Cajun Gun Works CZ Modification Reliability

[dakota.potts]

Hey all,
Started looking into the CZ P-01 (or potentially the PCR) as likely my next handgun as something a little smaller and lighter than my full size CZ for ease of carry. As a budding gunsmith and a CZ fan, I have of course thought about ways to make the gun more "mine" starting with new grips and maybe night sights.

Due to the somewhat long CZ double action pull (being a fan of decockers versus manual safeties myself) I've of course also looked at some of the kits on the market. Cajun Gun Works makes a number of kits to reduce length of travel, creep, reset, pull weight etc. Naturally a nicer trigger (light but not too light, smooth pull, short reset, no slap) is something all of us as shooters desire. I wonder though if this can contribute to a loss of reliability. The CZ P-01 is sold as having incredible reliability being sufficient to go well beyond NATO standards for rounds between failure. All of the surfaces and shapes have been of course engineered by CZ's team to meet this reliability while minimizing cost. I have to wonder if messing with springs, sears, hammers, etc. could in any way throw off internal geometry to the point where you would experience a loss of reliability. On a carry gun intended to last for the indefinite future with only normal parts being swapped out as necessary, this would be less than ideal.

Anybody have any insight in this arena?

 

[TunnelRat]

The CZ P-01 is sold as having incredible reliability being sufficient to go well beyond NATO standards for rounds between failure.

That's a misnomer that won't die and I was guilty of it too. It was Czech police testing that you're referring to. It just has a NATO stock number.

http://cz-usa.com/press-release/cz-p-01-gets-nato-approval-the-next-generation-of-perfect-pistols/

I have to wonder if messing with springs, sears, hammers, etc. could in any way throw off internal geometry to the point where you would experience a loss of reliability.

Sure. Of course most of these companies wouldn't still be in business if what they sold eliminated reliability. While they may change the geometry of the parts or weight of the springs they typically test these. But yes any part swaps, heck even for other stock parts depending on how interchangeable the parts are, can potentially impact reliability. That's why you need to test any firearm after any modifications.

I've put Cajun Gun Works in two P-01s. I've done the Short Reset System twice and the Reach Reduction Kit once. All of this was installed by me by following guides I found online. I think they're great upgrades, though FWIW I'm a guy that wears a small glove in a Mechanix and a medium in some other brands and I found the Reach Reduction Kit unnecessary after swapping out for thinner VZ grips.

Now in full disclosure I did have issues with one Short Reset System. The firing pin block wasn't consistently releasing the firing pin and ~1/20 rds wouldn't fire. I talked with David Milam on the phone, great guy, and he walked me through a process by which we narrowed down that it was the factory firing pin block. I mailed the factory part to him and on his own dime he took a bit off the shelf to ensure function while making sure it would stop the firing pin when it should, mailed it back to me on his dime, and I was back in business. Took a week. That was a 2012 CZ P01. On the newer 2015 P01 I had no such issues (I've explained before in another thread that I've seen better milling and finishing of parts on 2015 and newer CZs, but I'm one guy with a sample of say a half dozen).

Now would I carry that 2012 after the issues I had? Yea, because I put a few hundred rounds through it after I got it back together and it continued to be fine. One potential way to avoid this would be to send the whole pistol to CGW, but it will be a lot faster and to me entertaining to do it yourself (however peace of mind has its own value). Frankly I've had brand new pistols (never CZs oddly enough) that had reliability problems right out of the box so I don't carry any pistol until I test it first. Now I don't bury it in the mud or go scuba diving with it, but I do ensure function with live ammunition. So to me modifications from a reliability standpoint shouldn't change much.

I would caution about using some local gunsmiths in that you want to get feedback from people about how good he/she is. A lot of people that call themselves gunsmiths aren't, so always look for feedback. CGW is, imo, a great outfit. In all honesty how they handled the issue made me more confident in them than if I had never had any issues. How a company deals with a problem product is more important to me than how they deal with perfect products, as I am a walking reminder of Murphy's Laws (I even had issues with a Geissele and they came through as their reputation would predict).

 

[Tucker 1371]

My experience with CGW is nearly exactly the same as TunnelRat's. I have an SP01 with the SRS1 Kit which includes a blue hammer spring (reduced power), a short reset lifter arm, a reduced power firing pin spring, and a slightly longer firing pin.

If I understand it right the lifter arm is the only thing that actually affects the reset. The reduced power hammer spring (mainspring) greatly improved the DA trigger pull and (I think) lessened the feel of the camming that the trigger does in SA just before it breaks. The purpose of the longer firing pin and lighter FP spring are to ensure reliable primer ignition, and they do that very well. I have 600+ flawless rounds (mostly Freedom 125gr reman, some WWB) out of mine since I installed it myself.

I say as long as you find yourself some good instructions and are careful about any polishing you may decide to do you ought to be a-ok. I highly recommend CGW's SRS1 Kit. Be 100% certain to order CGWs floating trigger pin when you order anything to do with the trigger. The OEM trigger pin will almost certainly be destroyed when you remove it.

Extremely helpful and detailed link on tinkering with CZ75s.
http://www.brianenos.com/forums/mob...&location=topic&fid=200&tid=191773&perpage=25

 

[bm303]

I have a SP-01 tactical with the Ultra-Lite Self Defense Firing Pin Kit.

David promised 100% reliability from his kit and it has been 100% reliable for a few hundred rounds. Just make sure you use all of the necessary parts CGW provides.

 

[1hogfan83]

I sent my P-01 to them. I needed sights so I figured have them go all out. She runs perfect, even with the dirty stuff.

 

[rabbit hunter]

CZ &% PCR

I have one. I love it. Mike Eagleshield, who was the CZ master gunsmith at the time, sent me a slave pin to enable me to remove the sear assembly so I could work on the trigger pull w/o three hands. He was a very nice, accommodating pro and I wound up with a CZ PCR D which everyone who shoots it admires. I never noticed the trigger pull being too long. I don't know where he went but whoever hired him I think has a valued employee. I wanted to change the base plate on my magazines. He said ok, send them in & we'll exchange them. I said no I don't want my gun out of service for the exchange time. Send me the new base plates & then I'll send in the replaced ones. He said ok, and it was done. Try that with any company today.