The Original CZ Forum
CZ PISTOL CLUBS => CZ CLONE CLUB => Topic started by: guy sajer on August 09, 2007, 05:45:08 PM
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I just picked one of these up . It's the full size 9mm and appears to have been fired 50-100 rds tops . Very little wear on slide rail finish . Barrel locking lugs still sharp .
Can I expect the same 100% reliabilty that my CZ's have shown ? I've never owned a clone .
What mags can I use ? Only Witness ?
Thank you .
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Similar reliability to your CZ. Any mag that works in a Witness, Tanfoglio, or CZ should work in this (if comparable frame size.)
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Thanks Walt .
It looks well made . I recalled that FIE guns had somewhat of a negative reputation back in the 80's . I'll run a few mags through it tomorrow before it gets too hot outside . It's been an oven here in OH for the past week .
Have a good weekend .
Mitch
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guy sajer........ Welcome to our site. You have a rare gun in the Custom 90 Made by Tanfoglio right before the brand become the Witness. The guns were hand fitted and as good if not better than the Witness. I own one and know of two others, all in 9 mm. This is one of my most prized handguns. Let us know how it runs. R S
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Thanks for the good news and the welcome RS
Been a member for awhile , but haven't posted much on the CZ board . Mostly the C&R Forum .
Sounds like the best $150 I've spent on a pistol
I'll report back .
Mitch
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Sounds like I finally picked up something with a bit of obscurity to it. I latched onto one of the Custom 90's a couple of years ago in a shop's used gun display case. If my memory serves, the price was $325 or so out the door.
Thanks for some history on the one that I own.
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Runs great . I think I will replace the recoil spring for good measure though .
The MecGar mags look promising . I'm going to order one and see how it fits .
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guy sajer....... $150 for a Custom 90!!!! With luck like that can I hang out with you?? Good idea on replacing the recoil spring. The factory spring is 14 lb. way to light for all but the lightest of loads. I run 18 lb springs in my 9mm unless I am shooting +P+ then I go to 20 lb. Take care, R S
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Thanks .
I was considering giving cz a call and ordering the factory spring . Should I look elsewhere ?
What's that saying ? ... "Even a blind hog ... "
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CZ won't have the parts. Check with EAA (Witness); they carry many parts for the older Tanfoglio guns. If the parts lady can help you, you'll be treated well. If you have to deal with a gunsmith/technician, be prepared for problems.
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guy sajer.......By far your best bet is Wolf Springs, order the full size spring that fits the Tanfoglio handguns. www.gunsprings.com R S
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Of course. I was thinking other parts.
If you have a small-diameter guide rod, rather than the larger ones that come in more-modern Witnesses, you can also use the Wolff Browning Hi-Power recoil springs.
They fit the smaller guide rods better than the EAA guide rods that most buy for their CZs. Same basic spring in a smaller diameter. Its what I use with my CZs, now, rather than the Witness springs that Wolff shows as standard for CZs.
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Walt...... A side note.. It is my understanding the "gunsmith at EAA" built the Custom 90's. The work I have seen Paul do has been top notch, but I would not go to him for extra power recoil springs. I get the feeling he would like the Witness's to remain as the factory ships them. Hay have a good day. R S
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Have not had to bother putting heavier recoil springs in any of my Tanfoglio 9mm's. The original Tanfoglio Springs, while rated at 14 lb's tend to behave more like 15 lb's. 16 lb's is as heavy as I would tend to go and I use that weight in my older .45 Witness. Mainspring wear has to factor into that choice as well. On my newer 2004 vintage .45 Witness, the original Factory Spring has been entirely adequate. Since your FIE Mod TZ75 Custom 90 has had so little use, I would not bother to replace it's recoil spring, as yet. IMO, an 18 lb Spring would keep the action locked up too long, transferring more recoil to the shooter, unless the mainspring has been lightened. While I do have an 18 lb Recoil Spring on hand, the only time it gets installed is when I've used +P .45 ACP.
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Thanks for taking time for all these detailed replies !
Quote:
Since your FIE Mod TZ75 Custom 90 has had so little use, I would not bother to replace it's recoil spring, as yet.
