barnbwt
member
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2011
- Messages
- 7,340
This was a gun-show impulse buy I picked up for 200$ with 1 mag.
The photos pretty much speak for themselves...
In case they don't:
- I sanded off the most offensive machining marks on the slide/frame.
- Sanded down the top-strap (?) to remove mill marks and crummy front sight
- Full brake down completely and polished every mating surface I could
- Replaced factory locking rollers and firing pin with Harrington version
- Replaced worn out factory recoil spring with 18lb Wolff upgrade
- Replaced slide hold-open catch with aftermarket slide release lever
- Filework on the new slide release lever handle to match CZ 52 safety handle
- Re-blued every externally visible part minus pins
- Hand-made ebony grip scales to replace the factory beaver-barf furniture
- Filed-off front sight replaced with staked-on tenon sight (hand-made)
- Tiny rear sight replaced with talled hand-made version
- Magazine floorplate was replaced with a version that has a pinkie-extension
Lessons Learned:
- Bluing was easier than I thought; I bought some BC browning solution, and boiled the parts in distilled water once they rusted to turn them black. Rinse and repeat. This worked well for everything but the trigger and side plate cover, which didn't get as dark (I'm guessing an alloy difference).
- You learn a ton about a pistol and its virtues and flaws by doing a full tear-down. I was suprised by how few parts, pins, and springs were in this pistol, and by how complicated some of the machining was.
- I know exactly how each safety function of my pistol works now, and that they are all functioning properly, so I have more faith in the CZ 52 than I had previously.
- Sanding out the machine marks was tough, but I didn't learn why until drilling the tenon sight hole. The slide on this gun is ridiculously hard, like, chews up two 1/8" carbide bits to drill through .1" of slide tough. I'm not suprised that other hardened parts like the firing pins have fracture issues. I'll be checking the slide for cracks, but I doubt I'd get a warning if there were any. This slide will probably shatter like glass if you hit it hard enough.
- Having a proper shop is important, since I didn't. This was a tough one to do over a kitchen sink and an apartment balcony.
- Resolving one problem reveals others. Now that I fixed the crummy recoil spring that was causing the slide to slam around, I can tell that the trigger is slapping badly and will need some work.
- Restoring an ugly milsurp is a good thing, not an unholy sin. What was cobbled together from a mish-mash of arsenal parts, is now whole again.
If anybody has any suggestions for other modifications that I should try, speak up!
TCB
PS: these photos were from just before I installed the sights, I'll get pics of the new hardware up soon
The photos pretty much speak for themselves...
In case they don't:
- I sanded off the most offensive machining marks on the slide/frame.
- Sanded down the top-strap (?) to remove mill marks and crummy front sight
- Full brake down completely and polished every mating surface I could
- Replaced factory locking rollers and firing pin with Harrington version
- Replaced worn out factory recoil spring with 18lb Wolff upgrade
- Replaced slide hold-open catch with aftermarket slide release lever
- Filework on the new slide release lever handle to match CZ 52 safety handle
- Re-blued every externally visible part minus pins
- Hand-made ebony grip scales to replace the factory beaver-barf furniture
- Filed-off front sight replaced with staked-on tenon sight (hand-made)
- Tiny rear sight replaced with talled hand-made version
- Magazine floorplate was replaced with a version that has a pinkie-extension
Lessons Learned:
- Bluing was easier than I thought; I bought some BC browning solution, and boiled the parts in distilled water once they rusted to turn them black. Rinse and repeat. This worked well for everything but the trigger and side plate cover, which didn't get as dark (I'm guessing an alloy difference).
- You learn a ton about a pistol and its virtues and flaws by doing a full tear-down. I was suprised by how few parts, pins, and springs were in this pistol, and by how complicated some of the machining was.
- I know exactly how each safety function of my pistol works now, and that they are all functioning properly, so I have more faith in the CZ 52 than I had previously.
- Sanding out the machine marks was tough, but I didn't learn why until drilling the tenon sight hole. The slide on this gun is ridiculously hard, like, chews up two 1/8" carbide bits to drill through .1" of slide tough. I'm not suprised that other hardened parts like the firing pins have fracture issues. I'll be checking the slide for cracks, but I doubt I'd get a warning if there were any. This slide will probably shatter like glass if you hit it hard enough.
- Having a proper shop is important, since I didn't. This was a tough one to do over a kitchen sink and an apartment balcony.
- Resolving one problem reveals others. Now that I fixed the crummy recoil spring that was causing the slide to slam around, I can tell that the trigger is slapping badly and will need some work.
- Restoring an ugly milsurp is a good thing, not an unholy sin. What was cobbled together from a mish-mash of arsenal parts, is now whole again.
If anybody has any suggestions for other modifications that I should try, speak up!
TCB
PS: these photos were from just before I installed the sights, I'll get pics of the new hardware up soon