Kadet, Pre-B, and/or CZ85

[cz9091]

Got someone who claims to have  kadet that will fit my pre-b cz85.  At first he made it sound like an "old original" what ever that means.  But upon second inquiry, it looks like a 1999 Kadet.
           
            My questions are if any one can answer them:
           
            1)  Is $260 cash a good price, high, low, medium?  (he said they are discontinued and hard to get)
            2)  Will it fit my pre-b 85?  No way, or with tailoring?  What kind of tailoring does the slide need?
            3)  Is it worth it, or should I just sink my 200+ dollars into a CZ97.
           
            Thanks,
            cz9091

[Pilot]

The Kadet Kit should fit the Pre-B just fine.  It may require some very minor fitting.  $260 is high for a Kadet Kit as most places offer them a $229 with two mags.  I know the CZ Connection has them as well as a few others.  Check the links.

[cz9091]

What does 'minor fitting' entail?

[mapdude]

He is feeding you a line of bullbleep.  My CZ 85 Combat has the Pre-B type firing mechanism and it works perfectly with the kadet because there is no firing pin safety in the 22 anyway.  I believe J&G or NorthEast sobody or other has them about $250 or less delivered and I would pony up for another mag or two because these kits eat ammo like it's going out of style.  Fitting is easy with a smooth stone or emery board.  Go slow and don't take too much off for a tight fit.  Some kits slide right on some frames.  The kits are still made and very popular.  Mags run about $25 each but the kit should come with two.  If your kit stovepipes, see my fix and you probably can eliminate that problem. mapdude

[JohnW]

There are two points on the slide rails and two points on the barrel block inside the slide that "may" need a bit of filing to allow the Kadet to fit smoothly onto your frame.  I say "may" because my first Kadet/CZ 75B combination fit perfectly right out of the box, while my current Kadet did need a bit of work.  It took less than 10 minutes.
               The Kadets also often need a bit of break-in before their reliability is established.  My Kadet would not feed the second round out of the magazine when it was new. (It happened with all three mags.)  Once I'd put about 300 rounds through it the feeding problem disappeared and it's been perfect ever since.
           
            John Ward
            Brandon, Florida

[CZpreB]

            Got mine this weekend.  The barrel block was just fine as-is, and it only took about seven strokes with a file on the rails to get a nice snug fit.  Had mapdude's stovepipe fix printed out and ready to go, but decided to just clean it and take it to the range first to see how problematic things might be out of the box.  Surprise!  It ate over 300 rounds of everything (CCI Velocitor and MiniMag, Federal Blazer and Classic) without a burp!
           
            $23 for 400 rounds (without buying bulk or even shopping around -- $10 of that was for 50 each of the Velocitors and Blazers), and not a single hang-up!  Can you guys hear me giggling through your ear protectors?
           
            ;-)