TL;DR: the firing pin block in a CZ 75 will prevent discharge of a round because of hammer follow, right?
Long version:
A couple years ago I bought a CZ Custom frankengun - SP-01 frame with CTS slide. The usual Shadow improvements, and the flat competition trigger, sear, hammer, etc., with firing pin block removed to make the trigger just that much better. Being at the time an idiot who knew almost nothing about guns, I used way too much oil when cleaning. I got build up of gunk inside the gun, and some got under the sear and obstructed its function. The result was hammer follow and uncontrollable burst/auto fire. I pulled the trigger and got one round on target, one on the hanger, and one in the ceiling. No bueno. I ended up replacing the entire fire control group just to be safe.
Fast forward to the present. I just bought a CZ 75 SA because I noticed that they are being discontinued and I have had my eye on the model for a while. I told myself I would just leave this one alone and keep it stock, but I'm still in the California waiting period, and while waiting, old habit reasserted itself and I started looking at ways to "improve" the gun... including removing the firing pin block. Frankly I just doubt whether getting a discharge due to dropping the weapon on the ground is very realistic, especially since this gun's sear/hammer spur interface does not ride on a knife's edge like with the old gun.
However, it also occurred to me that the firing pin block might be insurance against a feral gun. I re-installed World of Guns: Disassembly and pulled up the CZ 75. It looks to me like yes, the firing pin block should serve this function. After a round is discharged, as the slide is moving backward the firing pin block appears to return to its neutral (down) position, and the block lifter also appears to return to its neutral (down) position, while the trigger is still held back. This should mean that if the hammer follows the slide as it returns to battery due to sear failure, a discharge will nevertheless not occur because the firing pin is still obstructed by the firing pin block. Video:
Am I seeing this right? Because if so, I'm definitely leaving that block in there.
I usually see people say that the purpose of the firing pin block is to make it so that the gun "cannot fire unless the trigger is held down" or words to that effect and it is always discussed in a context in which the weapon is dropped. But actually I think it's a little more than that. It should also prevent fire due to hammer follow. Correct?
Long version:
A couple years ago I bought a CZ Custom frankengun - SP-01 frame with CTS slide. The usual Shadow improvements, and the flat competition trigger, sear, hammer, etc., with firing pin block removed to make the trigger just that much better. Being at the time an idiot who knew almost nothing about guns, I used way too much oil when cleaning. I got build up of gunk inside the gun, and some got under the sear and obstructed its function. The result was hammer follow and uncontrollable burst/auto fire. I pulled the trigger and got one round on target, one on the hanger, and one in the ceiling. No bueno. I ended up replacing the entire fire control group just to be safe.
Fast forward to the present. I just bought a CZ 75 SA because I noticed that they are being discontinued and I have had my eye on the model for a while. I told myself I would just leave this one alone and keep it stock, but I'm still in the California waiting period, and while waiting, old habit reasserted itself and I started looking at ways to "improve" the gun... including removing the firing pin block. Frankly I just doubt whether getting a discharge due to dropping the weapon on the ground is very realistic, especially since this gun's sear/hammer spur interface does not ride on a knife's edge like with the old gun.
However, it also occurred to me that the firing pin block might be insurance against a feral gun. I re-installed World of Guns: Disassembly and pulled up the CZ 75. It looks to me like yes, the firing pin block should serve this function. After a round is discharged, as the slide is moving backward the firing pin block appears to return to its neutral (down) position, and the block lifter also appears to return to its neutral (down) position, while the trigger is still held back. This should mean that if the hammer follows the slide as it returns to battery due to sear failure, a discharge will nevertheless not occur because the firing pin is still obstructed by the firing pin block. Video:
Am I seeing this right? Because if so, I'm definitely leaving that block in there.
I usually see people say that the purpose of the firing pin block is to make it so that the gun "cannot fire unless the trigger is held down" or words to that effect and it is always discussed in a context in which the weapon is dropped. But actually I think it's a little more than that. It should also prevent fire due to hammer follow. Correct?
