For this month’s BackUp Gun Match, I decided to bring out the CZ38 – one of the top contenders for ugliest service pistol ever adopted. It’s a single-stack, double-action-only .380 with a weirdly bulky grip, so it’s not winning any ergonomic awards either…
Semiauto pistol
Origins of the vz.82: A Western Pistol for Communist Czechoslovakia
The vz.82 and its cousin the CZ 83 are pistols that originated when the Czech state export company during the Cold War began looking for arms it could export to bring in hard currency. The […]
Prototype
Prototype Czech Silencer-Ready vz70
Courtesy of CZ and their reference library, we are looking at a prototype model of the vz.70 pistol intended to use a suppressor. It has an extended and threaded (with interrupted threads for quick attach/detach) […]
Submachine Guns
Vz61 Skorpion
I see that Oleg Volk is posting some photos of the Vz61 Skorpion pistol/SMG, so I figure we should follow suit. We’ll do the mechanical, and leave the artistic in his capable hands. The Vz61 […]
“(…)top contenders for ugliest service pistol ever adopted(…)”
Now I am wondering what would be matching long fire-arm for usage in 2gunmatch?
Ugly long arm for usage? How about the Kg M/40?
pretty is as pretty does.
The CZ38 was double-action only, blowback, had an oversized trigger guard so you could use it while wearing heavy winter gloves, and fired what was at the time about the most powerful cartridge you could safely put in a blowback (as 9mm Ultra and 9 x 18 Makarov hadn’t come along yet).
Seen in that light, every “odd” thing about it makes perfect sense.
cheers
eon
“(…)9mm Ultra and 9 x 18 Makarov hadn’t come along yet(…)”
True, but 9×20 already was available in 1938, as it was consumed by Husqvarna m/07.
Also mentioned weapon spawned Prototyp čs. pistole vz. 38 v ráži 9 mm Parabellum
https://www.vhu.cz/exhibit/prototyp-cs-pistole-vz-38-v-razi-9-mm-parabellum/
which suggest that there was some desire to increase muzzle energy, but it was found that Patrone 08 and blow-back operation is poor pairing.