While every
effort has been made to see to it that this page is correct in
its factual content, it is absolutely subjective as to the best
of the best.While every
effort has been made to see to it that this page is correct in
its factual content, it is absolutely subjective as to the best
of the best.
Part of the fun of collecting is in discussing lore, legend and history with other collectors. To do just that, you will find me frequenting TUCO'S SURPLUS FIREARMS FORUM .
You can also link into my friend Jean's SURPLUS MILITARY FIREARMS site. Jean has excellent photographs of numerous collectible arms and a sales site based in Canada. Jean has been kind enough to allow me the use of several of his photographs on my site. You need to to check his site out, though... you ain't seen nothin' yet.
'SinoSoviet''
SKS
Calibre 7.62x39.
There is much debate over whether the original 
Russian
SKS is better-crafted firearm than is it's (generally
less-expensive) 
Chinese brother. Personally, I have chosen to enter
this debate by HAVING MY CAKE AND EATING IT TOO!
How? It's simple, really.
During 1956 and at least part of 1957, there was an unusual
period of time during which these mutually suspicious Brothers in
Revolution actually got along with one another. During this time,
the Soviets sent Russian technicians and Russian-arsenaled parts
to China in order to teach the Chinese how to build these
marvelous firearms. The result is that a small number of these
firearms bear all of the armory markings (and the price) of a
Chinese rifle while having been made from the ''superior''
Russian parts. These few rifles were also constructed either by
or under the supervision of Soviet armorers. The result is a
wonderful shooter made of excellent steel that is measurably
heavier than the later-made ''export model'' Chinese SKS.
This is a photo of a standard military-issue configuration
Chinese SKS.
* The way to tell if a Chinese SKS is a ''SinoSoviet'' model
is.... SinoSoviet SKS Secret.
* BTB, try here if you are wondering How
tricked out can I trick my SKS and still be legal?
* There is a good site dedicated to SKS (including a
comprehensive FAQ/ history and an on-line tech manual under
construction) at SKSman (aka
Paul's Guns in New Hampshire)
* I remember thinking to myself this could be heaven or this
could be hell... Captured in Kosovo.
(Hit browser BACK button to return here).
* The SKS EXPLODED VIEW DRAWING and
parts list is here.
* A note about SKS and slamfires.
(This is probably a good one for ANYBODY who shoots
semi-automatic firearms.)
* This is a work in progress. It is a fairly complete and
in-depth History of the development of the
SKS and chart of technical specs.
Photo of Russian SKS with bayonet and 30-round magazine.
Egyptian
Firearms
Egyptian
Hakim
Calibre 8mm Mauser (8x57).
As DougK refers to them - the EXTREME HAKIM.
A wonderful, high-powered behemoth, the Hakim is based on the
Swedish Ljungman AG42B technology. The Hakim is a lot of firearm.
It is 48inches in length and weighs almost 13lbs unloaded. With
bayonet attached, it stretches to 5-feet tall. While using the
extremely powerful 8mm Mauser cartridge, it has a surprisingly
light recoil due to the weight of the gun and an adjustable
gas-operated reload system.
The Hakim also has a smaller cousin, the Egyptian Rasheed (also
spelled 'Rashid' in some references) in 7.62x39 calibre.
* Having trouble figuring out the hieroglyphics for your serial
nr and date of manufacture on an egyptian firearm? try the Brotherhood
of Hakim magic decoder ring from "Handbook of Military
Rifle Marks, 1870-1950" by Richard A. Hoffman and Noel P.
Scott.
* And now, for something completely different, are you ready for
an article about Hakim
Airguns?
* Here is the Hakim
/ Ljungman Disassembly article from American Rifleman, December,
1995
* And a JPEG of the HAKIM
EXPLODED VIEW DRAWING from American Rifleman, December, 1995
* AND the Hakim
Question and answer article from American Rifleman, March, 1987
* BY POPULAR DEMAND, KirbyTheOG proudly presents The
1988 Firepower article, CONVERTING MG-13 MAG TO 25-ROUND HAKIM
Rashid -
Hakim's little cousin
calibre 7.62x39
Ljungman
AG42B- Swedish Papa for Hakim & Rasheed
calibre 6.5 Swede
Here is the recguns
AG42 link to a good James Bardwell article on the Ljungman.
It includes a tiny bit of HAKIM lore. Tech data on the Ljungman
(except for calibre and related ammunition data) is equally
applicable to the HAKIM and to the RASHEED.
MISR - Maadi AK47 variant
(calibre 7.62x39).
The MISR-MAADI is the Egyptian version of the Avtomat Kalashnikova designed by Mikhail T. Kalashnikov for the Soviet Union in 1947.
