Lior Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 Hi folks. I've owned a Czechmate Open gun for a few days. This is my fifth CZ (I also have a TS 9mm at present) and it seems to be an impressive gun. My first impressions follow: 1. The kit with which it comes is nice. The magazines still come with cheap plastic basepads and the fun stick has a weld mark in the middle rather than being a truly integral piece. Still, it is nice to have all the wrenches and instructions for dealing with the gun, mount, scope and comp. 2. Haven't gotten around to cleaning the gun yet. I did change out the right safety for a wide one (am a southpaw). The mount is a bit of a hindrance to accessing the left safety retention spring, but a bit of gymnastics later the gun was reassembled. A possible Achilles heel would be in detail stripping and extractor cleaning. Can the extractor pin be removed and replaced without having to unmount (and re-zero) the scope? Other cleaning tips given the said optic constraint would be welcome. 3. The Czechmate is a unicorn in my country (Israel). Bul is the most common make for open guns. We aren't allowed to reload here so I intend to shoot factory 115gr niner (Magtech, S&B, etc.). The recoil spring that came in the gun is probably designed for major loads and the gun didn't eject reliably with it installed. I put in the weakest CZ recoil spring in the gunshop before leaving, but after that was done the gun cycled without fault. 4. It's nice that the trigger guard is the same shape as that of the TS - no need to change my DAA RaceMaster holster insert. As I'm still dieting, I haven't gotten around to rearranging my mag pouches for Open Division yet. My front mag pouch is far behind the anterior superior iliac crest by now! Also commonality in slide stops and mags with the TS 9mm is an asset that I appreciate. 5. I don't have much shooting experience with Open guns, but got my C-More zeroed for 15 meters, which is the minimum range for shooting steels in Israel. Open Division is an amazing didactic tool for getting good feedback on shooting technique! It takes the guesswork out of shot calling and recoil micromanagement, but I don't have to tell you guys that. 6. Using a racker is somewhat new to me. I'm a leftie and I put the racker on the left side so that it would not hit my strong thumb riding the safety. This gives no benefit for tabletop starts and is more difficult to access than a "weak side racker". Is this the correct way to do things and is thumb clearance only a problem on CZ style Open guns? That's it for now. I'll try to share my experiences with this gun as they unfold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenixsomd Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 Congratulations on the new pistol. Looking forward to hearing more about your experiences with it Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneelingatlas Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 Great write-up! If you're going to be shooting factory ammo I suggest you remove the comp and use the front sight block instead, it will cycle better with any of the recoil springs, plus be less nose heavy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbyam22 Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 My czechmate with stock spring allows me to run factory/minor loads reliably. Yours might just need some break in and a little attention to some contact areas. I believe you'd be able to use a sidewinder slide racker. It's not a horizontal so it'd clear your thumb more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honkeymcgee Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 I have been meaning to do a write up on mine after a couple more matches. I too found that mine will run 124gr factory ammo fine. Sometimes it won't lock the slide back on the last round though. I'm a righty and I put my slide racker on the right for a couple reasons. -I can take the slide off without removing the racker or Cmore. -I don't have to worry if I accidentally raise my thumb to high(although I shot about 1000rds with it on the left and didn't have an issue). -The biggest one for me was because the racker has no angle to it I found it hard to engage the safety quickly from the holster. -Last is the fact that although it's a fraction of a second more time consuming to rack it on the weak side, if I'm having to use the racker in a stage enough that it's going to add up I probably have bigger problems to worry about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asimonp79 Posted August 6, 2016 Share Posted August 6, 2016 Lior has a new toy.... Enjoy it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbyam22 Posted August 7, 2016 Share Posted August 7, 2016 Also, I didn't really notice it until yesterday, my racker was off to the right as well, and it really didn't hinder how I was able to manipulate the slide, whenever I have a malfunction I always look at my firearm, and i normally cant the firearm to my weak side, which puts the racker in and easy enough place to manipulate with your pointer or pinky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lior Posted September 7, 2016 Author Share Posted September 7, 2016 (edited) Still experimenting with the factory racker. The verdict for now is keep it outboard of the strong hand, which makes unloaded tabletop starts more interesting. Am back to using the factory safety instead of the CZ Custom wide one, after building up epoxy and aluminum oxide on the grips. I found that the screws of the factory mount became undone after a while. Haven't Loctited them yet because I'm hoping to get a CC GunWorks 90 degree mount. In the meantime I still enjoy the option of running a Guga Ribas "gun parasol" on the C-more sight. As mentioned earlier, bouncing a red dot around makes it much easier to pick up mistakes in shooting technique than a front sight. Transitioning back to a Tactical Sports is a breeze. Other questions: 1. Besides the things that come in the factory box and batteries, are there any other must-have parts to lug around to matches? 