CZ-52

[Archer]

Picked up a couple of the CZ-52s over the years. The most recent one for about $150 about a year or so ago. These guns have a reputation for being some of the stoutest 7.62x25 pistols out there. The reputation might be undeserved since while the roller block action IS stout the chamber walls are potentially thinner where the chamber cuts line up with the cuts on the exterior for the action on the lower side. STILL they are neat guns and tend to actually stabilize the bullets unlike many of the Tokerev pistols. In fact a buddy of mine reading the forums back when we were in college and the net was nothing but text mistakenly purchased a Tokerev and at about 15 feet or so put the bullets through the target sideways.

These guns can have a few problems. 1) Dry firing them can break the firing pins. Replacement pins and rollers are available from Harrington Products. 2) The guns were fitted with a decocker that when the safety is pressed upward PAST the on position the hammer drops and is supposed to be intercepted before hitting the firing pin. Like some of the early versions of this system with use the hammer and/or the intercepting part get bashed to the point that using the decocker simply drops the hammer on the firing pin much like the trigger. 3. Replacement parts are getting hard to find. 4. These guns throw brass harder and further than the Rossi 92 lever actions when firing. Anyone to your right for 5 to 10 yards are at risk of being hit by hot brass.

Ammo has been available from Winchester, Sellier and Bellot, Fiocchi, Prvi Parizan, Wolf, Norinco (back before they got banned from shipping into the U.S.) and various Eastern Block surplus. The surplus stuff may be slightly warm (especially if it was intended for use in submachine guns), is usually steel jacketed and is typically non-reloadable. About 10-20% of the time the steel case split on firing regardless of what gun they are shot through.

Brass can periodically be had from Starline. Hornady makes 90 grain .308 XTP bullets and Sierra makes an 85 grain FMJ. Since the round is bottlenecked it requires lubrication for resizing. Because the brass is thrown so far from the shooter it can be a PITA to recover.

=================== Mags...
OEM mags are typically best if they aren't bent or cracked especially around the feed lips.
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Although I'm not much of a fan of Sportsman's Guide especially the last ten years or so they have carried some aftermarket mags for the CZ-52 that worked well.
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A few months ago I bit on some of the 'OEM' mags Midway was selling. I figured the 9 round capacity was a typo since there is NO way to extend the capacity with a heel catch mag. When I received them I noted they were soaked with oil looked about correct dimensions and put the mags in the bags they shipped in into a ziplock freezer bag to keep them from getting oil on anything else until I could revisit them and clean them up.

A week or so ago I noticed Midway had put them on clearance and checked the reviews.
Several reviews that weren't there when I ordered the mags indicate they need to be filed on in order to work.

So I pulled them out and wiped enough of the oil off them to check them in at least one of the guns.
Of the 4 mags only one will insert fully into the gun and it won't allow full slide travel.

Guess I've got some filing to do and I might or might not have some functional mags after the fact.

[akuser47]

Keep us posted I hate when i run into this.

[Archer]

First cut, trimming the bottom tang of the mags revealed the mag feed lips are too long.
They curve pretty much to the horizontal and the feed lips normally allow the portion of the slide that backs up the breach at the six o'clock position to ride between the feed lips.

On the Midway 'OEM' mags these feed lips come together too closely to allow that which prevents the magazine from being seated with the slide closed.

Looks like the buyers who suggested trimming the top of the mags were close to correct and I'll need to trim the feed lips back to match the REAL CZ mags rather than just trim down the bottom of the mag.

I'm either going to need to pick up a new set of needle files with smooth sides/edges or find out where my set I bought 25 years ago managed to get hidden while I was TDY a few years ago.