Hi there, it's probably not the first post about this. My CZ-858 always fail to lock the bolt open after last round. Mag are brand new, when i try with my hand, the bolt lock normally but when i shoot it fail to lock. What can cause this ? (Sorry for my english, i'm french) Thanks.
CZ-858 problem
- Thread starter Guill
- Start date
As Exocet stated, the bolt stop may just need to be cleaned and lubed. This is a great place to start because it doesn’t mean buying any new parts. Also, Curtton’s idea of checking the gas block and cleaning the gas tube is good advice. I tend to overlook these areas when cleaning my rifle sometimes.
I had this exact same problem on my new CzechPoint VZ58. I shipped it back to the company and they put a larger spec magazine catch/release and bolt catch, which fixed the problem. I also sent back all ten of my magazines for them to inspect and try with the repaired rifle. They replaced four of the metal followers from some of my military mags with their new plastic followers. Now all of my magazines work perfectly and the bolt hold open feature is flawless. My magazines had sagged low in the receiver to the rear before the repairs, but the new magazine catch fixed this and they all lock in tightly. Now I can hand cycle the bolt with mags pushed all the way forward or pulled to the rear and they will all catch the bolt.
Before I sent back my rifle, it would catch the bolt on all mags if hand cycled. It would not catch the bolt when the last round was fired if my forward hand was just on the handguard. But it would catch on the last round fired if I pulled the rifle into my shoulder with the forward hand on the top front edge of the mag. This is how I isolated the cause somewhat, by causing the mag to be firmly seated in the receiver. This should be your goal to fix this problem if the mags are not already locking in tight. So test fire it by pulling the mag in tight and see if the BHO feature works. I bet it will. This only isolates the problem to these three parts, but you will be well on your way to fixing it.
The owner of CzechPoint explained to me that firearm specs can vary greatly and parts don’t always work together, although they look fine. His best illustration of this was putting together an AR15 with multiple aftermarket and surplus parts. Sometimes they don’t fit together correctly and specs vary but thousandths of an inch. He said there is even a difference in the size of VZ58 mags, as so many were produced for so long. They don’t vary nearly as much as my AKM mags, which range from too big to even fit the receiver to so narrow they wobble. My rifle was supposedly test fired in Czechoslovakia after it was first built, but they probably didn’t add new compliant mags to it until after CzechPoint repackaged it for sale. So the mag the Czechs test fired it with worked fine somehow. To my eyes the BHO catch and mag followers looked fine, but they just didn’t work correctly.
After test firing it again while pulling the mag towards you, if the BHO works, I would recommend that you replace the bolt hold open catch first. (Yes, Exocet, this is a good excuse to buy a new tactical bolt release) Then test fire the rifle again to test the newly replaced BHO feature, without pulling on the mag. If it still fails to lock open on the last round, replace the mag catch with one that locks in the mags tighter or switch out the followers from new mags. Eventually you will find something that works.
CzechPoint does not ship their spare parts internationally, so you probably can’t get their plastic followers in Canada, but you may be able to get some stock metal ones somewhere. You may be able to get some plastic ones from Europe, if D-TECHNIK or someone else sells them. D-TECHNIK supplies the rifles and parts for CzechPoint and (maybe) the plastic followers make them 922(r) compliant in the US, along with other plastic parts like floorplates and triggers. I can only use the compliant mags for now, until I buy more aftermarket parts for my rifle. I had to switch out he metal mag floorplates with plastic ones just to test them, so they would remain legal.
I’d like to add that CzechPoint shipped my rifle both ways for free, did the repairs in a timely manner and threw in one free compliant mag and the four followers. They also polished the feed ramp for free, so it can shoot hollow points and soft tips without any issues. They also test fired it. I’m really glad I bought it directly from them because they warranty it for five years and really stand behind what they sell.
Good luck with your repairs! If you can find a gunsmith that knows the VZ58 and has lots of spare parts, it may be worth the cost to have them repair it and test fire it too. If you buy replacement parts, maybe measure them with a micrometer so you can compare the specs to the old parts. This way you can verify what size will work for future repairs if you buy more VZ58’s.
