Range Report -- New CZ Kadet 2 with CZ75B

[Rogervzv]

Well, after Buds would not ship a Kadet kit to California (misunderstanding by them of the laws here) it was Grab A Gun to the rescue, and almost $50 less money too! The kit arrived three (3) days later, and with some trepidation I fitted it to the CZ75B (40 S&W) lower frame. I am happy to report that it fitted perfectly (and tightly!). I used the stock slide stop although the kit comes with two slide stops marked ".22LR". I couldn't see any real difference between these. A subject for more examination on another day.

My first impression is that the Kadet kit mated to the CZ75B frame is a really, really nice .22LR rig. All-steel construction, adjustable rear sight, a three-dot sight (which I really like) -- it really leaves nothing to be desired in terms of fit and finish. In no way does this look like it has been "Frankensteined" ... if CZ sold these as a separate stand-alone gun (do they?) I think that they would sell a lot of them.

Here is a pic.


I got the gun to the range with a box of "Browning Performance Rimfire" .22LR ammo, which is essentially bulk ammo, lead round nosed, 1255 FPS velocity 40 grain ammo. I have found that it runs great in my Ruger Mark III pistols. Well, it ran great in the CZ Kadet as well. Out of 200 rounds I had zero feeding or function issues excepting one round which failed to fire on the first strike, but which fired fine on the second double action strike. Given that the frame of the gun has had a trigger job, I worried about a light strike issue. I had none.

The gun was almost zeroed at the factory; I moved the groups slightly (one click) up, and two clicks to the right, and that was it.

The slide did not lock back after the last round in the magazine. Not sure if this is a characteristic of the Kadet or whether I maybe need to use one of the two supplied slide stops. Experimentation is obviously in order.

Accuracy and precision were OK. I was not having one of my best days; probably because I was focused more on making sure the gun functioned than on my marksmanship. Here is my last target of the day, shot at 10 yards.



Obviously I need to work on my marksmanship. My groups improved throughout the relatively short range session.

Anyway, I am quite pleased with this setup! Hope someone enjoys this range report. I had been curious about the Kadet kit for a long time; so I hope a few questions are answered here.

 

[DaleA]

For some reason the pictures aren't coming through...could be me though.

I appreciate your report. I think there's always a lot of interest in .22LR stuff even after the Sandy Hook ammunition shortage/price increase.

Thanks.

 

[triplebike]

Your slide lock will lock back if you use the supplied slide stop. They are excellent 22's. Eats everything & the training will help your accuracy when converting back to 40.

After about 15,000 rds I replaced all the parts in the converter except for the barrel {for a whopping total of $68.00.} Made the converter brand new again. I'm about as far away from being a gunsmith as you can be , but I was able to replace all parts with no difficulty at all.

 

[trophyrider]

CZ did sell them as a stand alone pistol but it was discontinued a few years ago. I happened on to one a few years ago and bought it immediately. I have had a Kadet kit for over 10 years now and have used it both with my 75B and P01 and love it, but I was happy to find an actual Kadet.

 

[greyeyezz]

Your slide lock will lock back if you use the supplied slide stop.

It may or may not. The spring in the frame is set up for a 9mm magazine. The .22 mag springs don't have the power to always push the lever up. I think its firearm specific. I sanded the inside of the supplied lever and it works 50% of the time.

There is a fix on CZ forum but you may compromise your 9mm reliability so I won't post it. I'm still experimenting.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

CZ did sell them as a stand alone pistol but it was discontinued a few years ago. I happened on to one a few years ago and bought it immediately. I have had a Kadet kit for over 10 years now and have used it both with my 75B and P01 and love it, but I was happy to find an actual Kadet.

All the KADET (the gun and not the kit) ever was, was a 75 or 75B frame with a .22 upper assembly. The disadvantage of the KADET, if there is any, is that CZ won't sell you a 9mm or .40 upper for it. But they won't sell you an upper otherwise, either.

