This is my review of the the C&R classified CZ-52 semi-automatic pistol. For the price I believe this may be the most underrated and fun automatic pistol available today. Now, this handgun will not be for everybody. It is not the most beautiful or "eye-catching" piece in the gunsafe either. However, if you get the chance to shoot one of these you will surely be impressed by the round that it fires.
The CZ-52 was originally designed by the country of Czeskoslovakia. The terminology of the weapon stands for: Ceskoslovenska Zborjovka Vzor 52. The weapon first saw use in 1952, hence the 52. It was origninally chambered for the bottle-necked cartridge, 7.62x25 (aka 7.62 Tokarev). This round has also been chambered in a few sub-machine guns. There is a conversion available, if you can find them, that will allow the shooter to fire 9mm Luger rounds in this weapon as well, by simply replacing the barrel. However, there have been feeding problems associated with this conversion and the shooter will need to check and make sure that they are firing the proper cartridge in the proper barrel
Factory loaded ammo is fairly easy to find at this time and can be purchased as old military rounds, (Czech Berden Primed and corrosive) and you can also find new production ammo made by Sellier and Bellot (S&B) and Wolf. The new production ammo is loaded with boxer primers and the casings are reloadable. Reloading is where this round shines! Although it is a bit of a pain to reload because it is a bottleneck case, the effort is worth it. This little round will fire a pretty impressive fireball when loaded up with a good load of H110 and a 90gr Hornady HP. Reloading data for this round can be found on my Reloading Page
.These pistols can be found in various conditions; Anywhere from New, to Reworked at the arsenal, to bad. Make sure you check them out before firing. If you purchase one of these from a local dealer, pick it up and look it over and get a feel for it. You will notice that the gun is heavy for its size. Thats because it is made of steel! Steel frame, steel slide, steel magazine, everything steel! Ok, not everything. The grip panels are make of bake-a-lite or plastic. You can find wooden aftermarket grips for these which I am told make a very nice addition to the feel. The sites leave a bit to be desired, but you have to remember this pistol was made in 1952 and it was a military sidearm. It was built to last, not for target practice. If you would like to read a more in-depth article about this pistol, check it out at Makarov.com