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Action job on the new production Phantom
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I would. 
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All the parts should arrive by this weekend and I will get to work. I have some parts but the owner decided he wanted more. Better to get them now than have to take it back apart later. It's not the easiest CZ to disassemble.
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244 Posts
All the parts are in so i started this adventure early this morning. The Phantom is not your normal CZ pistol. It borrows from the P Series in that it has steel inserts as carriers for the slide rails and the sear cage. That is where the similarity ends. The Phantom has the modified 75 Series action so I guess it would be safe to call it a hybrid. Below is the 2 steel inserts removed from the frame. The trigger pin and the hammer pin are both roll pins. All of the roll pins have to be driven out to get to the action. The trigger pin, even though this is a polymer framed gun, is is belled on each end just like its steel framed cousins.
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In order to keep up with the various sized roll pins i drew a crude looking picture on some card stock and inserted each pin in their respective locations.
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Now we get into the real differences of the Phantom. I think I like this change but will reserve my opinion until the end of the action job. To start, there are no grooves cut into the bottom of the trigger bar and there is no horseshoe shaped trigger bar spring. I like this for the fact that there is no long session of bending the spring, adjusting the tension or staking the trigger spring screw. Another genius change is the way the magazine catch assembly is held in place. Anyone that is familiar with the P Series guns knows that it uses a post through the frame to hold the catch in place, So does the Phantom but, it also uses the same post as the trigger bar spring. I have already polished the trigger bar channel and post fixture to smooth the double action.
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One of the other changes I find pleasing is the grip on the Phantom. It is slimmer feeling than any of its Cousins and much grippier. It has a changeable back strap to tailor different sized hands but you won't need any skateboard tape to hold onto the grip frame. The finish on the grip is very aggressive.
As to the parts that are common to the 75 Series guns first we will look at the re-curved trigger. This is the trigger that most people complain about as they have a tendency to bite the tip of the trigger finger and they sit way ahead in the trigger guard. I will cure both of these ailments by using one of CGW's old type stainless combat triggers. i will stone a few thousands off of the disco wing and using the provided pre-travel set screw sit the trigger back in the trigger guard for an easy reach. I will also replace the roll pin used for the trigger pin with one of Cajun's free floating trigger pins along with a reduced power trigger return spring. The double action on this gun, while smooth, was in the neighborhood of 14#s and the single action pull was a very creepy 6#s.
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To rid the single action of creep I chose to use CGW's excellent Race hammer. The Race hammer almost eliminates the positive camber which is what you see when pulling the trigger in single action as the hammer has to back up in order to release. I will also install CGW's short reset kit along with their #2 over sized disconnector to reduce and shorten the length of the reset. With the pre-travel mod and the addition of the short reset kit in conjunction with being able to adjust the pre-travel the trigger should only have to move a very short distance between the release of the sear and the reset. In addition to the short reset kit you must also install the extended firing pin into the slide. We will get to this a little later but the firing pin block and the hole it sits in will also need some attention to get the single action pull to feel more like a Shadow which is the goal of this endeavor.
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Since the sear cage sits in a carrier it is much easier to get out of the gun than most of the other steel framed guns. Here I have removed the carrier and slid in the slave pin to hold everything together while removing the decocking sear cage.
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As with any 75 Series gun you will need to do some polishing on the lower part of the sear cage where the trigger bar travels against it. You also want to polish the sear leg where it contacts the trigger bar and the firing pin lifter if you want the ultra smooth single and double action these guns can deliver. Also underneath the sear where the hammer passes under it. Be careful not to remove any metal, all you want to do here is smooth and polish. Leave the machine marks and just smooth and polish them. On the underside of the sear polishing, be careful not to remove the sharp edge on the sear where it contacts the hammer hooks, don't let your Moto tool run over the edges and ruin the edge of the sear. Be careful not to remove metal off of the sear or lifter legs as this will screw up your timing. Just smooth and polish. I disassembled the sear cage and mirror polish the sides of each component. If it rubs it gets polished. Every little bit you do to each component in the end totals an ultimate action job.
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In order to keep up with the various sized roll pins i drew a crude looking picture on some card stock and inserted each pin in their respective locations.
Now we get into the real differences of the Phantom. I think I like this change but will reserve my opinion until the end of the action job. To start, there are no grooves cut into the bottom of the trigger bar and there is no horseshoe shaped trigger bar spring. I like this for the fact that there is no long session of bending the spring, adjusting the tension or staking the trigger spring screw. Another genius change is the way the magazine catch assembly is held in place. Anyone that is familiar with the P Series guns knows that it uses a post through the frame to hold the catch in place, So does the Phantom but, it also uses the same post as the trigger bar spring. I have already polished the trigger bar channel and post fixture to smooth the double action.
