Some CZ questions

CZ97B

I have owned the CZ 97B for a good 6 months, and I have a CZ 75 B (.40) on order (10 day waiting period and I pick it up). Anyway, my CZ 97B has an excellent SA trigger (I use it like a 1911 so I never use DA). It is both crisp and light. My CZ 97B's SA trigger makes my Sig Sauer's SA trigger feel like crap. I would guess that this gentleman tried a lemon because the CZ's I've tried have good to great triggers (I've tried most of the CZ 75 and CZ 97 configurations). I still have NOT tried the CZ 83 or CZ 85 series so far though.
 
WR,
I too have questions regarding the "sheet metal" roll pin problem you described. Can you please provide a link or two to these "facts".
As far as the trigger goes, I have had many folks compliment the gun's factory trigger. When I later put a SA only trigger in the gun, heck, I found out I didn't have a gun with a better trigger.
Certainly, your gun may have been a "lemon". If you think it was, I recommend a call to CZ-USA. They most certainly would do their best to help. Good people.
I have a HP III "El Capitan" which even with the mag. catch removed has a terrible trigger. I don't shoot it now, I will have the trigger worked on soon and will shoot the heck out of that fine gun. I don't condemn HP's due to MY gun's poor factory trigger. I have at least one or two more HP's in mind to purchase.
I also own a Browning Buckmark. Another great gun.

If you get the chance, you might want to try a few different CZ's before you proclaim the entire litter to be mutts.
Regards.
Bob
 
Last edited:
cz75B, excellent trigger in SA,Hogue grips
give it (for me) an 1911 feel, accuracy is
just plain great, off hand, rest.Does not jam,
commerical or reloads, dollar for dollar best
9mm going......One of the few guns I have never
heard anything bad about until this thread.
 
The Wild Romanian and I usually agree on most things pertaining to guns, but we disagree on this one.

I'm on my second CZ, a CZ-85 Combat.

My first was a CZ-75B. It had a good trigger from the box, and a great trigger after my local gunsmith tuned it.

Its was at least as good as my Browning HP (which still has the mag safety, soon to be removed), and far better than the Glocks and SIGs DA/SA guns I've had. (I like the Glock single-mode trigger, though... but it seems a little squishy to me.)

As to accuracy: mine shoots right with my Browning at any distance, and matches my SIG P-210 out to 20 yards. Beyond that, its the P-210, hands down. But the P-210 cost me about $1500, and I got my CZ-75B for less than $300 (a lucky buy, NIB.)

If I were buying a new gun, today, from scratch, and money was not an issue, it would be the CZ IPSC Champion; second choice would be the CZ-85 Combat, which I love.

The only disadvantages to the CZs, that I can see, are the firing pin block -- not a big deal -- and the long trigger pull in DA mode, which is a problem for those with small hands. The CZ-85s match the SIGs for fit and finish, and the CZ-75B polymer finish, which I was prepared to hate, holds up well.

(My CZ-85 Combat is nickel, and a thing of beauty...)
 
[vent on]

Unfortunately I can offer negative feedback in regards to my CZ experience. My first problem has been the factory service so far in reference to a fail to extract problem (most likely a defective extractor according to CZ-USA). The parts were supposedly shipped on 08/09 but I have yet to receive them. This pistol is useless to me until it proves to be reliable.

I would think that a company would get the parts in the customer's hands ASAP to avoid further frustration for the gun owner and to re-enforce their great product with great service to almost guarantee future purchases by that owner. Excellent customer service also sells to new customers in today's information rich internet environment. The comments made by CZ owners regarding CZ'z willingness to do whatever it takes to make their customers happy definitely influenced my decision to buy a CZ. However, so far I cannot offer the same comments to would-be new CZ customers. The gun is awesome, as I have previously posted. The customer service has left me less than satisfied so far. I certainly haven't witnessed the "do whatever it takes" attitude that most everyone else seems to have observed in their dealings with CZ-USA.

I understand that guns are mechanical and they can and will fail sometimes, even new ones. That's not the issue. The problem is not being able to get the failures cured in a reasonable amount of time in relation to the seriousness of the problem. If the part is in stock, overnight delivery would be optimal, three to five days is completely fair and understandable, but one week is an unreasonable amount of time to leave a customer with a less than reliable pistol over such a simple fix, in my opinion.

Another issue that I have a problem with is the fact that there are no CZ rubber grips in the USA! I need a simple part and a set of grips to make me completely and absolutely more happy with this pistol than any other I have ever owned but I can't get the part in a week's time and the grips are not currently available with no idea when they will be! WTF?

