The Guns of Czechoslovakia

by Kirby Sanders (USA)

Technical and research assistance - Jan Balcar (Czech Republic)

As the 21st Century begins, there is a new European contender is making great economic headway in the Western Firearms business-- a "new contender "that has been manufacturing firearms since the end of World War One.

This contender has come from the back of the pack in western markets -- having been held there by German occupation throughout WWII followed immediately by dominion of the Soviet Union throughout the Cold War. After independence from Soviet control via the Velvet Revolution of 1989, firearms from Czechoslovakia rapidly gained noticeand acceptance for their quality in the Western collector and commercial markets

The company that is now referred to as "CZ" is an amalgamation of earlier companies and firearm-designs forged in the crucible of geopolitics. These several small companies were, over time, merged via market acquisition or government fiat into an emerging market powerhouse under a free Czech Republic

The area most commonly known as Czechoslovakia initially fell under Hapsburg rule in the 16th Century and had been a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire through WWI. The area was also critical to that empire's Industrial Revolution in the late 18th Century due to its mountainous terrain and ready availability of swift-moving mountain streams to power water-driven engines of industry. Like the Ruhr Valley for Krupp and the development of German firearms technology, topography made Czechoslovakia a natural for the growth of industry.

A long-dormant nationalism and desire for self-rule was also rife in the area during that early technological "revolution." The Czechs and Slovaks did not do well under Austro-Hungarian domion and the period during WWI saw several demonstrations and strikes protesting that War. At the end of The War to End All Wars (and the beginning of the history of CZ), Czechoslovakia became a free and self-governed state in October, 1918.

Among the many conditions set upon a defeated Austro-Hungarian Empire in the Treaty of Versailles was a ban on Germany's manufacture of military firearms and severe

A company separate from what is now CZ, Ceskoslovenska Statni Zbrojovka Brno (the Czechoslovak State Arms Factory in Brno) was licensed to produce Mauser-pattern Rifles.

"Zbrojovka Brno" was initially a subsidiary of the Vienna Arsenal established in 1917 in nearby Zabrdovice. On January 20, 1919, the Czech Ministry of Defense assigned Zbrojovka Brno its first-year missions which varied from the construction of railway coaches to the repair of damaged Mannlicher rifles and the production of hand-grenades designed by native-son Frantisek Janecek.

m98 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Caliber 7.92 mm Velocity V0 870 m/s Ammunition 8mm Mauser (js) Weight (with empty magazine) ??? g Weight (with full magazine) ??? g Total length 1244 mm Barrel length 724 mm Magazine capacity 5 Effective range 1000 m

Czech Mauser m98 Kirby Sanders collection

The initial-production Zbrojovka Brno rifle was the standard Mauser Gewehr 98 constructed using parts from Germany. Between the plant at Brno and a smaller facility at Bystrica, approximately 42,000 of these initial GEW 98 rifles were produced. Most of these rifles were manufactured to honor a standing contract commitment between Mauser and the government of Turkey.

Additional info re: 98/22

VZ98/22 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Caliber 7.92 mm Velocity V0 870 m/s Ammunition 8mm Mauser (js) Weight (with empty magazine) ??? g Weight (with full magazine) ??? g Total length 1244 mm Barrel length 724 mm Magazine capacity 5 Effective range 1000 m

VZ98/22 Mauser Kirby Sanders collection

Zbrojovka Brno moved from production of the licensed m98 in 1924 with the introduction of their own Mauser-based design, the VZ24.

ADDITIONAL INFO RE: VZ24

VZ24 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Caliber 7.92 mm Velocity V0 870 m/s Ammunition 8mm Mauser (js) Weight (with empty magazine) ??? g Weight (with full magazine) ??? g Total length 1092 mm Barrel length 578 mm Magazine capacity 5 Effective range 1000 m

VZ24 Rifle Kirby Sanders collection

While the shorter-barrelled VZ24 became the modern weapon of the time in Czech production, CZ had no problems acquiring contracts from other nations and building various versions of traditional longer-barelled "98s" as well.

OTHER CZECH MAUSERS

Beginning with the VZ98/22 and continuing to present, most Czechoslovakian firearms are referred to by an alpha-numeric "VZ" designation. "VZ" refers to the Czech word for "model" or "pattern" (Vzor) and the numbers generally refer to the date of military acceptance or initial manufacture. Pistols and rifles have sometimes been assigned the same designations which can lead to confusion. Many firearms collectors have dealt with the confusion by referring to rifle models as "VZ" and pistols as "CZ." Thus, knowledgeable firearms collectors will be heard referring to a model VZ24 rifle while the like-designated pistols will be called CZ24s. To the purist, the proper Czech reference would be to "Puska vz. 24" (rifle model 24) and to "Pistole vz. 24" (pistol model 24).

The similarity of names between early long-arms producer Zbrojovka Brno and their counterpart for pistols, Ceska Zbrojovka has also created some confusion for collectors. By time and consolidation, both companies eventually were merged under the name of Ceska Zbrojovka. Early model pistols and rifles, however, are most properly differentiated even though both share "VZ" as model designators and are often referred to as "CZ" firearms

As a rule of thumb, rifles produced before Communist take-over in the 1940's should be referred to as Ceskoslovenska Zbrojovka and most pistols referred to as Ceska Zbrojovka.

Czechoslovakian rifles have been preferred by several nations from the beginning of the industry. VZ98/22s or VZ24s were produced under contract for the Czech military, Turkey, Germany during Nazi occupation, Spain, Guatemala, Romania and Iran.

for a cartridge dimensioned the same as the modern 9x17 millimeter or ".380acp". The 9mm Vzor22 cartridge, however, held a stouter charge of powder, making it a slightly more powerful round than the modern .380. Many collectors who report feeding and ejection problems when shooting the various Czech 9x17 pistols are likely suffering from "light" modern powder charges rather than problems with the firearm.

