SP01 with narrowed SP01 Shadow hammer

[DCSigCZ]

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. 

Edited September 11, 2020 by DCSigCZ
added “(safety version)“

[KlausN]

I have 75 shadow with the CZC hammer, 85 combat trigger and the short reset Kit and I also have a stock sp01 shadow. It is not the exact comparison you are looking for but while the CZC internals and work make the gun better I only notice the short reset as a difference while shooting a match.  Yes, it has less SA creep and a slightly better, smoother DA pull which is noticeable at home  but not so much shooting a match. The short reset on the other hand does help some depending on your trigger pull technique.   smoothing the hammer strut and polishing the spring top, bottom and inside will help and is free. 

[DCSigCZ]

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? 

[Nic_USPSA_C]

If you want to keep cost down and want to try something you could try the following:

 

What I have done to improve trigger pull and reset on a factory hammer is to remove the hammer from the gun.  I took a piece of thick black metal banding and set it against the sear hooks on the hammer.  I used a file and I filed the hooks down to the banding.  The banding ensured that I did not remove the hook and that I kept it consistent.  
 

Once done the hooks were half as deep, required the sear to travel half as far before the hammer drops.  This results in a shorter trigger pull and a lighter trigger pull.

 

If you screw up the hammer you will have to buy a new one and that is when you get the race hammer.

 

If you order a race hammer the first thing you will notice is that the hammer hooks are not but as deep as the factory hammer ones are.

 

 

[DCSigCZ]

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...

[Nic_USPSA_C]

11 minutes ago, DCSigCZ said:

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...

That’s what I was always worried about, that is why I placed a piece of metal banding under the hook.  As long as I filed down to the banding I knew there was still a hook left.  The black colored banding also lets you know when you file down to it as the paint starts to get removed.  Keeping the banding under the hook has worked for me.  This keeps the depth of the hook consistent across the Hammer.  I just filed straight across the hammer, it creates a flat or straight area but it has worked for me numerous times.

 

I do not do anything to the sear.

 

[DCSigCZ]

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. 

[KlausN]

To polish the inside of the hammer spring I used a qtip cut in half. It will disintegrate but it fits well. On the hammer strut I took off the sharp corners and made it more rounded.  Polishing and rounding the hammer strut as well as polishing the spring ends and the trigger bar made the da pull smoother and it was free    

[DCSigCZ]

41 minutes ago, KlausN said:

To polish the inside of the hammer spring I used a qtip cut in half. It will disintegrate but it fits well. On the hammer strut I took off the sharp corners and made it more rounded.  Polishing and rounding the hammer strut as well as polishing the spring ends and the trigger bar made the da pull smoother and it was free    
 

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.

[GeneBray]

Shoot a SP01 in Production and have for 8-10 years.  Purchased from Matt Mink at the start so not a lot to do.  He did the the trigger work on the pistol and it is great.  Good enough I never installed the CGW short reset and reach reduction kits until recently.  The CGW products do improve the trigger without a doubt.  But, it won't move me up a division anymore than the trigger job from Matt Mink is holding me back.  Neither is the case.  That said the CGW kits are a significant improvement to the trigger. 

 

Other changes:  Competition hammer, low profile fixed sight.  I put thin CZ Customer grips on the pistol with grip tape, and moved mag release to right side, which I prefer.  Fixed rear works fine for me with 115, 124/125, and 130 gr. bullets.  POA/POI do change with 147s and higher so you would need a different front sight of proper height if your preference is heavier bullets.

 

I used internal wear to determine where to polish and smooth the action.  Now, there are good video guides on what, where, and how to do the polishing.  Had my pistol before those came available.  Use them as a guide and pay close attention to what they say NOT to do.  There are good reasons for their comments.  Follow them.  

 

Lightened the trigger return spring by bending and trial and error.  Takes time for improved the trigger.  Played with main spring weights.  Have used 8 1/2 lb with Federal and CCI primers without issues.  Didn't have Winchester at that time so don't know.  There were occasional FTFs with the 8/1/2 lb.  However, a second strike DA the gun always went bang.  None-the-less, I am now using an 11-11 1/2 lb. main spring.  A slight increase in DA from from low 4sby two- four ozs.  YMMV.  If using a 8 1/2 lb MS then seat primers deeper.  Typically, I seat to 0.003-0.004". With the lighter MS 0.005-0.006".

