Classic 9mm's: CZ 75 and Browning Hi-Power

[yoni]

I was issued the Hi Power for years, and I love the pistol.

I have a Cylinder and Slide full house pistol, it has a 2.8 pound trigger pull. Too bad Cylinder and Slide is closing.

[m4brian]

While the HP is well proven, reliable, and the same weight as the CZ Compact, many times the trigger is pretty bad and not simply solved by removing the mag disco. It is often heavy and reset is looonnnggg. And your run of the mill smith cannot help much. The trigger is complex with a transfer bar activating the sear. That is how the frame is slim. This is PhD level gunsmithing. Yes, you can find one that is acceptable OTB, but do it in person - and even then you'll likely want a trigger job down the pike. I saw a really nice Girsan recently and MAN did it need a trigger job. My HP needed one also and it was a MKIII.

The CZ OTOH comes with a very useable trigger - even with the camming of the sear, it is extremely shootable And... especially for manual safety models, it is a breeze to work on and if you Cajunize it, it can get superb - all by yourself.

[AndyLate]

Brian is spot on saying the BHP trigger mechanism is complex, and mine definitely does not have a great trigger pull or reset.

My CZ75B is a sample of one and I know they have a reputation for being both reliable and durable. At the same time, broken firing pins and damaged FP retaining pins are not unheard of, the same is true of crud building up under the extractors. I have also heard of CZ75 slide stops breaking, normally on high round-count pistols.

Cajun Gun Works sells improved firing pins and FP retaining pins. The FPs also allow a lighter mainspring for an improved trigger pull. CGW also sells stronger extractor springs. All can be swapped fairly easily at home. A spare slide stop is cheap insurance and my experience with any pistol is that having a spare virtually guarantees the original will last forever.

Andy

[m4brian]

Never herd of the FP problem, and I've never used an original FPRP for long. If you dry fire much a simple small Oring is your friend and beats the snap cap for longevity.

If there IS a reliability problem in the 75 it is almost always the dirt/extractor problem - but easily fixed. Some replace the extractor spring also. Some 40 guns ended up with 9mm slide stops and this also presented a problem and easy fix.

One thing I do on all 75s is to pull the extractor and polish the chamber face and surface under the slide, and slightly polish the extractor.

CGW has everything you likely will ever need for the 75.

[Slater]

Of the three Hi-Power clones currently on the US market (Girsan, FN, Springfield Armory) it appears that Girsan is the only one to retain the mag disconnect. I guess this is a nod to the purists?

[Wildcat]

.......If there IS a reliability problem in the 75 it is almost always the dirt/extractor problem - but easily fixed. Some replace the extractor spring also. Some 40 guns ended up with 9mm slide stops and this also presented a problem and easy fix.

The slide stops can also fail.
I'm not the only one who has had this happen and I've broken two of them so far: 9k rounds on the first one and 7k rounds on the second. In that time I've had to clean out the extractor slot once.

[m4brian]

The slide stops can also fail.
I'm not the only one who has had this happen and I've broken two of them so far: 9k rounds on the first one and 7k rounds on the second. In that time I've had to clean out the extractor slot once.

Good point - I wasn't trying to exclude the SS - known 'feature' that requires maintenance. And I'd agree that the extractor thing is more rare.

IMHO the TRS is a flaw that is much more problematic.

[Biggy]

In my experience the Cajun Gun Works TRS’s last much longer than CZ OE TRS’s.

https://cajungunworks.com/product/rp...return-spring/

[legumeofterror]

Cajun Gun Works TRS’s last much longer than CZ OE TRS’s.

https://cajungunworks.com/product/rp...return-spring/

A buddy I train with got one of those "improved" springs and it broke in the first 100 rounds. We put the factory one back in and it's been fine for a couple years now. I have never had a TRS or slide stop fail.

[Biggy]

A buddy I train with got one of those "improved" springs and it broke in the first 100 rounds. We put the factory one back in and it's been fine for a couple years now. I have never had a TRS or slide stop fail.

I've got over 9,000 rds plus a lot of dry firing on my Cajun Gunwworks TRS in my CZ75 PO-1 Omega pistol. I guess anything can break, even a Glock or AK. LOL !