bigfatdave
Member
So I have this CZ52 I actually like shooting, and it has one flaw I've been annoyed by since day one, the safety lever is a thumb-tearing bastard and as a bonus the decocker on these is notoriously unsafe.
My decocker will barely prevent a discharge, the FP makes a small dimple in the primer. So the feature works, but only with a pucker-inducing safety margin.
Now, the safety is a "down for fire" model, so the gun works on the same manual of arms as a 1911 or anything else with a correct safety design. And with the Harrington upgrades (rollers and firing pin) it is actually very reliable and easy to shoot well.
So I've been staring at the safety lever for a while now, and I think I have an idea, but it is sort of "bubba" ... I was hoping for a better way to accomplish the goal, or perhaps some experience to lean on.
Here is the gun:
Here is a close-up of the safety lever in "safe":
In "shoot":
In "decock and maybe go bang":
So ... I've been pondering how to delete the decock feature AND inprove my thumb's comfort, and this is what I have so far:
I've been thinking of using an epoxy putty to build up the safety lever, extending and smoothing out in section A, while making a lower-profile tab in section B to prevent upward travel of the lever.
If it worked, I might add an external actuator to the slide latch lever, too, sometimes I want to lock the weapon open after cleaning or when there's no magazines handy, but otherwise I don't really miss having the external slide latch, I always overhand rack the slide to chamber a round when loading, so I don't want or need a "slide release", I just want to be able to latch it open without a fumble, maybe a lump the size of a .177" airgun pellet on there would do it.
The underlying questions here are:
This is the putty I have on hand, I could get a more suitable product if anyone knows of one:
http://www.mrsupply.com/product.php?productid=63996
My decocker will barely prevent a discharge, the FP makes a small dimple in the primer. So the feature works, but only with a pucker-inducing safety margin.
Now, the safety is a "down for fire" model, so the gun works on the same manual of arms as a 1911 or anything else with a correct safety design. And with the Harrington upgrades (rollers and firing pin) it is actually very reliable and easy to shoot well.
So I've been staring at the safety lever for a while now, and I think I have an idea, but it is sort of "bubba" ... I was hoping for a better way to accomplish the goal, or perhaps some experience to lean on.
Here is the gun:
Here is a close-up of the safety lever in "safe":
In "shoot":
In "decock and maybe go bang":
So ... I've been pondering how to delete the decock feature AND inprove my thumb's comfort, and this is what I have so far:
I've been thinking of using an epoxy putty to build up the safety lever, extending and smoothing out in section A, while making a lower-profile tab in section B to prevent upward travel of the lever.
If it worked, I might add an external actuator to the slide latch lever, too, sometimes I want to lock the weapon open after cleaning or when there's no magazines handy, but otherwise I don't really miss having the external slide latch, I always overhand rack the slide to chamber a round when loading, so I don't want or need a "slide release", I just want to be able to latch it open without a fumble, maybe a lump the size of a .177" airgun pellet on there would do it.
The underlying questions here are:
- Will epoxy putty stick to gunmetal? I have a parkerizing-like finish on this gun, I assume I'd have to de-grease the area?
- Could I do it strong enough to not snap off while disengaging the safety? I don't think the tab needs to be particularly strong, so long as it doesn't disintegrate under recoil, the same would go for a slide latch nubbin.
- How bubba would it be to do this? I am not concerned with resale value, this is a surplus pistol that I purchased as a way to launch Tokarev ammo, and something to tinker with. In the long run I might consider a refinish job, park or bluing wouldn't stick to the epoxy, so I'd be looking for a paint or powdercoat finish, I suppose.
- Does anyone know if there would be corrosion issues under an epoxy putty?
- Will epoxy putty stand up to minor amounts of gun solvent? I would of course not be soaking the putty in solvent, incidental solvent contact only.
This is the putty I have on hand, I could get a more suitable product if anyone knows of one:
http://www.mrsupply.com/product.php?productid=63996
..... Lugers & K98's just use to be Nazi surplus too. I won't be chopping up my immaculate 52 ......They've more than doubled in price since I bought mine and I suspect they'll go up more. They are a very unique design of limited production, that shoot a hotrod round. I can't imagine a firearms collector that wouldn't welcome one into his collection.