As we all know, the AK47 was farmed out to all of the
Communist Bloc countries and includes as many variations as there
were countries making them. It was also one of the favorite
''Come, comrade, and join us'' technology transfer items of the
CCCP for non-combloc potential friends of the family. That's how
they came to Egypt. Me, I'm into Egyptian firearms right now--
what can I say. 
If you are an AK47 freak and want an absolute AK-gasm (click here to view) and knock yerself out!
Here is an interesting photo of an Albanian special services soldier with an AK-based RPD (I believe) looking after his fellow citizens in Tirana. (click here to view) Hit browser Back button to return to this page.)
This
is a photo of an actual Russian Avtomat Kalashnikov (AK) 47. Note
the military standard ''pistol grip'' stock as compared with the
''thumbhole'' Dragunov-style stock of the Egyptian Maadi (above)
and the Chinese MAK-90 (below).
Below is a photograph of one of the new (July, 1999) so-called
MISR 90 AK-style rifles. These are designed on Egyptian receivers
with just enough U.S. made parts to qualify as legal with
pistol-grip and stock. 
If you purchase one
of these and outfit the rifle with any magazine of greater than
10-round capacity, be certain the high-cap magazine is of U.S.
manufacture. If it is an imported mag, one slips across the
border into Illegal Land. These are not to be mistaken for the
new MISR-10 which has been redesigned for a single-stack magazine
and will NOT accomodate ANY of the old double-stack high capacity
magazines.
The
CZ52s
This is , like one of my fave bands in the known universe. They
are so totally cool! I mean RAVE and PARTY OUT OF BOUNDS! We are
talking so groovy you could just take daddy's money and buy ALL
their albums and... What? the B-52's is the band... and this page
is about GUNS? Oh WOW-- like never mind, dude :(
Czechoslovakian
firearms
This, on the other hand, is a CZ52 pistol
Calibre 7.62x25.
The CZ52 is a Czechoslovakian manufacture VERY high-powered pistol. Some 200,000 were manufactured in the early 1950's (1952-1954) by the Ceska Zbrojovka armory (Czechoslovakia). The pistol at left is an armory re-arsenaled model equipped with a Hogue HandAll grip sleeve. The hand-all is an excellent temporary addition which softens the recoil immensely and makes no permanent change to the configuration of a collectible firearm.
In 1982, Czechoslovakia adopted the CZ82 pistol and all of the 52s were recalled and rearsenalled. Upon the breakup of Czechoslovakia into the separate countries of Slovakia and the Czech Republic (theCR), theCR began to release these surplus pistols for sale via the newly privatized Arms Moravia
This a wonderful high-powered machine with a resounding blast that spits an impressive tongue of flame. It was designed to accomodate rounds of between 1300 and 1600 fps (basically, somewehere between a .357magnum and a .44 magnum). A bit of a kick to the recoil, but no more than your newer ''polymer'' frame 9mm.
Discussion of ''the CZ52
Accuracy Dot theory''
** And here is an ''EXPLODED VIEW
DRAWING'' of the CZ52 PISTOL (with many thanks to GGoebel).
Use your browser back-button to return here.
** An excellent History of the CZ armories
as posted to the c-r-ffl lists by Kyrie Ellis (Sept. 1998)resides
here.
** Did someone say there were no full-autos in 7.62x25 calibre?
There are pix of three CZ
sub-machineguns at this link.
** Here is an article comparing the muzzle velocities of several
different varieties of 7.62 x 25 ammunition entitled How hot is 7.62 x 25 ammo?
A report on some VERY dangerous Bulgarian 7.62x25
ammunition
that is making the rounds right now. If you own and shoot a CZ52,
Tokarev or any other pistol in 7.62x25, you might want to read this article.
If
you have a third hand, this is a VZ52/57 Czech rifle
Calibre 7.62x39.
The VZ52 is a Czechoslovakian rifle generally found in 7.62x45 calibre which, as of June 1998, is still a relatively inexpensive collectible. Confusingly, it is also frequently referred to as a CZ52 - same as the pistol.
As the name would suggest, it was first manufactured and distributed to the Czech military in 1952.
The difference between a VZ52 and the VZ52/57 (as pictured) is
in the innards. The VZ52/57 is a 1957 adaptation which uses a
combloc standard 7.62x39 calibre. The 52/57 is not nearly as
common as is the straight-up 52
Unfortunately, the vast majority of VZ52s which have found their
way here are really ratty. Many have had a non-original black
crinkle-paint added to the stock, decreasing the collectible
value and making a beautifully ugly duck actively ugly.
Rather than my repeating the info in an already excellent
article, try DARIN'S
VZ52 PAGE.
**Are you ready for the possibility of Egyptian
VZ52s?