I had this exact same problem on my new CzechPoint VZ58. I shipped it back to the company and they put a larger spec magazine catch/release and bolt catch, which fixed the problem. I also sent back all ten of my magazines for them to inspect and try with the repaired rifle. They replaced four of the metal followers from some of my military mags with their new plastic followers. Now all of my magazines work perfectly and the bolt hold open feature is flawless. My magazines had sagged low in the receiver to the rear before the repairs, but the new magazine catch fixed this and they all lock in tightly. Now I can hand cycle the bolt with mags pushed all the way forward or pulled to the rear and they will all catch the bolt.
Before I sent back my rifle, it would catch the bolt on all mags if hand cycled. It would not catch the bolt when the last round was fired if my forward hand was just on the handguard. But it would catch on the last round fired if I pulled the rifle into my shoulder with the forward hand on the top front edge of the mag. This is how I isolated the cause somewhat, by causing the mag to be firmly seated in the receiver. This should be your goal to fix this problem if the mags are not already locking in tight. So test fire it by pulling the mag in tight and see if the BHO feature works. I bet it will. This only isolates the problem to these three parts, but you will be well on your way to fixing it.
The owner of CzechPoint explained to me that firearm specs can vary greatly and parts don’t always work together, although they look fine. His best illustration of this was putting together an AR15 with multiple aftermarket and surplus parts. Sometimes they don’t fit together correctly and specs vary but thousandths of an inch. He said there is even a difference in the size of VZ58 mags, as so many were produced for so long. They don’t vary nearly as much as my AKM mags, which range from too big to even fit the receiver to so narrow they wobble. My rifle was supposedly test fired in Czechoslovakia after it was first built, but they probably didn’t add new compliant mags to it until after CzechPoint repackaged it for sale. So the mag the Czechs test fired it with worked fine somehow. To my eyes the BHO catch and mag followers looked fine, but they just didn’t work correctly.
After test firing it again while pulling the mag towards you, if the BHO works, I would recommend that you replace the bolt hold open catch first. (Yes, Exocet, this is a good excuse to buy a new tactical bolt release) Then test fire the rifle again to test the newly replaced BHO feature, without pulling on the mag. If it still fails to lock open on the last round, replace the mag catch with one that locks in the mags tighter or switch out the followers from new mags. Eventually you will find something that works.
CzechPoint does not ship their spare parts internationally, so you probably can’t get their plastic followers in Canada, but you may be able to get some stock metal ones somewhere. You may be able to get some plastic ones from Europe, if D-TECHNIK or someone else sells them. D-TECHNIK supplies the rifles and parts for CzechPoint and (maybe) the plastic followers make them 922(r) compliant in the US, along with other plastic parts like floorplates and triggers. I can only use the compliant mags for now, until I buy more aftermarket parts for my rifle. I had to switch out he metal mag floorplates with plastic ones just to test them, so they would remain legal.
I’d like to add that CzechPoint shipped my rifle both ways for free, did the repairs in a timely manner and threw in one free compliant mag and the four followers. They also polished the feed ramp for free, so it can shoot hollow points and soft tips without any issues. They also test fired it. I’m really glad I bought it directly from them because they warranty it for five years and really stand behind what they sell.
Good luck with your repairs! If you can find a gunsmith that knows the VZ58 and has lots of spare parts, it may be worth the cost to have them repair it and test fire it too. If you buy replacement parts, maybe measure them with a micrometer so you can compare the specs to the old parts. This way you can verify what size will work for future repairs if you buy more VZ58’s.
Same issue here I have noticed on my mags. The follower tab located at the back usually is the issue or the mag front locking rail get's worn out as most mags are surplus and who knows how many rounds they have gone threw before we got them.
Picture of the rear metal tab on the back of the mag follower that could be the issue of not keeping the bolt open on the last shot;
Also when the mag is seated in the rifle it should have almost no play. If it wiggles then it might be time for a new mag.
Picture of the rear metal tab on the back of the mag follower that could be the issue of not keeping the bolt open on the last shot;
Also when the mag is seated in the rifle it should have almost no play. If it wiggles then it might be time for a new mag.
Same issue here I have noticed on my mags. The follower tab located at the back usually is the issue or the mag front locking rail get's worn out as most mags are surplus and who knows how many rounds they have gone threw before we got them.
Picture of the rear metal tab on the back of the mag follower that could be the issue of not keeping the bolt open on the last shot;
Also when the mag is seated in the rifle it should have almost no play. If it wiggles then it might be time for a new mag.
Showing a gun with a sheared receiver in the background is just plain wrong
Unless of course it is a part gun that is used to build a new one......
L