I found, unhappily, that newer Kadet Kits wouldn't work on some of the older pre-Bs -- because the hammers on those early guns were quite a bit wider than later models, and wouldn't fit in the notch on the back of the slide, and the hammer couldn't reach the firing pin.

The slide did not lock back after the last round in the magazine. Not sure if this is a characteristic of the Kadet or whether I maybe need to use one of the two supplied slide stops. Experimentation is obviously in order.

A .40 75B does need the standard 9mm slide stop, which they now send with the kit. (The nub on 9mm slide stop [which is pushed up by the magazine follower after the last round] reaches farther into the frame than does the stock .40 slide stop; the .40 slide stop used in a 9m gun would bump the nose of the next round and the gun won't always feed properly.)

I was surprised to hear that the kit now comes with three-dot sights. While the original Kits also had 3-dot sights, they were the same adjustable sights found on the 85 Combat. (Is the rear sight on your gun adjustable?)

The adjustable sights on the 85 Combat was installed to compensate for a lack of firing pin block, in order to have the needed POINTS required for import.

 

[Rogervzv]

My Kadet 2 kit came with an adjustable rear sight -- adjustable for both elevation and windage.

I went to the range Sunday and put about 300 rounds through the gun. I used one of the supplied slide stops, and the gun locked back after the last round every time. Perfect function. This is a very nice .22LR pistol set-up and I am very pleased with it. My groups with it are steadily improving and with the adjustable site, centered on the bull's-eye.

 

[Pilot]

My Kadet Kit (Gen I) works on my PCR, and 75B, great, and the slide locks back on both. The mags will not fit in my 75 Pre-B, and that is OK as I will not be adjusting the Pre-B for later mags as new Mec-Gars fit fine, and I don't need the Kadet to fit on that.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

The mags will not fit in my 75 Pre-B, and that is OK as I will not be adjusting the Pre-B for later mags as new Mec-Gars fit fine, and I don't need the Kadet to fit on that.

Depending on how LATE a pre-B might be, the KIT may function on the pre-B frame. (On two of my pre-Bs, owned at different times, the hammer of the pre-B was too wide to hit the firing pin when the Kadet Kit was mounted.)

Toward the end of pre-B production, right before they introduced the B models, the pre-B guns were becoming more and more like the B models; the only differences between the last pre-B and the B models was 1) the quality of the polycoat, which was continually improved, and 2) the absence of the firing pin block. Earlier models had a number of minor differences, no half-cock notch, different grips, slide release lever, trigger guard shape, and rear sight dovetail, as well as hammer changes (both in the shape of the hammer tang, and the hammer's width), and a different type of safety lever and mechanism; there may have been other changes that don't immediately come to mind.

But, if your pre-Bs will accept Mec-Gar mags, which was not common with most pre-Bs, the KIT might work (if you had "kit" mags that worked.)

 

[Pilot]

But, if your pre-Bs will accept Mec-Gar mags, which was not common with most pre-Bs, the KIT might work (if you had "kit" mags that worked.)

Walt, I haven't tried the Kadet Kit on my Pre-B which was made in 1991 so it is a later Pre-B. However, I have tried to insert a Kadet magazine into the magwell, and it won't fit all the way in. New Mec-Gar 9MM mags will work in the Pre-B, but not the 75B CZ factory mags.

 

[Rogervzv]

For awhile I could not post images. The mods helped, so here are the images.

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This is a target from my first outing @ ten yards. I've since done quite a bit better with the Kadet.

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[Walt Sherrill]

Reading back through my earlier comments on slides stops:

I wrote:

the .40 slide stop used in a 9m gun would bump the nose of the next round and the gun won't always feed properly.

I got that backwards: the 9mm slide stop used in a .40 would cause the problem and keep the gun from functioning properly -- maybe locking the slide back prematurely; the .40 in a 9mm wouldn't lock back. Duh.

 

[Rogervzv]

I have the Kadet mounted on a CZ75B 40 S&W. Using the supplied .22LR slide stop, the gun locks back on each empty magazine and functions perfectly.

Got the Kadet magazine Uplula from CZ today. What a difference! Now I won't be blistering my thumb at the range!