Do I have bad luck with springs or what!?

[rifmon]

So I took possession of my CZ 75b new from Bud's in March of this year. My first surprise breakage occurred maybe two months in. It was the trigger return spring.  I read up on this and discovered it is a weak spring from the factory on CZ's. So I bought the music wire trigger return spring and the floating pin from Cajun. Great! New lease on life!  Then in September the firing pin spring broke.  It named the firing pin forward so bad I needed to send it to CZ USA and they replaced the spring and the firing pin. 

So I took the occasion and ordered a defensive firing pin and spring kit from Cajun. $44.00 and a little more experience in working on my CZ.  The trigger pull is way better maybe 8lbs? Perfect for defense! It feels almost as good as a revolver!

This afternoon I am dry firing using the o- ring at the firing pin and my Cajun trigger return spring broke!

In full disclosure ALL of these incidents were during dry firing.  I have less than 400 rnds through this gun. So on the one hand maybe I should not be dry firing it? On the other hand shouldn't the trigger return spring last longer than what it has for me?

[Joe L]

Yes, it should have lasted longer.  Usual reason for a premature failure is a nick or dent in the spring wire from installation with some hard pliers or cutters.  The surface damage results in a stress concentration that results in a fatigue failure.  Just get another spring and be careful not to damage it when you install it. 

Joe

[SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM]

May want to inspect the firing pin tunnel for any roughness or burrs that could be wearing on the spring. Two failures in a short period indicates something going on for sure unless you are doing some serious dry firing.

[rifmon]

I just finally got to a decent light and field stripped it and it was the forward portion of the trigger return spring that failed. I walked the receiver to the dining room table and it disappeared. I hope it's not buried in the rug somewhere! That could hurt!

But I am a little concerned as to why the Cajun return spring went so fast. It's only 7 months old! I don't remember damaging it when I installed it.

So I'll order another but my confidence in this part of the gun is not where it should be. I mean, for a defensive carry gun, I'd like to think these occurances are rare but I hit the jackpot twice!

I'm pretty sure the firing pin channel is ok. That spring broke only once and it went back to CZ USA for that.

[rifmon]

Well I just bought 2 more Reduced Trigger Return Springs. I hope I get more use out of the next one I install but now I'll have a backup in case it fails. At least I have the floating pin that I installed last time. It will make it a little easier.

[Joe L]

Rifmon--The best way to insure that you won't ever have another failure is to buy the spare!  That's what I did I think 3 years ago, and I haven't had one fail since.  My 75B has 35-40k rounds through it now.  I think the CGW spring may have 20k, can't remember.  Be sure and check your frame and trigger for any intererence with the part of the spring where the failure occurred.  also make sure the frame end is seated in the slot. 

Joe

[rifmon]

Got it thanks! Yes now that an extra will be hanging around this next installed spring will last forever! Haha.

I do remember the spring pointing towards the front was seated properly into that slot so I THINK I did it right.  I just remember I had a hard time keeping that spring stable during the instal though. Maybe it'll be easier this time.

[SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM]

CZ USA has a new version of the trigger spring in stock. Item #10067. Might be worth looking at especially if you do a lot of dry fire practice.

[rifmon]

That's good to know. Right now I have 2 reduced coming from Cajun.  If I successfully blow through them I'll look them up!

[rifmon]

Got my new springs from Cajun on Christmas Eve. It took me 5 minutes to instal with that nice floating retaining pin! I was able to show off my CZ's reduced trigger weight to my two sons on Christmas day. They both got to shoot it earlier this year before I installed the reduced hammer spring, extended firing pin and reduce firing pin spring. They noticed the difference right away.

I'm getting better at working on my CZ. The first time I installed the TRS, it took me an hour!

[1SOW]

Rifmon--The best way to insure that you won't ever have another failure is to buy the spare!  That's what I did I think 3 years ago, and I haven't had one fail since

JoeL nailed that.  Same for me.  My 75B TRS died approaching 20K rds.  I bought two more and haven't had another one break.  I have changed one to the lighter spring,  but changed it back to the original for a better SA pull and break.

[M1A4ME]

Haven't had a CZ spring break (yet), but I had a Rem. 742 do the same thing as your pistol.  Bang, Bang, click, click (with unfired rounds dumped into the dirt both times I manually operated the bolt.  The last 3 coils of the firing pin return spring broke off, the firing pin speared them sideways and locked the firing pin up tight.  That was a bear to get apart.

Cool spring story - when I bought a raggedy old Browning Auto 5 a few years back it looked bad but shot/worked just fine.  I ordered all new springs for it, some new screws (to replace the buggered up ones) and a synthetic stock/forend for it.

When the parts all came in I started taking it apart to really clean it up good and replace the old parts.  The magazine spring had broken at some point in that old guns life.  Someone had taken a pair of pliers and bend the two broken ends around each other and put it back in the magazine tube and just kept killing ducks/small game with it for who knows how many years.

As far as CZ small parts go, I've ordered lots of them, just in case.  Sometimes it just makes sense to order doubles of small parts.  When something costs $3, or $5, or so, you might as well order extras and just put them away.  I've been using those small clear tackle boxes lately, so I can see what's in each compartment.

Good luck with your CZ.  The more I carry, shoot, clean mine the more I think I might buy one or two more.

[75Plus]

"Thoughts With the Afternoon Beer"

Most of us know the round count of our firearms because the rounds come packaged in known quantities. Unfortunately we don't have an easy way to keep up with the number of times one dry fires a specific firearm. The only spring that has been used anywhere near the the same as the round count is the recoil spring. All the other springs, trigger return, firing pin, sear and, in some cases the FPB and FPB lifter springs have been exercised with each round fired PLUS the number of dry fires. All things considered, those springs may actually have been exercised two or three times for each round fired!

Joe

[rifmon]

yes. I started doing the math on my estimated amount of dry firing.... OK so say I dry fired 200 times on weekend  when I had the chance. On most days in the week, I dry fired 15 to 25? lets say 25 per week day. so now that's 325 per week. But since I really LIKE dry firing, maybe I actually dry fired 50% more than I am imagining. So maybe it's really closer to 500 per week! I bought the new spring in May but broke both bones in my leg in September and did not much of anything for 2 months. So take 2 months out of the last 7 and for five months I dry fired 2000 times per month. That's now an estimated 10,000 dry fires on that Cajun spring. haha. Does that sound right?

I dunno... it is hard to quantify but as everyone said, get multiples. Maybe I should get two of everything! Cheap insurance.

[Flatlander01]

When my TRS broke after 1k rounds and 5k dry fires, I was told to lube the spring and keep it wet. I did that with the replacement CGW LP TRS, and so far,  so good.