Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Problem w/New-Unissued CZ-52

My friend's recently acquired CZ-52 gave us a problem when we were examining it for the first time:

We were feed testing it, hand cycling rounds of the Bulgarian ammo we bought cans of through it...
(w/firing pin removed)
About the 6th of the first clipload a round stuck firmly in the chamber refusing to be extracted.
Had to break down the pistol and knock out the stuck one from the muzzle.

Hand fitting several rounds to the breech of the removed barrel I noted tightness from several and repeated sticking from the original problem one.
The same Bulgarian mil-surp from my tin cycles through my blued, re-arsenaled CZ without a hitch.

His pistol was sold as "unissued" and it looks it... Very fresh general appearence, nearly flawless parkerizing, almost too crisp action of moving parts and few maufacturer/arsenal markings.
Eyeballing the chamber it does look a might coarse, so I suspect that's the culprit.
I'm hoping to get it smoothed out by polishing.

I was thinking of making chamber hones by pulling bullets from a couple rounds, depriming the cases, drilling out the primer pockets and installing a machine screw/stud as an arbor.
Would then coat the case with lapping compound and twirl the tool in the rough chamber.
I've 120, 220, 320 and 600 grit compound on hand.

Hoping to hear from someone who's also experienced this difficulty and/or know of the best remedy.

I haven't had any similar trouble with either of my used CZ-52s. I believe I would see how different ammo behaved in the gun before trying any chamber polishing.

...If I polished the chamber, as you've described,I'd be sure to used unfired brass. It seems like a good plan to me, using very fine grit abrasive polishing compound. Don't over do it, a light polish ought to suffice.

You haven't seen this chamber!



As I said, it'll be unfired, but resized would do the same.
I'll be eyeballing it real good, cleaning and trying rounds for fit as I proceed.

Unissued Barrels for those CZ's sell for reasonable prices. So you don't stand to lose much by giving the chamber a polishing.

You really wouldn't even need to do the whole fired case thing. just get an old brush and wrap it with some steel wool, throw a small amount of flitz or simichrome on there and chuck it in a power drill.

zip it a touch, and test. zip it again, and test until good.

The amount of metal you're talking about removing is minimal, so going through all that trouble seems a little excessive.

BTW,
The gun is very robust, I'd shoot it before tinkering.
The 7.62 x 25 rounds are hot (and I don't mean the sub-gun ones) and the roller lock-up reliable.

If the extractor rips the case rim, then tinker.

10-4!
http://whatacountry.com/cz52barrel762x25.aspx
Besides, I don't plan on botching it!


I'm aware of that method, but IMO an equally judicious approach w/case lap would yield more consistent, concentric results.

Yup, minimal metal removal, just what I plan to do.

Trouble?... pull a bullet, knock a primer, drill a hole... child's play.
The brush/steel wool/polish lick isn't all that much much easier.
Besides tinkering is half the fun!

Here's a pic of the chamber lap I made for working on my friend's barrel:


Here's a good chamber:


Here's the chamber in question:


See any call for a little cleaning up?

If thaat cartridge headspaces on the shoulder watch your lapping process as inserting the case into the chamber will put the most pressure on the case mouth and shoulder.

Savage, I believe it headspaces on the case mouth like many other pistol rounds, but I plan to be very cautious in any event.
Probably just paste the compound on the case wall aft of the shoulder turning with minimal forward thrust to see how that works out.
Close (magnified) examination reveals that's where most of the problem coarseness lies.

The shoulder area looks fine, but the neck also looks 'scruffy'...
... so that might need some TLC too.

I'm done with my friend's chamber!
Came out good, feeds and shucks without a hitch now and no slop.