I'm also happy with the conversion to SAO. I'm measuring a trigger pull weight of around 3lbs 2 oz to 3lbs 5 oz depending on where the electronic trigger pull gauge is placed. With the pre and overtravel screws adjusted, the trigger doesn't move much. The break is nice and crisp - I didn't do any mods to the CGW race hammer or adjustable sear. The adjustment on the sear is a set screw for safety engagement. I'm very pleased with the quality of the CGW parts and how quickly they were shipped out. Here's a pic of the pistol with mods:



Thanks again for the advice/recommendations I received here!

Edited to add: I installed a set of Dawson sights a couple of days ago with the fiber optic front and took it to the range yesterday and shot it for the first time with all the mods. It's a really nice shooter and I'm happy with it. Put about 450 rounds through it total so far and not a single issue. The flat SAO trigger is 1911-like. I much prefer the sight picture (and aesthetics) of the Dawson sights to the ones that came in it. That's it for the mods (I hope) - here's a couple of final pics. This pistol is really growing on me.

[TomMcC]

Thanks again for the advice/recommendations I received here!

Nice going. I didn't remove the firing pin block...still thinking that over. Your take up and reset should be better than mine . Last Saturday I replaced the hammer spring with a 15 lb. number. It dropped the pull a quarter oz to about 2.75 lbs. I'll get back to you after reliability testing.

[Arik]

And that P7 is too damned heavy, and, frankly, too valuable to beat up. But a really great pistol.
In these times, magazines are a pain. Hate to change platforms, because then there is the need to stock up with proprietary mags, fearing some future ban.
Gotta love the Gummint.
Moon

I’ve been carrying the P07 all weekend, and I’ve come to a conclusion. This thing’s too big compared to my 19. Shrug.

Really? I thought they were the same weight and size. I can't tell the difference

[MountainRaven]

I just got a Shadow 2 and now I need a holster that will allow it to cohabitate with an X300U-B.

Really? I thought they were the same weight and size. I can't tell the difference

The P7 is an H&K pistol. It's not the P07.

[halfmoonclip]

Thanks, Raven. I may have had them mixed as well. The P7 is small, but it is a tank.
Moon

[Arik]

I just got a Shadow 2 and now I need a holster that will allow it to cohabitate with an X300U-B.



The P7 is an H&K pistol. It's not the P07.

Oops!

[m1a_scoutguy]

Oh, yea BIG CZ guy now. I always wanted an 07 and held one several years ago and the finally bought one maybe 4+ years ago,, great gun great size and feel is right up there with some of the best! Any CZ I have ever shot has always been some of the most accurate handguns I have ever shot for "factory" guns,,just very good if I do my part. I don't carry everyday but when I do I carry my 07,fits me great,I am a big guy so it blends very nicely with my Crossbreed IWB holster. I have bought a few CZs now though the years and I am very happy with them.Just because I plan on getting a G19x or a G45 in the Spring because I have tons of Glock mags,parts,holsters etc but its just hard to beat the feel and accuracy of a CZ. Here are a few of my toys. I have a all Steel P-01 that I bought last year through CGW and that think is a tank and a real gem,,just awesome. I'll get some pics of that up also when I can !

[The Dumb Gun Collector]

Man I miss my SP-01. I had one for about a year and it was actually my beside the bed gun (with Surefire X400)...freaking burglars took it. Weirdly, one of those burglars shot himself about a year ago. Like a ghoul I quickly looked to check and see if it was my gun!(it wasn't)