**There is an excellent thumbnail History of the VZ52/57 at this link.
On alternate days, I consider the CZ52s to have been either an enlightenment or a curse. My introduction to the CZ52 pistol eventually led me to become a fan of Czechoslovakian firearms in general. The enlightment is that I now believe that the Czechs are amongst the finest armorers in modern history. Since the acquisition of the model 52 pistol above (here comes the curse part) I have also acquired a German-occupation CZ27, a CZ45 gentleman's ''vestpocket pistol'' and a CZ50 commercial from the Cold War period.
Not to mention my VZ24 and VZ 98/22 Turkish-contract rifles.
The CZ27
(right) was an excellent police and military firearm designed by
Ceska Zbrojovka in 1927. It was sufficiently well-thought-of that
it was ordered kept in military production by the Germans during
their World War II occupation of Czechoslovakia. While the
Germans ordered no mechanical changes to these firearms, the
occupation pistols can be identified by the initials ''fnh''
stamped on the left slide as well as the presence of German
military ''waffenamt'' or military acceptance markings.
At left is a somewhat clearer illustration of the
CZ27, once again a German Occupation or ''fnh''. In full, the
slide stamp of the more highly sought-after German Occupation
models will read fnh Pistole
Modell 27 Kal. 7.65
This military .32cal was produced beginning in 1927 and ceased production in 1950.
Sadly, my old soldier has a broken grip on the left side, however, this has had no effect on the shootability of this tight and convenient .32 calibre pistol.
The CZ45, (at
right) I know very little about. Got to do some more studying. It
is a small and compact double-action-only semiautomatic of the
''vestpocket pistol'' class. Mine was constructed in 1947.
They were apparently designed by Frantisek Myska in 1936 (as the CZ36) and modified / simplified by designer Jaroslav Kratchovil in 1945. The CZ45 has no safety switch, being a double action system. Unlike most semi-autos, the slide does not re-cock the pistol after firing, again because of the double-action theory involved.
The CZ45 carries an 8-round magazine and has an overall length of 5-inches. The barrel is 2.5-inches in the lenght and the pistol has an empty weight of only 15 ounces.
According to vestpocket collector Gerhard Schoenbauer of Austria, the CZ45 travels under at least 3 names in Europe, the "CZ Modell 45", the "CZ Model TEZET" and the "BRUNNER TEZET''. He also says they are as extremely common and sell for the equivalent of US$ 10 - 30.
Despite being fairly common, Schoenbauer says they are "Still interesting for history, as using DAO-trigger action already long before it got fashionable. There was an earlier Model 35, which got an safety-lever over the trigger, which would be some more scarce, but still cheap. A new 'CZ Model 92' is produced since 1992 by CZ, which is in fact the same pistol and pattern and is still in production.''
As to the general quality of Czech workmanship, he agrees "Czech pistols were always underestimated. They always were best quality, but less known."
Check out Gerhard's Vestpocket Pistols Collectors' page at this link.
The CZ50 (pictured at right) was
designed immediately following World War II by brothers Jan and
Jaroslav Kratchovil and intended as a military and police
sidearm. Initially designated as the Model 006 during
development, it was designated the Vzor 50 for its first-year
production date after acceptance. It was widely used as a police
Czech Police firearm, but it's military place was assigned to the
more powerful CZ52.
It is a 7.65mm (.32cal) double-action semiautomatic pistol with a profile very similar to the Walther PP. The magazine holds 8 rounds. The pistol is approximately 6.7-inches long with a barrel length of approximately 3.75-inches. Overall empty weight is 24 ounces.
The CZ50 was actually produced from 1950-1970 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. Interestingly, the first CZ50 (sn 650001) was numbered to succeed the last CZ27 (sn 650000).
In 1955, all production of pistols for the Czechs moved to the Presne Strojirenstvi factory at Uhersky Brod where CZ50 production restarted in 1957. It is unknown how many were produced by Presne Strojirenstvi after 1955, as there does not appear to have been a single coherent system of assigning serial numbers. Pistols produced by Presne Strojirenstvi 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 CZ50s 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 (llustration
at left). 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.
While the CZ50 was produced both for commercial and government use, pistols purchased by the Czech Ministry of the Interior will bear a crossed-sword proof mark and a two-digit number denoting the year of acceptance by the agency. The vast majority of early CZ50s went for Czech police use.
In 1970, several modifications (mainly cosmetic) were made to the CZ50 and it was redesignated as the CZ70 for strictly commercial sale. The rugged blue police pistol known as the CZ50 faded into history but lived on as the CZ70, available in several finishes. Other than various finishes, the modifications made to create the CZ70 were minor and a blued CZ70 is almost indistinguishable from a CZ50. The CZ50/70 line was ceased production in 1982 and was replaced by the CZ82. The CZ82 actually served to replace the CZ50 in police use and the CZ52 in military use.
As long as we're checking out
the Czechs, here's a wee tale about the VZ24 and the various
other Czech Mausers. It is
way too long to put it all on this page
AND, you might have a look at Robert Lukes excellent page about Czech firearms by linking here.
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