CZ-85 frame lasts just 30-40K?

[Irfan]

I have to say that I am worried. You can read all here: http://www.czforumsite.info/index.php?topic=17646.0
Has anyone of you guys fired more than 30-40K rounds through his CZ-85B/85 Combat?

 

[WARDER]

hi Irfan, if its any comfort to you i have a 75 which i bought in 1977 and used to shoot it three or four times every week , i recon there has been 100thousand rounds through it ,its now 31 years old and going strong ,i never had to do a thing to this pistol,and i believe the frame is similar to the 85 ,not sure about this ,all i can say is enjoy your pistol .

 

[Disaster]

Alloy framed guns will all fail eventually...the question is when. This is because of the material properties of aluminum alloys which does not have an endurance limit like steel.

Most people put less than a hundred rounds a year through their guns so we don't get a lot of feedback in the 10,000 and up range.

It is possible that 30,000-40,000 is entering the danger region for that particular CZ frame.

Tanfoglio frames are known to crack at much lower numbers...especially in the heavier calibers, like 45mm and 10mm. Even Sigs have seen frame failures.

Most people, would never have to be concerned with these kinds of failures because they will never put this number of rounds through their guns.

FYI, at current prices, that number of rounds cost $7,000-$8,000 dollars (for a 9mm.) The $200 dollar frame is a much smaller cost in the grand scheme of things.

Woops: Corrected by Warder. Thinking of other CZ's that have alloy frames. Stand by the rest of my statement, however that this won't occur for 99.9% of people even if it is the fatigue limit of the frame.

 

[WARDER]

who said anything about alloy frames Disaster 75's frames are steel and as far as i'm aware so are 85's might be wrong about 85's

 

[rbernie]

This is not a common occurance.

There is no doubt that the design of the CZ stresses the slide stop and the frame around the slide stop pins. Usually, the pin breaks first (after many many rounds). Usually, it's no big deal. It's such a 'no big deal' that (IIRC) the alloy framed CZs have been tested well past 20K rounds with no failures.

What we don't know about the referenced failures is what might have caused an accelerated failure. For example, did the pistol get a steady diet of +P or NATO surplus loads? Was the pistol completely stock? We don't know. It's been my experience that most of the slide stop breakages were the result of the owner installing a heavier-than-stock recoil spring that simply battered the slide stop too hard when returning the slide to battery.

While it sux to be the dude with the broken pistol, I wouldn't worry too much about that being evidence of a systemic flaw.

 

[WARDER]

a mate of mine in the services bought a 75 same as mine about 2years afrer me, he fed it with homeloads well over +p pressure and only ever broke one slide pin ,he still has his as well going strong. maybe the older one's were made stronger ,you know the saying ==[the older the fiddle the sweeter the tune.]

 

[CZF]

75/85 are steel framed.

The famed SAS often broke the frames on Hi-Powers, but never on CZ75s.

They actually liked the CZ75 over all other pistols, but eventually adopted the SIG P226 and P228s.

I've never read or heard of a CZ75/85 frame cracking or otherwise "breaking" but if you are concerned.

You could always buy the new polymer framed PHANTOM.


More PICS/INFO:
http://www.angelfire.com/amiga/hakan/PHANTOM.html

 

[Irfan]

Here is a little update! I asked Mike (a well-known CZ-usa gunsmith) about CZ-85B durability and he said: "Your pistol should last about 60 to 70,000 rds before needing a new barrel." And when I asked him about its frame he said: "The frame should last the life of several barrels."

So, officially, the first major part you will need to replace is the barrel not the frame. The barrel should be good at least for 50K rounds. The frame should last at least twice as that accordind to CZ. If it is not good enough for you then buy a Beretta or a SIG if you believe they will last longer.

Regarding the slide stop, yes it is rated for just 1500 rounds according to Mike, but it does not mean it cannot last 10,000 rounds.

 

[Kind of Blued]

Or just buy two CZs. That's an extra $600.

Shooting 50,000 rounds will cost you at least $10,000.

In that light, they're practically giving the guns away.

 

[schmeky]

Regarding the slide stop, yes it is rated for just 1500 rounds according to Mike, but it does not mean it cannot last 10,000 rounds.

My SP-01 is at approximately 2,500 rounds with no problems. I would rather replace, assuming it's ever needed, a slide stop that takes 15 seconds to accomplish. I plan on shooting this SP until I have a problem, if I ever do.

Besides, 1911's break slide stops, and virtually any pistol if shot enough with full power loads, can have stress induced cracks or failures.

This frame cracking thing was started by an unsavory character that is a CZ basher. Just go the Firing Line Forum to see how he operates. I hope the good moderators on THR will shut him down quickly if he brings his dog and pony show here.

 

[atblis]

That 1500 round rating is something Mike/Czusa pulled out of their as......uhh....thin air.

I'd actually agree that their is the good possiblity CZ85 frames do fail earlier than regular 75B frames. No basis for that really, but it wouldn't surprise me. That being said, ~50k rounds is actually not that bad. Sigs, Hipowers, etc. could be expected to live about that long. Their probably aren't enough 85s with 40k+ through them to come to any sort of conclusion, though two in a row for one person is awful interesting.

 

[phrozenlikwid]

Honest question to the OP: Will your 85 ever see that high of a roundcount?

This is not a knock at anyone, but I've noticed that most of the people who worry most about these kind of far-off problems generally never shoot a gun enough to actually come to a conclusion themselves.

 

[trickyasafox]

If I get 50+ thousand rounds out of a centerfire, I feel like it doesn't owe me much at that point.

 

[Aka Zero]

Just buy a few guns, buy a few less rounds total, spread the rounds around...... Problems solved.

You now have more guns, and a lower round count per gun.....