HELP!!! CZ70 slide locked in closed position.

[Ivan RoachCoach]

I disassembled the slide on my new (to me) CZ 70 yesterday for lubrication & was having quite a lot of trouble getting the back of it, where the two short rails sit, to fully seat.
The slide would fall off if I lifted it from the rear.

After dicking around with it for a while, I was finally able to seat the slide properly & lock into place...but now it won't rack back to chamber a round or release when I press down on the disassembly button.
I soaked the whole pistol in LCR & Gibbs penetrating oil overnight, but still no dice.

The slide-removal button pushes in & out just fine, but the slide remains fully shut.

Any help, suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated.

[rdcinhou]

I tried to duplicate what you describe with my CZ70.

Did you make sure that the magazine was remove and that the safety was ON (i.e. not in FIRE and not in DECOCK) when you tried to remove the slide again?

[Ivan RoachCoach]

The magazine was out, but reading your response, I remembe that the safety was OFF (in the "Fire" position) when I first removed the slide successfully.
I now realize that I was trying to re-mount the slide with the disassembly button pressed when I was attempting to  re-asssemble the slide onto the frame & the back of the slide would remain sitting higher than the front, at which point it would lift right off of the pistol.
My bad --- chalk it up to inexperience.

After soaking the entire pistol in LCP & Gibbs Penetrating Oil, I was able to get the slide to rack & even lock back on an empty magazine.
It seems to be functioning as it should, except for the slide not dismounting.
I now realize my error in that I should have re-mounted the slide without pressing in the disassembly button.

I feel like such an idiot...

I'll try again tomorrow, once my hands are rested up (I've got some serious blisters from the slide serrations), except that this time I'll just mount the slide without pressing down on the disassembly lever.
Is this the correct procedure?

Wish me luck --- I hope that nothing was damaged by my stupidity.
Thanks so much for the heads-up to this newbie.

I downloaded the user's manual & so far everything that you've stated is correct.
It also states that the hammer should be in the down position --- is this correct?

[Igrlik]

Field strip CZ 50/70:
- remove magazine;
- check the chamber;
- cock the hammer;
- press takedown catch and pull slide backwards;
- lift back of the slide up and push forwards till remove slide from barrel;
- remove recoil spring;
DONE!
Assembly:
- insert recoil spring on the barrel (narrow end on the barrel, wider to the front);
- check if hammer is cocked;
- move the slide on the barrel/recoil spring and pull backwards;
- press the takedown catch and pull slide more backwards;
- press back od the slide downwards against hammer;
- move the slide forward;
- release the takedown catch;
Check free moving of the slide - DONE!

[rdcinhou]

Field strip CZ 50/70:
- remove magazine;
- check the chamber;
- cock the hammer;
- press takedown catch and pull slide backwards;
- lift back of the slide up and push forwards till remove slide from barrel;
- remove recoil spring;
DONE!
Assembly:
- insert recoil spring on the barrel (narrow end on the barrel, wider to the front);
- check if hammer is cocked;
- move the slide on the barrel/recoil spring and pull backwards;
- press the takedown catch and pull slide more backwards;
- press back od the slide downwards against hammer;
- move the slide forward;
- release the takedown catch;
Check free moving of the slide - DONE!

What Igrlik most succinctly said!

[noway]

Every time I pick up my CZ-70 I have to relearn all of this. Don't shoot it nearly enough! 

[Ivan RoachCoach]

Thank you all so much for your prompt & detailed responses.
I'm already starting to feel MUCH better about all of this.

[Ivan RoachCoach]

Well, no luck.
I tried everything as suggested & that slide just will not budge up, down, or sideways when it's pulled back.

I was able to get a tiny Vise-Grip (with protective padding) on it to hold the disassembly button down so that I could use both hands on the slide...zip, zilch, zer, nada.

I don't know if the slide got stuck on the rails & will rack, but not release.
All I know is that I went from owning a nice CZ that I was looking forward to shooting to owning a $225 paperweight.

[rdcinhou]

I think that maybe you got the recoil spring in backwards and the large end of coil is bound up between the squared top of the barrel and the underside of the slide top.

I turned mine around and sure enough it barely lets you fit the assembly back on the frame.

I can see how it would get bound up.

If this is the case, forcing it apart should just damage the spring which can be replaced.

While trying to pull the slide back see if you can lift it slightly on the slide as a whole.

We don't want your CZ70 to become a paperweight.  Don't give up!

[Ivan RoachCoach]

I was FINALLY able to release the motherf****ing slide...or rather, it just popped off.
The spring was facing in the correct direction: Wide end towards the front of the slide, so that wasn't the problem.

The next hurdle was, after inspection, getting the slide back on.
That was a whole other circus.

Again, it just snapped into place after the 1,893rd try & racks nicely, evenly and crisply.
I don't know if that particular weapon had never been disassembled or if King Kong was pulling a swing shift over at the CZ plant, but it's a real bear to disassemble & then re-assemble.

On the plus side, I did learn to use the de-cocker.

I think I'll be keeping those particular activities to a minimum in the future...

Thanks for all the help, support & encouragement.

[Earl Keese]

I had a similar experience with mine. I don't really know what I did to finally get it loose. Like yours though, it finally came off. Finicky little pistols...

[Ivan RoachCoach]

Don't you hate when that happens?

You're overjoyed that the problem was solved, but peeved that you can't figure out how you pulled off that stroke of genius.     

They are finicky little guns, but carry so well and are really something to be reckoned with & taken seriously when loaded with European ammo.

[Earl Keese]

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I haven't shot mine since rust bluing it and adding Marchal grips. I do look at it from time to time though.😀