Cz85 identification problem

[Vojtech]

Hello everyone and sorry for my bad English 

I have one offer directly from my acquaintance friend’s gunsmith on mysterious looking CZ85 Combat.
Slide is oxidized but without model designation
Grip and frame in matt painting
Grip panels laminated
Please verify this gun, maybe someone can tell me more information about it.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6sa6zdhfywb2cme/Resized_20221109_182848.JPEG
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h76skykyxh36zym/Resized_20221109_182910.JPEG
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1qt4u822new0w9s/Resized_20221109_182926_129484430421769.JPEG

[M1A4ME]

No firing pin block = CZ85 Pre B or Combat model

Ring hammer = not Pre B unless someone replaced the spur hammer

Squared off front on the trigger guard = transition model (between the Pre B pistols and the B model pistols).

Hard to tell but it looks like a Pre front sight.  No dovetail, but the front sight is staked through the slide into the barrel bushing.

No right side slide release lever but some members here have bought older/used CZ85s that also didn't have the right side slide release lever.

SA trigger?  Been modified by someone at some point.  I don't remember anyone here saying they'd bought CZ85's new that were SA only pistols, but who knows?

Not having any markings on the slide is pretty odd.

Other members with way more experience/knowledge of the older CZs will hopefully have better input than me.

If it was me, and the price was right, I'd buy it.  I like those CZ85s.

[Vojtech]

Thank you for your answer.
I received only short information from my friend “it’s custom, trigger spring has been changed and trigger changed to SA”
I’m really curious about the marking on slider side… and I cannot find serial, it’s only on barrel and housing.
Tomorrow I’ll get phone number to this guy (gunsmith) and ask about details.
2800 PLN for this gun (600$) is it good price or over payed?

[bang bang]

welcome

for what its worth, i dont remember seeing an 85 without the ambi slide release.

also the slide release appears to be aftermarket or a mod and the trigger is not OEM from my memory.

THe marking say "Czechoslovakia" so it will date it.

to me, i bet it was a "mil surp" and was refinished at some later time. 

I had bought several and had them refinished to see how they would come out and the one you have appears it could have been finished the same.

you can look at the oval near the ejection port and look for a year of mfg if you want.

im not sure how much CZs go for in your neck of the woods, but its up to you on how bad you want it.

good luck

[Vojtech]

I’m testing this gun and works fine, but I’m little worry about more questions than answers about this gun.
Barrel looks fine inside, trigger have very short length (I dunno how it’s call in English - the way between “zero“ position of trigger and position when shot) and it’s very soft.
Ill update post if I get mobile directly to gunsmith.

[M1A4ME]

Often, when someone modifies a CZ for SA only fire they'll replace the hammer, maybe the sear and do some polishing and spring changing to make things smoother, lighter, easier to pull the trigger and operate the slide.

Is it worth $600?  They don't make them anymore.  You can probably find one cheaper but it may need work to replace old/worn parts and refinish it, if you wanted it to look nice.  Just over 6 or 7 years ago I bought a well used surplus CZ85 Pre B for a little over $300.  Spent more than that replacing worn/damaged parts and getting it refinished. 

If you to a google picture search you'll see CZ85s with no right side slide release levers.  I even saw one with a smooth slide like the OP's pictures and one with a full rail slide, like a CZ75 SA or CZ75B .40 S&W.  I liked that one. 

CZ is one of those companies that turns out lots of variations of their pistols.  When you think you've seen all of them someone comes up with one you haven't seen.

Good luck, OP.

[bang bang]

welcome back..

whats your endgame?

if you want a "shooter", thats what it is.

If you want a "collector" , you can find better.

but what a collector told me along time ago....."buy what you can afford at the time to fill the niche and then upgrade later"

good luck

[Psyop96]

The serial number on the barrel and frame (housing) is consistent with what appears to be a “92” year in the oval of the slide apart from the lack of other usual markings on the slide.

Edit - to be specific, the SN is consistent with that for a CZ 85 from 1992 in spite of the lack of a right side slide stop (which occurred with some CZ 85 production as previously mentioned).


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Mark-combat]

no slide release om the right side, no cz85

[M1A4ME]

no slide release om the right side, no cz85

Still has the right side thumb safety, which a regular CZ75 or CZ75B doesn't have (the CZ75 SA and some others do, but not the CZ75/B). 

The frames are different between the standard CZ75 and any model with the right side safety lever.  I think maybe the sear cage is different, too.

No idea why some one, somewhere, ordered a bunch of CZ85 pistols without the right side slide release.  I like them well enough I add them to my CZ75 models.  It's easy when you can find the levers for sale.

If I had the pistol the OP is looking at I'd be ordering the CZ85 slide release levers and modifying that slide after I got the levers in.

[Mark-combat]

I know a batch of cz85 was bought by the Turkish police, but I have not seen a picture of those yet, but I doubt that they would not have the right side slide release, what I have heard about those is that they were made without adjustable rear sights