New CZ 75 BD + Questions

[cwyngarden]

woo-hoo! I just bought my first firearm, a brand new CZ 75 BD, which I get to pick up on monday.

anyways, I was talking to the very patient and nice sales guy, and he recommended that I break the gun in using CCI Blazer Brass 115gr ammo. what do you guys think about that suggestion? is there another type of ammo that is better suited to breaking in this pistol?

in the THR rifle section, there are many threads on firearm break-in procedures, but I'm having a hard time finding that same info as it relates to semi-automatic pistols. how do my fellow CZ 9mm owners suggest I best break in my new firearm?

any other tips/suggestions on getting the best out of my CZ 75 would certainly be welcome!

 

[DZL HOG]

Buy whatever FMJ ammo is cheapest in your area. (Blazer Brass, Win White Box, Rem UMC etc)
Field strip, clean, relube and reassemble your new firearm. Load up some mags and shoot it until all that ammo is gone, then go buy some more.

Ive shot all of the brands I mentioned through my CZ and have had no probs, but Im only at 400rds. The Blazer will probly be the cheapest and its decent ammo.

 

[robctwo]

I broke mine in on WWB. Great gun. I did a few mods over the years. Added a Kadet Kit right away to shoot .22. The Kadet has an adjustable sight, so I put one on the BD. Then I put on new grips, a fiber optic front sight, and replaced the barrel after I bulged the original on a squib.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

All the "generic" ammo performs about the same for me. My PCR compact did not like Blazer aluminum, having several failures to eject.

 

[glk23]

Put in a snap cap and pull the trigger 800-1000 times before shooting it. Lots of peope don't like out of the box CZ triggers, but use seems to smooth them up quite a bit.

 

[cwyngarden]

thanks for the answers - you guys are awesome!

how about cleaning/lubing the firearm? what cleaning methods do you recommend, and what type of lube do you suggest?

is lubing a CZ 9mm like lubing an AR-15? as in, does the CZ 75 need to be "wet" to operate to its full potential?

 

[armoredman]

I never really did a break in, but I load my own ammo, too. I agree, get 200 rounds of something inexpensive, not cheap.

 

[1SOW]

My 75B DA/SA didn't like aluminum Blazer, but anything else runs fine. Shoot it.
Re Cleaning: 100 people=100 different methods. Hoppes/Shooters Choice and Remoil/CLP will work fine. I don't recommend running it 'wet'---just enough to give it a little sheen--a drop on the trigger and sear--wipe off excess. Keep you mags clean.

After you become addicted, browze around in the CZCustomShop for next Christmas's wish-list material.

 

[BP44]

Just a FYI Mine loves my 124 lead realoads. and I cant get it to group right with 115's

 

[cwyngarden]

man, you guys are really cool - I really hope I learn enough that I can help one (or all ) of you out some day.

concerning ammo - how do you decide what grain ammo to start experimenting with? I'm looking @ an average ammo page on a firearms-related website, and they've got 9mm in 115gr, 124gr, 147gr...

should I start @ 115 and work up? or should I start out @ 124gr, which BP44 says works best in his?

I guess most importantly, what's too much? the last thing I want to do is damage my new friend

 

[1SOW]

For break-in on a range, buy 115gr fmj inexpensive WalMart Winchester White box or value pak ammo and shoot it. Price does go up with the bullet weight and type.

Different bullet weights/types along with different loads have different uses: target, self-defense, knock-down power etc.

After you and your gun are broken in, you can tailor the cartridges to your preferences and uses .

Enjoy your new CZ

 

[merk]

Do snap caps need to be changed after every pull of the trigger?

 

[Kind of Blued]

"No" on the snap caps. With a double-action gun with a snap cap (think "dummy round") in the chamber, one could just pull the trigger over and over.

There's no powder, no bullet; it's just a cartridge shaped piece of plastic or metal.

 

[armoredman]

BP44, that's interesting, but the 124gr was the bullet weight George Luger designed the 9mm to use, and the most common overseas. My P01 loves my cast 124gr LRN loads, too.

 

[Old Navy]

You'll definately need to drain the oil in any new CZ. They come soaked in oil. My PCR and 75B have eaten everything I've fed them. I buy whatever is cheapest, usually Blazer. Never had a problem. The CZ's are my second and third most accurate guns.

 

[Gary G23]

Blazer Brass and American Eagle are the only range ammo I will use in my CZ's. In my experience 124gr bullets are the most accurate but I only use them in major level competition due to the cost. 115gr is much cheaper when you're shooting thousands of rounds.

