Gridley said:
OK, CZ experts: if by some miracle I managed to get my hands on a CZ 85 (B or Combat), would I be able to swap out the safety for a decocker? I'm seeing conflicting information.
I'm not an expert, but do know a good bit about some CZ models. I've owned a bunch of them over the years, from early pre-Bs, a couple of .40 75Bs, several 85Bs, several 75B in 9mm, a 97B, a couple of 75B Compacts, and a CZ-40B, to the latest P-07 and P-10c. I've never owned a decocker-equipped CZ, but do have a Sphinx SDP that is decocker-equipped.
Re: decocker added to your 85B or 85 Combat:
It wouldn't be a simple parts swap, as I don't think there are any parts that do what you want done, unless you adapt some Omega system parts (used in some of the newer 75B models, and the P-07 or P-09.) And that would be expensive, if they can be made to work.
An experienced gunsmith at CZ Custom or Cajun Gun Works MIGHT be able to do the sort of conversion you want, but CZ-USA's head gunsmith some years ago told me that it would probably be too expensive to justify.
A while back, someone asked Cajun Gun Works about adding a "far-side" decocker lever to his 75BD and he said that CGW told him that side of the frame was too thin. The BD's frame is basically the same frame as the 85B/85 Combat., and it may be that some extra room is needed for an ambi-decocker mechanism.
- The compact 75b-based models have a thicker frame in the decocker area. The steel-framed, safety-equipped Compact model is thinner in that area.
That question was asked a number of years ago, and if you ask today, you might get a different answer, as all involved have had a lot of work experience since then, but seeing the differences in frame thickness between the steel Compact and the other alloy-frame compacts, CGW's response makes sense.
But even IF a decocker mechanism can be adapted to work with a full-sized 85B/85 Combat, that still leaves you with a minor problem:
I can't think of any 75B or 85B-based model using the full-size frame that come with an ambidextrous decocker, so someone would have to create a right-side decocker lever for you. The differences in frame thickness may be an issue.
With the BD, you can't just switch the left-side lever to the other side, as it would be upside down. And this all assumes that the frame is thick enough to mount a lever on that side.
Unless the P-07/P-09 internals could be made to work in an 85B/85 Combat, you're probably out of luck -- and even that would likely be fairly expensive, just for parts.
- I'm not sure that modification would be worth the effort, anyway. Unlike a safety lever, you only need to use the decocker AFTER you're through using the weapon (or a risk has diminished), which allows you to take more time (or the other hand) to decock the weapon.
You might want to look into getting a P-07 or P-09 which have ambidextrous controls and can be user-switched from safety to decocker. These models use the Omega fire control system which is a bit simpler than the original design, but it's a good system and, like the original CZ design, can be tuned and improved. These models are increasingly popular. And getting either one of them tuned by Cajun Gun Works or CZ Custom would leave you with a gun that was simply outstanding.
Note, too, that the older 85Bs and the 85 Combat do NOT have reversible mag releases, so that's a concern for some left-handers. Stainless CZ models do have ambidextrous controls and I think the mag releases are reversible, as are most of the current production compact models.
Gridley said:
Did the CZ 85 ever get made in .40S&W? Can't find anything official that says it was, but I've seen a couple of secondary sources that seem to think some were.
Re: 85B or 85 Combat in .40?
I don't think CZ ever offered an 85B or 85 Combat in .40. If that model exists, it has eluded my attencion for many years -- including a number of years when I was a moderator on the original CZ-Forum. I don't remember ever hearing of that version being discussed, nor have I ever seen one offered for sale.
CZ briefly experiment with an 85B Compact some years back, but I don't know if that model was available in .40. The .40 compact models came out soon after that, and CZ had a lot of problems with their .40 magazines.
- The strange thing was that Pro-Mag's magazines for the 75B Compact in .40, a model CZ announced but never produced, worked perfectly, and a number of CZ Forum members used them in 9mm compacts during the mag ban, giving us hi-cap mags that were legal!. (We had a letter ruling from the ATF to that effect.) They were the only Pro-Mag I could readily recommend to CZ owners.)
A 75B .40 slide fit on my 85 Combat frame, but I never tried firing it. (Because I didn't try firing it, I'm not sure how the firing pin block linkage would function with a "B" model slide on the 85 Combat.
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I have a slightly-tuned 85 Combat and a fully stock early (Duty) P-07. My P-07, bought used, came without the decocker mechanism (which I didn't want, anyway). The triggers in both of these guns are great!
I've been looking for a used P-09 for a while now, and that will likely be my next CZ.