PHOTO / DESCRIPTION OF vZ22 and Mauser m1914

VZ22 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Caliber 9 mm Velocity V0 ??? m/s Ammunition 9x17 vzor22 Weight (with empty magazine) 560 g Weight (with full magazine) ??? g Total length 147 mm Height of the gun  124 mm Barrel length 87 mm Magazine capacity ??? Effective range ??? m

VZ22 photo courtesy of Jan Balcar

Approximately 20,000 VZ22 pistols were produced for military use during 1922 and 1923. Czechoslovakia's first home-grown auto-loading pistol, it was adopted by the Czechoslovak Army. Problems arose with parts interchangability, however. Those problems combined with clumsy ergonomics and a delicate internal design created problems for the early VZ22s. The VZ22 was redesigned by Frantisek Myska in 1921 in an effort to overcome some of the early shortcomings for the Army. The VZ22 was the last pistol model designed by Zbrojovka Brno.

Mauser m1914 photo courtesy of Gerhard Schoenbauer

Some of the earliest Czech semi-automatic pistols were produced outside of the Ceska Zbrojovka umbrella. The company Zbrojovka Praga produced the Praga 1919 and Praga 1921 semi-automatic pistols. Zbrojovka Praga was founded under the auspices of the old, family-owned business of J. Nowotny on Jan. 5, 1918.

Zbrojovka Praga's Praga 1919 is a simple blow-back pistol in 7.65mm Browning caliber-- a standard .32acp. It was tested but rejected for use by the Czech military in 1920. Despite the overall contract rejection approximately 3,000 Praga 1919s were accepted by the Czech military out of an estimated overall production of 11,200.

PRAGA 1919 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Caliber 7.65 mm Velocity V0 ??? m/s Ammunition .32acp Weight (with empty magazine) 595 g Weight (with full magazine) ??? g Total length 167 mm Height of the gun  104 mm Barrel length 97.3 mm Magazine capacity 6 Effective range ??? m

Praga m1919 photo courtesy of Jan Balcar

The Praga 1921 is a small .25 caliber "vestpocket" pistol of unusual design. The Praga 1921 has a folding trigger for ease of pocket-carry and a shallow groove along the slide intended to ease single-handed cocking of the pistol. Approximately 7,400 of these pistols were produced. Praga Zbrojovka fell to bankruptcy in 1926 at which point all of Praga's remaining pistol production ceased.

Three other independent pistol manufacturers arose in the early 1920s-- Slavia, DUO and Alois Tomiska.

SLAVIA TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Caliber 6.35 mm Velocity V0 ??? m/s Ammunition .25 Browning Weight (with empty magazine) 400 g Weight (with full magazine) ??? g Total length 116 mm Height of the gun  89 mm Barrel length 53mm Magazine capacity 6 Effective range ??? m

SLAVIA (1931) photo courtesy of Jan Balcar

Manufacturer Antonin Vilimec began Slavia at the town of Kdyne. Slavia produced copies of the Belgian Fabrique Nationale m1906. Slavia was taken over less than a decade later by the Sumava Heights Armory (Kohout and Company). Sumava-Kohout manufactured abrique Nationale model 1906 and 1910 copies called the "Mars," the "PZK" and the "NIVA."

MARS (PZK) TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Caliber 6.35 mm Velocity V0 ??? m/s Ammunition .25acp Weight (with empty magazine) 370 g Weight (with full magazine) ??? g Total length 117 mm Height of the gun  89 mm Barrel length 53 mm Magazine capacity 6 Effective range ??? m

MARS (PZK) photo courtesy of Jan Balcar

The NIVA is an unusual variety of the more common Mars pistol. A very limited presentation-model, these pistols were made after World War II and given to surviving members of the Czech resistance. Only 37 were made.

NIVA TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Caliber 7.65 mm Velocity V0 ??? m/s Ammunition .32 Browning Weight (with empty magazine) 750 g Weight (with full magazine) ??? g Total length 165 mm Height of the gun  775 mm Barrel length 90 mm Magazine capacity 6 Effective range ??? m Even the name NIVA was a tribute to these men. Meaning "Mountain Green," the pistols were given the name used during the war to refer to the resistance itself. NIVA pistol serial number 1 was given to General Bohumil Bocek. General of the Army immediately up to and during the Nazi Invasion of 1939, Bocek was also a member of the Czech government-in-exile in London during 1939 and 1940. He joined the Allied cause as a fighting member and commander of

NIVA #20 (PZK) photo courtesy of Jan Balcar

the 1st Czechoslovak Brigade in Russia and served as Comanding General of the Czech Army from 1945 until 1948. Retired from the army by 1950, he was jailed by the Communist government in 1951 as "a man who knew too much" and died in in the State Prison in 1952.

NIVA pistol number 1 is on display in the Army Museum in Prague.

The pistol trade-name DUO was an acronym for "Dusek in Opocno" and the DUO pistol may also be called the "Jaga." These were produced between 1920 and 1948 and are a small copy of the FN 1906 pocket-pistol. The modern CZ factory produced a "DUO" model in .25 caliber through 1958.

