First Day with PCR--failures to go into battery.

[spiffytexan]

How do you do everyone!

I took my new PCR out today for the first time!  In 75 rounds it failed to go into battery 4 times. It would stay about 2 millimeters out of battery and the slide would jam such that I would have to smack it very very hard forwards and backwards several times in order to get the slide into or out of battery. It was also shooting about 6 inches high at 30 yards. I did take it apart and CLP it when I took it out of the box. 

It has the factory CZ long firing pin and 13# hammer spring and pin return spring installed professionally. 

Any ideas how to fix these problems?

[cntrydawwwg]

Well a couple things.
Which CLP did you use? I use CLP Breakfree, cleaner and lube in one. Works great but I still use a Molly or other extra lube on my slide and internals. CZ's like to run a little wet.
  Could just be normal break in.
What type of ammo were you using?
Did you try other types?
With the way you had to smack it in or out of battery it sounds like your ammo is a little long.
Did you try the plunk test on your ammo?
  That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

[spiffytexan]

I used the CLP break free 3 in 1 as well.  Hoping its just break in!  Surely there's something I can polish?  I tried 2 brands of ammo and it did it with both. 

What is the plunk test?  *googles it*

[cntrydawwwg]

What kind of ammo? FMJ, HP, conical nose HP? 115gr.,124gr.,147gr.?
Plunk test--(hope I'm explaining right)--
  Take your "Clean" barrel out of pistol, and hold with chamber pointed up. (Tip of barrel down)
   Slide round in with out pushing hard.
    You should be able to spin round easily without problems.
     Rotate barrel up and the round should drop right out into your hand.
   If it sticks in the barrel, and can't spin around, and you have pull the round out, it's too long for your chamber.
       Edit to add
FWIW, if the ammo survives the plunk test, I would try a little more lube on the slide and see how that works. Here's a great polishing thread. http://www.czfirearms.us/index.php?topic=42537
Czech out the gunsmithing section, there's lots of threads on polishing.

[spiffytexan]

The ammo was 115 grain FMJ.  The slide would jam up pretty bleep good--a tap-rack-bang wouldn't do it, neither would smacking the slide into battery, neither would a firm yank.  I ended up slamming the slide into my shoe heel until it finally released.

As for hitting 6" high at 25yds, do you think CZ would send out a taller front sight if I complained?

[cntrydawwwg]

Ya, shouldn't expect it from 115 FMJ. What brand? Hmmm, I've had that happen before. I bought some older Speer GoldDot. 124 gr. Conical HP +P. Didn't do a plunk test first. Once I got my slide opened back up, I did the plunk test and sure enough won't feed in my pistols.
   I'd try the lube and different ammo. Try shooting from a rest to make sure it's the pistol shooting high and not you. Not sure if they'd sent a new sight, but you need to get the battery issue figured out first. You may have to send the whole gun back.
   Others with more knowledge than me should be along to add to this. Hope you can get it figured out. Sometimes it's so easy, a person looks right past the obvious. But with having to slam it into place and wack it that hard to get the slide open, it still sounds like the ammo to me.

[spiffytexan]

TulAmmo brand.  I had other people shoot, including off rests, and all shots went high and left.  Shooting at an 8" steel plate I had to aim 3" low and right past the edge of the plate in order to hit it--I was aiming at dirt.

I'll strip it down again and clean it good, maybe polish the throat and breech face.  Will definitely try the plunk test.  I expected this gun to eat anything--I want to carry 147gr -_-

[spiffytexan]

Even at 10 yards with carefully aimed center head shots the bullets were hitting high outside the head box :/

[1SOW]

I suggest to NOT polish anything until you or CZ finds the problem.  Polishing or changing things may bring up warranty questions.

Check behind the extractor for factory crud and free movement of the claw.
Did it happen with both mags or just one of them?   

[spiffytexan]

Don't know about mag issues...wasn't keeping track.  Everything looks great, the gun was a little wet with CLP, feed ramp looks good.  Still those 3-4 failures to go into battery were surprising, especially since they could not be cured with a tap-rack.  It took 15-30 seconds to get the gun unjammed each time.

One other thing was surprising--the gun has more recoil--and the recoil is less controllable--than my SR9c.  Granted, I've been shooting the SR9c longer, but the SR9c recoils straight up then back down on target.  The PCR recoils back, then seems to drop back down below the target as the slide slams home, then I have to bring the gun UP back on target.  I can see the front sight going up, down, up, down on each shot.  Perhaps more trigger time will cure this---just sharing my personal experience with the gun.

[flphotog]

I've only had this happen once and I don't remember if it was with a CZ or not but it turned out to be that the shell was slightly out of spec, simple as that.

[Old Schoolr]

TulAmmo brand...

Grease the rails, barrel lugs & the cam slot in the barrel foot then the try some other ammo. That may take care of the functioning issue. The sight issue is a whole 'nother matter.

[bigdave24]

As to the recoil, if you change to a lighter recoil spring the sights will probably not drop so far below the target.

[MP2 Guy]

Like some others I'm thinking ammo. My Uzi Model B carbine will eat any ammo, with no burps or hiccups, EXCEPT for Turkish ZQ1 9mm Para. With ZQ1 ammo I had the bolt assembly lock solidly in the forward position several times (I'm obviously a slow learner) to the point I had to resort an "old" M16 method of getting the assembly to the rear each time. So my first step would be to simply try another brand of ammo and see if that works.

[Asmodeus]

Do not ever test a gun with tulammo.

It has cost me dozens of hours of my life cursing the gods, and even cutting on things, only to come to the realization that they make !@## ammo.  Every caliber.  It's crap.  The cases are out of spec, the powder charge is inconsistent.  The propellant sucks, not only because it's filthy, flashy, but also because I get different POI with it than similar ammo.  The OAL can be an issue.  It has caused failures in AK's.  Yes, AK's.  Guns that have gone almost 10k rounds without a failure. 

I'm not saying I don't buy it.  But don't break anything in with it.  Don't test function with it.  Do not sight anything in with it. 

Ever. 

Period. 


Do not take this as I am a "steel case" hater.  I have pumped tens of thousands of rounds of steel case ammo through dozens of guns and could build a miniature city out of the crates I haven't.  I just hate tula.  A lot.  Because it sucks.  A lot. 

To make matters even more annoying they occasionally make a few decent boxes of the stuff.  And then you get to another crappy box in the same case and... it could, as it has me, make you lose your mind.