CZ 52 firing pin spring ?

[TMan]

I'm completely, more or less, disassemblying the CZ-52 to clean all the preservative out of it. After removing the firing pin, I sprayed cleaner down the hole in the slide to clean it out. This was done over the trash can that contained a full day's worth of cleaning residue. Then when putting the slide back together, I noticed that I was missing the firing pin spring.

After a through search of the trash, all around the floor, everything but the air-conditioning ducts. I gave up and looked for a schematic on the internet. (I'm finally learning to use Google first). The diagram I looked at was at: www.gunsnet.net/forums/showthread.php?t=175476

There doesn't appear to be a spring. How can that be? What causes the firing pin to retract?

Doesn't look like I'm going to be shooting this thing tomorrow.

[TA]

Have no fear! There are actually many designs that do not use a firing pin spring. The Makarov, the SKS Carbine to name a few off the top of my head. The firing pin is floating. It works well.

[TA]

Ok, now you have me looking into this. The CZ52 is not free floating like the Makarov and SKS. Check out #7 and #8 on that drawing. The plunger actually retracts the firing pin. You can demonstrate this on your pistol and see it retract.

With the gun unloaded, squeeze the trigger with the hammer down. Now push the hammer forward so it pushes the firing pin in, while holding pressure on the trigger. Release the hammer. Now slowly release the trigger and watch the firing pin return to the safe position.

[TMan]

OK, so that explains the strange way that the firing pin fits with the plunger. I looked at the firing pin, and it took me awhile to figure out how it went back in. Naturally when I removed it, it had twisted.

It's been a rough day. I cleaned a bunch of guns, including the Accelerator MP-22. The recoil spring for it looks like something from Ace hardware store. I couldn't believe how clean the gun was after 200 rounds. It is a .22WMR and built like a tank. I put some Action Magic Plus on the sear/hammer, and it seemed to help, or the break-in period helped. The trigger is a lot better than it was. When you consider price/performance, it is one of the best guns that I own, if not the best. I have some good guns, but the MP-22 is one that knocks my socks off. Hopefully, the CZ-52 will too.