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…
Prototype
RIA: CZ Model S Prototype (1929)
This CZ Model S rifle is one of many prototypes made between the world wars in Czechoslovakia in an effort to develop a military semiautomatic rifle. Similar efforts were underway in most other countries at […]
Semiauto Rifles
Hangfires & Ballistics Gel: Czech vz.52 at the Range
Yesterday we took a look at the vz.52/57 rifle in 7.62x39mm, and today I have one of it’s 7.62x45mm predecessors out at the range. Not so much to do some shooting, as it turns out, […]
Book review
Book Review: Cold War Pistols of Czechoslovakia
Recently, we have been looking at a selection of books on Cold War eastern bloc pistols – and James D. Brown’s “Cold War Pistols of Czechoslovakia” is the best of them. While its scope is […]
“(…)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.