TheGoatMumbler Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 The CZ75 trigger group is not as easy to clean as say a Sig P320 where the entire thing comes out in one piece. But with having to shoot whatever ammo you can find these days my CZ just gets nasty from the powder in box ammo. A friend of mine that has been shooting CZ's in competition for years gave me a tip from a guy that is a well known trigger builder in the benchrest community. He takes the grips off his Shadow, dry brushes and wipes off all the surface crap, then drenches the inside of the frame, trigger group, etc with lighter fluid and just lets all the nasty stuff run out the bottom. Wipes it down, let it dry a bit or blow it out with compressed air and repeat. When it runs clean you're done. Wipe it, let it air dry, lube as you normally would then reassemble. Since the lighter fluid is petroleum based it leaves a minuscule amount of lube in all the nooks & crannies. I've done this a few times and my CZ is as smooth as it ever was. I ran out of lighter fluid once and used Gun Scrubber and it wasn't nearly as smooth. This works for me but what do you think of this process? Can you sub the lighter fluid for odorless mineral spirits? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe4d Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 would do the same thing and be alot cheaper. I use mineral spirits and auto tranny fluid mix as a cleaner, and whatever was free as lube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ultimase Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 (edited) Auto electronic cleaners for the mass air flow sensors works fine as well. Edited March 23, 2021 by ultimase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CocoBolo Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 My go to cleaner is Brake Parts Cleaner. After using you need to lube the parts as all lube will be removed along with dirt and debris. Works well with the included tube on the nozzle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffz Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 I also use Brake Parts Cleaner in the spray can - Green Label. Be sure to use it in a ventilated area, the fumes are not friendly. I clean outside. It does an excellent job. I re-lube after cleaning. I first read that Wilson used it in their shop about 30 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M1A4ME Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 Be sure to wear safety glasses or monogoggles when using a spray cleaner. Brake fluid in the eyes burns like hell. Still don't know how I made it from the garage to the shower in the house without falling over something.... Be sure to use a spray lube afterwards as many spray cleaners completely strip the oil from the metal surfaces and they can rust quickly in the wrong climate/conditions. Then apply your usual lube and wipe off the excess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 17 hours ago, TheGoatMumbler said: The CZ75 trigger group is not as easy to clean as say a Sig P320 where the entire thing comes out in one piece. But with having to shoot whatever ammo you can find these days my CZ just gets nasty from the powder in box ammo. A friend of mine that has been shooting CZ's in competition for years gave me a tip from a guy that is a well known trigger builder in the benchrest community. He takes the grips off his Shadow, dry brushes and wipes off all the surface crap, then drenches the inside of the frame, trigger group, etc with lighter fluid and just lets all the nasty stuff run out the bottom. Wipes it down, let it dry a bit or blow it out with compressed air and repeat. When it runs clean you're done. Wipe it, let it air dry, lube as you normally would then reassemble. Since the lighter fluid is petroleum based it leaves a minuscule amount of lube in all the nooks & crannies. I've done this a few times and my CZ is as smooth as it ever was. I ran out of lighter fluid once and used Gun Scrubber and it wasn't nearly as smooth. This works for me but what do you think of this process? Can you sub the lighter fluid for odorless mineral spirits? I prefer brake cleaner, the pressurized can helps blast dirt out better and cuts through oil and grease better. But if you want to use a lighter fluid replacement you want to use Naptha, it is the same stuff. Different than mineral spirits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broadside72 Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 you clean your guns? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CocoBolo Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 My apologies when I said to use Brake cleaner, I grew up when there were no car seats, no seat belts or air bags, and we rode bikes with no helmets. Guys be sure to wear eye protection when spraying brake cleaner, and by all means don't do it over an open fire or while smoking a joint. They have a non chlorine version and it works just as well but it will still burn your eyes. And if you are doing a brake job use jack stands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackstone45 Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 How far do you guys disassemble your gun down to before cleaning with the brake cleaner? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 (edited) 34 minutes ago, Blackstone45 said: How far do you guys disassemble your gun down to before cleaning with the brake cleaner? I've done this style of "cleaning" with just the grips off. I spray the lower thoroughly and then rest it upside down on a rag and a surprising amount of junk can come out. But ideally I remove the barrel and recoil assembly from the upper. I remove the firing pin, spring and stop. I remove the the extractor and spring. Then I do a spray and wait of the upper. On the lower I remove the grips, the mag break, its pins, main spring. Then I remove the left hand safety to remove the entire sear cage. Then I spray the intact sear cage and all the remaining trigger internals. Giving everything time and orientation to drain the gunk out. Then a blast with air, a wipe down, a visual inspection, then a general all over spray lube and wipe. Complete assembly of entire gun, doing spot lubrication as you desire. While not truly a detail strip and clean it is far better than other wise and capable with most people's skills and tools. More than once I have seen gunk built up inside another person's CZ to the point it would no longer function. For the love of machinery, your gun is not a lawnmower. Please don't treat it as such. Edited March 23, 2021 by rowdyb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regor Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 Break cleaner really does an amazing job. I used it for the first time when I recently took down my Czechmate and needed to degrease the optic mount holes and decided to spray down the whole pistol; it did a far better job than 15+ minutes of scraping and wiping has ever done. The mag release screw looked brand new! Does anyone know if it has an impact on thread lockers like Loctite and Rocksett? Wondering if it's okay to use it on my Czechmates while leaving the optic mounts on or if that's a recipe for it coming loose the next match... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT_Schultz Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 I only use brake cleaner spray on the frame, to dissolve and blow out all the crap out the bottom without having to disassemble the thing. Even my P-10s, as easy as they are to detail strip, get hosed with brake cleaner. The front and rear inserts are held in the frame with roll pins bearing directly on the plastic frame and those holes will eventually enlarge from repeated disassembly. I never hose the slide with brake cleaner. It's too easy to detail strip it, particularly the P-10 slide which has no firing pin roll pin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe4d Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 doesnt do anything to loctite. Once set usually just heat does. I would caution use of some of these solvents around plastics or grips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHA-LEE Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 CRC QD Electronic Cleaner is my go to for deep cleaning all of my gun related items (Guns, Mags, Ammo, etc). It works just as well as Brake cleaner but its plastic safe, unlike most Brake cleaners. It is also not as smelly or fumes heavy as most Brake cleaners. It doesn't seem to attack or break down lock tight either. I also use Nitrile gloves with this spray cleaner to keep it from absorbing into my skin. You can find the CRC QD Electronic Cleaner spray in most Auto Parts or Walmart stores for about $5 a can. I can usually perform a full detailed strip, clean, inspection, lube and reassemble on my 1911/2011 pistols in about 15-20 minutes using the CRC QD Electronic Cleaner as that spray dramatically speeds up the cleaning process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moto_wrench Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 Aerosol cleaners are the way. Knock the top end off, remove the grips, take the lower outside and spray away. As stated above these true degreasers will leave a dry powdery finish so be sure to apply some fresh lube to required surfaces once it’s dry. And a strong second for the PPE of gloves and eye pro. The pressure in the CRC brand products cans in pretty high and some of their degreasing products are strong enough to actually pull oils out of your skin and leave you with some dry, peeling hands for a few days... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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