# new cz owner



## dawsonmi (Feb 7, 2014)

I have just purchased my first semi-auto. I have always shot revolvers. I got a compact 75 40 s&w with manual safety. I have two questions

I have seen allot of discussion about manual undecoking. I have decocked revolvers for years with no problem when shooting sa. what is the correct way and additional comments about decocking this gun. it seems simple enough but that is a good reason to ask the question. one thing I am confused about is do you decock to half-cocked or all the way down. dose the 'firing pin safety' effect the procedure.

I understand the field breakdown procedure and understand not to go past the barrel and recoil spring but what about the rest. how often should you take it to a gunsmith for a complete service.

thanks for any info.
















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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

The CZ's with a de-cock lever de-cocks the pistol to the half cock notch on the hammer. No the firing pin safety does not affect the procedure. Some CZ's have a manual safety and can be carried cocked and locked if so desired like a 1911. If you want to lower the hammer all the way down you have to first cock the hammer, while still holding it with your thumb, squeeze the trigger then gently lower the hammer same as with a revolver. You can practice this procedure with an empty gun. Not sure what you mean by going past the barrel and recoil spring? With proper maintenance you shouldn't have to take it to a gunsmith at all. Just follow the owners manual and you shouldn't have any problems. CZ's are outstanding pistols, you made a good choice.


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## Glock Doctor (Mar 14, 2011)

Forget about the firing pin safety. For the purpose of this question it's a non-sequitur. (It simply blocks any impact from driving the FP forward unless the trigger is pulled.) 

To decock that CZ, simply press down on the lever. It will decock the hammer to the half-cock notch. This is done for safety reasons. If the hammer were to fall all the way down the pistol might fire. The hammer should NOT be left in the half-cock position for any period of time. (Again for safety reasons) Finish fully decocking the pistol by using your thumb in the same way that you would on a 1911 or SA revolver. 

(Some of these handling procedures are derived from older 1911 protocols. Modern design changes render some of these safety techniques less relevant than they used to be; but, still, I think it worthwhile to continue following them.) 

You don't need to completely disassemble that CZ frame; and you don't need to periodically strip the frame in order to clean it. If the frame gets really dirty, dip it in a can of kerosene or spray it down with Break-Free CLP. Shake it out, then, wipe and dry the internals as well as you're able. If you want to be super fastidious about maintaining your new pistol, you can send it back to CZ-USA every 5 to 10 years for a thorough cleaning and worn parts replacement. 

Unless you're firing more than 2,000 rounds a year, or using a lot of steel or aluminum cased ammo, your CZ should be good to go for a long long time. Good gun, good choice, enjoy it! Because they tend to shoot really filthy I prefer to stay away from, 'Winchester White Box' and, 'Remington/UMC Yellow Box' ammunition.


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## Makarovii (Nov 13, 2013)

Glock Doctor said:


> The hammer should NOT be left in the half-cock position for any period of time. (Again for safety reasons)


Why is that? If one were to load the P-07 and use the hammer drop safety, pointing the pistol in a safe direction while doing so, why not leave the pistol at the halfcock notch? To go any far.ther than that would be to defeat the purpose of the hammer drop safety. Verdad?


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## Glock Doctor (Mar 14, 2011)

Because it's an old 1911 handling protocol that may not strictly apply to the CZ's design. It comes from back in the days before 1911's had trigger disconnectors. Which, now that I think about it, still applies to all of these, 'Series 70' pistols that are still around, and even appear to be making a comeback. 

Whether or not a 1911 or a CZ has a trigger disconnector the hammer, still, should not be kept in the half-cock notch. Historically the half-cock notch was never intended to be used as a safety. Its purpose is to, 'catch the hammer' when it accidentally falls and, thereby, prevent it from making contact with the firing pin.


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## Makarovii (Nov 13, 2013)

You may be right regarding 1911s, I've never been a fan. However, all the other manufacturers that produce pistols with hammer drop safeties, SIG, CZ, Beretta, etc, don't want the hammer left on the halfcock notch?

Edited to add: the firing pin safety you mentioned would prevent NDs.


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## Philco (Apr 17, 2012)

CZ pistols come either with a decocker or with a manual safety. From what the OP wrote I take it that his new CZ pistol has the manual safety NOT THE DECOCKER. Therefore all instructions given related to utilizing the decocker are not applicable to his pistol. The models that have a manual safety are designed so that the manual safety can only be utilized when the hammer is cocked. If you fire your gun and wish to pause you should at that point engage the safety so that the red dot is no longer showing. When you wish to uncock your pistol you'll need to do the following as explained in your owners manual; 

With the gun pointed in a safe direction, disengage the manual safety so that the gun safety is in the "fire" position. The red dot will be showing. Next firmly hold the pistol grip in one hand with your finger OFF the trigger. With your other hand press the hammer firmly with your thumb. Make absolutely certain the gun is pointed in a safe direction and that you have a rock solid grasp on the hammer. Gently squeeze the trigger and SLOWLY lower the hammer to the fully down position. The safety will not engage now that the gun is no longer cocked. The gun is now capable of being fired in the double action mode by squeezing the trigger. It is safe to carry with a round in the chamber and the safety off because the hammer block safety keeps the gun from firing unless the trigger is pulled. CZ recommends you practice this procedure with an unloaded weapon before attempting it with a loaded weapon.


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## denner (Jun 3, 2011)

Makarovii said:


> Why is that? If one were to load the P-07 and use the hammer drop safety, pointing the pistol in a safe direction while doing so, why not leave the pistol at the halfcock notch? To go any far.ther than that would be to defeat the purpose of the hammer drop safety. Verdad?


