cz-52 any good?

[oscarmayer]

though i've done no formal testing , and this is just from observations. the surplus 7.62x25 ( polish ) seems hotter than either the S&B and Winchester factory stuff. muzzle flash is more noticable with the surplus stuff and the recoil is more violent. just a point of fact you can use 30 mauser ammo which is loaded lighter in a tokarev if you're concerned about the hotter surplus stuff.

[The Count]

hi all....

i got 2 of them... paid between 220-250 in excellent condition. but i did have to replace the (well known problem) firing pin on one. now, the CZ 52 is a REAL GUN. big, heavy, impressive. looks like a tank could roll over it and it will still shoot. ammo equally impressive. i have been using the surplus bulgarian rounds. they come in cute little packs of 16 (2 mag loads), wrapped in wax paper and tied with some string! but the ammo looks and shoots like made yesterday.

[gandog56]

I have a CZ52 and a CZ82. Of the two I prefer the 82. But the 52 is still nice and cost me almost 100 bucks less. If it just wasn't for it's gawd awful trigger pull.

[redfred]

I bought a CZ52 a couple of years ago, and only paid $100. I had to clean it up and did some small repair and adjustment on it, but it shot fine. So well, that I decided to get another one. It cost a little more, but it was definitely worth it. I shoot old military surplus ammo that I buy from Military Gun Supply here in FT Worth, and in 4 years have only had one FTF and a couple of times that the slide stuck in the back position.
All in all, the CZ52 is an interesting, powerful, and dependable pistol, and the surplus ammo makes it pretty cheap to shoot. (I took my two sons to the range one day to try it out, and they both out-shot me. I think it's better hand-eye coordination from all those years of video games.)

[gandog56]

Milsurp ammo for a CZ52 is cheap and plentiful, that's for sure.

[nooneofconsequence]

Originally Posted by BIGBOOMER

I have several CZ52s. They are one of the most accurate autopistols you can buy at any price and are a real bargain. With the hot ammo they are extremely flat shooting for a pistol and are accurate out at 200m (220yd). They are a blast to shoot.
I had a barrel rupture in one of them, probably because of a combination of hot machine gun ammo and a weak recoil spring, but nothing else was damaged. I ordered a 9mm barrel as a replacement and it shot fine except for some feeding problems. I did a little tweaking of the lips of the magazine so that it presented the shells at the correct angle and it became very reliable.
The only problems with the 7.62s have been ammo related. With some ammo that has very hard primers you have misfires and have to cock the hammer and hit it again to make it fire. If you run into such ammo, don't buy anymore of it. With proper ammo they are very reliable.
The advise given in postings above on dryfiring it are right on target. Refrain from it and you should have no problems. If you do break a firing pin, they are available from J&G Sales, and probably other places.
By all means, buy one of these great pistols and have fun with it!!!

Best regards, BIGBOOMER

I have had a cz52 for several years, and I use surplus military ammo for it. And so...a caution...I found many rounds that had cracks starting at the neck and extending to the bullet. Once I went through the ammo and got rid of the defective cartridges, my misfires were over. I'm not sure if this cracking issue could lead to other, more catastrophic failures...better not to take the chance.

[warriflefan]

I love mine. I installed a harrington products competition firing pin and hardened slide rollers, and replaced the spring with a wolf spring. The firing pin swap allows you to dry fire and makes drops the trigger pull to just over 3 pounds. They make a hardened mil spec firing pin also.
http://www.harringtonproducts.com/

[warriflefan]

Czechpoint has them for $285 for excellent conditon and $305 for unissued.
http://www.czechpoint-usa.com/products/vz-52/

[FlashBang]

I picked up one of each from Czechpoint, they are both pristine and look like the day they were made. Well, one of them still does.. I 'had' to take one to the range and put of few hundred rounds through it.....

[LDBennett]

A few things on the CZ-52:

They are well made excellent guns.

Some of the surplus ammo is too hot for the pistols as it was made for a machine gun. Reloading to US specs is a better way to go. Some research on the potential ammo choices is NECESSARY.

Don't dry fire the gun as the firing pins are fragile.

Get ready for a fire exhibition from the barrel even with the US approved ammo including listed handloads.

LDBennett

[Iron Eagle]

I was wondering how accurate the Mosin nagant is? How well does it shoot for you guys? At a 200 yard range, it isn't grouped tight, but I am not using a scope either. It is hitting right at center of mass. I would guess 4'' groups w/out a scope.

[FlashBang]

The Mosin wasn't designed to shoot MOA (Minute of Angle) it was designed to shoot MOM (Minute of Man). What I have personally found is that my M44, M38, and even my Chinese M53 shoot a tighter group than my 91/30's. I don't shoot with the bayonet extended, but have been told the 91/30 will group tighter if done so.

[The Count]

Not so long ago...maybe 2-3 years, I was buying Bulgarian surplus 7.62x25 ammo for $1.59 for 20. The stuff is from the 50s or 60s, the cold war, wrapped in wax paper with twine. It's almost collectable in itself. Anywho, I still have a couple hundred left but I should have bought a ton more (sounds familiar?) as the price has more than doubled in the meantime.

[Mauser88]

I love mine. I replaced the firing pin with a stainless steel one.

[gandog56]

Originally Posted by LDBennett

The CZ-52 is a lot of gun for so little money. I have not done this but I am told that there is a 9mm barrel for it and using that barrel would give you a fine gun with readily available ammo. Perhaps someone else can enlighten us on the 9mm barrel conversion.

LDBennett

Yeah, good luck fin=ding one of those. There used to be a couple venders who sold them, but neither has any left.