Failure to Feed/Double Feed in worn CZ 83

[guthepenguin]

So I picked up one of those sans-finish CZ 83s for $200 off of GunBroker. Finally had a chance to take it out to the range. I probably had around three failures to feed per magazine, and one double feed. The failures to feed always had the round more vertical, sometimes almost straight up and down.

What is the likely cause of this? Aside from this issue, are there any springs or other parts you'd recommend replacing? When it shot, it was a good shooter. Barrel looks good so I imagine it hasn't had too much internal wear.

[imarangemaster]

Replace recoil spring, extractor spring, and check magazines.  If they are aftermarket, they are junk.  Search some of the other threads for magazine issues with aftermarket.  If you post pics of your mags, we can tell you if they are originals.  Springs are huge in an auto loader.  My CZ 83 eats anything from factory magazines.  worn rails, etc, should only help smooth feeding!

[tpelle]

What imarangemaster said!  If you look at the back of the magazines, do they have a welded seam running straight up the center of the back?  Are they stamped "CZ MFG" on the floorplate?  If so, they are only worthy to be range magazines, and in that application they will serve well to give you lots of practice in clearing stoppages.

Unfortunately the only place that I am aware of to get good reliable magazines for the CZ 83 is from CZ themselves - at +$35 a pop!  But if this is for an EDC gun......How much is your life worth to you?

[guthepenguin]

Finally got around to looking. Magazine is legit - has no seam up the middle, just some wear. I ordered the Wolff spring calibration kit. I'll take those to the range and see if they help.

[vmr357]

Curious for a followup. Did the new springs solve the problem? Also, you didn't mention which caliber you had. The .32 and .380 magazines look very much alike, but they don't work well if they get mixed up.

[guthepenguin]

Curious for a followup. Did the new springs solve the problem? Also, you didn't mention which caliber you had. The .32 and .380 magazines look very much alike, but they don't work well if they get mixed up.

Springs didn't fix the issue. I'll be ordering a new magazine next. I took these pictures at my last range trip, still having the issue:

http://imgur.com/gallery/UAkFf

[Lew]

When you have your new magazine in hand compare the feed lips on it to the problem magazine.  Possibly the magazine causing the feed problems has deformed lips in some way.  In the past I've gotten problem magazines to work well after tightening up the gap between the feed lips and occasionally bending them to get more curvature in them.  It would be interesting to see if it could be salvaged.  Good luck!

[grandpa1466]

I hate to show how stupid I am  but my CZ82 had the same symptoms. It would have several FTEs per mag, but it seemed to vary with the ammo I was using. Working on the mags helped some, but I eventually "noticed" that the extractor was missing (duh). The blowback action allows it to eject some rounds for a while without it. I ordered a new extractor and pin, went to the range where the pin immediately worked its way back out. Miraculously, we found both parts on the ground, went back and used threadlock on the pin this time. Now it works flawlessly, but I keep an eye on that extractor pin.

[deltablade]

I am having a similar problem, three mags had failure to feed with a few rounds, one did it each shot.  photos show the bullet would move forward vertically ad not enter the chamber.  yet all rounds worked fine with another magazine.   any suggestions?

[cammobunker]

Penguin and Delta-
 Penguin, I'd lay odds that your magazine has damaged/deformed feed lips and is allowing multiple rounds to feed. That's pretty common with surplus magazines with an unknown gazillion rounds through them, spotty maintenance and sometimes rough treatment. They may be bent slightly outward.

Delta, take a good look at your mags. Are they aftermarket or CZ original? Check the feed ramp and make sure it is smooth and there are no burrs.


I think you both have magazine issues. This is going to sound stupid, but...have both of you disassembled your mags and cleaned them? Dirt and gunk on the follower and in the mag body can make mags do weird things.

[JAKELEG]

Did you clean the piece first before taking it to the range ??
I bought a few of the Gunbroker 83's...the first thing I did was clean them,...and they needed cleaning !!  Not one FTF or FTE after a couple of hundred rounds thru them.

[rasczak]

I had the same problem in my CZ83.  I replaced the recoil spring which helped, but didn't eliminate the problem.  Then I ran across a thread on here that gave the correct measurement across the feed lips.  My surplus magazines had apparently spread beyond factory and seemed to release the rounds from the lips too soon.  I tweaked them back to the factory measurement using a padded vise and I haven't had any problems since then.

[guthepenguin]

I haven't picked up a new magazine yet - any recommendations on sources?

I've been thoroughly cleaning and checking parts and I'm pretty sure at this point that it's a magazine issue. I don't really have tools to accurately adjust the feed lips, other than taking a pair of pliers and praying that I get it right. Then again, if the mag doesn't function right as it is now, I guess it couldn't hurt.

Still, I'd like to have a good magazine. Where can I buy a reliable one?

[eastman]

I haven't picked up a new magazine yet - any recommendations on sources?

I've been thoroughly cleaning and checking parts and I'm pretty sure at this point that it's a magazine issue. I don't really have tools to accurately adjust the feed lips, other than taking a pair of pliers and praying that I get it right. Then again, if the mag doesn't function right as it is now, I guess it couldn't hurt.

Still, I'd like to have a good magazine. Where can I buy a reliable one?

Direct from the CZ-USA webstore. They sell the real CZ magazines - not cheap, but they work.

Many other dealers will sell inferior look alike magazines (generally stamped "CZ mfg") which are not reliable.

[guthepenguin]

Alright. Finally got a magazine directly from CZ-USA. Compared to the new magazine, the old magazine's feed lips are wider by roughly 1-1.25 times the width of the metal used in the magazine (I'm sorry - I don't have the tools to accurately measure the difference - I'm eyeballing it here). I can tell, though, that it's a little wider up front. Does that sound like a typical problem?

The magazine just arrived and I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet. The gun is in the middle of a refinish and I'm trying to figure out if there's any home remedy for getting rid of the pitting on the slide.

EDIT: Here is an image of the feed lips. Not sure if it helps. Old mag is on the bottom.

http://i.imgur.com/ngsgMtz.jpg

Also, can anyone tell me what this marking is?

http://i.imgur.com/I94R8Kg.jpg