One of the other changes I find pleasing is the grip on the Phantom. It is slimmer feeling than any of its Cousins and much grippier. It has a changeable back strap to tailor different sized hands but you won't need any skateboard tape to hold onto the grip frame. The finish on the grip is very aggressive.
As to the parts that are common to the 75 Series guns first we will look at the re-curved trigger. This is the trigger that most people complain about as they have a tendency to bite the tip of the trigger finger and they sit way ahead in the trigger guard. I will cure both of these ailments by using one of CGW's old type stainless combat triggers. i will stone a few thousands off of the disco wing and using the provided pre-travel set screw sit the trigger back in the trigger guard for an easy reach. I will also replace the roll pin used for the trigger pin with one of Cajun's free floating trigger pins along with a reduced power trigger return spring. The double action on this gun, while smooth, was in the neighborhood of 14#s and the single action pull was a very creepy 6#s.
To rid the single action of creep I chose to use CGW's excellent Race hammer. The Race hammer almost eliminates the positive camber which is what you see when pulling the trigger in single action as the hammer has to back up in order to release. I will also install CGW's short reset kit along with their #2 over sized disconnector to reduce and shorten the length of the reset. With the pre-travel mod and the addition of the short reset kit in conjunction with being able to adjust the pre-travel the trigger should only have to move a very short distance between the release of the sear and the reset. In addition to the short reset kit you must also install the extended firing pin into the slide. We will get to this a little later but the firing pin block and the hole it sits in will also need some attention to get the single action pull to feel more like a Shadow which is the goal of this endeavor.
Since the sear cage sits in a carrier it is much easier to get out of the gun than most of the other steel framed guns. Here I have removed the carrier and slid in the slave pin to hold everything together while removing the decocking sear cage.
As with any 75 Series gun you will need to do some polishing on the lower part of the sear cage where the trigger bar travels against it. You also want to polish the sear leg where it contacts the trigger bar and the firing pin lifter if you want the ultra smooth single and double action these guns can deliver. Also underneath the sear where the hammer passes under it. Be careful not to remove any metal, all you want to do here is smooth and polish. Leave the machine marks and just smooth and polish them. On the underside of the sear polishing, be careful not to remove the sharp edge on the sear where it contacts the hammer hooks, don't let your Moto tool run over the edges and ruin the edge of the sear. Be careful not to remove metal off of the sear or lifter legs as this will screw up your timing. Just smooth and polish. I disassembled the sear cage and mirror polish the sides of each component. If it rubs it gets polished. Every little bit you do to each component in the end totals an ultimate action job.
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244 Posts
On the Phantom there is no need for polishing the sides of the trigger bar as the bar does not contact the frame or the steel insert as it does in the steel framed guns. You will want to hit the other normal places on the back of the trigger bar that effects the single and double action release. Here the trigger bar is polished underneath where it contacts the sub-frame and on the top part where it contacts the FP lifter and the sear. Again i must caution against removing metal. Polishing removes a minute amount of metal when it's done right but you cannot allow yourself to get carried away especially in these areas. Leave the ugly looking machine marks and just smooth and polish over them.
Don't forget to smooth the trigger pin hole and make sure the trigger pin operates smooth and grit free.
Now for the hammer/disco assembly. I polish the ramps on the hammer that pass under the sear being careful not to touch the hooks, only the area leading up to them.
The disconnector needs some polishing where it rubs against the bottom of the sear cage and on it's tip where it rubs the sub-frame. I also use a fine stone and make an angle on the bottom of the disco wing. This will eliminate the tendency for the wing not to drop into the trigger bar after the short rest kit is installed.
The hammer strut also needs your attention. Being a stamped steel part it has some curved and rough edges that contact the hammer spring as it reciprocates in double action. I will stone the hammer strut until it resembles a machined part. I remove all of the curved, pushed up angles and then stone the edges on the 4 corners that rub against the hammer spring. After smoothing I polish the hammer strut until it has a mirror finish and deburr the hole the hammer pin goes through. I like to use the hardened H pins from CGW's, they cannot be staked in place like the factory pins but you can use some 262 Loctite after soaking the hammer in Acetone to make sure they stay in place. Be careful not to get any Loctite into the action, You just want it on the last 1/16th of the H pin before it fully seats into the hammer. Remove any excess and then give the LT a full 24 hours to cure before oiling the hammer. I also polish the inside of the hammer spring. This may seem a little over the edge but it plays a large roll in what the double action will feel like. You cannot get things too slick, if it moves polish it.
