CZ
Model 52
After
WWII the Czechoslovakian Military was looking for a first class military
sidearm. Trials were held beginning in 1948, and several prototypes were
tested including some in 9mm parabellum.
| Country Of Origin: | Czechoslovakia | Length: | 209 mm |
| Designation: | Pistol | Barrel: | 120 mm |
| Cartridge: | 7.62 mm Czech M48 | Weight: | 860 g |
| (7.62mm Soviet Pistol) | Rifling: | 4 grooves, rh | |
| Production Date: | 1953-1970 | Capacity: | 8 rounds |
|
|
None of the early prototypes were found to be acceptable and in 1950 Ceska Zbrojovka (Bohemian Arms Factory) concentrated it's efforts on a design based on the Russian 7.62x25mm caliber. Initial tests in 1951 on this design were also unsatisfactory. An
improved pistol was tested again in early 1952 and was adopted by
the Czech Armed Forces in May of 1952 as the Model 52 (or CZ- 52).
The contract for the Model 52 began in 1952 and was completed in
1954. Exact quantities produced are unknown but estimated at between
200,000 and 220,000 pistols. |
The Model 52 employs a roller locking system thought to have been inspired
by the German MG-42 machine gun. Roller locking designs have also been
used successfully for years on many Heckler and Koch rifles but are seldom
seen on pistols. The Model 52 has a three position frame mounted safety
lever. In the downward position a red dot is visible and the pistol is
ready to fire. In the middle position the safety blocks the trigger bar
and engages the hammer rebound notch. In this "safed" position
the pistol can be carried cocked & locked or safely unloaded. Pushing
the lever all the way up decocks the pistol. The magazine is held in place
by a lever at the bottom rear of the magazine well. There is no magazine
safety. Originally manufactured with a nice light grey parkerized finish
many CZ-52's can be found on the surplus market with a dark blue (hot
dipped) finish. These pistols were part of a refurbishment program in
the late 70's and can also be identified by the letters "VOZ"
plus the year of re-work stamped above the trigger.
The CZ-52 is a great shooter, and right now there is an abundance of surplus
ammo available. Norinco makes a steel case non-corrosive (so they say)
commercial ammo. I found it to be a bit anemic, and I have heard that
steel cases are tough on extractors. I haven't tried the Chinese military
surplus but I doubt that it's much different than the commercial stuff.
My favorites are the Bulgarian and Polish surplus. The lots that I've
had were brass case, very clean, surefire and cycled my pistols flawlessly.
The Czech ammo is also available and it's loaded much hotter than
the rest. It's lots of fun and the CZ-52 was designed around this load
but it's still a little disconcerting to see your pistol turn into a flame
belching hand cannon. I don't feed my CZ's a steady diet of the Czech
ammo for fear of excessive wear. Virtually all the surplus in 7.62x25
is corrosive, but don't turn your nose up at corrosive ammo like many
people I talk to at gun shows do. It's priced right, and if you clean
your gun shortly after shooting it will be fine. I pull the barrel out
and run it under hot water while pushing a soapy brush through it. After
I'm done the warm barrel dries quickly and I lightly oil it inside and
out.
The CZ-52 is a typical piece of Czech quality workmanship, it's fun to
shoot, and right now they are plentiful and inexpensive. If you don't
get one now you may wish you had once they all disappear.
NOTE---Be
careful of the firing pin. It's cast steel and will last indefinitely
under normal usage but if subjected to repeated dry firing may break prematurely.
CZ52 FAQs
THERE HAS BEEN A GREAT BIT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT CERTAIN MARKS OR ''DOTS''
on CZ52s supposedly having to do with the accuracy of the weapon. The
short version (don't worry, the long version follows) indicates that one
author in a 1989 book indicated these ''dots'' denote results of an accuracy
test.
The Deputy Director of the privatized Czech arsenal, in a response to
a letter specifically inquiring about these dots, however, made no mention
of such a thing. Following is the text of an e-mail I received from Arms
Moravia in the Czech Republic during June of 1998 regarding the armory
marks on CZ52 pistols. The ensuing discussion took place on Tuco's Forum
on June 2 and 3, 1998
I have redacted the Deputy Director's name on the Arms Moravia because
I did not inform him that the letter might be published.
-BEGIN
VERBATIM TEXT-
03-06-98
ARMS Moravia ltd
Xxxxx Xxxxxx
deputy director
Kirby Sanders
Dear Sir,
Thank you for your mail. We are very pleased to answer your questions.
Armorer´s stamps:
This pistol is of army origin which were at the Czech armament.
1- right side of the pistol The frame over the slide.
a/ mark VOP or VOZ is an abgreviation of a military repair service company
of firm. These marks are in a circle or in an oval.
b/ two crossed swords with two numbers. This is an military take over
and the year of the take over is mentioned there. Barrel at the space
at slide
c/ circle with marked letter T that is a military testing mark.
d/ production number
e/ mark of the government test with 2 numbers of the year of the test.
