Trigger experts; need some information...

S

Skans

New member
I recently purchased a CZ 75B. It's a DA/SA. In single action mode, with hammer cocked, when I press the trigger it moves the hammer oh-so-slightly back a little farther before dropping the hammer. With my EAA Stock 10mm (based on the CZ design and also a DA/SA) I get a clean break when pressing the trigger - no rearward movement of the hammer.

1. Is there a name for this?
2. It's slightly annoying to me; is it easy to correct/adjust? What would be involved?
 
Like an old mechanic friend used to say,
"You can fix everything but a broken heart."
So, yes it's fixable.
But best done by someone who is experienced with this pistol.
A messed up trigger mechanism can be very dangerous.
Or just shoot faster and it will be less noticeable.
 
You've got a case of Hammer Camming.

It's common with CZs over the past 6-7 (or longer...) It seems to be a "designed" characteristic, as it is now more pronounced in new guns than in the past. Pre-Bs never did it, and many of the older B-models barely did it, if they did it at all. A few slip through that aren't too bad -- and yours sounds that way.

The most direct fix is to have a gunsmith who knows CZs re-cut the sear/hammer interface. That's problematic, as those surfaces are heat treated, and if you take too much off in changing the angles, the interface wears far more quickly and you have problems farther down the road.

There are competition hammers available from the CZ Custom Shop and from Cajun Gun Works that seem to help resolve the problem (different angle!) and David Millam of Cajun Gun Works also has an adjustable sear that YOU can install that may improve things, too.

If I were you, I'd probably check the CGW site and then email or call David for advice.

If you've not a member of the CZ Forum, you might want to go there and do a little exploring and question asking. www.czfirearms.us/

Done properly, the CZ trigger can be very good indeed. Crisp, clean, breaking like the proverbial piece of glass. The purists claim a CZ trigger will never be as good as a 1911, and they may be right -- but it may be good enough, done right, that you won't care.

.
 
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Hammer caming... It is caused by positive sear engagement. Meaning the sear and hammer notch are cut in a manner to require that slight rearward movement. It is a safety thing... Much harder for the hammer to slip off the sear. Being a pistol gear more toward combat/defense, this makes sense. Safer, but at the cost of a bit higher pull and a little creep.

When the hammer does not cam back, it is called neutral sear engagement. If the hammer moves forward slightly, it is negative engagement, and that is an unsafe condition.

A good gunsmith can reduce the caming to neutral or near if you want, by some light sanding and polishing of the sear. They can also polish up the trigger parts and make the pull smoother.

While a person can do the work at home if they have the tools, I don't recommend it for most people. It takes a good bit of mechanical aptitude to get the 75 trigger apart and back together properly, and not bugger up the parts when you do the work to alter the sear angles. You can make an unsafe firearm or damage the parts of you mess up, and it's easy to mess up.

There are drop in trigger options from Cajun gun works... And they will accept your pistol for work if you so choose, they also will accept parts for modifications if you are comfortable with disassembly but not altering parts yourself.


I know that a good CZ 75 trigger can be absolutely fantastic. I polished mine and reduced the caming to a minimum, and it is a great trigger. I am sure a pro would make one that is fantastic.

I am tempted to get the drop in parts from Cajun for my 9mm, I don't shoot my 40 much, so I will probably not change that one.
 
Walt and Marine, thank you for the information - that's exactly what I was looking for! This CZ 75B is my first experience with a CZ and I had never experienced "hammer camming" on any of my other guns.
 
Positive sear notch angle is a deliberate design point; it is intended to allow the sear to fully re-engage (reset) if the trigger is released part way through the pull. If not for that, the sear could remain partially disengaged and a subsequent pull could be very light or even dangerous. While most factory pulls are short enough that the camming back of the hammer is not noticeable, it will usually be there. Many "trigger jobs" involve nothing more than setting the angle to "neutral" (not an ideal condition) or even negative (an unsafe condition, as Marine6680 said.

Jim
 
Positive sear notch angle is a deliberate design point...
Click to expand...
Yes.
It is a safety thing...
Click to expand...
Yes.

It's not really something that needs correcting. Especially since even with the positive engagement a CZ 75B SA trigger is usually quite nice. The two I have measure between 4lbs and 4lbs 6oz.
 
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