All-Gator

The pistol I would choose is the CZ75 SA in .40 cal. The mags usually hold twelve...but I'm sure they could be modified to be NY legal. Perhaps they have 10-rounders. A-G

Also, the old...but good..."ball and dummy" exercise: Just mix inert cartridges with live rounds. A-G

It's my understanding the frame of the CZ97 is the same as the TS frame...which is also shared with the CzechMate. If that's true, the magwell for the TS...or CzechMate...will do you. A-G

Check out the CZ Forum. There are several threads about how to do it.

This may be something everyone knows, but here goes anyway: Hold your finger at arm's length and look at it with both eyes open. You will see two fingers (everyone does)...one clear/bright with other being something of a phantom. Focus on the clear one and alternately close one eye at a time...the phantom will disappear when you view the finger with the dominate eye.. Now you know which image is from the dominant eye. Do the same with your sights and focus on using the clear one for your sight picture. Continue to do this and the phantom virtually goes away from your consciousness...the brain is a wonderful thing. You can assist your brain by having shooting glasses with a prescription lens that focuses the dominant eye exactly at the front sight and a prescription lens that focuses the other (non-dominant eye) at infinity. Again, the brain is able to combine the two desperate images together (although I have a shooting buddy who swears his brain refuses to do it...so, there you go) and you become unaware of the different foci. Do warn your opthamologist/optometrist that you will bring a pistol to the examination to establish the exact focal point for near vision lens. There are good physiological advantages to using both eyes open, so stick with it. A-G

Is the next generation to incorporate one of Briley's articulated rings into the bushing? I can't help thinking that John Browning really was a genius...and the concept designs of the 1911 will live forever.

I have a 75SA worked on by Mink and an 85C worked on by Stuart...both are beyond exceptional. However, I currently use David at Cajun Gun Works. Fantastic trigger and you can't beat the personal customer service. A-G

Micah, If you haven't already, the cajungunworks.com replacement trigger pin and reduced-power trigger spring are components that you may wish to purchase. A-G

For me, the only noticable difference between the two is the relief under the trigger guard and beavertail on the CzeckMate. This allows a higher grip...which I prefer. I plan to have this done to the TS .40 asap. Don't know how a competition hammer would change things. Both triggers are very crisp...which is more important to me. Really. A one-pound trigger! Wow!! A-G

+1 to all the above. David is one class guy!! A-G

Lawboy, The shape of the bullet has a lot to do with OAL. I far prefer to shoot JHP's...Zero's when I can get them. The curve on the Zero's is "fatter" (technical term) than the Montana Gold JHP's. And way "fatter" than the solid points of either brand...or the CMJ's. I don't use...never have...lead or plated bullets, so I have no info about them. Any way, the Zero's cause problems with the slide release mechanism and hits the lead much, much sooner. I wind up with much shorter OAL's than those reported above. I think you have to determine the OAL for YOUR choice of bullet, the brand of bullet, and YOUR pistol. Load a "way-long" (another technical term) bullet in a case with no crimp; chamber it; carefully extract it; measure it for length. This should tell you where YOUR lead begins for that bullet. Make sure they will function in YOUR mags and make sure they are clearing your slide lock button. Depending on your obtained OAL, choose a powder that complements the space in the brass. I've never had problems with a compressed load, but others don't seem to like it. These are things you may already know... A-G

Atlas My CzechMate came with three barrels (huh?) All with the same serial number as the frame and a kit to change it to an IPSC Standard configuration. All you have to do is take off the C-more, unscrew the comp (it's not glued on), slip on the provided front and rear sights, sight in, and you're off to the races. If I chose I could shoot it in Limited (minor). Go figure. A-G

Never! Thanks for all the info. I'm pretty much the opposite: a limited shooter playing with the compensated 9mm upper I made for my TS (just for the fun of it for now). I also get my middle finger crammed up on the trigger guard, but before I start carving up my TS, I've toyed with the idea of selling the TS as a 9Major gun and buying a Czechmate (swapping my 40 upper to shoot Limited). I don't reload right now (two sons in daipers so the time is not worth it to me), so 9Major is really a pipe dream right now, but I might shoot a match in 9Minor just to see. I wonder how many shooters bounce back and forth between Limited and Open? I should probably pick up a used Open gun, shoot it and pick one...

