Covid vacation has turned me into a bubba gunsmith. I rarely use a Dremel so at least at worst I’m sloooowly destroying things.

Been working on a used SP01 urban tactical. Apparently urban means FDE, threaded barrel, and suppressor height sights in Czech. I got it at a reasonable price years ago, I love CZ’s, and whatever other excuse I can come up with is why I bought it. Even though I kind of hate threaded barrels and tall sights on guns that I won’t ever suppress.

Well, the custom places want a lot for a aftermarket barrel and a hundred bucks (CGW was only 45) to fit a barrel. CZ USA is always out of stock but finally a ship arrived and I got a stock SP01 barrel for less than a buck and a half. Yay me. I’ll admit I was kind of surprised when it didn’t drop in. Not only not drop in but not even close.

I pondered how expensive my cheap find was turning out and then I started to play mr google says. Turns out you can do this yourself with a flat ceramic stone and apparently the patience of Job.

So I start. And I start. And start and start. It is freaking taking forever and it ain’t fitting in any better than when I started an hour ago. That’s when I realize I don’t have the patience of Job and the real files come out. Now I still took my time. Mark with Sharpie file a handful of strokes try again.

When it moved down (or up) into slide a bit the first time was the first time I let out my breath. I wasn’t sure I had t just smoked a hundred and a half bucks to create a unique paperweight for my desk. It still took a while but then it snicked into place like it had been there all along.

The moral is you can do this but it takes forever and I think I would still be going if I stuck with the ceramic stones.

Sights came in today so it’s basically done now. Time to go shoot something.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: pedropcola,

Nice work!!

quote:

Apparently urban means FDE, threaded barrel, and suppressor height sights in Czech.

Not sure why, but the quoted bit made me lol.

Nice work on the fitment. I remember once a long time ago I bought a Barsto Conversion barrel for my P229. The dang thing was over $200, and the manufacturer said that some fitment might be required. I was terrified that I was going to have to go through exactly what you just described, and then overjoyed when it arrived and dropped right in. There's something unsettling about taking material off of expensive parts knowing that if you screw up you can't put it back on. Congrats on pulling it off successfully!

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:

quote:

Apparently urban means FDE, threaded barrel, and suppressor height sights in Czech.

Not sure why, but the quoted bit made me lol.

Heh, me too. I don't think there has been an "Urban" SP-01 in FDE. There is the "SP-01 Urban Tactical", which is Czech for grey. But CZ does all sorts of weird non catalog stuff, so who knows.

Yeah it is the urban tactical. The whole name just strikes me as odd. It certainly isn’t grey though.

Every file stroke I made I kept thinking this might be an expensive lesson on personal limits. Googling videos is one thing but actually doing it is sometimes something else. I watched one video where the gunsmith used L blocks, micrometer, feeler gauges, and some fancy named file that he said you could make yourself. I was like, bitch I’m struggling with the basics here and you think I can make my own metal file?

Then I remembered that video where mujahideen fighting the Soviets were making AK’s in caves with sticks and rocks and figured I could do this.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
[M]aking AK’s in caves with sticks and rocks and figured I could do this.

I will keep that image and inspiration in mind for anything I ever attempt in the future.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
That’s when I realize I don’t have the patience of Job and the real files come out.

I'm with you on the one. Every once in a while I'll decide I need something that was never made.
So I have to make it from scratch or at least compatible with something that I already have.
What looks like a 30 minute task turns in to a four hour cuss fest.

Completing a difficult task is its own reward. Let us know how it shoots.

I was planning on taking it out this morning. However while walking the dog I realized how freakin cold it was. Testing 22’s for science is one thing, this will have to wait till it gets at least into the 40’s.

A) I knew my wife’s Christmas decorations would eventually serve a purpose.

B) For those who appreciate form over function this might make you chuckle. That isn’t a stainless steel guide rod. It’s the plastic one but I marked it up with a silver Sharpie. Just the tip!

C) Full Cajun Pro package. Set up to run the Kadet conversion as well so they shortened their firing pin to accommodate use of 18# spring without piercing primers. CZ Custom fiber optic sights (probably Dawson I assume). LOK bogies, palm swell. Fitted non threaded barrel hand fitted by moi.

D) I hate photo hosting apps. I’m stupid or they suck. Not sure which. Can’t figure out how to post picture not link. Ugh (did it but that took forever)

E) On rear of slide that is a centering pencil mark that I forgot to remove when I was installing rear sight.





Some of family before CGW magic.

Nice!

Is this the same gun that appears in the 'before' picture?

Now just don't use the little lady's decorations for target practice and...

Any pics of the actual 'fitting' work you did to the barrel?

Yes it is the same gun. Honestly I’m not sure why I bought it in the first place because I only like threaded 22’s and while I think suppressor height sights are ugly, somehow CZ went and made a set that are even uglier than normal.

The whole scenario began because I decided the gun as is was never getting shot. So I bought some additional Kadet mags and went about converting the frame to a full time Kadet mule. Which was great by the way. The heavy steel frame with steel Kadet upper make for a very solid feeling 22 that literally doesn’t come off the plate rack when you shoot. It’s a great DA/SA steel or pins gun. Love it.

This gun has the full CGW Pro package. As is it doesn’t have enough oomph from the 13# mainspring to light off 22’s. So you need to bump up the mainspring to at least 17#’s. I went to 18#. However the main guy at CGW told me that if you do that you risk piercing primers on the centerfire slide. Too much oomph for extended centerfire firing pin. So the answer is run the 18# spring but ask CGW to slightly shorten the extended firing pin and it works for both 9mm and 22. To answer the unasked question, no you can’t just re install the original equipment length firing pin because apparently all the Pro package components are lightened to a point and will only reliably work when used together. That’s what they say at least and I had their fp so I didn’t experiment.

The Kadet is blued steel so riding on the FDE (or Czech grey lol) frame with those LOK bogies with orange liner looked outstanding. It made me want a 9mm that looked like that. In normal times I would have just bought a black SP01 Tactical and swapped slides for the two tone look. Alas, the only ones out there right now are at madman prices. So then I got the idea for the non threaded barrel, discovered it wasn’t drop in, and hence my bubba gunsmithing. When things get normal I still will buy another SP01 and do my original plan. The black slide on the FDE frame looks fantastic. I have pulled my old 75 BD slide and mounted it and it shoots fine obviously but looks even better.

As for pics of the actual fitting. I never thought to take pics but if you are interested, email me and I can describe my process in boring detail and attach photos of exactly the area I removed material from. In a nutshell if you look at a CZ barrel hood, on the two sides are a tiny raised “bump” and the opposite side the whole side is raised. Those are the only two areas to fit. The protrusion on top of barrel hood isn’t a factor. Go slow. I would use a real file. The ceramic stones are way too slow. Maybe use the files till it starts to fit in then switch to the ceramic stones is probably the best advice. If that’s not clear contact me I will take a pic with arrows.

Yea, my wife wouldn’t be happy with me dicking around with the Nativity blocks so we’ll just keep this our little SF secret. lol