CZ 70 slide issues

[ttross]

Hi. Is there a secret to racking the slide on the CZ 70? Mine will not rack forward while the magazine is in. It locks in the back position and there is no slide release that I see. I can only release it if I remove the magazine. Maybe I just need to strip it and oil it. It's from a recent shipment from Europe. Thank you.

[rdcinhou]

If your magazine is EMPTY the slide will lock back when slide is racked.

To test this, I put some .32 AUTO snap caps in the mag and then cycled twice.  It locked back when the magazine is empty.

Other than removing the magazine, there is no other way to get the slide to go forward again.

This is the way it is designed.

[ttross]

Thank you so much. I will try.

Tom

[rdcinhou]

My Vz 50 also behaves like my Vz 70.

[ttross]

This was really helpful. What brand of snap cap do you use? I feel I had better work with this a while before going to the range. I found some A-Zoom on Amazon but there was one review saying they didn't work well in the Vz 70.

https://www.amazon.com/ZOOM-Auto-Precision-Snap-Caps/dp/B002IEK5EC

[rdcinhou]

I just checked and the .32 AUTO snap caps that I have are Azoom.

If you read elsewhere on the Forum, you should be using .32 ammo based on European standards.
There is enough difference that with the Vz50/70 you can develop rim-lock in your magazine due to slight dimensional differences.
My "mistake" when I first got my Vz70 was that the only in-store .32 AUTO that they had was hollow-points.
Being shorter they quickly developed rim-lock and were a real pain to get unstuck.

If you read up on the Keltec P32, there is even an after-market "rim-lock kit" that people buy to get rid the problem.

The only really reliable eat-anything .32 that I have is a Beretta Tomcat.
I only feed my Vz 50/70 with Sellier & Bellot ball ammo.

[ttross]

You have been most helpful. I ordered the Azoom. I am going to strip it and lubricate. It absolutely feels like it's been packed away for 40 years. My father, years ago, bought one for me and I don't remember having these issues. Unfortunately it was among my pistols stolen in a burglary of our house. Since then I've been trying to replace what was stolen, mostly for sentimental reasons (gifts from my dad) so I leapt on this deal, perhaps prematurely. But your advice is encouraging. I'll get to work on it.

[ttross]

Hey. I followed your advice and things are improving. The cleaning and lubricating were big steps. The piece was in awful shape internally. I even got the de-cocker working. The Azoom snap caps came in today and with their use everything fell into line, so again, thank you. I will take it to my gunsmith for re-bluing and to un-stiffen the workings further.