[vent off]

Sorry for the long vent but I'm extremely frustrated with CZ-USA regarding this issue right now. I have never had this sort of problem when dealing with customer service at Glock USA. If the parts don't come in today I am considering a letter to the CZ home office.

R6
 
Gentlemen: Just to be fair to the CZ since I do like the gun very much I went around at the last big gun show and tested triggers on the newer stock 9mm CZ's. I found the same old problem I have had with the older models. The same griitty trigger pull.
I realize that you can very easily smooth up this problem with a stone but when you do you also remove metal that takes years off the life of the sear. This is why I have not done anything to the sear in my gun. I had hoped that over the years (I have owned it for I think about 10 years) the trigger would eventually smooth itself out. So far it has not.

I would not hesitate to buy one of CZ's super race guns because lets face it those models are in an entirely different class by themselves.

All I am saying is that if you are a person that is about to buy a stock model CZ no matter wether it is the old model CZ75 without the firepin safety or if it is one of the newer models you had better test out the trigger pull first because the workmanship on the standard models varies greatly. I have not found one yet that had a decent trigger pull but I do believe the rest of you when you tell me that you have had better luck than myself. From all the differnt experiences we have had on this gun it just proves that the quality control on the standard model sure does seem to vary a lot.

I stand by the statement about the roll pin breaking. This came from one of the gunzines. I am always surpised when they actually break down and really say something critical about any weapon so you can imagine my surpise when I read this. Looking at how the mechanism is constucted I do not doubt a bit that the roll pin could indead break from too much dry firing. Maybe I did not make my statement clear enough in the first thread.

I do like my CZ75 and I certainly would not consider selling it but I always tell it like it really is. I sugar coat nothing. I do not mean to hurt anyones feelings but do not expect me gloss over problems that I find with the various weapons that I have bought and used. No pistol is perfect and I think that the CZ is an old fashioned well made and very, very accurate pistol.

For years you could not legally even get one of these pistols because they were made in a communist country so when I finally had the oportunity to purchase on of the first ones that were imported legally I jumped at the chance to own and test fire one. I was disappointed in the workmanship because I thought that it would be in the same class as the high power. I was not disappointed in the very fine accuracy of the piece. As I said before the trigger was also a big disappointment as well as the very long reach for the trigger when the pistol is in the double aciton mode of operation.

I did like the black paint finish over parkerization, it made the pistol much lesss rust prone than a blued model. My pistol also has a crome lined bore. Another plus in corrosion resistance. I have not looked down the bore of the newer models so I do not know if the newer ones have crome bores or not.

I certainly would choose this pistol over any of the high tech sheetmetal pistols or tupperware pistols on the market if I needed to purchase a very accurate and reliable high capacity 9mm.

.I did neglect to mention one other problem I have had with the CZ75. It has too light a hammer fall which often makes it misfire if I shoot a reload with a high primer ( Shooting the same load with the High Power does not cause the high power to misfire at all). This also causes extreme cratering of the primer. This is not because the loads are too hot. The loads are so weak they will not even lock the slide back. I have seen this happen not only with some of the other CZ's Ihave fired but it even happend with another 9mm model that CZ used to make. It looked similar to the Sig P226. It too had an extremely light hammer fall.

I am not saying this is an ureliabe pistol because of this. The gun will shoot factory loads with complete reliablilty. It does prove however that under extreme or unusual coditons with defective ammo that a gun like the Classic High Power will still come through with flying colors. The CZ will not. W.R.
 
Last edited:
Rainbow six,
I have a set of Houge (sp?) wrap-a-round rubber grips on my CZ-75B. I purchased them at the shop I got the gun at. If you like, I'll check and see if they have another set. I'll be happy to pick 'em up for you. Those grips "made" my gun fit like a glove.
Bob

bforeman@sound.net
 
I may end up with something other than CZ grips but I really prefer the CZ rubber grips. I held a 75 with Pachmayr wrap arounds but didn't like it as much as I did the factory rubber grips on one of Joe Klug's pistols. Maybe the Hogues are better. I may also look into some of the other aftermarket rubber grips. It's still a shame that I can't get a set from CZ though.

Do you have a picture of your Hogue grips?

Thanks,
R6
 
W.R., I do not mean to offend you, and I believe you're a great
person. However, after reading your last post, I have reason to believe that all of your experience/knowledge is based upon reading some gunmagazines, websites or whatever, and mixed with a little bit of your own imagination. What you wrote in your post sounds too strange and unusual to a non-expert like myself,
who does shoot some firearms from time to time, and have a hobby of a little gun customizing..

Again, do not take it personally, it's not about you as a human being, but about your specific last post.

