Tell me about the CZ-52

[Big Al]

Okay, I have to admit it, I'm getting pretty infatuated with Eastern Bloc commie guns. I've got a Bulgarian Makarov in the works now.

The CZ-52 seems like an unusual piece of work, definitely one that would stand out from other pistol designs. The bottlenecked cartridge looks like a real screamer on paper (1900fps max) and the pistol itself has some kind of strange, austere appeal. I love guns I can tinker with, and for 100$ the CZ-52 seems like a good buy for a tinkerer. It seems like a "commie hand cannon of days past" or a "technological dead-end" or whatever you'd like to call it. In any case, it seems like something I could fool with during the winter, after I've finished with my Mak.

I've been looking at CZ-52 info on Makarov.com, and it's raised some questions. I'm sure there are some knowledgeable fellas on here who have fooled with CZ-52s before, so I hope you guys can answer some of my questions.

(1) With the Maks, the same kind of pistol is made by different manufacturers from different countries. Is this the case with CZ-52s? Are there different grades of pisols, or different manufacturers who make better/worse pistols? If so, what would be the highest quality CZ-52 to buy? I want it to be a shooter, not a showpiece.

(2) I noticed that the guns are chambered for two different rounds, the 7.62x25 and the 7.62 Tokarev. What is the difference between these two rounds, and can they be interchanged, like a .40/357SIG? It seems that the Tokarev round is larger - which round is more common as military surpus goes? I hope this gun can be as cheap to shoot as a Mak or 9mm.

(3) What should a person know about the CZ-52 before buying one of them, if any? Is there any downsides to owning one? Are they more trouble than they're worth?

Thanks!



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Glock 19
S&W 629 Classic
KelTec P32

"Oh yeah? Well I talk LOOOUDLY! And I carry a BIIIGGER stick! And I'll use it, too." -Yoesemite Sam

 

[Destructo6]

CZ-52s were only made by CZ in Czechoslovakia.

7.62x25 = 7.62 Tok.

The "accuracy dots" are a myth, so don't be concerned about that.

Ammo availability is really the only downside, everything else is petty complaints about a very inexpensive, novel, pistol. Lately, I've been using the 70 rounds per brown cardboard box 7.62x25 ammo that is brass cased and Berdan primed. Seller&Bellot is great, when you can find it. The grey lacquered Czech ammo that comes on 10rnd stripper clips, 40 rnds per box should be avoided as it has super hard (subgun?) primers.

Here's my list of complaints:

1) grip is perpendicular to the barrel. Lack of grip angle makes you point low. Sort of the opposite of Glocks, but I guess this could be rectified by adding material to the lower rear of the grip.

2) no slide release. This can be easily rectified by installing Federal Arms' hold open device replacement.

3) trigger-triggerguard pinch your finger with each shot, creating a blister after a hundred rounds or so. Reshaping the triggerguard and gripframe would certainly help.

4) mag release sucks. The Makarov heel release works much better.

 

[triggerhappy]

Don't dry fire!
The firing pin is a POS. You can buy a better one somewhere on the net, like makarov.com, or .net or something.(can't remember)

 

[JBP]

You can get the Sellier & Bellot at: http://www.ammoman.com/ http://www.jgsales.com/