ExactlyMyPoint

Spoken in terms only a software engineer would understand.

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- Let me explain. No. There is too much. Let me summarize.
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- Be still, and know that I am God; Psalms 46:10
- You are God and that's just the way it is

Bline

Wow a CASE statment on a CCW forum... sheesh

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In God we trust, everyone else keep your hands where I can see them.

Rights are like muscles: If you don't excersise them they slowly disappear.

ccw9mm

RANGE REPORT #20 for the CZ P-01 9mm

June 21, 2008

This is intended to be an ongoing history of working my new CZ P-01 9mm compact pistol at the range. I will track the number of shots, jams/failures, goal while at the range, general comments on ergonomics and performance, and cleanings ... over the life of the pistol, from new. Each ~500rds or so, I will come back and post further comments as to performance, what I'm trying to achieve at the range sessions, how the gun's parts are holding up, how recent gunsmithing changes are working, and so on.

Hopefully, someone will find this useful, either when considering purchase of a P-01 or as a reference for reliability.


Gun: CZ P-01 9mm compact pistol. 28oz forged aluminum frame w/ steel slide, decocker, no safety, Browning-style tilt/lockup, plastic guide rod (though I've got a stainless FLGR now); 14-rd magazines.

Purpose: Daily concealed carry.

June 21, 2008 -- 20th range session since original purchase.

Note: Recent problem resolved, in which a screw loosened in the magazine release spring area, which then caused the trigger bar to fail to move the hammer at all. Deadly problem, but easily resolved. While it was in the shop, I had them give it the once-over.

• Goal -- Validate that the gunsmith's attentions completely corrected the "trigger bar" problem, and to get back into the swing of things with the CZ P-01. It has been too long. Second goal was to ensure exactlymypoint couldn't break it, as he seems to think he's been doing, lately.
  
  
• Initial Field Strip and Cleaning -- Cleaned with CLP, cleaned barrel with patches, then lightly oiled all mating surfaces. Squeaky clean.
  
  
• Feel -- Wonderful, as always. The P-01 is a joy to shoot. Light recoil, very little muzzle flip, points naturally, hits target at point of aim.
  
  
• Grip -- Still a bit large for my hands, but I've gotten used to it. With the "bite" provided by the custom Omega ebony grip panels, the gun is easy to hold and fire.
  
  
• Shots -- 6 magazines of Remington UMC FMJ "range" rounds, plus a couple magazines of DoubleTap JHP 124gr rounds. That brings the total to 3756 + (8x14) = 3868 rounds fired since purchase. Distances were all at ~6-9yds or so.
  
  
• Aim -- (I shoot left handed.) Quite a few fliers, but then I'm out of practice with the P-01. POI just a tad low/right of POA, which has been the case since purchased.
  
  
• Cleaning at Range -- None, given how few rounds were fired.
  
  
• Jams/failures -- Not one problem. No cycling, feeding, ejection or other problems. The ejected rounds could take an eye out, though, with how crisply and far they eject, but that's about the only "issue." Smooth as a good single-malt. Aaaahhhhhhh. Of course, not many rounds were fired, today.
  
  
• ExactlyMyPoint-O-Meter -- Not a chance. Not one single failure induced by him, despite his worst fears. Jinx is officially non-existent. Yaaaaaay!
  
  
• Cleaning -- After the session, field stripped and cleaned all surfaces with Break Free CLP, including patches through the barrel, magazine lips. Lightly oiled friction surfaces. It's time to replace all the magazine followers and springs, plus the main recoil rod and spring.

The only issues I have with the gun are minor ergonomic ones.

• Magazine Release -- Having knocked down the edges, it now fits well. Trouble is, the surface wasn't checkered, leaving it slick to the finger's touch. Bad, in a situation needing to quickly eject the magazine, if it slips. Time to order a new mag release button, but to get more specific about how little to knock down, then to ensure the surface is checkered again.
  
  
• Thickness of Grip -- Having smaller hands, I'm all for reducing the circumference of the grip. I can easily achieve this by simply removing a bit of the rear of each grip panel. They will still fit, but they'd be tighter into the gun.
  
  
• Stippling of front strap and back strap --This would make it perfect, I think. The grooves on the front strap of a stock P-01 are vertical, believe it or not. That's not conducive to the greatest amount of control. Stippling or "golf balling" would be just the ticket.

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Your best weapon is your brain. Don't leave home without it.
Reports: CZ P01 pt1, pt2.
Thoughts: Justifiable self defense.
Explain: How does disarming victims reduce the number of victims?
Tip: Use the <search> feature.

Sticks

I have enjoyed reading your range reports.

Just out of curiosity, an estimate of how many "dry fire" trigger pulls have you done up to the point of the loose screw?

3700 rounds for a carry weapon is in retrospect, quite a lot. That combined with dry fire pulls, that gun has had quite a workout before it's first internal malfunction.

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Sticks
Curiosity was framed, poor judgment killed the cat

A Government is comprised of a body of people notably ungoverned.

Three can keep a secret if two are dead

ccw9mm

Well, some would argue I've still got a screw loose, but that's another discussion altogether.

Hmmm ... well over 2000 dry fires, total, I'd say, since new. Somewhere along the line, I lost track of the exact number of these. That's nearly 6000 "fires," give or take.

I did a large number when I first bought it, then put ~1700 rds through it prior to sending to the gunsmith for tuning and an action/trigger job. Haven't done much dry fire work, lately, though I expect to continue that since the gun has now made it back from the smith's scan of the loose screw issue.

Yes and no. Many guns have an issue now and then. It's inevitable, if a gun is worked hard.

Mine is. I put about two-thirds range rounds through it, and about one-third carry rounds. Those are stout, being the DoubleTap 9mm JHP 124gr +P. On the mag release screw, I now know what to look for. It's simple to adjust and lock down again, should it ever back out. I wouldn't be surprised if this were the only real functionality problem I ever experience with the P-01. We'll see.

To keep things humming along, it's now time to polish up the stainless guide rods, again (as they're getting a bit scuffed); replace the recoil spring; replace all the followers and mag springs.

As for running a gun hard, I had a Browning BDM 9mm semi-auto through the 1990's and put nearly 40K rounds through it. It was the single most-reliable gun I've ever shot extensively, bar none. The last 10K rds had zero issues of any sort, and the 10K rds prior to those had nearly zero issues. By any standard, that's pretty darned good for a gun that had not seen a gunsmith since new. It had begun to feel a tad loose and "relaxed," but I'm positive this contributed to its reliability. A further 10K rds (to 50K total) would surely have seen some of the little internal springs give out.

Remember the BDM? It was one of the last "wonder 9's," making it to market just ahead of the AWB, which effectively killed it. Well, that and its funky design. I loved it. Indestructible. Nearing 40K rds, I ended up selling it to finance another purchase, partly 'cause I could not find anyone who wanted to work on it. Have since acquired another one and am eagerly punishing it to get it to the point where the last one was. And I still can't find anyone to work on it. *sigh* Gun work is tough, you know?

__________________
Your best weapon is your brain. Don't leave home without it.
Reports: CZ P01 pt1, pt2.
Thoughts: Justifiable self defense.
Explain: How does disarming victims reduce the number of victims?
Tip: Use the <search> feature.

Sticks

Apply a light coating of Harley tight.

Wonder if the initial gun smithing on the trigger work did not get it torqued correctly.

__________________
Sticks
Curiosity was framed, poor judgment killed the cat

A Government is comprised of a body of people notably ungoverned.

Three can keep a secret if two are dead