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While the Loctite cures i will move on to the slide. This stock Phantom came with the standard phosphorescent 3 dot sights. The factory sights are serviceable but after you have spent some time with good aftermarket sights they look more like trying to sight through 3 bricks. i ordered the EZ 9/40 fixed sight set from CGW's which i use on most customer guns who don't request adjustable sights. These sights are made to fit the CZ 75, 75 B and 85 Combat guns and usually do OK on older SP-01's and 97 B's. Well that has changed with the 2017 production run. Here is a picture of what you get when you install a front sight made for a 75 B into a slide with the new SP-01/Shadow front dovetail. The newer guns are sticking very close to a .060 deep dovetail whereas the 75 Transtionals and 75B's are sporting a deeper .085 dovetail. This sight is supposed to sit .170 above the slide, this sight is sitting .215 high and to me this is unacceptable in looks and in function. i have a .170 X .100 sight made for the SP-01 in stock so i will make the change and see how it looks. It should have a better fit with the base of the sight only slightly above the sight rib.
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Much happier with the front sight now and i know the customer will be well pleased.
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As for the rear sight it sports a .125 wide by .140 deep notch. The .170 tall front blade nicely fills the deep notch, the .100 wide front allows for ample light on each side of the front sight but not so much that quick accurate shots can't be made in a hurry. The EZ rear sight sold by CGW's made for them exclusively by Dawson gives a very high definition sight picture that is hard to reach with any other fixed sight set.
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The extended firing pin, reduced firing pin return spring is next. I mount the slide in a sturdy padded vise and drive out the OEM firing pin retaining roll pin and remove the OEM FP and spring. I clean the firing pin channel in the slide and then de-grease and lightly polish the CGW's extended firing pin. I wipe the pin lightly with a good light oil and run the firing pin channel dry. I use the much superior roll pin provided in the short reset kit with the split a 12 noon. While i have the firing pin out i polish the firing pin block and the FP block hole in the slide and install the reduced power spring on the block that comes with kit. If done correctly the firing pin lifter feel in the trigger will disappear in about 500 rounds of use. The only way you know it's there is the small additional amount of movement in the trigger before the sear wall is reached.
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Much happier with the front sight now and i know the customer will be well pleased.
As for the rear sight it sports a .125 wide by .140 deep notch. The .170 tall front blade nicely fills the deep notch, the .100 wide front allows for ample light on each side of the front sight but not so much that quick accurate shots can't be made in a hurry. The EZ rear sight sold by CGW's made for them exclusively by Dawson gives a very high definition sight picture that is hard to reach with any other fixed sight set.
The extended firing pin, reduced firing pin return spring is next. I mount the slide in a sturdy padded vise and drive out the OEM firing pin retaining roll pin and remove the OEM FP and spring. I clean the firing pin channel in the slide and then de-grease and lightly polish the CGW's extended firing pin. I wipe the pin lightly with a good light oil and run the firing pin channel dry. I use the much superior roll pin provided in the short reset kit with the split a 12 noon. While i have the firing pin out i polish the firing pin block and the FP block hole in the slide and install the reduced power spring on the block that comes with kit. If done correctly the firing pin lifter feel in the trigger will disappear in about 500 rounds of use. The only way you know it's there is the small additional amount of movement in the trigger before the sear wall is reached.
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17 Posts
Polishing tools
SP01SHADOW,
As always, thanks for sharing! How are you getting that polishing? More specifically in regards to what tools for being efficient. I feel like it takes me forever, and you rip out the highest quality in an afternoon. Thanks!
SP01SHADOW,
As always, thanks for sharing! How are you getting that polishing? More specifically in regards to what tools for being efficient. I feel like it takes me forever, and you rip out the highest quality in an afternoon. Thanks!
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244 Posts
On most surfaces i very lightly sand first with oiled 600 grit paper. Once most of the color is removed i de-grease the area with Acetone and get after it with a hard wool fob and Flitz. No pressure and i keep the fob moving. I don't use a Dremel brand Moto tool. I use one so much that even the higher priced Dremels do not hold up under the use. I have found that the tool made by Black & Decker to be a superior device. It is much cheaper than the units sold by Brownell's or some of the other high end vendors but will last me years instead of just months. The model i get the best service from is the B&D RTX, it says it's a 3 speed unit but it is continuously variable through high, medium and low. Most of my polishing is done at just above medium. In the tight areas like the rear of the trigger bar i will use a cratex stick first then polish and get out quickly.