DUO TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Caliber 6.35 mm Velocity V0 ??? m/s Ammunition .25acp Weight (with empty magazine) 350 g Weight (with full magazine) ??? g Total length 113 mm Height of the gun  77 mm Barrel lenght 53 mm Magazine capacity 6 Effective range ??? m

DUO photo courtesy of Jan Balcar

Alois Tomiska of the town of Pilsen originated the double-action vestpocket pistol with the introduction of this vestpocket .25 caliber. Tomiska means "Little Tom" in Czech and the pistol became called the same-- Little Tom. They were produced from 1919 to 1923.

LITTLE TOM TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Caliber 6.35 mm Velocity V0 ??? m/s Ammunition ,25acp Weight (with empty magazine) 370 g Weight (with full magazine) ??? g Total length 114 mm Height of the gun  83 mm Barrel length 58 mm Magazine capacity 6 Effective range ??? m

Little Tom photo courtesy of Jan Balcar

Concurrent with the growth of Zbrojovka Brno, Ceska Zbrojovka was founded in 1919 in Plzen, Czech Republic, as Jihoceska Zbrojovka-- the South Czechoslovakia Arms Factory. The company was established with management assistance from the Skoda Works.

Skoda manufactured steam locomotives, turbines and machine tools as well as military vehicles, artillery pieces and artillery munitions. The first gunsmithing shop was established in the former Halbemeyer Mill under technical director and manager Alois Tomiska. The old Skoda plant still exists in Plzen, however the river so critical to its early operation has changed course-- leaving the plant high and dry.

The first Jihoceska product was the Fox automatic pistol. The Fox was a .25 calibre vestpocket with folding trigger with a pressed sheet-metal frame. Fewer than 1500 Fox pistols were made andthey are now a rarity.

FOX PISTOL photo courtesy of J.B.

FOX TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Caliber 7.65 mm Velocity V0 ??? m/s Ammunition 9mm x 17 Weight (with empty magazine) ??? g Weight (with full magazine) ??? g Total length ??? mm Height of the gun  ??? mm Barrel lenght ??? mm Magazine capacity 6 Effective range ??? m

Strakonice between 1924 and 1927. The CZ24 was returned to the 9m-short Vzor22 cartridge. These pistols were for Army and police use and none were sold commercially within Czechoslovakia.

There reportedly were some sales made to the governments of Latvia and Colombia and 3,285 were sold to Finland for use during their 1939-1940 Winter War with Russia.

CZ24 Kirby Sanders collection

CZ24 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Caliber 9 mm Velocity V0 ??? m/s Ammunition 9mm x 17 (vz22) Weight (with empty magazine) ??? g Weight (with full magazine) ??? g Total length ??? mm Height of the gun  ??? mm Barrel length ??? mm Magazine capacity 6 Effective range ??? m

The Czech police accepted the .32acp caliber CZ vzor 27, in 1927. A simple blowback design semi-automatic, the CZ27 is similar in appearance to the model 24 but has a flat rather than round-sided slide.

The CZ27 was produced from 1927 - 1949, but production was done in three distinct phases. The first 20,500 pistols were produced for the Czech military between 1927 and 1938. After the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia in March of 1939, they kept the CZ27 in production. With serial numbers from 20,501 to 473,000; these 452,499 pistols carry a distinctly German-style set of markings and stamps. Still produced by the Czechs at Strakonice, the slide stamp of the German Occupation models read "fnh Pistole Modell 27 Kal. 7.65" and will carry the Eagle-and-swastika "waffenamt" stamps common to all Nazi firearms.

CZ27 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Caliber 7.65 mm Velocity V0 300 m/s Ammunition .32acp Weight (with empty magazine) ??? g Weight (with full magazine) ??? g (+64g) Total length ??? mm Height of the gun  ??? mm Barrel lenght ??? mm Magazine capacity 8 Effective range 50 m

CZ27 pre-WWII photo courtesy of Jan Balcar

Like the Hungarian FEG 37Ms (re-designated the Pistolen 39-u by the Germans) and Italy's Beretta m34, the CZ27s remained in production to help fill the German military's voracious appetite for pistols during WWII. Production of the CZ27 continued after World WarII and into the Cold War era. Some 147,00 additional CZ27s were manufactured at Strakonice between 1945 and 1949. Total production of the CZ27, until recently a little-known weapon on the Western side of the Iron Curtain, was about 620,000 from introduction in 1927 until the end of production by 1950.

CZ27 (fnh) with silencer photo courtesy of Jan Balcar

CZ27 post-WWII photo courtesy of Jan Balcar

As the Nazis were invading, Ceska Zbrojovka had also been producing the CZ38. Nicknamed the "Nutcracker," the model 38 had a hinged barrel and was a simple blowback-design, double-action pistol . The CZ38 also represented a return to the "hot .380" designated as the 9mm Vzor22 cartridge. None of the CZ38s saw service in the Czech national military, as all of that production was captured by the Germans. Aproximately 1,731 VZ38s were sold to Finland by the Germans in 1939. Some 2,199 went to the Luftwaffe, apparently in 1940, and the remaining 999 were supplied to Bulgaria in about 1942.

CZ38 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Caliber 9mm Velocity V0 ??? m/s Ammunition 9x17 vzor22 Weight (with empty magazine) 900 g Weight (with full magazine) ??? g Total length 195 mm Height of the gun  143 mm Barrel length 119 mm Magazine capacity ??? Effective range ??? m

CZ38 photo courtesy of Jan Balcar

Pistols were not the only Czech weapons commandeered or produced under Nazi occupation. The VZ24 rifle produced by Ceskoslovenska in Brno also saw use in the Wehrmacht. The VZ24 was a Mauser-based design that would even take the German bayonet in its original configuration. Germany designated the Ceskoslovenska factory as "Waffenwerke Bruenn A.G." Occupation-produced VZ24 rifles were receiver-stamped "G. 24(t)", translating essentially to "Model 24 (Czechoslovakia)". Under occupation, the Czechs also produced a VZ24 variant designated as the model 33/40. Those rifles were stamped with the factory code "d.o.t."