The original as a "kink" or slight bend in it . I'm assuming the previous owner had problems reinstalling the guide rod .
My guide rod measures 0.273" dia .
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jwc007....Please explain how retarding the unlocking time of an auto pistol would increase the recoil. Thanks R S
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Now that you mention it, I'd like to see that explanation, too.
<grin>
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Please remember that Browning/SigPetter locking system was designed to partially absorb recoil, otherwise you could get away with just a Blowback Action and heavy springs. (Hi-Point Pistols are Blowback as are smaller calibered pistols.)
The longer the barrel and slide stay locked together/motionless, and the longer the duration of the barrel/slide motion to unlock, the more energy is transferred to the frame and thus the hand/arm of the shooter. (If the motion of the action is retarded too much, more energy will go to the shooter.)
Conversely, if the Barrrel and Slide move and unlock too soon, the Slide will impact the Frame Slide Stop shelf with more impact than is desired, also transferring more energy than is desired, to the frame, and then the shooter.
Somewhere in between these two conditions is a balanced action that allows optimum absorption of energy by the action, lessening recoil as much as possible, yet providing positive action. It will never be 100% efficient absorbing all recoil energy, but it can be optimized!
In my experience, I have found there was more recoil with an 18 lb recoil spring installed in my .45 Witness, than with the 16 lb recoil spring. Ammunition was standard WWB 230 grn FMJ.
In another 9mm Pistol (Taurus PT92) which had a worn Factory standard 13 lb recoil spring and a worn, but yet functional Main/Hammer Spring, I found that going to a 15 lb recoil spring significantly reduced recoil, yet did not harm cycling reliability. I believe that going to a heavier than 15 lb spring in that pistol (and I did try an 18 lb) would be overboard. (It did not feel right) Ejection was weak with CCI Blazer and my Match loads.
I did have a conversation with a Rep at Wolff, and he believed that most Standard sized 9mm Pistols tend to work better with Recoil Springs in the 15 to 16 lb range. Such Pistols with issue 13 lb springs tend to be "undersprung". (S&W, Browning HP, CZ, and Beretta/Taurus)
I have noted that some owners of original CZ's, here, have opted for Wolff 16 lb recoil springs in their CZ75B's.
As I have previously noted, Tanfoglio Recoil Springs, while officially rated at 14 lb.s behave more like 15 lb.ers and that may have more to do with the way that spring is made.
If one is unsure of what to install, I generally recommend staying within 2 lb.s of Factory Standard, unless you are contending with a 10mm or .45 Super, then all bets are off! A Wolff Calibration Pack is sometimes in order.
Also, if the Main/Hammer Spring is worn or decreased in normal strength, a heavier Recoil Spring is often installed to compensate, as the Hammer/Main Spring and Recoil Spring are additive.
Shadetree/Amatuer Gunsmiths often clip coils off of main/hammer springs to lighten DA Trigger pulls, only to find recoil increased, and down the road when the hammer spring wore, not enough energy to set off primers.
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jwc007.....You nailed it!!! This is one of the best explanation of the relationship between recoil spring to hammer spring I have seen. I hope you tag this and keep it in play.
How I test my guns to see if they are over sprung is to shoot weak hand only. If the gun cycles four are five Mags with out a failure to feed then I am happy with the spring weight. What say you?? R S
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Energy is being transferred long before the slide is fully locked. Transfer begins as soon as the slide starts to move.
(The spring must have a base against which to press, and that base must resist and take force...)
I think different weight springs change the "experience" of the recoil, the IMPULSE, spread it out so that it feels different.
I'd argue that too light a spring means that less is stored (so that less can be attenuated or have the impulsed "changed" or slowed), therefore more energy is passed to the arm and frame.
While you may be correct, from a theoretical perspective, I don't see how a heavier recoil spring can make for heavier felt recoil.
Where is a physicist when you need him (or her)?
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Walt.... Think about this if you had two rifles and both are identical except one was a bolt action and one was an Simi-automatic, most would agree that the bolt action will kick more. In fact they may have nearly the same recoil but the auto spreads its recoil over a longer interval thus being perceived more as a push rather than a kick. This must also apply to handguns.
