Early in this blog's life I explained the system I have for inventory and coverage of particular arms classes that meet my particular interests, though I did not elaborate much on my criteria for that evaluation. To sum that up again, and to update for changes that have recently occurred, is what this post will be for. It is certainly interesting times we live in for the American gun market these days, and its coverage is a big part of the pleasure of writing this blog.
First with ground already covered, which is at this point revealed to use a designation system inspired by the Star Trek franchise: Type I is a concealable compact or subcompact, Type II is any full-size pistol or at least compact that can still be considered service-size, while Type III is any longarm meant to be utilized with both hands (regardless of whether someone strong enough could aim and fire one-handed). That lineup will not change, so it is the other categories that are flexible and are defined below...
Classic: vintage-type build retained just as much for its appearance (and resale value) as its effectiveness, typically all-steel single-action that may have been built recently but still emulates a recognized classic
Tactical: a semi-automatic adopted for its combat effectiveness and adaptability, exuding traits such as functioning in double-action, relatively lightweight (frame is alloy and/or polymer), chambered in a full-power service cartridge, and compatible with tactical accessories such as lights, lasers and silencers
Repeater: distinct category covering revolvers (for pistols) and manual actions (for rifles)
Second World: new category so as not to leave out the differences in developments that occurred within the borders of America's rival powers such as the Warsaw Pact
Proof of Concept: new category for arms designed for service (may or may not have been adopted for such) that in historical perspective is the culmination of an idea
There are some subcategories in addition but those will be addressed in context in future posts.
One thing I should report at this time is a reduction of some close-mindedness I had previously. Back in more normal times I would be strictly in favor of US-made (though need not be US-designed), all-metal in regard to handguns (polymer furniture OK and in some cases preferred with longarms), and no strikers or other defining traits as manifested in the ugly Glock line. Now Glock is still not on my table nor ever expected to be, but its positive attributes of die-hard reliability and low expense (the chief reason it is so popular with police and other agencies) are undeniable to the objective eye. Where Glock fails with too many is in the realm of ergonomics but Ruger, SIG, Smith & Wesson and others offer their own answers to that problem. The 3 mentioned above also provide a fair breadth of options for safeties and controls, though none as much as the true progenitor (and still champion) of polymer frames: Heckler & Koch.
But for today the rest of this post is going to explore that new Second World category with an overview of two European nations' defining arms production firms. I am by no means interested in acquiring any sort of comprehensive collection for my own armory, but the history is still interesting and as each along the way will show they are unique in the approaches they took with limited superpower influence. Note that acronyms and abbreviations will abound; such is how best to keep things simple when dealing with Slavic languages. Another note of interest is that neither of these countries technically exist anymore.
The Semi-Independent Flank: Czechoslovakia
Today the distinct Czech Republic and Slovakia entities have asserted their rights to self-determination (the former remaining the defining country of the name, flag and culture), but the united nation founded at the close of WWI predated communist rule by a while. After the expected effects of Nazi occupation followed by Soviet advance in WWII the Czechs found themselves in the curious position of being close to the Iron Curtain but not directly in its path. If the Cold War in Europe had heated up Czechoslovakia would have eked out a secondary role being as it bordered (going counterclockwise from noon) the seat of the Pact in Poland, the front lines in East Germany, neutral Austria, and everywhere else to the south and east the landlocked country lived alongside its Warsaw Pact neighbors.
Today's CZUB (also known for its American branch CZ-USA) is the oldest and only influential Czech arms maker. It is speculated the innovations they had already accomplished was what prompted their Soviet overseers to grant some measure of independence from Warsaw Pact standardization, with only caliber commonality adopted in the end. Even before WWII some CZ designs had been influential across the continent, and despite socialist policies not allowing inventors to reap the fruits of their labor that trend only picked up during the Cold War. Today keeping on top of the curve has enabled the capitalist CZUB to become one of the most successful firearms companies in the world, even acquiring such prestigious American names as Dan Wesson and Colt.