During the Nazi reign over Czechoslovakia, CZ plants were also pressed into production of Lehky kulomet vzor 30 light aircraft machine guns, Raketova vzor 28 and 30 flare launchers, and three German-pattern machineguns, the MG17, MG 131 and MG81.

Czechoslovakia did not walk gladly into the Nazi camp during World War II. It should be noted instead, that the free Czech state was abandoned to the Germans during the period of Nazi appeasement by the allies at the end of the 1930s. Nor did the Czechs lie docile under the Nazi thumb.

Celebrations of Czech Independence Day on October 28, 1939 led to a series of demonstrations against Nazi domination and the shooting death of a young demonstrator, Jan Opletal. On the day of Opletal's funeral (November17, 1939), another series of demonstration and clashes with the Nazis broke out. This tendency of the Czechs to chafe under the master's yoke led Germany to deal the people one of the harshest of occupations. By the end of 1939 alone, the Nazis had sentenced nine of the student-demonstration leaders to death, closed the Czech Universities and sent 1,200 students to labor and concentration camps.

The Czech Resistance during WWII, while notably small, managed one of the greater resistance successes during the war. Their members were responsible for the successful 1942 assassination of Reinhard Heydrich on a twisting street in Prague by the Bulovka Hospital. Heydrich was one of the architects of the "Final Solution" and a highly-placed Nazi official overseeing the occupation of the area that included Czechia, the Czech area of Czechoslovakia, and Moravia. Soldiers of the Czech Army exiled in England parachuted into their homeland in search of Heydrich. Two men with a British Sten gun, Josef Gabcik and Jan Kubis, located Heydrich in his Mercedes SSK and opened fire. Gabcik's Sten malfunctioned, but Kubis was able to hit the vehicle with a homemade bomb.

Reinhard Heydrich

The explosion did not kill Heydrich immediately, however, he died of complications from those wounds eight days after the attack. The Czech soldiers remained in hiding in the basement of the church of St. Karel Boromejsky on Resslova street, awaiting an opportunity for safe escape. One of these men double-crossed his compatriots, however and told  the Gestapo of the group's hideout. The church was surrounded by the German army and a firefight ensued. When the outgunned Czechs' ammunition ran out, all of the Czech soldiers died at their own hands-- a scene reminiscent of a mini-Masada.

For years after WWII, the spot by Bulovka Hospital was referred to by Czechs as "Heydrich's turning."

That success, however, brought another round of murderous oppression which saw the executions of 1,600 in the search for the assassins and the absolute destruction of the village of Lidice. That deadly attack, however focused on a village that had nothing to do with the resistance attack.

Five days after Heydrich's death, ten truckloads of Security Police surrounded the village. All 172 of the men and boys over 16 years old were captured and locked in a barn. They taken out the next day in groups of ten and all were shot. The killing reportedly lasted from dawn until 4:00 p.m. Another 19 men who were working in the mines during the initial carnage were captured, taken to Prague and executed there.

One woman and a boy were shot as the Nazis entered the village. Seven of the townswomen were removed to Prague and executed. The other 195 women of Lidice were sent to Ravensbrueck concentration camp in Germany where 49 died (7 were gassed and the balance reportedly died of ill-treatment). Some 90 children of Lidice were taken to the Gneisenau concentration camp. There, they were reportedly divided out by "racial experts" and sent to live with Aryan loyals to be raised under new German names.

The village was burned, remaining structures were then dynamited, and the entire site bulldozed. To this day, Lidice has not been rebuilt.

Not content with the destruction of Lidice for the killing of Heidrich, the Nazis then torched the village of Lezaky, killing 54 men, women and children. The Gestapo had reportedly found a secret radio transmitter in Lezaky

Those repercussions succeeded in crushing the Czech armed resistance. The Czechs continued civil demonstrations and disruptions, however until their "liberation" by the Red Army in 1945. Czechoslokia fell under the domination of the Soviet Union according to the terms of the Yalta Agreement between Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill. Most of the country fell under the immediate post-war jurisdiction of the Russians save the area near Plzen which was entered by American troops. The entire nation, however, soon fell under the administration of the Soviets.

That quirk of fate or geo-politics also served further to deprive the west of access to some fine firearms and to deprive Czechoslovakia of lucrative markets for another generation of technological advances.

Outside of military production, CZ did produce a small-caliber "vestpocket" pistol, the CZ36, which enjoyed some popularity as a defensive firearm on the European market. also known in German-speaking countries as the "CZ Tezet" or the "Bruenner Tezet," the CZ36 is a small and compact double-action-only semi-automatic of the ''vestpocket pistol'' class.

The CZ36 was designed by Frantisek Myska in 1936. It was later modified and simplified by designer Jaroslav Kratchovil in 1945. It was subsequently re-designated the CZ45 but the modifications are nominal. The CZ36 and 45 generally have no safety switch, being a double action system. Unlike most semi-autos, the slide does not re-cock the hammer after firing, again because of the double-action theory involved. Some CZ 36 and 45 were made with safety levers, but are an uncommon sight.

