CZ550 tool question....Socrates, maybe?

[KDM]

When I got my CZ, a tool in a black pouch also came with it. Every once in a while I'd wonder about it and try to figure out its use, but to no avail. So...now it's buggin' the stuffing outta me. What the heck is this thing for (I gotta get a pic up soon)? Only thing I can think of is a bolt disassembly tool, but thus far a solution has eluded me.

It's 3 3/8" OAL, 3/16" thick. Streched teardrop shape. On the narrow end is a hollow-ground screwdriver tip. On the wide end is a keyhole-shaped cutout, rabbetted on one side and flush on the other. Looks like it'd be a bushing wrench or something. Anyone got a clue?

[KDM]

Here's a pic:

26900

[Hafoc]

How nice of the folks at CZ! They sent you a combination bottle opener and eyeglass frame screwdriver! :D

[KDM]

HA! Yep, it's hard to open that Sam Adams if'n ya can't see the cap!

[Socrates]

KDM:

Wish I could help. I got my gun from a shop, and it was used, CZ reps gun. It never had that same tool, and, it didn't even have a firing pin...:rolleyes:

Wish I could be more help...

S

PS Have you just called CZ? Nice folks...

[flashhole]

I believe the small end is the trigger adjustment screw driver and the other end is used to help disassemble the bolt.

I have one too but have never used it. I also don't recall ever getting any instructions on how to use it from CZ. I bought my 550 new. mine is a Full Stock in 243 Winchester. I have been happy with it and the way it shoots.

[KDM]

Thanks, Socrates. That'll probably be my next step...call CZ.

Flashhole-now that you mention it, the screwdriver portion makes sense. :D Figuring out the bolt disassembling side is gonna take a little more investigation. Yeah, my manual had no mention of the tool's use, either. BTW, I'm lovin' my CZ too. I got the Safari American in 375 H&H. Surprisingly comfortable, reliable, and accurate to boot.

[flashhole]

Don't know that I've posted this picture but this is how it looks after I refinished the stock. It came from the factory with a lot of dark brown gunk they called a finish. You couldn't see any of the figure in the wood. I had a scope on it at one time but it threw off the balance of the gun. I spent this past summer working up loads and practicing shooting it. It took awhile but I finally figured out the iron sights. I wish there were an after-market peep I could buy to extend the sight radius. I can easily hit 6" paper plates at 100 yards with the open sights if I get adequate time to sight and pull. It likes both 85 grain and 100 grain bullets but I haven't had any luck with varmint bullets. Next spring I will try some Speer TNT bullets, I usually have good success with them no matter what gun I load for.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v69/GuideGun/Refinidhedstock1.jpg

[KDM]

That's a nice looking CZ, flashhole. Did you get a field grade rifle? Now I'm wondering if under my factory finish there's some nice grain aching to get out.
No time to post a pic of mine right now...will get one up soon.

OK...finally figured out that the tool is a firing pin spring compressor. The larger diameter of the keyhole cutout is used to slide down and over the firing pin spring support and nut (inside front cover and page 31 of the CZ550 medium/magnum manual). Once past those items, the narrower, rabbetted portion is slid over to engage the spring's twists. Now, the spring can be compressed and the nut unscrewed.

I just finished reassembling it, and even though it's a relatively new gun, I'm glad I stripped it down. There was lots of rust-colored gunk in there. :barf:

Thanks for all your help, guys.

[flashhole]

Yeah, it was a Plain-Jane order, no wood upgrade, it came from a distrubutor in Florida. If you do decide to refinish yours this is what worked for me -

Two coats of Zip Strip paint and varnish remover. The Zip Strip I bought is suitable for removing marine finishes. I used two coats and the stock finish came off quickly. In fact I was removing the factory finish in real time immediately after I applied the stripper. For the checkering I used a brass brush to clean out the finish. It was easy. The stock looks like crap when you have it stripped.

Light sanding is needed, my stock finish showed lots of pores as it came from the factory. When the finish was stripped the wood was still porus. You can also smooth out the areas that CZ didn't spend too much time on.

I went for the in-the-wood finish as opposed to an on-the-wood finish. I did not use any stain. I used Var-Oil Tung Oil finish. The final product took 13 hand-rubbed coats over a one week period, two per day. I used 400 grit emory paper and wet sanded the third, sixth, and ninth coats. That filled in all the pores nicely. After the final coat dried I applied two coats of Johnson Paste Wax.

[flashhole]

You are talking about bolt disassembly - is that correct? I haven't disassembled my bolt yet. Was the rust colored material grease?

When I bought my CZ I gave it a thorough cleaning but did not disassemble the bolt. I have never seen so much gunk come out of a new barrel. It took me two days to get it clean. I filled it with Wipe Out twice and let it sit overnight. Since then I've only put copper solvent down the barrel one time and didn't gt much out. It gets a Bore Snake run through the barrel (3 times) whenever I finish my shooting session.

I may have to look into disassembling and cleaning the bolt.

[KDM]

Yeah...bolt disassembly, but more than a simple removal of the firing pin/cocking piece assembly. The rust-colored stuff wasn't grease. Looked more like rusty filings that had adhered to the inner wall. Pretty nasty stuff, but it came out easily and there's no hint that it was there.

On my 550 at least, you can unscrew what is called the bolt sleeve to remove the whole firing pin assembly. The CZ tool is then used to further break down that firing pin assembly.

I'll strip the bolt down to its two main components (bolt and firing pin assembly) for wipedown after every range session. It's quick and easy to do that. This is, obviously, the first time I fully stripped the firing pin assembly. It'll now be an every-couple-dozen-cleanings event.

About your stock: did you notice any opening of the wood pores when you used stripper? Any wood swelling? As far as your finish goes, the labor you put into it shows. That is a beautiful job!

[flashhole]

No opening of the pores due to the stripper, the pores were already there and quite noticible as it came from the factory. Closing them up was not problem during the finishing process.

[Socrates]

I've been seriously thinking about refinishing mine, except the guys might take it to Africa with them. About as close as I'm going to get, I think.

The worse it looks, the less likely it will be stolen, and, if it gets dinged up a bit, it's no big deal, if I'm refinishing, or restocking.

Flashole you did a beautiful job on that stock. CZ uses really good wood, then covers it in garbage...

S

[flashhole]

I was pleased with the wood once I got to see it through all the gunk they called a finish.

If your gun is likely to see some abusive treatment just wait until it gets back and then refinish it. The problem with that is you loose any safari originated character that makes for good stories down the road.

There are two guns I use here on the farm. The CZ and my 221 Fireball. If I go for a walk through the woods I usually grab the CZ because it is quick to shoulder. This summer we had a large bear on the property and for awhile I was grabbing the Guide Gun (45-70) with some stout hand loads. It ripped up a large dead tree with claw marks higher than I could reach. It has since moved on but might be back this fall if my place is now part of its territory.

I have two loads for my CZ. One uses 100 grain lead tipped spitzers over top a full case of IMR 7828. A 243 is supposed to be relatively light in the recoil department but I'm here to tell you these are pretty stout loads. The other is much lighter and uses 85 grain hollow points. Both are accurate and hit the same point of aim at 100 yards.