 

After a horrible experiences, I will never use Wolf or Tula primers for completion and have doubts about other applications.  Simply too many FTF and even after multiple strikes.  That with the lighter MSs and deep seated primers.  With a 13# MS, they may work more reliably but they are strictly emergency/last resort for me and my SP01s based on experience to date.

 

Lightened the FPB spring.  After reinstalling the FPB with the USPSA rule change several years ago, I did feel the FPB during some dry fire drills, but never in a match.  It might add a oz. to the pull.  For me, even with the lightened spring there I can tell it is installed in the pistol during some dry fire exercises.  Never in a match.    

 

No fiber optic on the front.  I am one of the weird people who either do not or can not shoot a FO front sight well.  I do better with straight notch and post.

 

Use stock SP01 mags and the originals now have 69-70K fired using them and who knows how much wear with dry fire.  They just work.  I know people swear Mec_Gar are the only way to go.  My experience is stock works as well.  Your decision.  Make one and stick with it.  Base pads.  Still using stock.  No issues.  https://www.henningshop.com/cz_parts_pr-10024.aspx is a good source for base pads.  Think more for Me-Gar than stock.  And, as I am certain you know there are a lot of others who make good base pads.  

 

My SP01s run reliable on everything I stuffed into them from 95 gr RN to 147 RN, JHP, and FP -- 95, 100, 115, 124/125, 130, 135, and 147s.  RN, JHP, and FP.  COL is typically 1.13" to 1.16" COL.  A lot of people complain about short CZ 9 mm chambers.  I don't think that is an issue.  The real issue is bullet profiles are not the same between manufacturers for the same form factor (RN, JHP, FP, etc) and same bullet weights.  See if you can find the article "Bullet Design and Feeding Reliability in Semi-Automatic Pistols" by Brad Miller somewhere on-line.  Should be required reading for reloads of pistol ammo.  If you cannot locate the article, contact me through the forum and I will send you the pdf.  My preference is Precision Delta 124 gr. RN  bullets, Titegroup and WIN, CCI, Federal, Remington primers. Anything but Wofl and Tula except as last resort.  There are a lot of good powder for 9mm.  I prefer faster powders Titegroup and N310.  Have used N310, Titegroup, Titewad, Clays, Bullseye (really old Bullseye not current manufacture), Solo 1000, WST, HP-38, N320, and Win 244.  Always come back to Titegroup, N310 or N320.  Would use the Vit powders if not so expensive.  Cleaned and feel as soft to me when firing.  (Guess that list of powders makes me a Hodgdon snob.  LOL!  They do make good powders but nothing wrong with other powders on the market.  Find what you like, work up a good load that makes PF and stick with it.  If it good enough, don't waste time and money to try and find something better or chasing the latest "this is the latest cats meow load -- it shoots one hole at 50 yds. free style out of my gun."  It probably doesn't.... Remember. better and best is the worst enemy of good enough.  Spend your time and money on practice, coaching, and training.

 

An nearly forgot, after settling on a bullet and powder, play with recoil spring weights to determine what works best for you.  There will be one or two recoil springs where with your load and those spring weights the gun feels better, and sights return to target in the same place faster, meaning., the gun shoots flatter meaning less muzzle flip and dip.

 

This got way longer than planned and I am probably telingl you a ton of stuff you already know.  My apology. No intent to sound as if talking down to you.  Just giving you my experiences.

 

Hope this is helpful.

 

P.S.  Worlds worst proof reader.  Read what I meant to type, not what I typed.  Hopefully, I caught all the really bad typos....

 

P.P.S.  Sorry missed the "SSP legal" in you original post.  I don't think any of the changes listed would move you out of SSP but honestly do not know.  Hope there are at least a few tidbits of wisdom to help you ....

 

 

Edited September 12, 2020 by GeneBray

[DCSigCZ]

@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. 

[GeneBray]

You are welcome. Happy to do my best to answer questions when/if you have any.


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[GeneBray]

You are welcome. Happy to do my best to answer questions when/if you have any.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk