Manually decocking a CZ S2..

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Am I overthinking this?

I have a CZ Shadow 2 and I really like it. It’s a awesome gun. However, I am a safety minded person and I’m nervous about manually decocking. For instance when starting a stage and making ready I load a round in the chamber then manually let the hammer down using the thumb roll method. I’ve been practicing this a lot but have to tell you it make me uncomfortable. I’m worried about a negligent discharge.

So am I over thinking this? Is it not as hard as I’m making it seem?
 
You're overthinking this lol. I shoot a Shadow 2 in USPSA and it's no big deal to simply pinch the hammer with my index finger and thumb, then pull the trigger. I see a lot of guys shooting CZ's in IDPA and USPSA and I've yet to see a ND at a match.

Remember, there is NO RUSH in making ready when you're on the line. Don't think "omg it's my turn to shoot, I need to hurry up and load, make ready, and holster". Take your sweet ass time. No one is going to care as we all want everyone to be safe.
 
I use my strong hand thumb to lower the hammer and stabilize the gun with the support hand. That feels more secure than the thumb roll to me because the thumb feels like it can slip off. I grew up watching Starsky doing it with a BHP with his strong hand, then Crockett with the Detonics, so it must be the best way I think.

In full disclosure while practicing once I was doing it my way repeatedly very quickly and let one off into the berm. But going slowly and deliberately it's very easy I think. Easy to practice at home too.
 
You're overthinking this lol. I shoot a Shadow 2 in USPSA and it's no big deal to simply pinch the hammer with my index finger and thumb, then pull the trigger. I see a lot of guys shooting CZ's in IDPA and USPSA and I've yet to see a ND at a match.

Remember, there is NO RUSH in making ready when you're on the line. Don't think "omg it's my turn to shoot, I need to hurry up and load, make ready, and holster". Take your sweet ass time. No one is going to care as we all want everyone to be safe.

Do most people decock to the safety/halfcock notch or all the way? I should have paid more attention the last time. (last time I shot USPSA, I was running my 34).

It's kinda funny given that if you have a BD, it will always decock to the notch.

I agree no rush.... either way.

-Mike
 
The more you do it, the more comfortable you will be with it.

Always, ALWAYS point directly at the berm while lowering the hammer, not down at the ground.

^ this, I practice the thumb roll with my Shadow 2 quite a bit. I actually like the DA pull on mine so I shoot
it that way quite a bit.
this is how I do it, a little practice and it gets very "2nd nature" although I am always very careful.
it still makes me nervous

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpcHRoL35Po
 
Just started with a CZ . I think the most important is warn the SO some loose there mind when you put your finger on the trigger .LOL
 
I’ve run about 1000 rounds through the CZ and every mag I’ve practiced at least 2 times manually decocking without issue. So about 200 times. I feel most comfortable supporting the firearm with my weak hand at about chest level, then I put my strong hand thumb on top of hammer with about a 1/4 inch of my thumb overhanging the hammer. I then drop the hammer slowly. It’s easy and I definitely was overthinking the process but I’m glad that I took it seriously and reached out for advice.
 
Thanks - was just looking through all the CZ pistol lineup and it does seem like they use decockers for "tactical/SD" guns and safety for competition guns.

I know of a couple guys running the SP-01 tactical decocker model in IDPA. They don’t have to manually lower the hammer all the way like the safety models which results in a slightly lighter/shorter DA pull.
 
Out of curiosity, how much "wiggle room" is there? How far/fast does the hammer need to fall to detonate the primer? Just looking for a margin of error. I'm taking my Shadow 2 out for the first time today and I was going to practice this a bit. Already did it a bunch unloaded. I wanted to get fully comfortable with it before my first match running it in a week and a half.

I've only run striker fired or hammer fired that has a decocker.
 
Out of curiosity, how much "wiggle room" is there? How far/fast does the hammer need to fall to detonate the primer? Just looking for a margin of error. I'm taking my Shadow 2 out for the first time today and I was going to practice this a bit. Already did it a bunch unloaded. I wanted to get fully comfortable with it before my first match running it in a week and a half.

I've only run striker fired or hammer fired that has a decocker.
Pretty slow. I dropped the hammer too fast once practicing. Probably let it drop the last 1/4 of the way. I was glad a wore my brown pants.
 
In that video, why's his finger on the trigger when he's letting the hammer down?

I assume it has a firing pin block deactivated by the trigger, so as long as you're not pulling the trigger all the way back it can't go "bang", right?

It looks like something you'd decock like a revolver.

What am I missing?
 
In that video, why's his finger on the trigger when he's letting the hammer down?

I assume it has a firing pin block deactivated by the trigger, so as long as you're not pulling the trigger all the way back it can't go "bang", right?

It looks like something you'd decock like a revolver.

What am I missing?
You have to pull the trigger to release the hammer for it to be lowered into full rest position by the rules. It can definitely go off if you lower it too fast.
 
The shadows don’t have a firing pin block

Wouldn't matter much even if they did, because it'd still be possible to have an ND if your finger slipped off the hammer at the wrong
time. The other problem is in production you need to hold the trigger down long enough to get the hammer down all the way. (I verified this in another
thread here- if you have a CZ that's not decock only, the hammer must be all the way down to start. ) If you let go of
the trigger ASAP (which would be the safest thing to do) while decocking, the hammer just ends up at the half cock/safety intercept notch.

-Mike
 
You have to pull the trigger to release the hammer for it to be lowered into full rest position by the rules. It can definitely go off if you lower it too fast.

Wow... that seems like a rule that's contrary to safety considering your thumb is *DIRECTLY BEHIND THE SLIDE* when you lower the hammer.

What guns would fail that rule/test (and not put the hammer at its most forward position) if you took your finger off the trigger before lowering the hammer?
 
Wouldn't matter much even if they did, because it'd still be possible to have an ND if your finger slipped off the hammer at the wrong
time. The other problem is in production you need to hold the trigger down long enough to get the hammer down all the way. (I verified this in another
thread here- if you have a CZ that's not decock only, the hammer must be all the way down to start. ) If you let go of
the trigger ASAP (which would be the safest thing to do) while decocking, the hammer just ends up at the half cock/safety intercept notch.

When in the real world would anyone ever lower the hammer like that? With something like a 92FS or P226 where there's a decocker or decocker/safety, there's no danger in dropping the hammer. But it seems like this design is either missing a safety feature (firing pin block) or has an extra feature (double action)

Do single action only guns need to be started hammer-down too, or just with the safety on?

There's some logic in the rules I don't understand.
 
When in the real world would anyone ever lower the hammer like that? With something like a 92FS or P226 where there's a decocker or decocker/safety, there's no danger in dropping the hammer. But it seems like this design is either missing a safety feature (firing pin block) or has an extra feature (double action)

Do single action only guns need to be started hammer-down too, or just with the safety on?

There's some logic in the rules I don't understand.
My CZ SP-01 Shadow and Shadow 2 both have thumb safeties but I would never use the safeties if I were carrying them for a SD gun. I would always chamber a round and lower the hammer. Never thought of it any other way. I firmly pinch the sides of the hammer with my thumb and index finger and lower it down - no problems.

SAO guns need to be cocked and locked (safety on).
 
When in the real world would anyone ever lower the hammer like that? With something like a 92FS or P226 where there's a decocker or decocker/safety, there's no danger in dropping the hammer. But it seems like this design is either missing a safety feature (firing pin block) or has an extra feature (double action)

Do single action only guns need to be started hammer-down too, or just with the safety on?

There's some logic in the rules I don't understand.

It's a CZ thing, it has to do with the fact that it was one of the original DA/SA pistol designs. When it was originally designed they didn't care about decockers, lol. It can be carried hammer down, on the notch, (which is how I would carry such a gun) or condition 1- cocked and locked.

Again, an FP block wouldn't save you from stupidity in this situation anyways, because you'd still have to pull the trigger to get the sear to release the hammer, etc. An FP block really only helps you with drop safety.

In USPSA- You could run a DA/SA CZ in C1 (hammer back, safety on) if you wanted. Problem is now by doing so, you've now moved yourself out of production, you'd have to run it in limited minor instead. Production is either striker fired or hammer down/decocked DA/SA guns.

I think the deal with the rules is they wanted all non decock CZs starting with the hammer down all the way. Think about it like a 92FS, the hammer is down all the
way when the gun is decocked and ready to fire. Same thing with a P series Ruger or something like that. A sig P226 doesn't do this, because of the intercept notch and the spring, a P226 enforces starting from the intercept notch.

-Mike
 
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