[mlk18]

Can someone take some digital pics of their CZ40? I have searched and searched and found very little except the standard side pose. Specifically I would like pics from 6 sides (left, right, top, bottom, front, back). Thinking very hard about picking one up, but NO ONE has them anywhere near my location. So online research is all I got. Also any reviews or thoughts on the CZ40 would also be appreciated.

Thanks. mlk18

[WonderNine]

I extremely dislike the .40 round and am not highly fond of CZ's....


But you're gonna love this link...

http://aimsurplus.com/acatalog/copy_of_Pistols.html


Second from the top ;)

[Walt Sherrill]

The CZ-40B.

Had one, but traded it away.

A good, solid, reliable, compact, accurate gun. I got rid of mine because it didn't fit my hand as well as the standard standard 75B -- which had me spoiled. Like a previous poster, I'm not yet all that enthused about the .40 round (but evaluating); unlike the previous poster, I really like CZs. The typical 40B has a long, somewhat heavy DA trigger, and a nice, crisp SA trigger. It can be made better with modest effort.

(I've had Berettas, SIGs, Glocks, and S&W semi-autos and generally prefer my CZs because of the great ergonomics. I presently have three -- a pre-B 75, an 85 Combat, and a 75B Compact. I've also had a 97B, but like the CZ-40B, it just didn't fit me as well.

The gun was a joint marketing effort with Colt, but Colt didn't seem to have much influence on the design. The gun is basically a 75B slightly modified to use the same grip angle as a 1911a1. Its 1911-like, but because its double-stack, it feels a lot different.

This has probably been the most trouble-free gun of the CZ line, a line that doesn't have that many problems in the first place, and great customer service when it does. (A lot like Ruger, in that respect.)

Standard 75B hi-caps are still cheap, and most of the 9mm hi-caps will work in the CZ-40B and 75B guns and hold an extra round or two. (Note: the 40B mag has a different, thicker base plate than the standard mag. The standard mag will fit the 40B, but not vice versa. Standard mags, when inserted in the 40B grip, have a slight gap at the bottom between grip and baseplate.) If you can find them, hi-cap .40s for the Witness line can be made to work. (You may have to enlarge the top of the mag release notich a hair -- as the Witness release sits higher in the frame than does the CZ release; this is required for some Witness mags, but not all.)

Not a lot of aftermarket parts available, and the gun doesn't use the standard CZ dovetail. (Colt Defender rear sights work.) The CZ Forum, listed below, has links to holster, grip, and sight makers.

Check out www.czforum.com (http://www.czforum.com) for almost everything you ever wanted to know about CZs and CZ-40Bs.

[PCRCCW]

Shoot one and make up your own mind. If you like CZ's and the 1911 grip angle...It may just be your favorite gun. They run like a top for the most part. Great gun but just didnt seem to take off like they were supposed to.
Shoot well

[CZSteve]

mlk

Have to go in to work for a few hours :( , but will take some pics later to post (assuming tax deduction #2 doesn't decide to make an appearance today, past due date and wife is READY).

Mine is equipped w/ XS Big Dot sights, will be a little different than w/ the factory sights.

Take care

[Bullshooter]

I picked one up at a local gun show. I like CZ pistols and, even though I don't own one at the moment, feel that they're probably the best deal going. The CZ40B functioned flawlessly, after all it is modified only slightly from the 75B. I just didn't (and still don't) like the .40S&W. If you get one, I believe you'll love the gun, if not the round.

[mlk18]

Some good responses, thanks. CZSteve, that would be great if you could take those pics, I would appreciate it. It amazes me that this gun is so low key and inexpensive with all the positive responses I seem to get about it.

I found the Aim Surplus ad the other day, but cz40's for $309? That's about $30 more than they seem to sell for on Gunbroker.com. But it may be worth getting it from a reputable dealer. $30 savings seems worthless if you get a lemon or worse and the seller is long gone. I have a chance to by a LNIB CZ40B for $250 plus shipping. But I may try and talk him down $15-20.

mlk18

[nvrquit]

I've used my CZ40B as the pistol of choice in ESP IDPA competition. It has never failed to perform if I was up to the task. The only "bobble" that occurred in use, were some mags began to not drop free. The problem was traced down to the grip screws, which had begun to protrude beyond the inner edge of the grip screw bushing and into the mag well. This occurred just enough to make contact with a mag to create a slight drag. Not much, but sufficient to hang-up a mag or two on a slide lock mag change.

Easy fix though, just used the Dremel to remove approximately a single thread length from the grip screw and voila, no more mag hang-up. Apparently the rubber grip pannels take "set" affter a time and allow the grip screws to seat a bit deeper than when new.

Other than that, no problems what so ever.

The only thing that the CZ40B has as a temperment, is its penchant for the lighter weight .40 cal. bullets. Most have reported that 155/165gr. weights seem to work best(accuracy wise). I personally have worked up a 135gr. load that works very well for IDPA.