CZ45 Kirby Sanders collection

CZ36 / 45 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Caliber 6.35 mm Velocity V0 ??? m/s Ammunition .25acp Weight (with empty magazine) ??? g Weight (with full magazine) ??? g Total length ??? mm Height of the gun  ??? mm Barrel length ??? mm Magazine capacity ??? Effective range ??? m

The CZ vzor 36 and 45 carries an 8-round magazine and has an overall length of 5-inches. The barrel is 2.5-inches in the length. The pistol has an empty weight of only 15 ounces and is a common collectible pistol in Europe. The new "CZ Model 92," produced since 1992 by CZ, is the same pistol and pattern and remains in commercial production with reshaped grips.

For police and limited use by Communist Party members, CZ brought out the Walther-style vzor 50 pistol in 1950. The vzor 50 was designed immediately following World War II by brothers Jan and Jaroslav Kratchovil and intended as a police sidearm. Initially designated as the Model 006 during development, it was designated the Vzor 50 following the standard Czech model number / acceptance date standard. It was widely used as a Czech Police firearm.

CZ50 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION Caliber 7.65 mm Velocity V0 300 m/s Ammunition 7,65 x 17 HR Weight (with empty magazine) 706 g Weight (with full magazine) 770 g Height of the gun  122 mm Barrel length 96 mm Magazine capacity 8 Effective range 50 m

CZ50 Kirby Sanders collection

The first CZ50 (sn 650001) was numbered to succeed the last CZ27 (sn 650000).

It is a 7.65mm (.32acp) caliber double-action semiautomatic pistol with a profile very similar to the Walther PP. The magazine holds 8 rounds. The CZ50 is approximately 6.7-inches long with a barrel length of approximately 3.75-inches. Overall empty weight is 24 ounces. The CZ50 was produced from 1949-1970 with a brief break in production from 1952-1957. The Czeska Zbrojovka armory at Strakonice was the initial production site for the the CZ50. CZ ceased production of the CZ50 and began concentrating on production of the CZ52 for the military between 1952-1954. CZ - Strakonice ceased all production of pistols in 1955. Approximately 90,000 CZ50s were produced at Strakonice between 1950 and 1952 with serial numbers ranging from 650001 to about 740000.

In 1955, all production of pistols moved to the Presne Strojirenstvi factory at Uhersky Brod, where CZ50 production restarted in 1957. It is unknown how many were produced at Presne Strojirenstvi after 1957, as there does not appear to have been a single coherent system of assigning serial numbers. Pistols produced at Presne Strojirenstvi factory will generally have a five digit numeric and alpha combination for the serial number. The placement of the alpha characters changes location within the serial number from time to time and no determination has been made as to what system was being used or how many post-1957 pistols were produced.

Early production CZ vzor 50s will have 6-digit serial numbers. They will also bear the manufacture marks CESKA ZBROJOVKA on the top line and a lower line of NAR. PODNIK STRAKONICE on the left slide.

The "Nar Podnik" stamp denotes CZ as having become a "Narodni Ponik" which is, essentially, a unified "National Enterprise." These National Enterprises were the sole manufacturers of certain goods under the Soviet-style economy. As CZ became a collectivized industry consolidatingthe production of firearms under a single state entity at Uhersky Brod, so Ceske Zavody Motocyklove Narodni Podnik (Czech Motorcycle Works, National Enterprise) became the sole manufacturers of Czech motorcycles at the old arms plant in Strakonice.

Later production Strakonice pistols may also be marked in a single line with CESKA ZBROJOVKA - PRAHA while post 1957s manufactured at Uhersky Brod will have a 5-digit serial numbers (possibly mixed alpha-numeric) and will be marked VZOR 50 CAL 7.65 and MADE IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA on the left slide.

In 1970, several mainly cosmetic modifications were made to the CZ vzor 50 and it was redesignated as the CZ vzor 70 for the same use. These pistols were no available fro commercial sale in behind the Iron Curtain, however, small quantities were sold to Germany and the USA. The police pistol known as the CZ vzor 50 faded into history but lived on as the CZ vzor 70. While some CZ70s have appeared in the United States bearing chrome or other finishes, all of these pistols were blued in original manufacture and no other factory finishes were available.

The modifications made to create the CZ vzor 70 were minor and a CZ vzor 70 is virtually indistinguishable from a CZ50. The main visible difference is the presence of a solid hammer on the CZ50 while the CZ70 hammer bears a hollow circle.

The CZ52 the third Czecoslovak army pistol, is an unusually designed and large pistol. Breech locking is accomplished by two rollers that lock barrel and slide together during a short recoil and are then disengaged by cam tracks in the frame. This system is similar to breech lock of German machine gun MG 42.

CZ52 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION Caliber 7.62 mm Velocity V0 430 m/s Ammunition 7.62 x 25 Weight (with empty magazine) 950 g Weight (with full magazine) 1034 g Total length 210 mm Height of the gun  140 mm Barrel lenght 120 mm Magazine capacity 8 Effective range 50 m

CZ52 Kirby Sanders collection

The CZ52 uses the unusual, high-powered but small diameter 7.62x25 caliber round. The 7.62x25 round is essentially a old broomhandle Mauser cartridge with more power. Russians are using this cartridge in Tokarev pistols and the Shpagin and Sudajev submachine guns.

The relatively large amount of powder behind the small projectile produces a slug with a muzzle velocity of between 1300 and 1500 feet per second-- somewehere between the projectile speeds of the .357 magnum and a .44 magnum cartridges.

The CZ52 is a large semi-automatic pistol at 8.25 inches length and 5.5 inches height. The barrel is about 4.75 inches in length. The CZ52 has an eight-shot magazine and weighs approximately 2.75 pounds loaded. Approximately 200,000 are believed to have been manufactured during 1952-53 only.

