CZ 52 The CZ 52 ( also known by the Czechoslovakian military designations vz . 52 , for " model of 1952 " , and CZ 482 ) is a semi - automatic pistol designed by two brothers , Jan and Jaroslav Kratochvíl , in the early 1950s for the Czechoslovakian military . Around 200 , 000 vz . 52s were made by Česká Zbrojovka in Strakonice from 1952 to 1954 . The vz . 52 replaced the 7 . 65 mm Browning caliber ( . 32 ACP ) Vz . 50 , which had acquired a reputation for unreliability and was underpowered for its role as a military service sidearm . After 30 years of military service , the vz . 52 was eventually replaced by the 9×18mm Makarov caliber vz . 82 . Cz - USA began importation into the US market in January 1998 with the designation CZ 52 . Description . The CZ 52 pistol is a roller - locked short recoil - operated , detachable box magazine - fed , single - action , semi - automatic pistol chambered for the 7 . 62×25mm Tokarev cartridge ( the gun was originally designed for 9 mm Luger caliber but due to political pressures had to be redesigned for the Soviet then standard pistol cartridge ) . It weighs approximately two pounds unloaded . Military models feature either a parkerized finish or a gray oxide coating , while some CZ 52s were arsenal reblued in the 1970s . These re - finished guns are usually marked as such . The CZ 52 has a deep ( front - to - back ) but slim ( side - to - side ) grip , as well as a low " hump " which meets the web of the hand at the rear of the grip . These ergonomics cause the barrel and slide to sit rather high above the grip , resulting in very strong felt recoil . The CZ 52 is also well known for its very sharp report and great amount of muzzle flash . Due to its muzzle energy , higher pressure FMJ ammunition fired from the CZ 52 pistol will penetrate even NIJ II rated ballistic vest s , or the PASGT helmet . Operation . The CZ 52 ' s operating controls consist of a single - action trigger , an external hammer , a magazine catch located at the heel of the grip frame , and a combination de - cock / safety lever located on the left rear side of the receiver aft of the left grip panel . The manual safety blocks movement of the sear , which prevents the hammer from releasing and firing a round . A second safety , in the form of a spring - loaded firing pin block , prevents the pistol from firing unless the trigger is pulled fully to the rear ; this feature renders the pistol " drop safe " . However , if the firing pin block spring has become worn , the pistol may be rendered unsafe in the event of a muzzle down drop , or in the case of other internals being worn , it may be drop safe only when " cocked and locked " , for instance . Care should be taken when handling firearms of uncertain origin , and only a competent gunsmith should be relied upon to verify the safety mechanisms of surplus guns are intact . Because the sear must overcome the additional spring pressure of the firing pin block , an inherent feature of the CZ 52 is its unusually heavy trigger pull , often in the 8 - 10 pounds range . The hammer is of the rebounding type , meaning that it does not contact the firing pin while in its uncocked position , and cannot do so unless the trigger is pulled , another safety feature . Operation : After a full magazine is inserted , the slide is fully retracted , then released . This action cocks the hammer , strips a cartridge from the magazine , and chambers it . Rotating the 3 - position safety lever fully downward , exposing a red warning dot between the receiver and the hammer pivot pin , renders the pistol ready to fire . Rotating the lever upward to its center position covers the red dot and engages the sear block ( allowing " cocked and locked " carry ) . Finally , rotating the safety lever fully upward decocks the hammer by releasing the sear and intercepting the hammer ' s forward movement . This position allows safe carry of the pistol with a round in the chamber . The hammer must then be cocked manually and the safety disengaged before a round can be fired . As the trigger is pulled in this state , the trigger bar rotates the sear , a lug on the sear disengages the firing pin safety located directly above it , and the opposite side of the sear releases the hammer . The hammer then impacts the firing pin , the firing pin impacts the primer of the cartridge , and the shot is fired . The CZ 52 utilizes a fairly uncommon short recoil operating system in which two vertical rollers are used to lock the barrel and slide together , via a cam block . This is similar to the system used in the German MG 42 machine gun , which itself hearkens back to a Polish patent of the 1930s . This arrangement results in an unusually strong lockup which , conventional wisdom holds , allowed the Czechs to load ammunition for it to higher pressure levels ( and therefore , higher velocity and energy ) than compatible ammunition manufactured in other Warsaw Pact countries . This oft recited " fact " is , however , debatable . The bottom of the CZ 52 chamber measures 0 . 058 " , whereas the supposedly weaker TT33 Tokarev pistol measures 0 . 125 " at the bottom of the chamber . While in battery ( meaning the hammer is cocked , a round is chambered , and the pistol is ready to fire ) , the recoil spring , positioned coaxially around the barrel , provides the pressure necessary to lock the barrel and slide together via the rollers . When a shot is fired , the barrel and slide recoil together while the cam block is held stationary by a lug in the receiver . After traveling rearward a short distance ( about 0 . 16 " or 4 mm ) , the rollers are allowed to disengage from the slide via recesses in the cam block . At this point , the slide is free to continue rearward , cocking the hammer , extracting the spent case from the barrel ' s chamber and ejecting it clear of the pistol . After reaching the end of its stroke , the slide is returned to battery by the compressed recoil spring , again collecting a fresh cartridge from the magazine and inserting it into the chamber along the way . When the magazine is empty , its follower presses against a catch , holding the slide open . The magazine catch is located at the heel of the pistol grip . It is pulled toward the backstrap , releasing the magazine from its well . A potential problem arises in that there is now minimal pressure on the magazine spring and the magazine catch is also under constant pressure from the mainspring , forcing it into contact with the rear of the magazine . This means that magazines do not drop free and occasionally take a few seconds to remove from the pistol . Releasing the slide catch is done by removing the empty magazine ( or inserting a loaded one ) , then retracting the slide and releasing it . There is no thumb - operated lever to release the slide ( though an aftermarket slide release lever is available ) . Ammunition . Surplus 7 . 62×25mm Tokarev ammo from China , Russia , Austria , Bulgaria , and the Czech Republic as well as current commercial ammo produced by Sellier & Bellot all measured 42 , 000 c . u . p . at the lab at Accurate Arms in 2000 by ballistician Ted Curtis . He measured the surplus Soviet ammunition averaging 31 , 000 c . u . p . The Czech ammunition was manufactured for use in the CZ52s , while the other countries were manufacturing ammunition used in Tokarevs . Accurate Arms then sold load data in 2000 listing 42 , 000 c . u . p . loads for CZ52s . By 2004 Johan Loubser Ballistic Lab manager at Accurate Powders reduced the loads to less than 2400 bar or 34 , 809 psi , and those reduced loads were made complementary from AA on their web site . While the 86 gr AA # 9 load is said by AA to be reduced from 41 , 300 c . u . p . to 33 , 851 psi , Quickload software calculates that AA ' s loads went from 57 , 158 psi down to 28 , 551 psi . Loads by Sierra at 90 gr AA # 7 specifically for the CZ52 remain at 22 , 385 psi as calculated by Quickload . By the late 1990s , after the popularity of the surplus CZ 52 had started to increase , hollow - point ammunition in 7 . 62×25mm became available from custom shops . The pistol proved capable of handling extremely " hot " loadings , and many shops sell custom or hand - loaded ammunition . Replacement barrels are available to change the caliber to 9 mm Parabellum . Doing so provides a much wider range of ammunition choices , at the cost of a significant drop in power . As of 2010 , manufacturers have ceased production of 9 mm drop - in barrels for the CZ 52 .