Take care,

Oris, The Wild Russian
 
Its only been recently that the gun rags have been doing articles on the CZ75, and out of all of the articles I have read not one had mentioned anything about broken roll pins. Now I did just get done reading about a Sig P220 that was evaluated that broke the roll pin for the trigger. As far as trigger grittiness, I guess I am a little different than others. All my firearms are defensive in nature. When I practice with them I am not looking for the "smoothness", I am just interested in getting the bullets where they belong in the target. You can take one of my guns , fire it, and tell me it has a gritty trigger, and I wouldn't even notice it. I guess I just don't pay attention to something like that. My CZ may have a gritty trigger and I wouldn't know it, but I do know it does 1" ragged hole groups at 20 yds. As long as my firearms are accurate and function thats what counts to me.
 
Thanks for the pic, Bob. You've got mail. Another day and still no CZ parts! Each day breeds more discontent with CZ-USA. I may end up not needing new grips. I mean, they won't fit a Glock. :rolleyes:

R6
 
Rainbow Six,

I'ld call CZ-USA and put a fire under their butt.. Sometimes it's necessary even with some of the most reputable manufacturers..

1. You're installing the part yourself or getting a gunsmith to do it at your expense. This is saving them shipping costs and gunsmith time.
2. Bad experience from vocal customers (like yourself) is bad business! (not a criticism about you so don't get upset :)) But then again it shouldn't matter who it's for...
3. Sometimes what is told over the phone is not what happens.. i.e. the part thought to be in stock wasn't and unless the person you talked to took down your phone # they have no way of contacting you other than by snail mail...

In my experience Mike has been very cooperative to customer needs. But I've only had to deal with him once on the chisel point firing pin for the Kadet kit. He would be the ONLY one I would talk to about firearm repair issues. The others seem to be salesman and have no clue what you're talking about when it comes to parts etc..

Hope things work out for you,

Rick
 
I am VERY happy with CZ customer service and their pistols, too!

R6,
Sorry to hear of your problems. I always deal with Mike the gunsmith out at CZ-USA and he is exceptional. I have ordered parts and other things from him and get them FAST!

I will post again with regards to my CZ pistols and experiences in general. Sorry to repeat some from earlier posts.

First, I had never considered a CZ until a couple of months ago. A friend brought one of their catalogs to the range one day and I fell in love with these guns. The next day I went down to my local gunshop and handled one of the CZ75 Military models and a CZ97B. I was VERY impressed with the triggers on these guns. So much so I placed an order for a CZ75 Champion race gun in 9mm to serve as the ultimate plinker!

The accuracy, fit, trigger, and workmanship were impressive. So much so that I bought a CZ75 IPSC Standard(available only in 40).

The IPSC is the most accurate 40 I have shot. I had given up on this caliber after owning or shooting 40s by Glock, HK, and Sig. This gun renewed my faith in this caliber.

My next CZ will be another CZ75 Champion in 40, most definitely!

As for my shooting partners, they got bit by the CZ bug, too. One guy purchased a CZ75B standard model and another purchased a CZ85 Combat.

The friend who purchased the CZ75B standard model was shooting way to the left and asked me to do a sanity check off bags for him ( he calls me the human Ransom Rest ;) ). I fired 3 15 round mags at 3 different targets at 50 feet. Results on all targets were 1 ragged hole in the xring about an inch and a half across. The gun grouped well, but the trigger was a bit rougher than others I had shot. That is easily fixed, though.

I also checked out my other friend's CZ85 Combat. This gun grouped a little tighter than the 75B standard and the trigger was definitely smoother.

All I can say is that this company has earned a customer for life. Their customer service and product quality in my experience put it head and shoulders above ALL other firearms companies I have had to deal with including Sig, Glock, HK, Beretta, Springfield, Colt, and Slick&Weasel.

Oh yeah. My CZ75 Champion came from the factory with Hogue grips that have finger grooves on them. They are great, too!

Sorry to sound like a commercial, but when Slick finds something he really likes, he likes to let others know!

Good luck and happy shooting
 
I can't recommend them

I can't recommend CZs. I had a CZ75 that a rat. It did things like let the safety lever come out the frame. This would lock the slide in place making the pistol inoperable. To get it going ti had to be taken apart completely. CZUSA was nice on the phone but all they could offer was to have me pay shipping to and from, labor and parts. No thank!:mad: No other company I ever dealt with had such shoddy customer support.

I also had a CZ75 Compact that would lock the slide open while firing and wouldn't function with JHPs. The other problem was that the screw that holds the trigger unit in place would come loose. I had to super tighten it and use LocTite on it, but it still wouldn't hold in place.