As Walt indicated, Tanfoglio Witness original capacity mags (don't give the PC bast@#ds any comfort) work with slight modification. The two candidates are the EAA/Baby Eagle 40 S&W/41AE factory mag and the Witness, Baby Eagle 40 ProMag(CDNN part #'s EAA4140 & EAA02 respectively). IMO, the best one is the 40S&W/41AE mag, as it only requires a slight modification of the notch on the top rear of the mag. This is required as the bottom of the Tan Witness slide that begins the pick-up & feed from the mag to the feed ramp on the barrel of the Witness, is of a different profile than that of the CZ40B. After a little Dremel or file work, smoothing the edge and rebluing bare metal, the mag works just as well as the CZ40B 10 rounders. My example came with black and red followers, of which the red follower worked the best. As an aside, for a more "factory" appearance, the CZ40B mag components(follower, mag spring & bottom) work fine with the 40S&W/41AE body.

For other mods, check out the link that Walt provided on his post and drop on in to the Club CZ40B board. You're welcome any time!

[CZSteve]

mlk

Go to this thread for pics from previous post.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?threadid=32059

I'll attach some other pics later.
Might not be until tomorrow if possible.
Crazy/Busy day; thought this was supposed to be a Saturday :rolleyes:

Take Care
Steve

[mlk18]

Sweet, those were the two best CZ40B pics I have seen in well over a week of searching the net. Any other pics you can get would be great. Your time - your target.

mlk18

[Walt Sherrill]

NVRQUIT:

I had the same problem with the grips on my CZ-40B, but found that it wasn't the grips that "took a set" but, rather that the bushings in the grip -- into which the grip screws are screwed -- came loose and moved inward. (They're threaded into the grip frame.)

I backed them out part of a turn, and Loc-Tited them, and never had the problem again.

Watch yours -- if you have the problem again, look at the bushings in the grip.

[nvrquit]

... that was the subject of a previous post of yours over on Club CZ40B of the CZForum, Walt.

Yes, I checked the grip screw bushings and found all four to be very firmly in place. The bottom(?!?) of the bushings are all approxiamtely flush with inner surface of the mag well. In fact, being the slightly anal type(hey, after you've safety wired you fair share of fasteners on race bikes, you develope a habit), they have been treated to an application of Loctite #290(green wicking).

I've allways been curious how the bushings on your CZ40B could work in the way you related. My grip screw bushings are of a design that has flats instead of being slotted for a bladed screw driver. These flats would be used with a special driver/socket or appropriate wrench to turn them in with. The grips on my C40B have openings for the grip screws that match the contour of the flats on the grip screw bushings and when all items are correctly installed, this would not allow the bushings to rotate in any direction, in or out. Curious.... perhaps an "in production" design change occurred and yours had a bushing of differring design.

CZSteve,
Nice snaps. Some like the Big Dot front site and others have found it to be too large for longer distantce work(other IDPA shooters opinions, not mine). Still, everyone that has used it that I've spoken with said that next to an optical site, they've not found anything that has faster aquistion on target close up.


IMHO here's how much I like my CZ40B; I intend to purchase at least one more before the year is out(maybe two!). This is because I intend to continue to use it as my ESP pistol in IDPA. The mags and slides will go out for a nice satin hard chrome. The frames I haven't settled on what to do with yet. Anyone know of someone that does the triggers on CZ40B's?

[Walt Sherrill]

I've allways been curious how the bushings on your CZ40B could work in they way you related. My grip screw bushings are of a design that has flats instead of being slotted for a bladed screw driver. These flats would be used with aspecial driver/socket or appropriate wrench to turn them in with. The grips on my C40B have openings for the grip screws that match the contour of the flats on the grip screw bushings and when all items are correctly installed, this would not allow the bushings to rotate in any direction, in or out. Curious.... perhaps an "in production" design change occurred and yours had a bushing of differring design. I didn't notice the problem with mine until the day before I was to ship it off to a new owner. I took it apart and gave it a thorough cleaning, which included taking the grips off.

When I reassembled the gun, I slapped a mag home and the darned mag wouldn't go in more than about half-way into the grip.

"What the he#$!!"

Tried the mag against. My first thought was that I had somehow swapped mags with another gun... But looked at them closely and saw that was not it. I tried the other mag and had the same problem. I had several other .40 Witness mags that were being sold with the gun, and the same thing happened with them.

I then removed the grips and still couldn't see anything obviously wrong. Then I looked closer and saw that one of the bushings wasn't RIGHT -- and found it to be very loose.

The bushings on mine were finger loose and protruding so far into the inside of the grip frame that the mags not only wouldn't drop free, they couldn't even be fully inserted.

I don't remember clearly, but I don't think the bushing were made in a way that would have limited their travel. It seems (memory is failing me) that they were just simple threaded collars/bushings so that they could be screwed/moved all the way through the grip frame on on out the back. At the time I was just puzzled by why they didn't just tap the frame rather than a bushing in the frame.

I no longer have the gun, so can't see whether my memory is correct or otherwise examine it to see where the differences might be. But believe me, I had a couple of moments of real confusion and major concern: the gun I was shipping the next day was DEFECTIVE!!

This has apparently happened to at least one other person on the CZ Forum, too. Mine was one of the early CZ-40Bs, and there may have been a production line change somewhere in the process.

[mlk18]

Anyone able to offer up a size comparison between the CZ40B and say a Glock 22 or a 1911?

mlk18