CZ 52. Real gun talk

[dryheat]

There is a dearth of gun talk these days. Well, milsurp talk anyway. I have a Czech CZ 52. It's a bada** pistol that fires a bottle neck 7.62 x 25 round. I believe it's up around .357 in energy. It will go through a six inch thick glue lam beam. It will go through most places in a car door. I don't know if a .357 rd will do that. Haven't tried. This pistol had "trigger slap". Look it up, it's a common complaint. So I went to school on the subject. Now right off the problem, besides me not being a gun genius, is that what one source calls a part isn't what Bubba writing the internet thread calls the part so I don't really know what he's suggesting I file. I sure as heck am not going to start filing willy nilly.

There are add on parts that you can purchase(Harrington firing pins, wolf springs)that folks seem to like. I started out breaking the pistol down to all of it's individual parts(the usual Utube vid). Being frustrated with the parts description I decided to just lube everything up since the was zero lube from the initial build of this thing. All greased and lubed and(with some difficulty)all re-assembled. There are a couple of little stumbling blocks in re-assembly but easy to figure out. Still it took me two hours to get this all done. The result? Glad you asked. I took the pistol out and put eight rds. through it, fired into a sand pile. No trigger slap. In fact one second after firing the first rd. I knew something was different. I happily emptied the mag. Grease and oil whodda thought.


I do kind of understand what some of the gun guys were trying to convey and it makes sense. Some actions can transmit through the various parts and end up at the trigger. I was lucky(as long the the grease stays in place)that I didn't have to try any of those fixes.

More: the "tokarev" rouond(and there's two kinds) is the same one that the Russians used in their PPS series. I am lucky to have a case of Chinese Norinco non-corrosive.

[Art]

I once owned one of these pistols. It was probably the most over engineered handgun I've ever owned. I mean how many pistol design teams feel the need to use the locking system from a machine gun in their pistol??? They were a uniquely Czech firearm and stayed in service with their military until replaced by the other CZ designs, ultimately the CZ75.

The 7.62x25mm Tokarev is a +P version of the old 7.63mm Mauser and does have great penetration. In fact the Hong Kong Police got themselves special "Tokarev Rated" versions of the Level IIIA vests used by cops in other countries that didn't have to deal with this round. The Czechs designed the weapon around the 7.62 mm Tokarev round they used in their submachine guns. This version was sort of a +P+ version driving a 90 gr. fmj bullet at a screaming 1600 fps. I actually shot some of that in my CZ 52 and the round was a beast, probably the loudest pistol round I've ever fired with muzzle flash that would do justice to field artillery. Unfortunately the ammo available was all fmj.

I got it back when these guns could be had in as new condition for about $100.00. It was a fun gun and I put a lot of Chi Com 7.62x25 ammunition through it before giving it to a fellow who did me a huge favor. These are interesting cold war artifiacts. In the world of Com Bloc pistols, well they compare to a Tokarev TT like a Ferrari does to a Yugo.

The Czechs have always made a darn good gun.

[Tuna]

There are several things here that are not quite up to speed. While some 7.62x25 seems hot compared to others is really not as its within the specs for the round including it's operating pressure. No +p or +p+ variations or subgun ammo was made or used by the counties who used it. It had to be useful in pistols. The CZ-52,It has a problem designed into it with the roller action of the pistol. There are weak spots with the barrel where the rollers lock onto the slide and barrel. May barrels have cracked or let go at these points. Now replacement barrels are available to replace an original one and use to be a recommendation by many owners.

[RCS]

Back around 2005, a small company introduced the 22 Reed Express cartridge for the CZ 52 pistol. They offered
barrels that were were a drop in component. The 22 Reed Express was the 7,62x25mm necked down to 22 caliber
with the shoulder blown forward. Cost of the barrel was $210.00

In the CZ 52 with five inch barrel:

30gr bullet @ 2513 fps

40gr bullet @ 2200 fps

50gr bullet @ 2080 fps

[togor]

Have a Yugo M-57 which shoots the same round. I can't compare the action to the CZ-52, but I can say good things about the 7.62x25 cartridge. Picked up some S&B ammo last year for it at not a terrible price too.

[Dolt]

I once owned one of these pistols. It was probably the most over engineered handgun I've ever owned. I mean how many pistol design teams feel the need to use the locking system from a machine gun in their pistol??? They were a uniquely Czech firearm and stayed in service with their military until replaced by the other CZ designs, ultimately the CZ75.

The 7.62x25mm Tokarev is a +P version of the old 7.63mm Mauser and does have great penetration. In fact the Hong Kong Police got themselves special "Tokarev Rated" versions of the Level IIIA vests used by cops in other countries that didn't have to deal with this round. The Czechs designed the weapon around the 7.62 mm Tokarev round they used in their submachine guns. This version was sort of a +P+ version driving a 90 gr. fmj bullet at a screaming 1600 fps. I actually shot some of that in my CZ 52 and the round was a beast, probably the loudest pistol round I've ever fired with muzzle flash that would do justice to field artillery. Unfortunately the ammo available was all fmj.

I got it back when these guns could be had in as new condition for about $100.00. It was a fun gun and I put a lot of Chi Com 7.62x25 ammunition through it before giving it to a fellow who did me a huge favor. These are interesting cold war artifiacts. In the world of Com Bloc pistols, well they compare to a Tokarev TT like a Ferrari does to a Yugo.

The Czechs have always made a darn good gun.

Shot through front, back and embedded itself in the chest piece of the second vest behind it. Using very hot machine gun ammo now not available for import. A very hot round.. Muzzle flash the size of a basketball.

[Art]

There are several things here that are not quite up to speed. While some 7.62x25 seems hot compared to others is really not as its within the specs for the round including it's operating pressure. No +p or +p+ variations or subgun ammo was made or used by the counties who used it. It had to be useful in pistols. The CZ-52,It has a problem designed into it with the roller action of the pistol. There are weak spots with the barrel where the rollers lock onto the slide and barrel. May barrels have cracked or let go at these points. Now replacement barrels are available to replace an original one and use to be a recommendation by many owners.

https://harringtonproducts.com/7.62x25mm/

As I said. I've actually shot Czech 7.62x25; one box I got with my pistol. I've never seen another one. I didn't chronograph it but if noise, muzzle blast and recoil are any indication it's in a different class than any other ammunition in this caliber. I had no trouble at all believing after I touched off a few that it was every bit as hot as the above link indicates. The guy who I got it from told me that under no circumstances should it ever be shot in a "Broomhandle."

[dryheat]

Back around 2005, a small company introduced the 22 Reed Express cartridge for the CZ 52 pistol. They offered
barrels that were were a drop in component. The 22 Reed Express was the 7,62x25mm necked down to 22 caliber
with the shoulder blown forward. Cost of the barrel was $210.00

In the CZ 52 with five inch barrel:

30gr bullet @ 2513 fps

40gr bullet @ 2200 fps

50gr bullet @ 2080 fps

That was interesting to check up on.

[Tuna]

This cartridge has NOT been loaded for any machineguns. It was originally designed and loaded for the TT Tokarev pistol. It was also used in submachineguns. Same loading. In fact the S&B loading today is faster then any of the military loadings. It can't be hotter for a subgun if it's also used for any pistol.

[barretcreek]

Reed posts on Saubier.com. FYI.