All Czech-made arms built for service earn a vzor designation, its abbreviation Vz. typically retained by itself for rifles with submachine guns additionally get called Sa (abbreviation for samopal) while pistols tend to have only a CZ prefix. Thus technically each is a CZ and/or a Vz. but for the sake of simplicity the same system will be used here. While there are newer developments such as the Scorpion pistol-caliber carbines and BREN rifles, this will stick to listing those invented in the 20th century that retain pertinent interests today. Notable Czech small arms include:
Vz. 24: Mauser rifle clone produced both for Czech service and worldwide export (thus made in Belgian, Spanish and German calibers), surviving examples have been known to stand in for actual Mausers on television and movie screens
Sa 25 Series: standard post-WWII Czech service full-size submachine guns bear no small resemblance to the design and function of the far-more famous Israeli Uzi, and were originally chambered for 9x19mm Parabellum until Warsaw Pact standardization switched them to 7.62x25mm Tokarev
CZ 50: Walther PP clone only known to have produced in .32 ACP for police and civil use, has a product-improved variant known as the CZ 70
Vz. 52: semi-automatic service rifle not dissimilar to the Soviet SKS, invented before full ratification of the Warsaw Pact it originally utilized a propriety 7.62x45mm cartridge and can be considered superior to the SKS for several feature improvements such as design to feed from detachable magazines
CZ 52: resembles an enlarged CZ 50, distinct as the only handgun crafted with Walther PP-like lines that fires the 7.62x25 Tokarev cartridge [and arguably the strongest-built handgun in that caliber] it is unique among pistols for its roller-locking blowback action
Vz. 58: the iconic AK that is not an AK, the only commonality it has [besides overall appearance] with the Kalashnikovs is caliber and its improvements over the AK series enabled it to remain the standard Czech service rifle into the 21st century
Sa 61: known most often by its accompanying name Skorpion (revived recently in Anglicized spelling for a new submachine series for the 21st century) it is doubtless the most [in]famous one-handed machine pistol in the world having reputation as a favorite among terrorists and other irregulars
CZ 75: cloned by multiple manufacturers worldwide due to communism failing to protect its design via patent for years, it still achieved such an impact after the fall of the Iron Curtain that a huge variety of options based on the original continue to be marketed today (including the P-01 which earned a NATO designation)
CZ 82: this is the original military designation chambering 9x18mm Makarov (accounting for the fact that there is a commercial CZ 83 which is identical save in caliber), like the Russian PMM it is double-stacked but does a far better job at retaining the graceful lines of its Walther progenitor while still offering some innovation such as a polygonal barrel
The Rogue Communists: Yugoslavia
Like Czechoslovakia the post-WWI unification of former territories of the fallen Austro-Hungarian Empire occurred outside the auspices of the rise of socialism even though later it would fall under that sway. In this case it was an attempt to form a federation of various Slavic peoples under a shared ideal, not that much unlike the American experiment that continues to draw the widest diversity of individuals. While like Czechoslovakia the Yugoslav transition to communism resulted from resistance to Nazi occupation followed by Soviet "liberation" the country would never join the Warsaw Pact or the Second World due to relations with the Soviet Union collapsing early.
Today Yugoslavia is nonexistent having been balkanized after the fall of communism into their individual republics, something like what happened to the Soviet Union from 1989-1991. The breakup started near the same time as it was occurring among the former Soviet republics, only for Yugoslavia it culminated decades of ethnic self-assertion that would lead to such atrocities which prompted military intervention by NATO more than once in the 1990s. The independence of Montenegro in 2006 finally ended this on peaceful terms, but in the near-century of its existence the nexus of Yugo power, identity, and location of its capital city centered on the republic that still remains home to its most prominent arms maker: Serbia.