In 1982 Czechoslovakia phased the 7.62x25 caliber vzor 52 pistols out of use for the military. Like many other nations worldwide, the Czechs moved to a 9mm cartridge-standard with the CZ vzor 82 semi-automatic pistol. The CZ50/70 line ceased production in 1981 and was replaced for official use by the CZ vzor 82 and 83. The 9mm vzor 82 cartridge is the same as 9 mm Makarov, but uses a solid-metal projectile of porous steel. The CZ82 replaced the CZ52 in army use and the the CZ vzor 50/70 in police use.

The CZ52 pistol was not the only notable firearm produced by Ceska zbrojovka Uhersky Brod during the cold war period. The vzor 52 and vzor 52/57 semi-automatic rifles represented a surprising individualism in Czech firearms design at a time when all of the Soviet-sphere countries were standardizing to the SKS and later AK47 rifles. While similar in dimensions, the 7.62x45 Czech cartridge was adopted without consideration of standardizing to the Soviet 7.62x39.

VZ52 AND 52/57 Kirby Sanders collection

VZ 52 & 52/57 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION   VZ 52 VZ 52/57 Caliber 7,62 mm 7,62 mm Velocity V0 550 m/s 550 m/s Ammunition 7,62 x 45 7,62 x 39 Weight  ??? kg ??? kg Overall length ??? mm ??? mm Barrel length ???mm ??? mm Magazine capacity 10 10 Effective range 500 m 400 m

The vzor 52 semi-automatic rifle was produced from 1952 - 1958 in a unique 7.62 x 45 caliber. Called by some collectors the "7.62x39 Magnum," the x45 cartridge was used solely for this one firearm.

By 1957, reportedly at Soviet insistance and in the interest of Warsaw Pact standardization, the Czechs began constructing vzor 52s in 7.62x39 caliber. This variation, the vzor 52/57, was shortlived and in small quantity, however.

Immediately after WWII, the Czech Army used a grab-bag of German Mauser and Russian Mosin Nagant bolt-action rifles as well as German G-43 semi-automatics. While the standard vzor 52 semi-automatic rifle may bear some first-glance similarities to the then-new Russian SKS, a close inspection shows that the armorers at CZ adapted technology similar to several models of firearm for their new battle-rifle. The trigger assembly pays homage to the American M-1 Garand. The gas-piston auto-reload system appears to be an adaptation from the German MKb42 (w) design and the bolt system is similar to that of the Belgian FN 49. The bayonet is attached and side-mounted similar to that of the Russian Mosin Nagant m44.

The Rifle vzor 52 has one unusual feature which has been known to startle more than one first-time shooter. It ejects spent cartridges with fair force but to the left of the shooter as opposed to the standard "starboard side" ejection system common to most semi-automatic firearms.

By the early 1960s, bowing to the wishes of the Red Army and the standards of the Warsaw Pact, this uniquely Czech firearm was phased out of service. The vzor 52and vzor 52/57 did not completely disappear from the world stage. Toward the end of the Cold War, the ubiquitous vzor 52s were found in use in Cuba, Grenada and Egypt as well as by some Palestinian organizations. While the actual number of VZ52 and VZ52/57 rifles produced remained secret, reliable estimates put the number at 500,000.

In the early 1960s. all of the remaining VZ52s were sold to Egypt and Syria and the Czech production records were destroyed. Contrary to some speculation, Egypt did not produce VZ52s. They merely purchased part of the surplused balance.

By 1958 CZ had developed a new rifle bearing some similarity to the Warsaw Pact standard AK47. The Samopal vzor 58 (Samopal = Self firing). While the VZ58 may bear some visual similarity to Mikhael Kalashnikov's design, it is far from a simple clone of the immensely popular Kalashnikov AK-47.

VZ58 configurations Photo courtesy of Arms Moravia

VZ58 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION Caliber 7.62 mm Velocity V0 705 m/s Ammunition 7.62 x 39 Weight (with empty magazine) ??? g Weight (with full magazine) ??? g Overall length  845 mm Barrel length 390 mm Magazine capacity 30 Effective range 400 m Rate of fire 800 rpm

The Samopal vzor 58 is very well-machined piece with milled-steel parts and is an expensive weapon to produce. A fully-automatic carbine-length rifle in Warsaw Pact standard 7.62x39 caliber, the VZ58 was produced in folding-stock and solid wood-stock configurations. It uses a standard 30-round magazine and is capable of firing about 800 rounds per minute.

Since the end of WW II, Eastern-Bloc firearms development has been in the area of simplifying manufacture by continuing to develop such techniques as stampimg, pressing and welding parts as pioneered with the Kalashnikov design.Another essential post-war design, however, was pioneered by the Czechs.

That technical advance is variously referred to as the "telescoping" or "wrap-around" or "overhung" bolt. Czech designer Vaclav Holek developed a bolt in such a way, that a large amount of the mass was actually in front of the breech when the bolt was in firing position. This was accomplished by allowing the barrel to protrude into the receiver The front end of the bolt is hollow so that tghe fore of the bolt actually surrounds the barrel shank. Slots are cut in the overhung portion, to permit feed and ejection. This configuration allowed production of a shorter weapon with a longer barrel.

The first weapons to use the over-hung bolt were the CZ vzor 23 and CZ vzor 25, both in 9 mm Luger caliber introduced in the 1950s. The CZ 23 and 25 designs inspired later developments which were incorporated ino the Israeli UZI, French MAT and machine pistols made by Beretta, Ingram and Walther.

CZ 23 AND 25 Photos courtesy of ??

