Questions on the CZ-75 / TA-90 safety

[blue german]

Hi all. Recently I acquired one of the ex-Israeli TA-90 pistols. Was in fine shape except for the wood grips that I just this week replaced with a new set..My only question is, now this: Isn't the safety supposed to click into position? Like SNAP it's now down and off ...or conversely ...SNAP it's up and the safety is now on:

My safety does not SNAP....it merely rotates into the lower or upper (safety on) positions. I mean, it WORKS but nothing really HOLDS the safety in the up or down position.

Is something missing or maybe out of position?

Love to hear what is going on with my TA-90 safety .... and how to correct it.

Dee
Blue German

 

[Ash]

It is possible the safety detent plunger is missing. This is a small, kind of ball bearing like plunger, with spring, that slides into the safety shaft and engages the frame. These won't exactly snap, but they are more positive than, say, the High Power safety.

You can check by removing the safety, which isn't hard. Remove the slide and look at the ejector/sear housing. You will see a small retaining spring with an end resting in a groove on the shaft, locking it in. Gently lift that spring with a knife blade or small screw driver and carefully tap the safety out to the left. The plunger should not fly out, but make sure you are in a place that if it does fall out, you can easily see it (I do all of this in a big shoe box, with the left side of the frame inside the box). If there is nothing but a hole there, the plunger is missing.

The only problem with that scenario would be the safety would have no spring pressure keeping it up or down and so would not stay on safe. If yours is, my guess is the detent in the hole in the frame might be nice and broken in (not broken, mind you, just smoothed a bit) or even the head of the plunger is smoothed a bit. Either way, you will notice a hole if the plunger is missing (conversely, you will notice the plunger if it is not). If that part is missing, you can get a replacement from EAA or Gunparts Corp. I broke a plunger once, and discovered the tip of a hex-bit for my cheap screw driver fit perfectly. I cut it off, smoothed it out, and didn't have to buy one (But I did have the spring, still).

Ash

 

[PO2Hammer]

Diregard, the TA-90 is really a baby eagle type.

 

[PO2Hammer]

p.s. You might want to join and ask here;
CZ forum- the clone club

 

[Ash]

You've asked in the right place - the information here is valid.

 

[dfariswheel]

Here's an exploded view of the TA-90 type Tanfoglio pistol.

http://stevespages.com/pdf/tanfoglio_standard.pdf

Note the spring and plunger in the safety.

Disassembly is from memory so this may be different.

Push in the firing pin lock and push in the firing pin.

Remove the firing pin retainer plate by sliding it down.

Remove the firing pin and spring.

Remove the firing pin lock and spring.

If the gun has an ambidextrous safety, remove the right side retainer pin and the right side safety.

Wiggle/pull the slide safety out of the slide.

 

[Ash]

TA-90 can have either the slide-mounted safety OR the frame mounted safety. In this case, based on the direction he describes, it is the frame-mounted safety as the one with the slide is on safe when down, up is fire. On the frame-mounted safeties, up is safe, down is fire.

 

[blue german]

I am afraid you are identifying the wrong gun. I have a TA-90 with the frame-mounted safety just like the CZ-75 guns have. Your exploded parts view looks like my earlier Tanfoglio TZ-75 with the SLIDE MOUNTED SAFETY. But thanks anyway....

 

[Ash]

Blue, the instructions I gave you above are what you need to follow. That is what you need to remove the safety.

 

[dfariswheel]

Sorry 'bout that, here's the frame mounted safety version.

http://stevespages.com/pdf/tanfoglio_witness.pdf

NOTE, that Tanfoglio used at least two designs of frame safeties.
The original is like the CZ-75 that uses a recess in the frame and a spring loaded flat plate to give it the "snap".
The second type has a spring loaded plunger in the safety shaft and a hole that passes all the way through the frame wall. The front of the hole has two rounded notches that work with the plunger to give it the "snap".

These second or "new style" safeties had a problem with very mushy operation with little to no "snap".
There are various methods of fixing the problem ranging from installing a longer plunger in the safety to cutting deeper notches in the front of the hole in the frame.
Note that the plunger in the shaft is staked in place and if removed has to be re-staked with a special staking tool.

Also note that disassembly can be a bear since the safety also retains the sear/ejector block.
As soon as the safety is removed, the block pops out of position and it can be difficult to get everything back in place against heavy spring pressure from the mainspring.

 

[Ash]

I find that if you push the ejector block down with your thumb and slide a punch into the hole, tapping the safety in is a cinch. The only problem is watching out for the retainer spring and gently lift it with a screw driver or knife blade as you slide in the safety.