2. Is it worth investing in additional factory big sticks? (I still like to call them fun sticks) 3. My rig is still configured for Standard Division. Is there any major benefit in having mag holders up front for regular (flush fitting) magazines? Edited September 7, 2016 by Lior Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunsen Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Enjoy the new toy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdd817 Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 For the racker, try the EGW Sidewinder. On my CM, it fit rather tight in the dovetail, no issues with it moving during firing. I have it set up on the left side of the gun and it curves up high enough that there's no concerns with it hitting my hands. Not sure how it would work with a 90 degree mount however, I run the CZ Custom RTS2 mount myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lior Posted September 7, 2016 Author Share Posted September 7, 2016 9 minutes ago, jdd817 said: For the racker, try the EGW Sidewinder. On my CM, it fit rather tight in the dovetail, no issues with it moving during firing. I have it set up on the left side of the gun and it curves up high enough that there's no concerns with it hitting my hands. Not sure how it would work with a 90 degree mount however, I run the CZ Custom RTS2 mount myself. This one: http://www.egwguns.com/1911-parts/sidewinder-slide-racker-w/set-screw/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdd817 Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Yup, that's the one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
target4fun Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 Nice write up. Id like to get my hands on more cz pistols to test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitestir Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 I have 2 Czechmates. On one I have a short Cheely racker and on the other I have the stock one. All I did was heat both of them and bent them to about a 45 degree angle. I am right handed and like them on the left side of the gun for table starts etc. I have no trouble engaging the safety and my thumb does not hit the racker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honkeymcgee Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 1 hour ago, kitestir said: I have 2 Czechmates. On one I have a short Cheely racker and on the other I have the stock one. All I did was heat both of them and bent them to about a 45 degree angle. I am right handed and like them on the left side of the gun for table starts etc. I have no trouble engaging the safety and my thumb does not hit the racker. That wouldn't work with a 90° mount, would it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitestir Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 No on the 90 mount.... I tried one and didn't like it. Went back to upright.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honkeymcgee Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 8 hours ago, kitestir said: No on the 90 mount.... I tried one and didn't like it. Went back to upright.... Do you still have it by any chance? If so me a PM. I'd be interested in taking it off your hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistolpete9 Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 What are your thoughts on the CM magwell? I think it looks nice, and I like that I don't need different baseplates to run it so I've been thinking about putting one on my TS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamge Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 Pistolpete, it works well. However you have to grind some length off regular TS grips to make room for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitestir Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 13 hours ago, Honkeymcgee said: Do you still have it by any chance? If so me a PM. I'd be interested in taking it off your hands. No, sorry sold it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitestir Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 (edited) 7 hours ago, Pistolpete9 said: What are your thoughts on the CM magwell? I think it looks nice, and I like that I don't need different baseplates to run it so I've been thinking about putting one on my TS It works well, but I prefer the big one that cz custom sells. Man if you miss that thing you have got problems! Lol. Edited September 14, 2016 by kitestir Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lior Posted March 7, 2017 Author Share Posted March 7, 2017 Since starting this post, I have been shooting the CzechMate mostly in Limited configuration. I had a 5.5 mm P09 front sight with fiber optic installed and the rear sight filed down accordingly. As a lefty, I've had magazine problems. As you know, the CzechMate and TS Oranges have deeper recesses behind the trigger guard. This brings the mag release next to the third finger of my strong hand, resulting in the mag frequently being ejected during recoil. I can remedy this either by filling the undercut behind the trigger guard with epoxy or by filing down the mag release, I guess. When I tried to reverse the mag release, most of my magazines failed to feed because of the way the holes are cut in the magazines and the rounds don't make it up the ramp. The older TS is much more southpaw friendly with its shallower undercut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamge Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 I'm a righty, but I filed down the mag release on my regular TS because it was cutting into my support hand's palm. Don't be afraid of filing the release, you can always get a new one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lior Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 On 3/8/2017 at 2:18 AM, adamge said: I'm a righty, but I filed down the mag release on my regular TS because it was cutting into my support hand's palm. Don't be afraid of filing the release, you can always get a new one. Adam, thanks for sharing this. After filing down my mag release, I was no longer dropping mags during shooting. Life is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lior Posted March 19, 2017 Author Share Posted March 19, 2017 To make sure that I would not drop magazines at inopportune moments, I went ahead and filled the undercut behind the trigger guard with epoxy to restore the frame's contour at this point to that of the TS. This moved my third digit a millimeter or so away from the mag release button. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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