2- left side of the pistol.
a/ production number and a code of a factory for example - rid for military
arms. the civil arms were marked - eské zbrojovka strakonice.
b/ number of test document of the government test and testing mark.
If there is a round circle with a number on the pistol's frame or on the
slide this is a personal mark of the controller.
-END VERBATIM TEXT-
I personally don't think they would have released ''three or four dot''pistols
that were marked with test results showing them to be of less-than-perfect
accuracy, but that is only my opinion on the ''accuracy dots theory''.
-kirbyTheOG
*****
The following response was sent by another of the Tuco's Forum regulars,
Col Corelokt
-BEGIN VERBATIM TEXT-
The book that (a) previous post referred to is Know Your Czechoslovakian
Pistols by RJ Berger. On page 74 he states ''In the late 1970's many vz52
pistols were found to be worn. A refurbishing program was initated, and
it included the following:
1. new barrels installed and numbered to the pistols
2. pistols refinished by dipping only in a hot blue solution.
3. small worn parts replaced
4. loose pin holes tightened by staking
5. ONE to FOUR PUNCH MARKS put on the sight rib TO INDICATE ACCURACY,
ONE BEING BEST
6. the letters VOZ (military repair plant) plus the last two digits of
the year(of re-work) stamped above the trigger. The number following VOZ,usually
number 1, identifies the plant.
This book ,BTW, was published in 1989. Where Mr. Berger got his info from
is not listed in any type of bibliogra- phy or reference list. Take it
for what it is worth.
If your pistol shoots accurately, and I've heard they all do, don't worry
about it.
I have been looking at them, and have seen several with NO dots. I am
going to buy one at the next show, after reading about all the fun you
guys have been having. To be safe, I am going to look for a no dot or
1 dot gun....
-Col Corelokt
-END VERBATIM TEXT-
Problems
-
Firing
Pins
- The firing pin of the CZ-52 is a weak steel, which makes them relatively brittle. Dry firing the pistol, that is firing without a cartridge or "snap cap," is not recommended. Here's a picture of a busted firing pin.
-
We have not found a good source for snap caps, but are looking. You can use 9mm snap caps, which are almost universally available.
-
Machined firing pins are now available at Makarov.com. These just drop the same way the original firing pins do. Some folks have reported over 80 dry firings with no problems. See the CZ-52 order form.
-
Decocker - The CZ-52 safety has 3 "settings": fire (rotated all the way down), safe (horizontal, hammer stays back), and decock (rotate up, returns to "safe"). We already know that dry firing is no good, so it seems logical to use the decocker to drop the hammer. However, one reader found the following:
I had a negligent discharge at the range today, downrange and in the dirt fortunately, that scared the shit out of me, and need feedback from you. When I inspected the gun, I noticed that the upswing motion of the decocker actually raises the firing pin disengage (same action as having the trigger fully to the rear). I probably have a worn intercept notch, and it has enough 'play' to spank the firing pin hard enough to fire.
Indeed the decocker raises the firing pin disengage and what stops the hammer from falling appears to be below the hammer. Other guns, such as the Makarov have a cam from the safety move directly in the hammer's way. We have yet to rip apart the pistol and determine what causes this. In the mean time please be careful about decocking the pistol with a round in the chamber. Use the basic laws of firearms safety:
- A gun is always loaded. If it's unloaded, go to the previous sentence.
- Never point the gun at anything you do not wish to destroy
- Do not put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to engage the target
- Know your target and what's beyond
-
9x19 Federal Barrel Feeding Problems - as quoted from the Federal conversion instruction sheet
Some CZ-52 pistols converted to 9mm NATO will show feeding problems. This is primarily casued by the fact that the 9mm NATO round is shorter in length than the 7.62x25 Tokarev round. There are 2 areas of concern: magazine feed lips and the way the extractor pushes the live round into the chamber.
Surprisingly the extractor is the main cause of feeding problems. The lower 1/2 of the front end of the extractor actually contacts the round, pushing it into the chamber. By smoothing and rounding the angled surface on the lower 1/2 only, the extractor hook will not disrupt the movement of the round as it jumps around the rim of the cartridge being chambered. To remove the extractor, use a 1/16" punch to drive the pivot pin through the slide. This will release both the extractor and its spring. When you reinstall the extractor and its pin and spring, check the(sic) see if there is free movement by pushing on the rear end against the spring pressure.
Examine the feed lips of the magazine. Look for jagged or bent edges. The metal at the lips is heat treated, so you may not be able to bend them back without weakening them. It may be necessary to have a welder add metal to the leading edges of the feed lips. Excess metal would be removed by a Dremel tool.
Not having installed mine yet, I do see that there is a fairly sharp edge on the bottom of the "feed ramp" of the chamber. It's not really feed _ramp_, but there is a beveled edge that could use some work. It might also break itself in.
Adobe's site
Starline Brass carries 7.62x25 Tokarev brass.
Pictures/More
Information
Check
out the CZ-52 owner's manual PDF file (Adobe Acrobat Reader required [free
on ]) courtesy of Timothy Hoeflich.
Other information on these pistols is available from Tim Conner's CZ page unless otherwise noted: