DCSigCZ

@philmadxxvery thorough data with interesting lack of velocity variation. Thank you. I’m on my way to Academy to hopefully pick up the new Milspec 9mm ammo that has a claimed velocity of 1340 so I can include it in my velocity test. I also have a few handloads left to run. @Dirty_Jthat is a beauty. Well done.

@SteelCityShooterI really appreciate the velocity data. A few observations: as you mention, it seems that Titegroup is a faster burning powder, as one would expect since it’s a pistol competition powder. It’s quite interesting that the factory round had about twice the increase in velocity as the Titegroup rounds had - 223 fps vs. 98 and 136 fps. Of course, the Blazer is also 115 grain. Being a lighter projectile, it’s more sensitive to powder, burn rate and length of time the force of combustion is applied so it seems logical that would be the result. What do you think?

Ah, good logic @Nathanb. I hadn’t considered the benefits of using it as a suppressor host. Great point.

I have a Scorpion PCC with 16” barrel that has all HBI upgrades and a Yeti grip upgrade. I have a series of questions that will help me decide, “Is a PCC REALLY worth having and why?”. I am doing this because I am deciding whether or not to keep it or sell it. Note - I do not compete in PCC. That being said, please do not reply with “Just sell it.” There are other uses for a PCC and I am evaluating if any of them make it worthwhile for me to keep it. Aspect #1) I haven’t yet chronographed it to know how much faster the bullet velocity is out of its 16” barrel versus my 5” barreled pistols. I am trying to get to the range this weekend to do that and will post my results. That being said, if you have velocity data for any 16” PCC firing 9mm ammo, what velocities have you measured? Please reply with ammo brand, grain weight and velocity measured. If you reload and are comfortable doing it, please share your load data. I’ll go on to Aspect #2 after answering this velocity question. I hope others are interested in the same aspects of a PCC and will also benefit from this topic. Thanks in advance!

Along the lines of what @gerritmsaid, I like the Vortex Strikefire. It has a 30 mm tube and 4MOA dot. It also has a Kill Flash option which helps shooting into the sun as well as mitigating flash produced by the objective lens. I find that the huge 30 mm tube and 4 MOA dot are great features. They provide a wide field of view and the 4 MOA dot can turned up for closer work and turned down for far away work. At low brightness it is still very visible and acts like a 2 MOA dot.

I was interested in electronic earplugs for a while, they became necessary when I started shooting rifle because my earmuffs got dislodged when they hit the stock of my rifle. I know I could use regular old foam earplugs, they work well when I’m shooting by myself, but I was scheduled to take a two day rifle class and I needed to be able to hear the instructor clearly when he spoke without taking my earplugs in & out dozens of times per day. When I started looking at electronic earplugs, I was disappointed they cost so much. Then I saw a Midway USA email with an affordable pair = $39. We get what we pay for is an accurate statement. There are also times when we run across a great value and that was the case for me with these electronic earplugs. Note 1 - I have no affiliation with Midway USA, I’m simply trying to help out fellow firearms enthusiasts. Note 2 - What follows is a message I sent to a relative. When I copied and pasted it here, it increased the font size and I can’t figure out how to reduce it using my phone. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1020574653 are again on sale for $39. They are rechargeable and advertised as having a 15 hour battery life. I’ve used them for as long as 8 hours and they were still going strong. I agree with their 3.6 star rating. To me, that means they are good and work as advertised. I found it interesting that this pair was rated higher by those who purchased them than by those who purchased most of the other, more expensive electronic earplugs on the Midway site. They are not fantastic, but those that might be fantastic and rated at 4-5 stars can cost $250-$450. Again, I am very happy with these. The best feature of this pair is their very high 29dB noise reduction. I leave them turned on except when I am around extreme rifle blast like next to a guy with a compensator on his rifle or when shooting between walls at a match. I turn them off at those times, then turn them back on as soon as that shooting stops. The 29dB sound reduction rating does its job really well when they are off. On the other hand, their ability to magnify sound when needed is also good. The cons about this pair is that my own voice sounds “scratchy” when I talk and once in a while they have a little electronic squeal to them. To fix the latter, I just take a second to turn them off and then turn them back on again. In high winds, wind noise is notable, but I haven’t found that to be a problem. While typing this, I just realized I can look for some small porous foam to put over the outside barrel of the plug to mitigate that if it ever gets to the point that I must. Bottom line, they are not awesome, but to me they are 80% of awesome and getting that for $39 is absolutely perfect for me.

Thank you for the wise advice, Boudreaux78. I came to this part of the forum looking for insight after being DQ’ed for the first time since starting to shoot matches in 2011. We were walking down a rope corridor with targets on each side as we made our way down the corridor. I lost track and questioned whether or not I had shot one target so I turned and did a make up shot and in doing so broke the 180. I feel horrible about that and very disappointed in myself. Your post about focusing on what to do instead of what not to do makes perfect sense and seems obvious after reading it. I am going to be “gun shy” for a while, but being extra cautious while remaining positive is a good thing. I’m doing my best to burn into my brain to make myself stop and evaluate my position every time I think I may need to “back up” in a stage.

@GeneBraythat is a comprehensive reply. I know a fair amount of what you say and did not know some of it. I am still digesting it all. I particularly agree with using the points of contact/wear indications as the identifiers of where to polish. And I am newer to reloading so I already do exactly what you say - I have arrived at a “recipe” of bullets, powder, primers and OAL that work and I am just running with it. With regard to OAL, I have a notably shorter OAL with Bayou TCG billets for my CZ SP-01 than what the OAL would be with round nose. I note other guys longer dimensions, but I know what passes my plunk test and my dimensions are what my pistol needs. And then I run the same rounds in my Sig - I don’t use a different ammunition “recipe” for my different pistols. Another point I agree with = I am not trying to be a pistol sniper so I’ve never shot one ragged hole at anything greater than 10 feet. I once shot a clover leaf type hole at 10 yards while evaluating a load. That’s the recipe I use! Thank you for taking the time to type all the wisdom that you shared, as I mentioned earlier, I am still studying and pondering it.

Rounding the corners of the hammer strut does help, I first started doing that on raggedy hammer struts for P2XX Sigs as one aspect of my action enhancements. Same helps with CZs. Q-tip idea is good, I thought it would just explode but your experience is that it hangs together long enough . Now I can improve my main/hammer spring.

Excellent. Thank you, Nick, for sharing your experience based upon multiple instances and verifying what I thought could/would be the case. And for sharing your technique - filing flat across until you see the file contacting the steel band as evidenced by the witness mark on it.

Thank you for your reply, Nick. I have thought about doing that, however, I have always been leery of filing on the sear to hammer hook engagement points. I am pretty conservative and do not want to make the pistol inclined toward firing unless the trigger is consciously pulled. Without a fixture, I am concerned I will get the angle of the top of the hook incorrect. Do you find that is not a problem when filing with a good eye? How critical is the profile of the top of that hook? I have a good eye so I believe I am capable...

Thank you for confirming the performance of the short reset kit. I need to reduce the SP01’s reset so that it is as close as possible to the reset of my other pistols. Getting the reset distance for my pistols as dimensionally the same as possible enables me to shoot each more consistently because of muscle memory. I polish the hammer strut, but hadn’t thought of polishing the tops and bottoms of the hammer spring, I will do that. Regarding polishing the inside of the hammer spring: I have a kit of different cotton Dremel bits and will look in it to find one that has a small enough diameter to get inside the spring, if one exists. Then I will have to extend it out from the chuck as far as I can and hopefully reach halfway from each end. Is that how you do it?

That is very helpful, thank you for sharing your experience with the non firing pin block CZs. Logic says that firing if dropped has a higher probability of occurring with these pistols, but you have real experience with it.

I have an outstanding SP01 (safety version) that I shoot in SSP only. What is your experience with this pistol after installing the CGW short reset kit and narrowed SP01 Shadow hammer in this pistol? My hypothesis: - The Shadow1 hammer will get rid of the creep Inherent with the stock SP01 hammer. - The short reset kit will help notably. Background: I have already installed reduced power springs, an extended firing pin, Dawson sights, Lok grips and polished the action. - Are there any other enhancements/upgrades for a SP01 (beyond the two already listed) that will make it better while remaining SSP legal? Background: You can see I have some experience with this pistol, but I have met others with MUCH more so I am asking for wisdom based upon your experience. Also, please don’t recommend “just get an SP01 Shadow” because that is simply not an option. Thank you, in advance.

I generally use Lucas Grease on the rails and the barrel. If it is really cold or a mechanism needs lighter lube (like the slide of my TX22) I use EWG (Extreme Weapons Grease). - The Lucas is from Lowes, it’s the same grease as packaged for firearms (just a different color) but you get a lifetime supply for $9 Instead of 1 ounce for $15. - The EWG is amazing because it is genuinely carbon averse and can be used as grease or instead of oil when applied sparingly. - The Lucas is heavier duty but attracts carbon. - I bought blunt tip syringes from Amazon to fill with each grease so I can apply each exactly where I need it to be. I tried to attach one photo of each but they are too large.

The striker assembly contains two tiny springs. The Safety Lock Spring is a V shaped spring and the Striker Reset Spring is a minute cylindrical coil spring. My memory is nagging me that some Forum Folks said that Sig may have discontinued the use of the Safety Lock Spring, but I cannot recall for certain. It’s not in the Manual, but our Armorer Class Instructor stated that the Striker Channel and Striker Assembly should be disassembled and cleaned every 5,000 rounds, then re-assembled DRY. That makes sense due to the carbon from powder ignition. Here is the Parts Replacement Schedule SIG published in 2016: - Extractor Spring 20,000 rounds - Extractor 20,000 rounds - Striker ASSEMBLY (the whole thing) 20,000 rounds - Takedown Lever 20,000 rounds - Slide Catch Lever, Slide Catch Lever Spring and Post 10,000 rounds - Trigger Bar Spring 10,000 rounds - Magazine Spring when the mag fails to lock the slide open. Many of those round counts sound conservative, e.g. the Slide Catch components, but the above is what’s Sig says to maximize reliability. Finally, no replacement schedule was provided for the 4 springs in the Sear Housing Assembly, the Sear or the Safety Lever.

I need to get home to my Armorer’s Manual. As soon as I crack it open tonight, I will reply with that info.

If you plan to remove the striker to clean the channel, be careful with the striker assembly because there is a very tiny spring under the safety lever. One general tip - do not lube any of the trigger action parts back in the sear housing. I thought moving parts should be lubricated to prevent wear, correct? In the case of the P320 it is not necessary because of the plating on the parts. In addition, it makes the P320 reset very muted (not crisp, dull).

Do go to the range and sight it in. The rear sight will probably seem quite high, that is normal for most people. Try your different recoil springs while you sight it in and determine which spring returns your sight picture to target the fastest with your grip. As mentioned earlier, many are using the 12 lb spring. I have found that a slightly heavier spring returns my sights to target more quickly. Enjoy your very fine pistol - I love shooting my CZs but my friends who watch me during our matches say I shoot my SIG flatter and I am placing higher now.

Thank you for the excellent explanations, Randy. I’d like to sample your system. I know you are in AZ, but are you going to be at any shows or other events in the Houston, TX area where folks can try your products in your booth or on a range? I mention the range because I know of two Country Club gun facilities (meaning VERY high end) in the area and hope there is a small chance they may invite you during a special range day try and buy event.

Is the material on the ramp the same as the slide coating? If it is, if it were mine I’d simply polish the ramp without removing the bump/jump and test fire that. Removing the extra friction on the ramp may be the problem and the fix for that is an easy one.

I was looking for an alternative to the GG and Apex sleeve. Hadn’t found one until I saw your post. Thanks for sharing, especially with regard to the spring length requirement.

Thank you for sharing the dimensions and results, quite helpful info.

There’s a lot of anecdotal info here about recoil springs and guide rods, along with many questions, some due to the Legion acting differently than the original XFive. If you’ve figured it out, good on you. If other folks want data to decide, I provided characteristics to measure to capture what works and prevent trial and error. I also offered to help by recording data to see if results are consistent. If people aren't into that, that’s fine too.

To get some criteria with which to quantify the springs that actually perform reliably in our pistols, so we can then identify and purchase replacement & additional springs that will also function reliably, regardless of supplier, we need to capture the following data points for each lb. rating of spring that works well: 0) Pistol model - P320 XFive or Legion XFive 1) Spring supplier. 2) Supplier’s rating of the spring (generally in pounds). 3) The actual number of coil turns in that spring. 4) The diameter of the wire of that spring if it is round, or the ribbon thickness if it is flat wire 5) the Bullet grain weight and Power Factor of the load shot successfully with that spring. 6) We can also measure the free length of the spring, but that is really a ballpark measurement versus a precision one because even two compressions of the spring can notably change that dimension. If the new, longer Sig springs seem to be an improvement in reliability, we should measure them and all other springs guys are using successfully. We can obviously share the data here. If you also PM me with your data, I will make a spreadsheet and record it in one place for us. Just be patient because I work long hours and don’t have a lot of free time. (There’s more measurements that can and should be taken, but that requires metrology labs and instruments so I’ve not gone into the Detailed Engineering Zone to spare you and keep this post shorter.)