VZ23 & 25 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION   VZ 23 VZ 25 Caliber 9 mm 9 mm Velocity V0 ??? m/s ??? m/s Ammunition 9 x 19 9 x 19 Weight  ???kg ??? kg Overall length ??? mm ??? mm Overall length wih extended stock xxx 686 mm Barrel length ??? mm ??? mm Magazine capacity 30 30 Effective range 300 m 300 m Rate of fire ??? rpm ??? rpm

The CZ23 was designed with a wooden buff-stock while the CZ25 had a side-folding metal stock. Again, the production quantities of these firearms are unknown, having been held secret.

An unknown number of VZ23s and VZ25s were sold to Cuba during 1961and 1962. As with the Egyptian purchase of the VZ52 and 57 rifles, firearms were sold to Cuba but production rights were not. Similar submachine guns were produced by the Republic of South Africa, but these were not CZ-licensed production. Also unknown is why CZ began the "20s" series numbering for subguns and machine pistols rather than following the old-method "Vzor and date" designations.

During World War II, American troops carried "grease guns." During the 1950s, the

Czech army and police services began receiving "bicycle pumps." Nicknamed for their appearance similar to air pumps for bicycle tires, CZ24 and VZ26 submachine guns accomodated the small but powerful 7.62x25 cartridge used in the CZ 52 pistols. The Vzor 24 and 26 fired 650 rounds per minute. The VZ24 was produced in a solid-stock configuration while the VZ26 was designed with a side-fold stock. VZ24 & 26 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS   VZ 24 VZ 26 Caliber 7.62 mm 7.62 mm Velocity V0 550 m/s 550 m/s Ammunition 7.62 x 25 7.62 x 25 Weight  3.3 kg 311 kg Overall length 686 mm 445 mm Overall length wih extended stock xxx 686 mm Barrel length 284 mm 284 mm Magazine capacity 32 32 Effective range 300 m 300 m Rate of fire 650 rpm 650 rpm

CZ24 Machinepistol CZ26 Machinepistol

Following the Velvet Revolution and the fall of the Iron Curtain, demilitarized VZ 24s and 26s were made available to European collectors.

The VZ61 "Scorpion," a squarish machine with distinct physical similarities to the Ingram or later Cobray designs, was the next development in Czech submachine guns. The "Scorpion" was designed by Miroslav Rybar and produced during the early 1960s. Rybar, a talented designer, died at age 46-- a great loss to CZ and the fraternity of world firearms designers and engineers.

The Scorpion fires a standard .32 caliber round at up to 850 rounds per minute in full-auto mode and features a top-fold stock. It was designed to take bananna-clip of either 10 or 20 rounds and was used by the Czech Army, Police and prison guards. They were also built under license by Yugoslavia.

VZ61 Machinepistol Photo Courtesy of Arms Moravia

VZ61 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION  Caliber Mod. 61E, 7.65 Browning (.32 ACP) Overall length with retracted stock 270 mm Overall lengh with extended stock 517 mm Width with retracted stock 43 mm Barrel length 115 mm Sight radius 147 mm Weight without magazine 1 280 g Technical rate of fire up to 850 rpm Practical rate of fire   - in semi-automatic fire  35 rpm - in short bursts fire 110 rpm

The Scorpion design was also developed in several other calibers and configurations including the VZ64 which accomodated .380 caliber rounds in 10 and 20 shot stick magazines; the 9mm Makarov caliber VZ65 which used similar stick-mags; the VZ68 in 9mm Luger, for which a 30-round stick magazine was also available; the VZ82, which was another 9mm Luger model and the VZ91 made for .380 caliber. Some of the Scorpion types were also designed for semi-automatic fire.

The next step in the CZ pistol progression is the CZ75. While earlier CZ semi-autos had a distincly European look similar to the Mauser or Walther profiles, the CZ75 has a more North-American "Browning" look to it. Using a combination of reliable and fairly common semi-automatic firearm principles, theCZ75 was designed by Frantisek Koutsky in the early 1970s. It remains available under current commercial production in 9mm Luger, 9mm x 21 and .40 Smith and Wesson calibers. The CZ75 has a magazine capacity of 15 munds in the 9mm configurations and 10 rounds the .40 S&W configuration.

CZ75 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION Caliber 9 mm Velocity V0 ??? m/s Ammunition 9 x 19 Weight (with empty magazine) 1000 g Weight (with full magazine) ??? g Total length 206 mm Height of the gun  138 mm Barrel length 120 mm Magazine capacity 16 Effective range 50 m

In 1982 Czechoslovakia phased most of the .32 and 7.62x25 caliber pistols out of use for the police and military. Like many other nations worldwide, the Czech military and police moved to a 9mm cartridge-standard with the CZ82 semi-automatic pistol. The CZ82 takes a standard 9mm x 18 or 9mm Makarov cartridge. For Czech official use, however, the issue round fires a porous-steel modern ball round. The CZ82 is a standard blow-back design with an external hammer and 12-shot magazine.

CZ82 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION Caliber 9 mm Velocity V0 280 m/s Ammunition 9 x 18 Weight (with empty magazine) 800 g Weight (with full magazine) 915 g Total length 172 mm Height of the gun  123 mm Barrel length 96 mm Magazine capacity 6 Effective range 50 m

CZ82 Photo Courtesy of Jan Balcar

The CZ83 is essentially a .32 caliber version of the 82 with a 16-shot magazine. TheCZ82 and 83 are generally issued with an oversized "Winter" triggerguard to allow easy use by officers wearing gloves.

Still in current production, the CZ82 is now made in the original .32calibre, 9mm Browning and 9mm Makarov.

The Koutsky design-model continued with the improved 9mm Luger VZ85 in 1985, which incorporated an ambidextrous safety and slide-catch lever).

