Improving pre-travel on a CZ Shadow trigger?

Lojak

Lojak

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Hi all,

I've got a Shadow and for the most part I like it. The one thing that really bothers me - to the point I'm considering upgrading to an Edge - is the huge amount of pre-travel in single action mode. I did ask one gunsmith about this issue, and he indicated that little could be done, but I'm in the mood for other opinions and experiences..

Has any one else had a similar issue, and what have you done about it?

Thanks,

-- L.
 
my smith told me that a trigger spring from an xd or taurus or something can be used in the shadow and lighten it up. I didnt do it, just got used to mine really.
 
The pre-travel in single action mode is a necessary evil due to the fact that the gun is a DA/SA gun. If you rack the slide and then lower the hammer so you shoot the first shot in DA you'll find that there is precious little pre-travel. And unless you convert the gun to DA only you just need to learn to not release the trigger travell fully.
 
Yeap, it's due to design. I think BCRider may have meant to say SA only, then pre-travel can be reduced a very great deal (to pretty much NONE) and trigger reset would be extremely short, if you get SAO trigger that comes with pre- and over-travel adjustment screws. I got that trigger on 75B SA gun (with FPB intact) and it improved things a ton. Only if I could remove FPB and shoot IDPA or USPSA that way :D FPB removal on 'B' guns (CZ) makes huge difference. Shadow doesn't have FPB to start with thou.
It's not such a big deal to have that pre-travel, as long as you learn to prep trigger when you draw (after you draw to be perfectly correct) if you start in SA mode with safety on. I shoot that way a lot in IDPA ESP. You just need to learn and practice.
 
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why would the pretravel in SA be an issue anyhow? if it's the first shot you should be prepping the trigger on the way to the target, if it's a follow up shot, and you ride the reset properly, you'll have no pretravel at all.
 
Thanks for the explanation BCRider, makes sense to me.

CeeZer, Slavex, you're not too far off. I find pre-loading the trigger to be an extra task that I need to learn, on top of practicing for my black badge. I've also found that my grip changes ever-so-slightly as a resulted of the long pre-travel, so I need to work on that as well, in addition to everything else. Perhaps I'm overwhelmed, I don't know, but it feels more like annoyance than that.

Thanks,

-- L.
 
I don't know what type of shooting you are into, but if you are target shooting and not participating in any of the action shooting games, put a single action trigger in it, I am sure that would solve your "problem.". But as Slavex pointed out about prepping the trigger, a little practice and you'll have it down pat. Try doing some dry-fire and you'll have it figured out in no time.
 
Alphamike, I've owned a Glock, Sig and 1911 before, and never really had a problem with those triggers. With the Shadow, I find I have trouble handling the amount of pre-travel. I suspect its body mechanics.. when I pull the trigger in SA, my grip shifts slightly. I can actually feel my knuckle move differently during the pull. Strange. Was hoping for a mechanical solution, so I have one less thing to focus on during my black badge course, but I'll find a way to deal with it.

Thanks all.

-- L.
 
Practice your trigger "press" in dryfire. I didn't realize you were getting into IPSC and taking your black badge, good luck and please accept my early welcome! With practice you will get the hang of it I am sure. In time you likely will find that the CZ has one of the best triggers on the market.
 
are you looking to shoot Production or Standard with your Shadow? if Production, then learning the proper trigger techniques will pay off in spades. After the first shot in DA, you should not let go of the trigger unless you are not shooting (movement, reloads etc), and then when you do go to shoot, you should be prepping the trigger on the way out to the target. Contact Rob Elliot (Relliot) here on CGN and see if he has any courses coming up. Once you've learned the proper technique the pretravel issue will no longer even be of a concern for you. Trust me on that one. 1 year from now you'll look back at this thread and giggle.
 
I'll be shooting production. I've been practicing dry firing quite a bit, and I'm at the point where I do not see the front sight shifting when I shoot DA or SA. Sure the sight wobbles, but not when I press the trigger. That seems to change when I'm actually shooting. I don't think its flinch - I'll randomly through a snap-cap into a mag to test that - but it might be. The problem seems to get worse as I shoot more rounds.

-- L.
 
If your groups are not small for the distance you're shooting then it is flinch, clutching or some other combination of moving more muscles than you need to move other than your trigger finger. At 12 yards when I'm "in the groove" shooting slow bullseye style my old guy eyes and muscles can produce roughly 2 inch groups consistently with 1.5 inch groups common enough that they are not unusual. I've seen other shooters that can do better than me. Not saying that this is ideal but if others and myself can do it then it's not a bad yardstick to aim for.

If your groups are more open than this at the same distance it's either because you're tired, had too much coffee on the way to the range or are doing something wrong with your grip.

Do you have a .22 pistol? I find that not only is .22 fun in it's own right but it's an EXCELLENT training gun to work on flinching issues. It really lets you focus on sights and trigger. Dry firing does this as well. But too often folks that can dry fire perfectly react to the recoil that they know is coming with a full mag. So all their dry fire training goes up in smoke under the effect of the gun actually going BANG! instead of click. A .22 gets around this by introducing a smaller BANG! and some recoil. But not a strong enough recoil that it makes you flinch. So you can basically work on your dry firing control AND see what the results are by the groups of holes. Once you achieve the proper mental "disconnection" between pulling the trigger and the actual recoil switch to the center fire gun and shoot until you notice that you're reacting to the recoil again. Then go back to the .22 for more rimfire therapy.
 
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