Zastava Arms (which like CZUB has an American branch with a USA suffix) has been the chief supplier of the Serbian military since before the American Civil War. Even though as Yugoslavia they were a socialist dictatorship, like the other major country in that situation (China) the fact that they were not on friendly terms with the Soviets gave them better relationship opportunity with the West including arms exports. Success has varied with demand over the years: though falling outside the Warsaw Pact close proximity obligated the Yugoslav military to adopt at least some of its standards, and when NATO came east after the Cold War there was no obligation for former Yugoslavia to change from those standards quickly. As such Zastava offerings both past and present are another interesting hybrid line that comes from having only one foot in the Second World...
M48: series of Mauser clones based on the K98 (unlike the Czech Vz. 24 which was based on the original G98) and produced only in the German 7.92x57mm caliber as Communist Yugoslavia's service standard
M56: basically the Nazi-era MP40 submachine gun but fed 7.62x25mm Tokarev from a curved magazine
M57: improvement on the Soviet TT pistol including an extra round in the magazine, these are still being made today thus is perhaps the best option for owning a TT variant; the commercial variant in 9x19mm is called the M70A, not to be confused with several other Zastava weapons having the M70 designation
M59: SKS clone perhaps best known for its /66 variant which features an integrated NATO-standard rifle grenade launcher (thus is perhaps the only legal way American civilians can acquire such hardware)
M70 (pistol): subcompact variant of the M57 chambered in .32 ACP, also made for .380 ACP but those were never imported into the US
M70 (rifle): unlicensed AK clone designed from captured Warsaw Pact-made examples, its commercial semi-automatic variants (known as the PAP series, not at all referencing the medical term) continue to be produced and as of this writing may be the best value for an AK made in an Eastern Europe country
M76: based on the M70 but clearly drawing inspiration from the Russian SVD, this chambered remaining stock of Yugoslavian 7.92x57mm and is uncharacteristic among most sniper rifles in that it is designed to accommodate a bayonet
M77: RPK-like automatic rifle of which a few demilitarized examples got semi-automatic imports, it is chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO (which may have started the trend of AK variants in that caliber) and features a FAL-like adjustable gas system
M80: Serbia's first rifle in 5.56x45mm NATO it is still very much an AK and has a carbine variant, the M85
M84: licensed clone of the Czech Skorpion
M88: compact TT pistol in "Commander" range to borrow the Colt term (falls between M57 and M70 in size) it is designed for 9x19mm Parabellum but also had a version in .40 S&W
CZ 99: refers to Crvena Zastava (not the Czech CZUB), it adopts the overall design of the SIG P226 with a few features borrowed from the Walther P88 and is still made and issued today
M90: improved M80 conforming further to NATO standards and intended to replace the M70, strife from the collapse of Yugoslavia prevented its general service issue; today this designation is for a commercial AK variant in 5.56x45mm featuring an adjustable gas system and extended barrel (both unique for AKs)
M91: successor to the M76, now chambered in 7.62x54mm and with more Dragunov-like features
M92: while their AK carbines in 5.56x45mm NATO still use the M85 designation this is what Zastava uses for their 7.62x39mm chambering
M93: .50 BMG anti-material rifle, among the few commercial options in this caliber [for those who have the dough]
Summary & Application
Neither of these lists is comprehensive, the focus being on understanding available options for civilians. Former Second World markets being what they are, these selections trend to be rougher build quality but that is not necessarily mean a reduction of performance or reliability. While there are some unique choices for the collectors, greater appeal is often found in the acquisition of viable arms at value prices.
The CZ 75 series is known for its tool marks but even more for being among the best-shooting bargains of all-metal combat pistols. The CZ 99 series is no SIG Sauer, but has very similar performance for about half the price. For those needing an entry-level AK without typical entry-level issues, the Zastava PAP series should have you covered (and in your choice NATO or Soviet caliber to boot). Many who would otherwise be barred from exercising their 2nd Amendment rights due to name brand premium can still find hope against tyranny, ironically, in the very places tyranny thrived not that long ago.
US branch of CZ: https://cz-usa.com/
US branch of Zastava Arms: https://zastavaarmsusa.com/
Comments