Standard Catalog of Military Firearms. Phillip Peterson

      Type 58 • Courtesy West Point Museum, Paul Goodwin photo

CZECHOSLOVAKIA

      Czechoslovakian Military Conflicts, 1918–1993

      Czechoslovakia, as an independent nation, was established at the end of World War I from the ruins of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1939 the country was invaded and occupied by Germany. After the war ended in 1945, Czechoslovakia was re-established under Communist rule. Czechoslovakia was split in 1993 into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, both independent states.

      Bibliographical Notes:

      Perhaps the best general work on Czech firearms is Czech Firearms and Ammunition, by Dolinek, Karlicky, and Vacha, Prague, 1995. Jan Still, Axis Pistols, 1986.

      NOTE: The term “VZ” stands for model (Vzor) in Czech. This abbreviation is used in place of the English word Model. The author has sometimes used both terms but never together.

HANDGUNS

      Most Czech handguns are of Czech design and manufacture. See below.

       Army Pistole 1922

      Semi-automatic pistol chambered for the .380 ACP (9x17mm short) cartridge. Barrel length is 3.5". Magazine capacity is 8 rounds. Weight is approximately 22 oz. Adopted by the Czech army in 1922 and called the M22. This was the first Czech designed and manufactured service semi-automatic pistol. It was based on a German locked breech design and made under license from Mauser. Blued with checkered plastic grips. Manufactured between 1921 and 1923. Because of production difficulties, only about 22,000 were built.

       CZ 1924

      The first large production military pistol produced by CZ. It is a locked-breech pistol with a 3.5" rotating barrel chambered for the 9mm short cartridge, external hammer, and a magazine safety. It features a rounded slide and is blued with a wrap-around walnut grip. Magazine capacity is 8 rounds. The slide is marked “Ceska Zbrojovka A.S. v Praze.” Weight is approximately 24 oz. About 170,000 of these pistols were produced between 1922 and 1938.

      NOTE: A limited number of pistols have been noted marked “CZ 1925” and “CZ 1926.” There are various minor design changes on each model, and it is conjectured that they were prototypes that were manufactured on the road to the production of the less complicated, blowback-operated CZ 1927 pistol.

      NOTE: For Nazi-proofed add 50 percent.

       CZ 1927

      A semi-automatic pistol chambered for the 7.65mm cartridge (.32 ACP), marked the same as the CZ 1924, but the cocking grooves on the slide are cut vertically instead of sloped as on the earlier model. This model was blued with checkered, wrap-around, plastic grips. These early guns were beautifully made and marked “Ceska Zbrojovka AS v Praze.”

      Early CZ 27 with Nazi production markings • Courtesy Orvel Reichert

      CZ 1924 • Courtesy Orvel Reichert

      Early CZ 27 with Nazi production markings • Courtesy Orvel Reichert

      This version remained in production during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia between 1939 and 1945. Occupation pistols are marked, “BOHMISCHE WAFFENFABRIK IM PRAG.” The Germans used the code “fnh” on these wartime pistols and designated the model the “PISTOLE MOD 27(t).” The finish declined as the war progressed, with the very late guns rough but functional. There are several subvariations of this pistol that may affect value (see Still). A total of about 450,000 were produced during the German occupation. After the war, these pistols continued in production until 1951. There were almost 700,000 manufactured.

      CZ 27 with silencer • Courtesy Orvel Reichert

      NOTE: For Nazi-proofed add 50 percent.

      NOTE: Some of these pistols were made with an extended barrel for the use of a silencer. This variation brings a large premium. Fewer than 10 CZ 27s were made in .22 caliber.

       CZ 1938

      It is chambered for the 9mm short cartridge (.380 Auto) and has a 4.65" barrel. Except for a few examples with a conventional sear and slide safety, it is double

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