Help, please! - Fixed, see my post after photos!

[mvelimir]

I just bought EAA Witness in 9mm with .22LR conversion kit from Buds. Great price, great gun. I shot yesterday 50 of 9mil and 100 of .22 and was very, very happy with everything. Well, today I though of something and that was to see if .22LR conversion kit will fit my CZ-75 Cold War Commemorative.

So, took the slide of CZ and glided .22 conversion slide on. Same width, so far... so good. Kept sliding it an went too far. The slide is in the rear position, hammer pulled back and I can't take EAA .22LR conversion kit slide off now. I can move it about 1/8" back but it's completely stuck forward. I'm guessing that it's ejector that is stuck but can't be sure and have no idea what to do.

Is there anybody who can help this curious moron out? Thanks!

[bang bang]

if you dont want to take a chance on damaging something, take it to a gunsmith.

[BigK]

I know this isn't really helpful, but I bet you're right about the ejector being the culprit.

I'm curious...is the slide all the way back like when you rack it? Is there a magazine in the gun?

[mvelimir]

It is all the way back, with about 1/8" room to move further back. Magazine is out. I'm also wondering if it might be the guide rod or spring...

[BigK]

I was studying some pics and the barrell lug looks more like the CZ 75 lug than the Kadet does. The only other thing I can think to ask is whether the EAA slide has a firing pin safety. I read that the Kadet doesn't, so maybe that's it.

[mvelimir]

It does have firing pin safety, but I can see it and push it with small screwdriver so I don't think that's what stuck.

[Stuart]

if you can..check the trigger bar..on the CZ it rides up and rides on underside of the slide. sometime you have to pull the trigger to get it lower under the ejector housing and release the slide.

just an idea

[mvelimir]

Tried with trigger, no luck.

Here are pictures how it looks now. I can move slide back another 1/8" and spring will return it to this position. Also, the barrel will not move anywhere. On regular gun, if I hold the slide back, then barrel will either slide freely back and forth or at least rock a bit - this one is frozen!

[mvelimir]

I fixed it!!!

1st - I investigated CZs and Witness' slides from underneath. One thing was obvious and that is that firing pin safety is in different location on the slide and differently shaped. So I focused on that. I could see the firing pin safety and reach it with small screwdriver and was able to push it up into the slide... but not all the way. AHA! :ohmg:

2nd - So, I removed firing pin retaining plate and removed firing pin and then the firing pin safety. All took some wiggling and I was lucky that there was just enough space between the hammer to wiggle it all out. At that point slide was free! But it only moved as far forward as the barrel was.

3rd - So, guessing that there is nothing in the way other than discrepancy in size, one determined jerk on the slide and it was all finally free.

I will post photos of the slides tomorrow for all to see.

Thanks guys for pitching in! I promise... no more stupid gun parts combinations.

[ThompsonCustom]

Would sure be nice if it worked tho would save some money on the kadet kit..... Could the safety be removed?

[mvelimir]

It sure will be nice thing, but after all I learned with this and after closer examining two designs, I think it will not be advisable.

So, after I messed up things trying to use EAA Witness' .22LR conversion kit on my CZ-75 Cold War Commemorative I took a few pictures to share with the rest of you what I learned from this experience.

Similar... but not the same


EAA frame appears to be beefier... It was designed to support slides up to 10mm calliber


EAA have full-length metal guide rod


Here's also .22LR conversion kit. Note longer beaver tail on Witness.


EAA 9mm on the left, .22LR conversion kit in the middle, CZ-75 on the right. EAA slides have differently shaped firing pin safety as well they are in different location on the slide. (CZ's FP safety is further to the back).


EAA slides have both full-length metal guide rods and there's a convenient tiny nipple on the rod and corresponding notch on the barrel bottom, nice little feature. CZ's recoil spring seams to be stronger than the EAA's 9mm. That's something I might look next, although shooting 9mm EAA was very controllable and with minimum recoil. Note longer barrel on conversion kit.

[Hayfield123]

I love this forum . . . I've just learned another thing not to do!   Those are just as important to learn as the "must do" things! 

[ThompsonCustom]

Is the only problem you had the firing pin block? I'm not an expert but I would think that it would be pretty easy to remove the firing pin block? if removed you think it would work?

[mvelimir]

That much might work but the problem is, if you look at the barrels from the bottom - Witness' part of barrel through which slide stop goes is wider than the one on CZ, so I wouldn't want to make any more modifications to either CZ or conversion kit to make this marriage work. Shotgun weddings are short-lived. I'll just stick to my EAA combo... It is quite excellent.