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Dang, it must be the oil making the difference. How long does it take with flitz and the polishing wheel on your B&D rotary tool? I find I get much better polish at medium high on my dremel but it spins the flitz off. So I have to spend time at medium and them hit it with medium high at the end.
Side note, I am giving one of these a try on my pre-b restoration and it is interesting. Have you ever given these a try? If so, thoughts?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004UDHR/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
So... Acetone is supposed to be pretty toxic stuff. I see done people use it like it is no issue and others are nice and careful. What's yours process in dealing with that stuff? Do you have a little metal tub you poor it into, use it, then dump it back into the container? What gloves do you use so they don't melt?
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244 Posts
You are doing what most people do, putting the Flitz on what you are polishing instead of what's doing the polishing. None of mine ever gets flung off. Put the Flitz generously on the fob, rub it in all over and not the area you are polishing. Let the hard wool soak it up, give it, initially, some time to absorb the Flitz. Apply the compound to the fob and any excess the fob won't absorb, put that on the part. Take a few moments for the Flitz to dry on the fob before you start polishing. See what happens then to your speed and quality. Those rubber tips can be useful but be aware they will remove metal quickly.
i have a large Tupperware type covered bowl with a snap on lid that i store outside with Acetone in it. Never pour used Acetone back in the clean canister it came in. When i need to soak a part I carry it outside and drop it in the bowl. I don't store it in the house. It will eat up the thin rubber gloves so i have a pair of chemical gloves I wear when using it. It is the best de-greaser you can use and it will get off any oils or paint. When rust bluing i will heat the parts to be blued and let them soak in it for a day. Great stuff but i would not want to accidentally set it on fire.
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244 Posts
While waiting on all the Loctite to cure I throated the short chambered barrel so it won't choke on the longest loaded hollow points and polished the feed ramp.
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244 Posts
I started the assembly this morning. I polished the track in the steel carrier that the lower tip of the disco rides in to get things started. When you pull the trigger the disco tip will dive down in this channel and if there is any roughness you will feel it. This is one of those areas no one seems to polish but it does make a difference.
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Once the channel was polished i started to assemble the carrier for the sear cage. The way CZ made this carrier it is much easier to pop out the slave pin in the decocker sear cage. You place the hammer in the carrier first, then the rear of the trigger bar and then the sear cage. Once you have the sear pin in then you go to the front of the trigger bar and install the trigger and the return spring with the slave pin that comes with the CGW's floating pin kit. Once completed you install the steel trigger block back into the frame and drive in the lower roll pin. Then set the whole assembly into place in the frame, push the floating trigger pin in to dislodge the trigger slave pin and center it. Push down on the sear cage carrier until it bottoms in the frame and re-install the lower roll pin. Next, using the proper sized punch line up the hammer in the frame and drive in and center the hammer roll pin. Very simple to reassemble.
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i am not sure that anyone has tried the floating trigger pin in one of these guns but it works great and sure beats trying to re-install a previously belled roll pin.
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Locate the witness marks on the hammer roll pin. Place the pin in a drill so that the witness marks are exposed and centered. Cut a strip of 600 grit paper that just fits between the witness marks and start to polish. Cut a strip of 1000 grit paper and repeat, come back with you moto tool and while the drill is turning give it a final polish. Stay off each end of the roll pin as you do not want to reduce the diameter on the ends or turn the pin silver. This is a roll pin so there is an edge that is constantly trying to grab into the hammer pin hole, even after you polish the center of this pin try to locate that edge to the bottom rear so the hammer only cams on the smooth part of the pin.
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Once the channel was polished i started to assemble the carrier for the sear cage. The way CZ made this carrier it is much easier to pop out the slave pin in the decocker sear cage. You place the hammer in the carrier first, then the rear of the trigger bar and then the sear cage. Once you have the sear pin in then you go to the front of the trigger bar and install the trigger and the return spring with the slave pin that comes with the CGW's floating pin kit. Once completed you install the steel trigger block back into the frame and drive in the lower roll pin. Then set the whole assembly into place in the frame, push the floating trigger pin in to dislodge the trigger slave pin and center it. Push down on the sear cage carrier until it bottoms in the frame and re-install the lower roll pin. Next, using the proper sized punch line up the hammer in the frame and drive in and center the hammer roll pin. Very simple to reassemble.
i am not sure that anyone has tried the floating trigger pin in one of these guns but it works great and sure beats trying to re-install a previously belled roll pin.
