The earliest recorded CZ 75 Compact? Help figure this out

[Scarlett Pistol]

So I picked up my CZ 75 Short Rail Compact tonight. Here’s some preliminary pictures and thoughts.

The slide to frame fit is tighter than any CZ I’ve ever owned. Smooth as butter!

I’m not sure if this really is hard chrome or nickel plated. Does anyone know how I can tell?

I’ve heard the short rails were machined and weren’t made through casting. I don’t know if that plays a role but there’s tooling marks inside from the machining process. More so than my 1987 pre-b.

Those marks play a role in figuring out if this was chopped down. When I removed the grips there are tool marks on the frame. Not deep but somewhat long. They are continuous and offset. There’s no part where they just stop and start as though the frame was cut and welded back together.

The slide looks similar but I haven’t gotten really good light down inside. It looks as though it was machined for a bushing and then one was welded in place and fit. Again, I can find no one evidence the slide was cut and welded.

The grip is short! Like a Rami! The magazine is smaller than normal compact mags. The picture with the mag sticking out is the compact mag. It clicked into place and locked the slide open when I hand cycled it.

I know these aren’t the best pictures but scan them over. Let me know what else I need to look at more closely.

There’s a little marking in the picture of the trigger guard. Looks like two “W”’s and something above. Anyone know what that is or where I can research markings?



































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[Scarlett Pistol]

More pics, can only post 9 at a time with tapatalk.


































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[jurek]

Scarlett Pistol,
you have to do better with these pictures.... these are too big 

[Psyop96]

The “WW” markings on the left side are standard for the era. Perhaps you can try the middle setting for photos when posting via Tapatalk and see if the resolution is sufficient and manageable for viewing on a computer versus a tablet.


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[Earl Keese]

Scarlett Pistol,
you have to do better with these pictures.... these are too big 

Open the thread in Tapatalk and they are perfectly sized for viewing. Tapatalk is by far the easiest most convenient way to upload pics on this forum. I don't always use it to view the forum but it's very handy to have.

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[Earl Keese]

To me it does look like the frame was shortened and welded. That's not to say it wasn't done at the factory as a test or prototype, who knows. There are some places where the inside tooling marks aren't continuous and maybe some porosity on the same area of the back strap. The serrations on the trigger guard are also a curious feature, and are a bit out of character to me for the era. For the record, I'm not trying to be negative about Scarlett's find. I appreciate him taking a chance on the purchase and sharing it with us here. Even if it was a gunsmith project, I think it's an interesting addition to a collection.

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[TripppleP]

The pictures are enormous.

[jurek]

Open the thread in Tapatalk and they are perfectly sized for viewing. Tapatalk is by far the easiest most convenient way to upload pics on this forum. I don't always use it to view the forum but it's very handy to have.
Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

.. OK. If that't the case, no complains from me then... I'm sorry, I use PC for the Forum only...

[Scarlett Pistol]

Sorry comrades! I got the VIP leveI in Tapatalk to post high res pics. That’s new since I came back. I didn’t realize it made them so huge outside of Tapatalk. I’ll jump in and figure out how to size them. 


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[ejb1975]

That is definitely hard chrome, tooling marks are very much period correct.  If you want to work on getting measurements of the muzzle, grip etc. I will do the same to one of my short rails tomorrow.  Also, take the baseplate of the mag off and see if it has signs of being cut.  When measuring the grip, measure up and down of the grip screw.  Think that’ll help determine that it’s a modified full frame. I see what you mean on the bushing, oddly seems to have had something where the guide rod is too?


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[eastman]

So I picked up my CZ 75 Short Rail Compact tonight. Here’s some preliminary pictures and thoughts.

The slide to frame fit is tighter than any CZ I’ve ever owned. Smooth as butter!

I’m not sure if this really is hard chrome or nickel plated. Does anyone know how I can tell?

I’ve heard the short rails were machined and weren’t made through casting. I don’t know if that plays a role but there’s tooling marks inside from the machining process. More so than my 1987 pre-b.

Those marks play a role in figuring out if this was chopped down. When I removed the grips there are tool marks on the frame. Not deep but somewhat long. They are continuous and offset. There’s no part where they just stop and start as though the frame was cut and welded back together.

The slide looks similar but I haven’t gotten really good light down inside. It looks as though it was machined for a bushing and then one was welded in place and fit. Again, I can find no one evidence the slide was cut and welded.

The grip is short! Like a Rami! The magazine is smaller than normal compact mags. The picture with the mag sticking out is the compact mag. It clicked into place and locked the slide open when I hand cycled it.

I know these aren’t the best pictures but scan them over. Let me know what else I need to look at more closely.

There’s a little marking in the picture of the trigger guard. Looks like two “W”’s and something above. Anyone know what that is or where I can research markings?



















Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[eastman]

More pics, can only post 9 at a time with tapatalk.



















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[ejb1975]

Is this added material?


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[Tahmail]

Much better pics -- thanks.  CZ certainly didn't do much clean up polishing back in this era - not sure if things have changed much (I just got my first CZ).  In general, they seem to be a notch below Sigs which I have followed for several years and own several of, but they have had some QC issues too.

[Scarlett Pistol]

Sorry everyone, busy last few days. I got those pictures sized down with some bb code. If you click on them you can go to the image and see it full resolution.

The “WW” markings on the left side are standard for the era. Perhaps you can try the middle setting for photos when posting via Tapatalk and see if the resolution is sufficient and manageable for viewing on a computer versus a tablet.

Oh that's great to know. I was trying to find anything about those online to no avail.

To me it does look like the frame was shortened and welded. That's not to say it wasn't done at the factory as a test or prototype, who knows. There are some places where the inside tooling marks aren't continuous and maybe some porosity on the same area of the back strap. The serrations on the trigger guard are also a curious feature, and are a bit out of character to me for the era. For the record, I'm not trying to be negative about Scarlett's find. I appreciate him taking a chance on the purchase and sharing it with us here. Even if it was a gunsmith project, I think it's an interesting addition to a collection.

I don't have a trained eye like many of you to pick up on details of such work. If this was cut and welded back together they did an impressive job! I am struggling to find any clear spot where this was done. I can see areas without much tooling marks, but then on the other side of the frame I can see continuous tool marks...

Those serrations are definitely non-standard for the era. No offense taken. One way or the other this is really unique. I really want to track down the history of it, but it's definitely difficult.   

Is this added material?

Great question. It looks like it but with the tooling marks around it I don't know why it would be there... Any ideas from anyone else?