Atlas, I haven't modified the grips yet...with the exception on installing a (CZC) wide left-hand safety. The ergonomics suit me fine. I do plan to undercut the trigger guard and the beavertail on the TS .40 to make it identical to the CzeckMate. I prefer the higher grip. I'll probably remove that pathetic rolled checkering on both of them...only for aesthetic reasons. Both are much heavier (and noticably feel more sturdy) than the 2011's I've been shooting; both seem to suck up the recoil; and both return to point of aim. I basically am an Open shooter so that last point is important to me with the TS .40. Not sure what else to compare. As far as the OAL is concerned, it depends on the bullet I use. For years I've shot Zero 115 JHP's in a 9x23. I started off with them in the 9Major, but quickly turned to 125's loaded out only to 1.115 because any longer caused the bullet to foul the slide lock...even after modifying it. When I couldn't get more Zeros (who can?) I turned to Montana Gold 124 CMJ's. The different bullet profile allowed me to go to 1.120. This is over 7.6 grains of SP2 and WSR primers. While these OALs are to avoid fouling the slide lock, it also assisted in chambering with the short lead common to CZ's. Problems with chambering can be due to the above...ie, the bullet contacting the lead of the barrel. It gets in the chamber ...but not all the way. Also a stong spring in the mag assures that the bullet is waiting up and aligned while a weak spring may not get the bullet up (and waiting) for the slide. It hits the hood of the barrel and sorta "stove pipes." Increasing the dwell time of the slide at full lock will also give the bullet more time to get up and aligned. A weaker recoil spring can do this, but, of course, has to be strong enough to produce sufficient forward momentum. Sometimes a reversed progressive spring will be the solution. I think that got your questions. I hope it's not more than you wanted. A-G

I certainly have noticed that the CZ ejector comes into contact with the cartridge significantly later in the stoke than the clones I've owned (Tanfo, IMI) which have a definite point jutting forward into the breech, but failure to eject was not my problem, rather failure to feed which seemed to be caused by insufficient slide momentum going into battery. Since the removing the buffer fixed the problem, I assume the longer stroke helps the slide develop the necessary momentum. I probably could have solved the problem with a tronger recoil spring, but I feel like the one I have is the perfect weight to bring the muzzle back down on target, but not dip below. At some point I plan to lighten the slide, so then I'll be back to square one again. How does your Czechmate compare to your TS? Have you done any grip reduction on the TS? have you traded uppers to compare the frames? do you have OAL issues with 9Major loads? Sorry for all the questions(you don't have to answer them all/any if you don't want to), but you're the first owner of both I've come across. Sorry about this...fat fingers and the hit the wrong button.

Neo Thanks for the reply A-G

Neo Could you spell out the "variety of issues" (problems) with using the buffers? I made some comments in the thread below (Shooting the TS) and I really am interested in this topic. A-G

Bat That's the idea...it's simple and effective: Just file/grind down the length to fit. Don't know about the #9 pin. Sorry, no pix. A-G BTW: A stable cage is pretty much required for triggers of two pounds or less. Otherwise, it's not really necessary.

PM sent

OK, first, I'm a newbie to CZ's. I keep reading many complaints about the use of shock buffers. So, here's a comment...and a question: For many years (and do mean many) I ran shock buffers in my open 2011-style pistols solely to shorten the slide stroke. Any ejection problems were easily corrected by installing a tuned extended ejector. Currently, I'm shooting a CzeckMate without a buffer and a TS .40 with a buffer. No problems with either...and at my age (older than dirt!) my splits have slowed to the .20-range so a shortened slide stroke isn't a necessary or significant consideration. Anyway, what's the problem with buffers and CZ's? Is it maybe just that the ejector on the cage is too short? Is it related to shooters with low-split times? Is it something that I'm too new to CZ's to know about... a case of I don't know what I don't know? Anybody? A-G

David at Cajun Gunworks can supply you with an extended hammer pin retaining peg that will stabilize the cage. It will have to be fitted by filing...but is no big problem. BTW, David is one fine fellow. A-G

Java, It's hard...if not impossible...to diagnos from afar, but here's some possible suggestions. What you are describing is not really a flinch...it's a jerk. Many times this is a matter of concentrating on seeing a proper sight picture/alignment and then thinking "I've got to fire NOW!! One correction is to accept some "wobble" (of course, the less wobble the better) and concentrate on proper trigger technique, ie, surprise yourself when it goes off. You may try to increase the grip of the off hand. Many recommend a 60/40 split...or even more. This will free up the trigger finger. Make sure there is a decernable gap between your trigger finger and the frame...even if you are using mostly the tip of your trigger finger. A-G

Just a historicl perspective FYI...this rule came into effect at a time when 38 caliber ammo was being developed. One would encounter very light bullets (eg, down to 105gr...even 95gr) at hyper speeds (eg, up to 1700 fps)in unsupported chambers in a variety of cases (eg, 9x25, 9x21, 38Super, etc.). Remember the Power Factor was 175. Severe cratering of steel, extreme splatter, and "super face" (ie, brass bits in the face from rupturing cases)were often the result. Ranges began to protect their equipment..and shooters...by imposing limits of velocity, etc., and declared such ammo as "unsafe." (And it was!)

I use a .223 plate for the 9mm....380's will fit it. A-G

A note to 9Major open shooters: As MM noted above you can never be careful enough. Last Sunday I let off a .380 Major (9.6g of SP2 behind a 125JHP). Obviously the extractor was holding it against the breechface...this means there was at least 2 mm of totally unsupported case was not in the chamber. The resulting Kaboom was dramatic but with luck caused no harm. After changing my shorts I continued shooting. I've been reloading for about 50 years...and 9 Major for the last five...and am not careless. But it happened for the first time...hopefully for the last time. A-G