Tips for first time CZ-52 buyer

M

Mike P. Wagner

New member
Well, I finally have the permission of the seriff of this fine county to by a pistol (my fisrt).

Tomorrow, or Monday, I'm going to order a CZ-52 in NRA Excellent condition. Looks ot me like a cool round (7.65 x 25 Tokarev) in a interesting (due to the roller delayed blowback) mechanism at a good price.

Any tips?

Thanks,

Mike Wagner
 
My tip is to just enjoy. I've had a 52 for years and have always enjoyed shooting it. The are real tack drivers. They are also quite intersting because of thier very unique construction. Mine has been 100% reliable. One thing; DO NOT dry fire them or thier firing pins will break on you. They are fairly brittle. You can order new ones from various surplus vendors and they are a good thing to have a few spares around. Great gun. Have fun.
 
Ignore any talk of "accuracy dots"; they are nonsense.

Make sure you get both magazines, the holster, lanyard, and cleaning rod. Don't let them sell them seperately as accessories.

You might lock the slide open on an empty magazine, then remove the magazine to see if the slide slams forward as the mag comes out. Mine does this and it's a little bit of a PITA.

The original finish is a grey park (?), and the arsenal refinish is black.

Check the magazine floorplates for damage. The field method for removing the barrel from the slide is to put the forward end of the floorplate into the groove under the barrel. I suppose it works, but it bends the floorplates to crap. They can be bent back into shape, but if you can avoid it, why not?

Also, I had one magazine that would eject its damaged (from above, I'm sure) floorplate along with spring and ammo after a few shots. I fixed it by laying the mag's floorplate lips (disassembled) on the edge of a metal surface (vise's anvil flat, behind jaws) and gave them a few good raps up and down the edge. The floorplates now fit snugly and stay in place.

Stay away from the Czech surplus ammo (grey case, silver bullet) that comes 40-rnds per box, on stripper clips. It has really hard primers and was probably made for the PPsh submachinegun.

A better deal is the Makarov. I use my Mak far more than my CZ-52.

check out http://www.makarov.com for parts and accessories for both Mak and CZ-52.
 
While the Cz-52 is a "neat" gun because of its powerful cartridge and unique locking system I don't think it's a good first gun. It has habits like "trigger slap" and and a tendency to have its trigger pin move out of the frame. As for as the Makarov, it's a blowback and can be uncomfortable to shoot without Pierce grips and/or a shooting glove.

For a first handgun get something like a boring .22 or used .38 revolver(Smith or Ruger) and get some instruction.

Of course, if you are into collecting milsurps the CZ and Mak are good purchases. By the way the CZ-75 is a much better gun.
 
The CZ-52 has the ergonomics of a 2x4.

The grip is almost perpendicular to the bore's centerline, making you point quite low.

The trigger guard and trigger conspire to put blisters on your trigger finger after about 200 rounds. The trigger guard is not undercut for you middle finger, so you end up rubbing that a little raw as well.

The magazine release, although typically European, is poorly designed for manipulation, requiring a fair amount of attention for magazine changes. Mags cost ~$20.


Ammo is not very common.

All of these problems, except the last, can be remedied by a good gunsmith and money. Unfortunately, you'd spend more money customizing it than its purchase price. I treat the CZ-52 as a curiosity more than anything. Well, a curiosity and another CZ for the collection.

The Mak has non of these problems.

Ammo is pretty common and getting more so all the time.

The mag release is easy to become accustomed to and is easy to maniupulate. Mags cost less than $10, and I've bought good ones for as little as $4.

It feels good in my hand and it points very well.

I prefer the cheap black plastic grips to the Pearce version for some reason.
 
While I agree that a 52 is not a great choice as a first gun, some of these replies are a little too serious. The CZ-52 is, as some stated above, a "fun-gun". It is just to go out at shoot and have a good time, ergonomics be damned!!
;o) Of course the Mak is a better gun for self defense, and I would recomend that over a 52 for a first gun, in fact, for a first gun I would recomend a good, used (since money seems to be a bit of an issue here) 38 special revolver, like a S&W model 10/15, or a Ruger Security Six.
 
I appreciate the advice about getting a .38, etc. I've been renting and shooing for about a year, and the the round I had the most fun with was a .357 SIG. The .38 I shot left me absolutely cold. Getting a gun I son't enjoy shooting doesn't sound like very much fun.

I like mechanical things, and I think that's why I'm drawn to automatics. I also looked at the roller locking mechanism, and that seemed neat, mechanically.

I plan to put the firing ping/trigger enhancement from makarov.com in fairly soon after purchase, which is supposed to help with the trigger pull.

I think I'm getting something like a very inexpensive SA .357 SIG with a cool internal mechanism.

Thanks for all the advice.
 
I for one am fascinated by CZ-52, and if I weren't limited to ONE GUN PER MONTH here in the "Free" State, I'd buy two or three, they're so cheap.

Does anyone know the military history of these quirky little gems? Who used them? When?
How did they find their way to us?
 
Mike, also be aware that there are really no viable defense loads for the 7.62x25. Magsafe makes a load, but it is not a reliable feeder (my 52 will not feed them at all, not even once). That leaves you with hardball, and this load is VERY penetrating and does not expand. It will go through the wall(s) of an apartment(s) like a hot knife through butter. It is very powerful, yet is not a great manstopper.
 
Glockorama, thanks for the info about the lack of a defensive load. This will be purely a fun gun for me.

Have you seen the new Winchester load? Several people ahve referred to it, but I can't find anything on the Winchester side about it.

Mike P. Wagner
 
Only Czechoslovakia, who manufactured it, used the CZ-52. The Czechs have a history of going their own way in weapons design: CZ-52 pistol instead of the Tokorev, Vz-52 rifle instead of the SKS, Vz-58 instead of AK-47, ZB30 from which the BrEn gun was developed, etc. They aren't dummies.
 
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