CZ-52 question.

[Bucc]

I bought a CZ-52 from Turners some time ago and when I took it to the range here it shot really....and I mean really low.
Like 6 inches low at 21 feet.
I was using S&B fmj in it.
Had to quit after about 40 rounds when the extractor that was improperly staked made like Elvis and tried to leave the building.
I re-staked the extractor at home, took it out and still it shoots very low.
Any ideas as to why?
Could it be the weird trigger?

[M. Sage]

Could be the trigger doesn't agree with you. It shouldn't be that low, I mean, I've seen these things hit a few inches low before, but that's usually farther out than 7 yards, and less than 6 inches.

Are you sure you're not anticipating at all?

[Bucc]

After the first few shots I was trying to work the trigger without pulling down or flinching.
I am leaning toward the odd trigger pull but as you said that drop is too extreme for that.
I had a little drop with my Makarov the first time I shot it due to the beastly trigger but worked it out.
This is really low.
I had my wife and nice with me so handing it off to someone else for a better view was sort of out of the question.
Neither one has hands big enough to handle the pistol properly.
I was wondering if I hadn't just picked the wrong ammo.
I've seen these things toss a huge flame and boom pretty good but is seemed limp to me.
I dunno.
I'm hoping it's something easy...I'd hate to relegate this piece to the parts gun rack.

[M. Sage]

My fave CZ52 ammo is either Romanian (dirt cheap, powerful, dirt cheap, and reliable. Corrosive, though, so clean properly) surplus or Wolf Gold. Both seem to shoot pretty well for me.

Even if it is underpowered ammo, bullet drop at 7 yards should be next to nil.

Have someone else give it a try. Wost case scenario, you shave the top of the front sight down a bit.

[duenor]

sounds like a defective cz52.

and your wife / niece must have REALLY small hands. the 52 looks real big but its actually quite managable for even people with small hands.

[tlillard23]

use a bench rest, or have someone else shoot it

[maxicon]

Yep, I always shoot a new pistol from the bench to get it dialed in and identify any ergo/handling problems I'm having with it. I just set my range bag up there and rest it on it. Sure, it gets some powder marks on it, but it adds character! Also a good idea to have someone else shoot it. It's got awful sights, so if your eyesight's mediocre, that can affect it.

On my CZ52, accuracy is decent, and point of impact is pretty close to point of aim at 10 yards, whether I'm shooting different old Yugo surplus (lots of split necks on these) or modern S&B/Winchester Metric stuff.

If it's shooting low, you can fix that by filing the front sight down, which causes you to point the barrel higher to line it up, but you really want to make sure it's the gun's fault first!

Here's my standard post on the CZ52:

The CZ52 is fun, but not very practical. It's heavy, not very ergonomic, the grips are big and awkward, the sights are terrible, the trigger is poor, the ammo selection is limited, the firing pin breaks easily with dry-firing, and the firing pin block doesn't work when it's a little bit out of battery. Magazines are relatively expensive for such an inexpensive gun. Mine has a nasty trigger slap that makes my finger go numb, but not all of them do.

On the plus side, they're cheap, easy to disassemble and clean, you can improve the grips with a Handall slip-on. They're loud, with nice muzzle flash (depending on the ammo), milsurp ammo is cheap (but corrosive). Much of the milsurp ammo has hard primers and requires a double-strike, but they're good for clearing exercises!

There's also quite a bit of doubt about the tribal knowledge of how strong the actions are, as there are semi-regular reports of one blowing up. There's a fellow on the 'net who likes to test guns to destruction, and he found the CZ52 chamber failed before the brass did, which is unusual.

Mine's pretty much a safe queen these days, and an ugly one at that.

[wellfedirishman]

Cz-52 trigger

I found that a Harrington Products heavy competition firing pin plus a an 18 lb spring made a BIG difference in improving trigger pull and reducing recoil.

I think I paid about $65 for both including shipping from makarov.com and it makes the CZ-52 more accurate and more pleasant to shoot.

The parts were pretty easy to install too, but of course you should use a competent gunsmith if you are unsure.