Locate the witness marks on the hammer roll pin. Place the pin in a drill so that the witness marks are exposed and centered. Cut a strip of 600 grit paper that just fits between the witness marks and start to polish. Cut a strip of 1000 grit paper and repeat, come back with you moto tool and while the drill is turning give it a final polish. Stay off each end of the roll pin as you do not want to reduce the diameter on the ends or turn the pin silver. This is a roll pin so there is an edge that is constantly trying to grab into the hammer pin hole, even after you polish the center of this pin try to locate that edge to the bottom rear so the hammer only cams on the smooth part of the pin.
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I polished the hood of the barrel as it was already showing some wear on the bluing and i think it just looks better with the stainless trigger. I assembled the slide with the barrel and a new stainless guide rod replacing the factory plastic piece. As i mentioned earlier i am using the CGW's stainless combat trigger with the pre-travel/over travel adjustment. Below pictured is the trigger without the screws inserted or adjusted. I took a few thousands off of the front of the disco wing to put some extra pre-travel in the trigger, when i install the pre-travel screw it will set the trigger back somewhat like the reduced reach kit that CGW's sells. I will do the before and after pictures. I installed the #2 disconnector and the short rest kit so the reset has already been shortened by 50%. Once the trigger screws are installed and adjusted the trigger travel will be greatly reduced as will the reach and the hammer let off making the gun much more pleasant to shoot when you are driving it fast.
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The after picture. Quite a difference in reach. I use Loctite 262 to set these screws in place. I drop the trigger along with the set screws into a bowl of Acetone and let them soak until i am ready to put them back into the gun. Loctite will fail in the presents of any oil or grease so the screws and the trigger must be devoid of any lubricant prior to applying the locking compound. I install the screws after the trigger is in the gun with a good blob of 262 on each one. I set the pre-travel screw one half turn more than the double action reset to compensate for the heat. For the over travel, I install the screw deep and after cocking the hammer and pulling the trigger hard to the rear, turn the screw out until the hammer falls and then one half turn more out. Then check to make sure the hammer is clearing the sear completely, if not I will adjust it until it does. You also need to make sure that the gun works in double action before sitting the gun aside for a full 24 hours letting the Loctite fully cure. The set screws will never move. You will need to heat the trigger in order to change the settings after it cures. If you use Blue Loctite for this oils will desolve Blue Loctite and eventually the screws are going to move.
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All dressed up and ready for home. The double action pull is 9 lbs and as smooth as glass, the single action breaks crisply at 2.8 lbs. This will improve after the first 200 rounds and then settle. I hope you enjoyed the ride.
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The after picture. Quite a difference in reach. I use Loctite 262 to set these screws in place. I drop the trigger along with the set screws into a bowl of Acetone and let them soak until i am ready to put them back into the gun. Loctite will fail in the presents of any oil or grease so the screws and the trigger must be devoid of any lubricant prior to applying the locking compound. I install the screws after the trigger is in the gun with a good blob of 262 on each one. I set the pre-travel screw one half turn more than the double action reset to compensate for the heat. For the over travel, I install the screw deep and after cocking the hammer and pulling the trigger hard to the rear, turn the screw out until the hammer falls and then one half turn more out. Then check to make sure the hammer is clearing the sear completely, if not I will adjust it until it does. You also need to make sure that the gun works in double action before sitting the gun aside for a full 24 hours letting the Loctite fully cure. The set screws will never move. You will need to heat the trigger in order to change the settings after it cures. If you use Blue Loctite for this oils will desolve Blue Loctite and eventually the screws are going to move.
All dressed up and ready for home. The double action pull is 9 lbs and as smooth as glass, the single action breaks crisply at 2.8 lbs. This will improve after the first 200 rounds and then settle. I hope you enjoyed the ride.
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Yes, count me in!
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244 Posts
Did the function tests today and also tested the new sights for regulation. 100% functioning with all types of ammo. I have found the load the customer is going to want to use. Acme's 124 grain NLG-RN with 4.4 grains of Sport Pistol shot several groups under an inch from 20 yards off of the bench today. Most others went from 1.75" to 1.5" in groups size. I Loctited the rear sight and packed it up, we will call this one done.
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50 Posts
That turned out nice. What weight hammer spring did you use? Also, I know how much you like the P-09, how did shooting the Phantom compare?
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244 Posts
I used the blue, 13# hammer spring. I really like the Phantom a lot. The grip on the Phantom is smaller and slimmer than the P-09 and you can run the combat trigger in it so you have zero pre-travel. The thinner grip is much more aggressive right out of the box. I have no complaints with the new Phantom and the new trigger system is super slick with a nice audible, short reset. Because i already have the P-09 I am not going to run right out and buy a Phantom but if i didn't i would be on the hunt for one right now. It shoots very soft just like the P-09, other than the slimmer grip if i shut my eyes i don't think i could tell the difference.
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