From: dnewcomb@whale.st.usm.edu (Donald R. Newcomb)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Report on Chech Vz-52 pistol.
Date: 4 Jan 93 03:13:26 GMT
Organization: University of Southern Mississippi

I recently tested one of the Chech Vz-52 (a.k.a. CZ-52) pistols that are
presently on the market in the $150 price range. The best succinct de-
scription I have found for this gun is found in  _Brassey's_Infantry
_Weapons_of_the_World_.

************************ Begin direct Quote **************************
Calibre:         7.62 mm M48
Dimensions:      Length 21 cm
                 Barrel length 12 cm
Weight:          1 kg
Effective range: 50 m
Operation:       Recoil
Muzzle velocity: 420 m/sec
Sight            Front-blade
                 Rear-square notch
Magazine:        8 round detachable box type

Unusual in that it uses a roller locking system based on that of the
German MG42, the M52 fires an unnecessarily powerful cartridge. The
Chech 7.62 mm M48 round is some 20% more powerful than the Soviet
7.62 mm Type P which may also be fired in this pistol. The roller
locking system, though giving great strength, is expensive to produce
and rather impractical as the weapon is harder to strip than most.
Unless the trigger is pulled, the weapon is prevented from firing
by an automatic safety mechanism on the firing pin. The finish of
the weapon is rather rough and, due to the extra power involved when
using the M48 round, the gun has a heavy recoil and sharp muzzle
blast. The M52 is in limited service in the Chech army as it is being
replaced largely by the Vz 61 Scorpion and the Wz 63 machine pistols.
It may, however, be encountered in Africa, South America and some
of the Arab countries.
************************* End direct quote **************************

The gun arrived complete with two magazines, a cleaning rod, lanyard
& holster. The gun itself in plastic shrink-wrap; dripping oil. No
manual was provided. First impressions could be summed up as "Big
gun. Rough finish." When one considers that it is a .30 cal. gun,
it becomes somewhat disingenuous that it is almost as large as a Colt
1911A1. Without magazine the CZ-52 weighs right at 2 lbs as compared
with the 1911A1 at 2 lb, 4 oz. A buyer may be very disappointed with
the finish of his CZ-52 when it arrives. The gun could be described
as having a finish that only a communist could love. Serial numbers
appeared to have been applied with a hand numbering set and ball-peen
hammer. Rough tool marks are visible in all parts of the gun. 

The grip angle is more nearly perpendicular to the bore than that of
the more familiar Colt. This may make the gun feel somewhat awkward,
at first. The angle of the grip and placement of the hammer make it
difficult for the author to cock the gun single-handed. Trigger pull
was surprisingly crisp and light at about 7 lbs. The safety lever,
which is located on the portside rear corner of the receiver, was dif-
ficult to turn, almost to the point of being painful. This improved
with repeated manipulation and lubrication. The safety has three posi-
tions: down to fire, centered to safe, up to de-cock. The safety drops
the hammer when placed in the upward, de-cock position. The sights are
well proportioned square notch type. The magazine catch/release is a
metal stamping located at the rear edge of the magazine well alongside
the lanyard ring.

Brassey's opinion not withstanding, the author feels that field
stripping the Vz-52 is reasonably easy. However, complete disassembly
should not be considered except by a competent gunsmith and with
good reason. Many of the pins and pivots are either peened over
or staked into place! This appears to have been a manufacturing
decision as it must be a bit cheaper to do this than to provide
a good retention mechanism for a removable pin. Disassembly is
accomplished by means which would be easily grasped by anyone
familiar with the HK P9S. This has been covered fully in American
Rifleman and will not be repeated here. One caution is in order
it is possible to reassemble the slide with the firing pin rotated
90 degrees about its axis (i.e. up-side-down). If this occurs, the
gun will not function and some effort will be required to extract the
firing pin from the slide to correct the problem.

At first blush the action appears to be a close relative of the
HK P9S and its ancestors  the SG-45(W), CETEME, StGw 57 & G3,
however, this is not the case. Those actions are roller-delayed
blow-back actions whose barrels do not cycle with the bolt. The
CZ-52's action is a direct descendant of the MG-42's roller-locked
short-recoil action. Upon firing, the barrel, bolt and slide recoil
together about 1/4 inch during which the locking block is with-
drawn allowing the rollers to slide out of their recesses in
the slide. The barrel stops against a ledge in the receiver and
momentum carries the slide rearward, extracting the case and 
shucking a fresh round from the magazine in standard auto-loading
fashion. Upon ejecting the last case, a slide hold-open will lock
the slide to the rear, by virtue of a conventional follower mech-
anism. There is no manual slide release. To release the slide the
empty magazine must be removed or replaced with a loaded magazine.
The slide is then pulled rearward releasing the slide lock.

The gun has several modern safety features. The firing pin is
locked by its retaining plunger until the later is raised by a small
lever actuated by pulling the trigger. The plunger and lever are
only aligned when the gun is in battery. Similarly, the hammer
is prevented from striking the firing pin until the trigger is 
pulled. The frame mounted safety selector provides a means of
dropping the hammer without touching the trigger.

Limited firing tests were conducted using Fiocchi 7.63 Mauser
ammo. The gun functioned smoothly with no jams or other problems.
Correspondents have reported that some samples evidence a sharp
and uncomfortable rebound to the trigger as the slide returns to
battery. Extensive, controlled accuracy tests were not possible but
performance of the shooter/gun combination in this test was deemed
"disappointing". Which probably reflects little on the gun's merits.
The fixed ejector does have the tendency to hurl the spent cases with
considerable vigor. Some cases were recovered some 20 feet from the
firing position and 10% were lost entirely. One magazine of the
pair provided repeatedly parted from its floorplate when removed
from the gun.

A word of warning; do not dry-fire the Vz-52. The firing pins are
not well made and several correspondents have reported firing
pin breakages after limited dry-firing.

The russet leather holster provided was in new condition. The design
leaves much to be desired. The pistol and magazine had to be forced
into this "silly little purse" for the flap to close. A place was
provided for the cleaning rod but it  was impossible for all three
items to fit at once. Once inserted, the items could only be removed
with considerable difficulty. Probably the best thing that can be done
with the holster is to replace it with a UM84 (large).

An unconfirmed report tells us that the "dots" on the sight rib may
have an important meaning. Most samples have a series of tiny punch
marks near the center of the rib on the top of the slide. It has been
suggested that these were used to indicate how well a gun performed
in accuracy tests. One dot is best and the more dots indicate worse
performance. Seven dots is the highest number encountered in a limited
survey.

In conclusion, the Vz-52 is probably adequate for plinking and should
be safe enough for holstered carry. Adequacy of the 7.62 mm round 
for protection may be a matter for speculation. The gun does, however,
represent an important and unique innovation in auto-loading actions
and can be recommended to any student of firearms design for study.

For a more detailed history and assembly instructions see "Chechoslo-
vakia's CZ-52 Service Pistol", _The_American_Rifleman_, v. 138 n. 5,
May 1990, p. 34.

-- 

Donald R. Newcomb                * Life only admits two states: 
dnewcomb@whale.st.usm.edu        * growing and dying. So what,
newcomb@usmcp6.bitnet            * if I've put on a little weight?