In a perfect would an auto pistol would recoil the slide rearward to the point to where it would just touch the frame. Add more spring poundage and it will short cycle. Less poundage and the slide slamming into the frame becomes part of the recoil. Most slides weigh more than a 115 gr. 9 mm.
So I find no disagreement with you or Mr. 007.
In fact I believes this goes to the hart of understanding the care and feeding of the auto pistol. Thanks R S
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Think about this if you had two rifles and both are identical except one was a bolt action and one was an Simi-automatic, most would agree that the bolt action will kick more.
But, part of the force of the recoil is being used to operate the weapon. Its being put to work and dissapated in that manner. Doesn't the semi-auto rifle also output less force, too?
In either case, that doesn't explain why a heavier recoil spring allows MORE FELT RECOIL than a light one. While a part of the force is being dissapated in working the spring and being turned into heat, its only a very, very small, insignificant, part... and that should REDUCE felt recoil, not increase it.
In a perfect wo[r]ld an auto pistol would recoil the slide rearward to the point to where it would just touch the frame. Add more spring poundage and it will short cycle. Less poundage and the slide slamming into the frame becomes part of the recoil. Most slides weigh more than a 115 gr. 9 mm.
So I find no disagreement with you or Mr. 007.
Short-cycling doesn't address the issue of more or less recoil -- it addresses whether the gun functions properly and gets itself ready for the next shot. Let's ignore short-cycling.
The gun moves rearward with the same force when the cartridge is fired (equal but opposite reaction) regardless of the spring used. What happens next is what's different.
What none of this addresses is where the recoil goes and how it is experienced.
How do recoil reducers like the SPRINGCO work? They change the impulse, as I understand it -- spreading it out over a longer period of time. The recoil becomes a push rather than a quick jab. (Some of these devices have multiple springs, taking up different amounts of recoil at different times. Some have small amount of dense mercury to give more mass and increase inertia.)
I would argue that the recoil all goes into the gun and doesn't just magically disappear. You guys seem to be saying it just goes away. It can't. The spring stores part of it, but must do something with it -- and when it does, that's "work" that you feel.
The spring stores part of the force sends some of foward to cycle the slide when the slide hits the receiver stop. Part is felt going back, and part is felt going forward, but the going-forward part is less obvious. But the stored amount is different, depending on the power of the spring used.
If its a light recoil spring, part of the full force is stored and a larger part isn't -- and the part that isn't stored is felt immediately, in a heavier hit against the hand. With a heavier recoil spring, more is stored, and arguably felt on the slide/s return (but it's not generally noticed.)
That's why some of us think that heavier recoil springs are harder on slide stops (i.e., don't protect them, but may help damage them): more force is being pushed into the stop when the slide is returned than otherwise would be the case.
The part of this discussion that eludes me -- which is why I think we need someone who understand physics better than we do -- is the difference between NO RECOIL SPRING and a very, very heavy one.
What neither of you have explained is why a heavier recoil spring -- which still allows the gun to cycle -- and which, in theory (at least) stores more of the force for the slide's return causes more FELT RECOIL.
Doesn't the fact that more force is stored and returned with the forward movement of the slide an indication that LESS recoil must be passed to the hand during the rearward movement of the slide?
I think we're all struggling with the same issue, but none of the explanations seem quite satisfactory, to me.
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Walt......you and JWC007 both have expounded on a topic that I hope new shooter are paying attention to.
Let me be clear that I can find NO fault with your previous post and this one.
What may be tripping us up is the fact that there are two types of recoil. Perceived recoil and actual recoil (my terms ).
When you find someone who understands physics they will be working with actual recoil and will most likely tell us that the force used to launch a bullet will exert an equal rearward force on the launch platform ( the gun) and this will be unchanged by cycling of the firearm. I base this on my 9 hrs. of college physics, for from an expert.
To a shooter this is mostly worthless information. What is important is perceived recoil. I most strongly agree with you that the stronger the recoil spring the less perceived recoil,provided the gun cycles.
I agree that stronger recoil springs put more wear and tar on slide stops. New shooters take notice. You should not drop the slide with the slide stop on an empty chamber. Even a worse idea if you are running a stronger recoil spring.
to quote Russ Potterfield "I love this stuff" R S