Shooting high

[Inspector71]

I fired my brother's brand new CZ97 at two ranges. It shot significantly high for both of us. Considering it has fixed sights, can anyone suggest a remedy? Thanks for the help. It is a great gun.

[Grendel]

Aim low? 

[schmeky]

Are you using a 6 O'clock hold?

[Mr. Sasquatch]

The only way I know, other than using so-called 6 o'clock hold, is to instal a higher front sight. CZ Custom sells fiber optics front sights with heights in  0.5 mm increments.

Decide at what distance you want to zero your pistol (L) and determine  how high it shoots (H) by shooting groups with bench support. The sight radius (R) i.e., the distance between the rear sight  and the front sight should be 16.0 cm for CZ97 if I remember correctly.

The formula for the required increase in the front sight's height is:

X = R*H/L

You must use consistent units though, Let's say centimeters.

My SP01 shoots approx.  3" (6.5 cm) high at the distance of 65 ft ( ~22 m = 2200 cm)

X = 16*6.5/2200 =  0.0472 cm = 0.47 mm = ~ 0.5 mm increase in the front sight's hight.

My current front sight is 5.5mm hight so I ordered a replacement with h = 6.0 mm.

[bang bang]

Aim low? 

thats what i would do.  of course having SAAs prepares you for those times when cowboy windage/elevation is needed.

i would also ask at what distance were these shots high?

[RIGHTWING CZ]

The question I have is How high exactly and at what distance is it high?  I have a 97 BD brand new this year with a BXXXX serial number and it shots dead to point of aim which is called the combat sight picture where as you would cover the center of the target with the sights if that is where you wanted to hit. If I use the 6 o'clock hold the shot appears low.
At any rate there are many options to correct your accuracy problem with either different front or rear sights. Another question is when was the gun purchased? If it is under warranty CZ will definately make it right for you.

[Inspector71]

Thanks for the replies. I am not familiar with the term "six o'clock hold." I held it the same as a .45 auto (point of aim), CZ75 (shot point of aim), and even a CZ52 which shot point of aim. The distance was 15 yards to the target and it shot approximately 3 inches high and slightly to the right for 3 different individuals. Obviously we need to bench rest shoot the pistol and try different holds to account for user error. I appreciate the replies as they were are very helpful especially from Sasquatch. Incidentally, on the same day I fired the above mentioned pistols and several others and the CZ97 had the nicest trigger pull.

[Mr. Sasquatch]

For an example of  a "6 o'clock hold" see this:

http://pistol-training.com/archives/1361

Sight image 1 is what is called a  "6 o'clock hold".

I use Sight Image 2 in my shooting and my Shadow shoots  ~2.5" high at 65ft

If you use  Sight Image 3 to define your POA, the POI may indeed be higher than you'd expect.

Another option would be to try different ammo. Lighter bullets (115 gr) should give you a slightly lower POI than 125gr or 147 gr .

[Inspector71]

Mr. Sasquatch. I can't thank you enough for the assistance you have provided. I used to use sight picture #1 (taught that at police academies) but have been moving to #2 with good results. More testing is needed to make a definitive conclusion as to what I am doing wrong. Your time and patience has moved that process along for me and I am in your debt. When I first fired this handgun, I was expecting an unpleasant experience. I have an EAA Witness Compact steel in .45 ACP and it beats the heck out of my elbows both of which have had surgery to the point my hand starts to shake. Only some guns do this to me and it is not based on caliber. But not the 97. It was one of the nicest handguns I have ever fired and it did not stress my elbows at all. Recoil was no issue either. I was thinking of a 1911 but now, after firing my brother's 97, I'm going to get one of them instead. Again, thanks for the help.

[Mr. Sasquatch]

You are very welcome, Inspector.

Since I'm dealing with exactly the same issue with my Shadow, and I just went through the whole process of testing and calculating the sight correction, I thought that I'd have something to offer to a fellow CZ user. My new front sight has just been shipped todayfrom CZ Custom and I hope to have some results within a couple of weeks. So, do not buy your new sights yet, let me be the guinea pig.

Two additional points:
1) This is a great forum; possibly the best I've been following. We have a lot of knowledgeable people who are willing to go an extra mile to help other members.
2) CZ makes great firearms. I stumbled into their pistols almost by accident (after all who?s ever heard about some Czech gun factory, right?  ) a couple of years ago, and I'm totally hooked.