More than likely the reason many manufacturers advise not to leave the pistol at the halfcock notch is because it is half way closer to inadvertently having the hammer become fully cocked w/o you knowing, which is not a good thing.


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## Makarovii (Nov 13, 2013)

Philco said:


> CZ pistols come either with a decocker or with a manual safety. From what the OP wrote I take it that his new CZ pistol has the manual safety NOT THE DECOCKER.


You are right, the OP mentioned the manual safety. I was commenting on another post where the writer said: "To decock that CZ, simply press down on the lever. It will decock the hammer to the half-cock notch. This is done for safety reasons. If the hammer were to fall all the way down the pistol might fire. *The hammer should NOT be left in the half-cock position for any period of time*. (Again for safety reasons) Finish fully decocking the pistol by using your thumb in the same way that you would on a 1911 or SA revolver."

The reason I replied is because if the pistol had a hammer drop safety it is perfectly fine to drop the hammer to halfcock and leave it there. The reply I received from the CZ Custom Shop confirmed it.


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## Glock Doctor (Mar 14, 2011)

Makarovii said:


> ....... The reason I replied is because if the pistol had a hammer drop safety it is perfectly fine to drop the hammer to halfcock and leave it there. The reply I received from the CZ Custom Shop confirmed it.


I'm not going to give you an argument on that remark. My point is that after a lifetime of using lever action rifles with exposed hammers, and 1911's with half-cock notches (Most of them Series 70, or earlier) I, personally, am not comfortable using a half-cock notch as an active safety.

As already pointed out the existence of a trigger disconnector on modern 1911 pattern (and formatted) pistols can change this; but, long experience with firearms has taught me that gun safeties are fickle sorts of things and can be defeated by all sorts of different things like: height of fall, angle of fall, aerial rotation, and vibration.

I realize modern CZ pistols have disconnectors in them; my point is, ....... so what! After a lifetime of being trained to not use the half-cock notch on rifles and pistols as a safety I'm not about to change my habits now. To illustrate the point here are a few statements from the CZ 75 Owner's Manual:

"Safety Stop on the Hammer 
A half-cock safety notch is on the hammer so as to prevent it from striking the firing pin 
when the hammer is manually cocked, and a thumb could slip. When the hammer is on the 
safety stop, it is not leaning against the firing pin stop, but its position is further back." 

"Firing Pin Safety 
The firing pin safety keeps the firing pin blocked until the trigger is pulled. This safety 
device minimizes the risk of accidental discharge through mishandling such as when a 
loaded pistol is dropped." 

"Decocking 
Serves for the lowering of the hammer from the cocked position to the hammer safety 
notch position. There is no necessity to manipulate the trigger and hammer manually. This 
device is especially useful when a cartridge is loaded in the chamber. In this state, when the 
hammer is decocked, the pistol is safe for all normal handling and yet is ready for immediate 
use."

There's more! 

"Engaging the Safety Mode The version equipped with a decocking device is not covered in this section!" 

"Push the safety up to the Safety-On position (Fig. 5) until the red warning dot is 
covered. The safety in this position blocks the trigger mechanism and slide, thus preventing 
the pulling of the trigger and operating the slide. The safety can be engaged only when the 
hammer is cocked, and for this reason it is applied especially in the case of a short-term 
interruption of shooting." 

"Besides the method previously described it is possible to put the pistol into a safety 
mode and still be ready to fire immediately:" 

"Load the pistol. Grasp the grip, POINT IN A SAFE DIRECTION. With thumb press on 
the grooved area (thumb piece) of the hammer, pull the trigger and release the hammer 
slowly ahead (Fig. 6) until it rests on the action or safety thumb of the hammer. Release the 
trigger. Practise this operation very carefully to avoid an accidental discharge! We strongly 
recommend to practise this operation beforehand with the pistol unloaded!" 

"In this state the pistol is safe for all normal handling and at the same time ready for 
immediate use. The design of this handgun incorporates the feature that the manual safety 
can not be applied when the hammer is not cocked to avoid reducing the readiness of the 
pistol for use by accidental engaging of the manual safety." 

"Please remember that the safest way to secure a pistol is to unload it and store it in a 
safe place!" 

https://czusamedia.s3.amazonaws.com/files/cz75_en.pdf Pages 22 - 25.

This discussion is beginning to rely too much on semantics. CZ appears to confirm what I've been saying; and, nothing I've read so far has changed my mind, or would convince me to give different advice. Whether the particular component is called a, 'disconnector' or a, 'safety block' it remains an ancillary mechanism to the half-cock notch. Since I was 9 years old I've been trained NOT to use half-cock notches as safety devices.

As I said, I realize semiautomatic pistol components are constantly being modified and changing; but, nothing I've read or seen has convinced me to change how I've been trained to use half-cock notches. I know the disconnectors and safety blocks are there; but I, also, know that any mechanical safety can be defeated.

If this makes me old fashioned, or overly cautious, so be it. (No hard feelings; I'm not arguing with anyone. This is simply how I handle all 1911 pattern and other closely formatted pistols.)


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## Makarovii (Nov 13, 2013)

To the original poster (OP) I apologize. This thread was derailed some time ago. Glock Doctor and I missed the whole point since donsonmi's CZ has a manual safety not a hammer drop safety, our discussion is mute.


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## Glock Doctor (Mar 14, 2011)

'Glock Doctor' hasn't missed anything in years. 

Subtle model differences aside, here's something that may shed more light on this discussion. (It, pretty well, echoes everything I've said about CZ pistols with, or without, half-notches on the hammer.) CZ75B: half cock purpose? [Archive] - The Firing Line Forums


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