While the guns of CZ were to develop some reputation in Western Europe, the geopolitical fact of German and then Russian control of the country from 1945 until 1989 made them rare in the United States. As the Iron Curtain Rang down, however, A progressive and Western-oriented Czech government was among the first to bolt the Soviet fold.

At the beginning of the l980s, Czechoslovakia was led by pro-Soviet hardliner Gustav Husak. Husak had assumed power immediate following the Warsaw Pact invasion Of August 20,1968 which crushed a brief reformist period known as the Prague Spring.

During the Prague Spring, the government of Czechoslovakia came under the party leadership of Alexander Dubcek who advocated an ahead-of-its-time version of "perestroika" for his nation. Dubcek advocated "Socialism with a human face," and essentially gave government approval to strong grassroots pressures for a more open and less restrictive government. Many of the influences during the Prague Spring were the odd 1960s mix of cultural politics. In some ways, the Prague Spring resembled San Franciso's "Summer of Love" but with far greater political repercussions.

By August, the Soviets were leading a Warsaw Pact invasion to topple the moderated government and bring a "renegade" Czechoslovakia (as well as Communist Party Leader Dubcek) back into line. As the Soviets replaced Dubcek and other "Prague Spring" leaders, some 150,000 Czechoslovakians fled their country. An elderly and possibly senile Svoboda remained president-in-title until 1970, however, other hard-line leaders oversaw a series of political purges and oppression into the 1970s.

Husak was elected president by the party in 1970 with the excuse that Svoboda was ill and could not continue to govern. Husak led a government that many consider to have been amongst the most oppressive communist regimes in Eastern Europe.

Such a system did not sit well with the Czech People, however. As the Communist bloc unraveled, Czechoslovakia was amongst the first to move its policies westward. As Mikhael Gorbachev sang the praises of Perestroika in the 1980s, the Czech people took the message of freedom to heart. Contrary to the wishes of reformer Gorbachev, however, the Husak governement would not join the choir. A series of public demonstrations against the government by the Czecho-Slovaks between November 17 and December 29,1989 finally forced the resignation of Husak and his government. What much of the world calls "The Velvet Revolution" was a series of mostly non-violent demonstrations, strikes and "discussion groups" that eventually led to a bloodless "revolution."

The 1989 demands and demonstrations began on November 17-- the fiftieth anniversary of Jan Opletal's funeral and the massive demonstrations against Nazi occupation.

Dubcek returned as Speaker of the General Assembly on December 10, 1989 after having spent the years 1968 to 1988 assigned by the Husak government to the Slovak Forestry Service. The next day, December 11, the general assembly chose playwright and pro-reform leader Vaclav Havel as President of the Republic and the Velvet Revolution was at an end. For several internal national reasons, many Czechs do not like the term "Vevet Revolution," (Sametova Revoluce in Czech) preferring instead "Listopadove Udalosti"--the "November Events."

Whether Listopadove Udalosti or Sametova Revoluce, within a month after the November, 1989, fall of the Berhn Wall, Czechoslovakia was a free state again. In the 1990 general elections, with 96 percent of Czechoslovaks people voting, the Communist Party was resoundingly removed and replaced by pro-west leadership including Havel.

In 1992 the history of Czechoslovakia itself took another unique twist as the nation chose peaceably to divide into the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. Among the issues in that division was a desire for rapid privatization of industry and western alliance by the Czechs and a slower-paced switch to new systems by the Slovaks. No one can deny that the division of the old Republic was a painful national experience, but it has proven to be an amicable "divorce" and, again, a peaceful resolution to a situation over which numerous wars have erupted.

As the Century turns, the modern Czech military is outfitted with CZ82 sidearms. The Police forces still use small numbers of CZ 50s, 70s, 82s and 83s, but theCZ75 and the CZ85 in 9mm Luger are the standard firearms for domestic protection.

Since independence, American firearms collectors have come to respect the fine Czech craftsmanhip mainly by way of the CZ5O and CZ52 pistols and VZ52 rifles. The main exporter of Czech surplus firearms is Arms Moravia in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

(Need brief history and Interview with Arms Moravia about company)

Collector arms are not the only avenue by which The Guns of CZ have made inroads into the United States. Ceska Zbrojovka Uhersky Brod entered the United States via importation agreements with several American distributors beginning in 1991. By 1997, the company had established its own North American subsidiary in temporary headqurters at Oakhurst, California. In 1998, CZ USA had established its corporate home in Kansas City, Kansas.

Since then, CZ has proven to be a force in the new-gun market with production of nine basic semi-automatic pistol models in several calibers for the commercial market. CZ also makes two basic models and several variants of .22 caliber rimfire rifles and two basic models of centerfire hunting rifles in an array of calibers.

Among the more unusual of CZ-UBs current-production rifles is a bolt-action hunter designed in 7.62x39 caliber, a caliber generally considered only in context of the SKS and AK47 military guns.

CZ-UB has also branched into production of four lines of airguns and three lines of "over-under" shotguns. The tradition for submachine guns and other automatic weapons also continues with production of those firearms for the military and law-enforcement market.

The CZ-UB exhibition and competition shooting have also made a fast and impressive name for themselves in the International Practical Shooting Confederation. Pavel Jasansky of the CZ team won the 1999 IPSC World Shoot using a modified CZ75 pistol.

Ceskoslovenska Zbrojovka Brno has not disappeared completely either. They currently offer a line of

The fall of the Iron Curtain and the rise of a western-oriented government since independence has proven to be solid fuel for the deserved rise in reputation of the long overlooked Guns of Czechoslovakia.

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