 

[Juna]

My BD has eaten everything I've fed it without a single malfunction. I most often shoot Winchester Value Packs b/c they're the cheapest thing I can find around here. It groups very tightly with them. I didn't group quite as well with Remington UMC, but it may have been me rather than the ammo. But I always group well with WWB Value Packs.

 

[stevemis]

When you get the pistol, it will be in a clear plastic bag and soaking with a yellowish thick oil. Throw the bag away. Wipe the pistol down. Then, field strip it (simple, look in the manual) and remove as much of the oil as you can... including in the barrel. Put a dab or two of oil (I prefer grease, automotive is fine) on the frame rails and shoot the snot out of it.

The factory ships these in an oil designed as a preservative, not a lube.

Steve

ETA: Blazer Brass is decent ammo. Many CZ's have issues feeding the aluminum-cased Blazer, so try to avoid that if possible.

 

[Litlman]

What everyone else said , clean it , load it & run it. The trigger gets better as you use it. I had a BD , traded it to fund another 9mm, kept a 75 compact & an 85 combat, all had great trigers. I wish that I kept the BD. Enjoy!

 

[BlindJustice]

cnygarden - you mentioned it's your first handgun, have you
taken a safety/gun handling course or ??

Buy a basic cleaning kit for the 9mm Luger - or it could use
the same bore brush as a .357 Break-Free has a great rep.
I've got the WIlson Combat lube in a syringe.

Got a 75B last May, I fed it a lot of different brands, bullet
weights, and different types. 100% reliable after 1100+ rounds
through it. And accurate as well.

Enjoy your BD.

Randall

 

[cwyngarden]

guys, you really are awesome, and your advice is extremely helpful. thanks to every one of you!

@BlindJustice - my local range offers a safety/gun handling course which I intend to take ASAP. while this is the first firearm that I've owned, I have a good amount of experience w/firearms in general, including safe operation habits. I'm also reading everything I can pertaining to pistol shooting and operation in general (and CZ stuff in specific), so I have an idea how to safely handle a situation where the gun jams, for example.

what do you guys think of Federal 9mm ammo? I'm intending to use CCI Blazer Brass or WWB @ the range, and maybe Federal if it's decent and I can find it cheap. for home defense, I'll probably get a box of Speer Gold Dot HPs.

looking forward to picking up my CZ tomorrow afternoon - and spending most of the week cleaning or shooting it!

thanks again everyone

 

[stevemis]

Typically any hollowpoint the gun will shoot reliably is fine. Plan on breaking in and getting familiar with the pistol using ball ammo... and then after 500 rounds or so plan on running a MINIMUM of 100 rounds of your hollowpoints of choice to confirm they work reliably.

This is a FANTASTIC first pistol. You did good.

Steve

 

[stevemis]

I wish someone showed me this early on.

There are some alignment marks on the frame and slide which need to be lined up in order to pop the slide release in and out for field stripping and reassembly. In the alignment position, the slide will rest against the hammer in half-cock/decock position. You can use this to your advantage by clearing the pistol, decocking (or half-cock on a single action or other non-decocker) and holding the pistol as pictured while pressing the slide back with your thumb. The slide will touch the hammer and everything is lined up!

Steve

 

[cwyngarden]

ok, sorry I disappeared for a bit...Christmas preparations and me turning 30 and all...

@Steve - thank you very much for showing me the proper alignment and strip methods, that helped a ton!

quickie range report - just got my first opportunity to hit the range today. put 300 rounds through it today, a combo of 115 gr. WWB, 115 gr. CCI Blazer Brass, and a few 135 gr. Federal JHP Hydra-Shoks. everything worked perfecty (except my aim could use some work ) - had no FTFs, FTEs, or other F-ups.

I dont know if it was me, the ammo, or the gun, but the CCI ammo actually grouped (term used loosely) better than the WWB. managed to stay w/in the target as a whole almost completely out to 25'.

I was also pleased to see that at 8' and 12', I grouped 5 rds @ each distance into an area about as large as a human heart. the "off" distance from where I was aiming to where the rds. ended up on the target was about 4" up/right in both instances- so I figure I'm at least OK at short distances in a home defense situation shooting @ center mass.

the most important thing that happened today? shooting this firearm was humbling in many ways. it was more "hand cannon"-ish than I'd expected; other 9mm firearms I've fired have not given me such powerful feedback. also, I am truly hoping that I'll never have to fire it in the direction of another living creature. shooting this CZ also affirmed that I managed to secure a superior firearm for the cost of a lesser weapon...something about knowing I have the best makes me less interested in engaging in verbal/written p*ss*ing matches w/other firearm owners.

I LOVE my CZ. I can honestly predict that I would only sell/stop owning this firearm if my life literally depended on it...so let's hope my life never depends on it.