Review of CZ Custom trigger kit for Scorpion EVO 3 S1

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Netpackrat
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Review of CZ Custom trigger kit for Scorpion EVO 3 S1

Post by Netpackrat »

I think I have mentioned in passing that I bought an EVO pistol this spring after I sold one of my AKs. I test fired it briefly, and then submitted a Form 1 to make it into an SBR. I swapped out the mag release and grip, and added one of the ambi safety delete units to the RH side, but other than that it has sat in the safe awaiting its stamp.

One of the bad points of the EVO is the atrocious factory trigger. I couldn't even measure mine because it was heavier than the upper limit of my RCBS trigger scale. There are various spring kits sold that EVO owners have used to reduce the pull weight considerably, but I chose to buy the replacement trigger kit from CZ Custom which includes a new hammer, trigger, sear, and trigger spring. They also offer a disconnector designed to work with their trigger kit, and I purchased this also. Including shipping, I am into the trigger setup for close to $300.

The main reason I bought these parts was for 922r compliance. Whether an NFA registered SBR needs to worry about that is a subject for debate (ATF used to say no, now they say yes; conflicting opinion letters exist), as is how much an end user really needs to worry about it, which is another discussion I'm really not interested in getting into. Suffice to say that a standard EVO in rifle configuration has 16 countable parts... There are all manner of different stocks, grips, barrels, a few afternarket triggers and muzzle devices, some mag parts, and now aftermarket forends are becoming available too. Any way you look at it, I was going to be spending two or three hundred on 922r compliance. The CZ Custom trigger parts eliminate 4 foreign made parts in one fell swoop, and are supposed to make a drastic improvement in what is arguably the EVO's biggest deficiency. I had my barrel re-threaded to 1/2-28 (eliminating the countable factory flash hider), and recently installed a Yeti Switchback grip. The addition of the trigger parts gets me down to the allowed maximum of 10 countable foreign parts, even if I use the foreign made CZ factory stock.

On the plus side, the CZ Custom trigger is an improvement in every way, shape, and form over the factory trigger... It would be difficult for it not to be, because the factory trigger sucks so badly. The parts appear to be manufactured to a high quality standard, and they were shipped to me fairly quickly.

There are several downsides, though. The first was the total lack of documentation included with the parts. You've got to figure it out on your own... Fortunately there are some good videos on Youtube which detail just about any work you could want to do to the EVO trigger assembly (thanks HB Industries!). Between the videos and the EVO trigger being similar in design to an AK trigger, I was able to figure it out quickly enough. There's also good info on the CZ forum, but you would think there would have been some form of instructions included with the parts, or available for download.

Second, a lot of fitting was required to get the safety to engage. There is currently a thread on the CZ forum discussing this, and it appears to be related to a change made in the most recent run of trigger kits. Basically you have to file down a hump on the back of the trigger until the safety will engage. This was a bit of a pain due mainly to the repetitive disassembly/reassembly until just enough material had been removed. Not a big deal, but again due to the lack of included documentation, the installer is left to seek out alternate sources of information.

Third, the trigger is nominally adjustable, but I found the adjustments to be mostly useless. There is a "pre-travel" set screw on the rear of the trigger to adjust the sear engagement, however I found that attempting to adjust it caused clearance problems between the hammer and disconnector, and it also exacerbated the issue with the safety. I ended up backing it all the way off and then hitting it with green penetrating Loctite. There is also an overtravel set screw on the front of the trigger, but it didn't have much useful adjustment either. I was only able to reduce the travel slightly before I ran into interference with the hammer.

I ended up with a trigger that breaks right at about 5-3/4 pounds. This is heavier than I would have preferred, but still a vast improvement over OEM. There is a very short first stage, and after that it's relatively crisp. I noted after installation, that CZ has changed their ad copy on their website, so they are not promising as good of a trigger as they used to. I'm not sure if they did that before or after I ordered, but the Internet Wayback Machine verifies the change.

Previous claim:
Improves factory trigger pull to about 4.5# -5# range from factory pull weight in the 8.5#-9# range

We have been able to tune the trigger down to 3# and overall trigger movement of .095" ( factory measures .310")
Current claim:
Improves factory trigger pull to about 5# range from factory pull weight in the 8.5#-9# range

We have been able to tune the trigger down to 4# and overall trigger movement of .095" ( factory measures .310")
So, clearly my new trigger lives up to what they are now advertising, although I was expecting a little better since I had waited several months for them to come back in stock. Always pay attention to the fine print, I guess.

As to whether I would buy these parts again? Honestly I am not sure. It was a lot of money for a trigger that (while being a vast improvement) I still consider to be approaching mediocrity based upon the pull weight. If your only goal is for a lighter than OEM trigger, I would say save your money and buy one of the spring kits. To my way of thinking, the main advantage of the CZ kit (plus disconnector) is the elimination of 4 foreign made, 922r applicable parts, while at the same time improving one of the EVO's biggest faults. There are other ways of complying with 922r, but once you run out of cheap/easy parts, you are looking at more expensive items like forends and barrels, at which point the expensive trigger kit starts to look like more of a bargain. I never considered using US magazine parts because IMO that is a sub-optimal method of compliance since you need to make sure every magazine you might use has the right parts.

It will probably be a while before I get this out for a range test since I don't plan to fire it again until my stamp arrives and I buy a stock for it.
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Precision
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Re: Review of CZ Custom trigger kit for Scorpion EVO 3 S1

Post by Precision »

at least it's not a Sig. :D
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Steamforger
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Re: Review of CZ Custom trigger kit for Scorpion EVO 3 S1

Post by Steamforger »

Precision wrote:at least it's not a Sig. :D

I really like the MPX. I do not like that it costs the same as a loaded M1A.
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Netpackrat
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Re: Review of CZ Custom trigger kit for Scorpion EVO 3 S1

Post by Netpackrat »

And now I have a stamp to go with this. 8-)
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"People come and go in our lives, especially the online ones. Some leave a fond memory, and some a bad taste." -Aesop
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