The problem with parts is a real one. I know people will say who needs spare parts when they're so realible. Yeah right. :barf:
 
Bandit,

Here's the reply I got to an e-mail politely voicing my concerns to CZ-USA about having a useless pistol until I get the parts. I have cut and pasted the reply exactly as I received it from them. It was received on 08/15/01 in reply to my inquiry sent on 08/14/01. This was the perfect opportunity to notify me if it had been out of stock and ordered, wouldn't you say? As I said in another thread, very polite and courteous reply complete with apologies but still no parts.

Hello! Yes Mike did send you what you needed. The Rubber grips did not arrive on the last shipment we are sorry for that. We always try to help our customers as much as possible and I am sorry that you experience has been less than great. There is only 7 of us here and sometimes we get slammed with orders and we try our very best to do them as quick as possible. If you do not receive it within a couple days please call us at 1-800-955-4486. Thanks! Sorry for any inconvience.

CZ-USA
P.O.Box 171073
Kansas City, KS 66117-0073

phone: 913-321-1811
fax: 913-321-2251
Click to expand...

I see your point but I fail to see how calling again is going to do any good since they have already stated that Mike sent them out like he said he would.

R6
 
I see your point but I fail to see how calling again is going to do any good since they have already stated that Mike sent them out like he said he would.
Click to expand...

I re-read your post where you stated when the parts were supposed to be shipped out (8/09/01). This problem could be out of CZ-USA's hands and a problem with the shipment carrier. I'm trying to remember how they sent out my Kadet kit I had replaced. I'm thinking it was UPS ground but not positive. It could of been USPS priority I just don't remember off hand..

I'm not trying to belittle your plight but recently I sold a firearm to someone over the internet who swore to me they sent out the funds on a certain date priority mail and it took ten days to get here(Texas) from Washington state. Made for some anxious moments for me especially after getting numerous other offers for the gun after accepting his offer. I could of made an embarasing mistake if I had given up and went with another offer. Looking at the postmark on the envelope he indeed sent it on the day he had stated.

Since they stated in the email if it hadn't come in in a couple days contact them again. Who knows.. you might get a free set of rubber grips out of the deal once they finally get some in stock. They sent me a free extra mag with my replaced Kadet kit. I'ld give them one last chance. It's only been 8 days. I've had parts from other sources take 2-3 weeks to arrive. I may be more patient than most, so you can take this advice for what it's worth. BTW they do have a toll free number you can call though they didn't list it in the email: 1-800-955-4486

Rick
 
Bandit,

As for patience, you are evidently more patient that I am. :) Keep in mind, the gun hasn't just been unreliable for 8 days. It has been unreliable since I bought it. I have yet to put a whole box of ammo through it without a failure. This greatly adds to my frustration and disgust.

I completely understand the shipping problems that are possible, therefore they should use the most reliable shipping method available in a case of a gun that is unreliable. If it were cracked grips or somthing similar I could see USPS. For reliablilty problems I think a faster, more reliable and dependable means of shipping is called for if they really want to insure customer satisfaction.

I'd consider three to five days VERY reasonable for the parts I need considering I don't carry it on duty. UPS can meet that goal almost without exception in my experience. As you pointed out, considering that I am installing the part myself, saving them the labor and return shipping of the gun I think UPS rates for that small of an item would be completely within reason. That doesn't even take into consideration the negative publicity they get when it takes more than a week to get such a simple part to a customer with a reliability problem. I am without a doubt impatient but I don't think I'm being unfair in expecting more prompt service than I have received.

I will give them another call if the parts do not arrive by USPS tomorrow. It will be just as polite as the e-mail I sent them but I will most definitely let my concerns about this issue be known.

You know, I guess Glock USA has spoiled me. Never a glitch in dealing with them. Prompt and professional service every single time I needed or wanted something.

R6
 
Bandit,

I know exactly what you mean about shipping and delays. I bought a bunch of pre-ban CZ magazines from Kev on the CZ Forum the first part of this year. He sent them "Priority Mail" but I guess I wasn't much of a priority as it took a month and a day to get them. Kev and I both though they were lost or stolen.

Joe
 
You know, I guess Glock USA has spoiled me. Never a glitch in dealing with them. Prompt and professional service every single time I needed or wanted something.
Click to expand...

It sure helps your living in the same state as the importer. In fact Smyrna is very close to Atlanta :) Seriously though, I truly believe CZ-USA will make it right, they did right by me.. And like lochaber stated in your "Problems With CZ-USA Service" thread, they are a small importing company (7-8 employees) going through growing pains being overwhelmed by popularity of their product.

Rick
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top