I ordered a CZ-52 from J&G in Arizona, and it was received within a week of mailing off a copy of my C&R license. The purchase began on somewhat shaky grounds, but the story has a happy ending (so far).
The package was sent FedEx Air, and had "must be signed for" stamps on it, but was left on my doorstep. Not J&G's fault, but a bit of an eye-opener nonetheless. The pistol was sold as VG+, and although I'm not an expert on grading, I would have rated it at the low end of that. Finish was good, barring a bit of wear at some of the corners, but there were heavy machining marks and the bakelite grips were quite scratched, though there were no chips or gouges. The issue leather flap holster was well-worn and dark, and, like most of this type, thin (the leather itself, I mean) and butt-ugly. The gun was also bone-dry: not a bit of cosmoline or even gun oil.
My first act was, naturally, to ensure the gun was in safe condition, so I attempted to remove the mag and check the chamber and barrel. The mag would not come out. Like many European pistols, the release is in the butt, next to the lanyard, and the mags must be pulled out -- they do not drop free. This one, however, would not come out. Thinking that perhaps there was some esoteric Balkan alchemical formula that must be followed, I thought I'd lock the slide back and try again. The slide would not lock back. I decided to skip that part for the time being, and after working the slide a few times to ensure no ammo was present, tried again to remove the mag, holding the release with one hand and pulling hard on the lip of the mag with my other. The lip/bottom plate of the mag came out in my hand and the follower spring landed on my feet. And still the mag would not come out. I then used the takedown to remove the slide and barrel assembly, and tried to remove the mag by pushing down from the top while holding the release with my other hand. No dice. I also noticed at this time that the hingepin for the slide lock lever was broken: I could see nothing in the hole on the right side, and the pin had backed out about 2mm on the left. At this point I packed it all back up and resolved to call for a Return Authorization in the morning.
After a couple of attempts -- time difference between VA and AZ conspired to have me call when the person I needed to speak with, a gentleman I know only as Andrew, was out -- I got hold of the correct person. Andrew was pleasant, prompt, and attentive. I got my R.A. number and he was able to work with me to set up a timeframe for the FedEx pickup so I wouldn't have to hang around the house all day. I also went ahead and ordered an extra firing pin (I hear the stock pins tend to break if the gun is dry-fired, and even though I will be avoiding that sin, I figured better safe than sorry -- who knows what kind of abuse it's been through before coming to me), a spare mag, and some new Hogue Pau Ferro grips.
Two business days later, I received a new package (signed for it, this time). I'm not sure, but I suspect Andrew may have hand-selected this one, because the new pistol was as nice as the first one was not. This time I'd assess the gun as being at the upper range of VG+: the grips, though still bearing a few scratches (not much you can do to avoid that with bakelite), were much sharper looking; and though there's still a tad holster wear to the blueing (or Parking, I guess), the gun hardly appears to have seen use. In fact, if it weren't for the holster wear, I'd swear it was brand new. The holster, though still cheap cowhide a fuggly design (looking like someone's Tandy kit), looks as if it hasn't seen use since it was issued (or inspected?), in 1962 according to the still legible stamp on the inside.
There were no problems in locking the slide, pulling the mag, and removing the slide assembly for cleaning (other than nearly taking my own thumb off with the screwdriver I was using to remove the barrel and recoil spring from the slide). There was a light coat of oil on all the appropriate surfaces, but everything looked clean and new. I suspect the previous owner only took it out of the holster for his annual qualifications, assuming they have such things over there. A few squirts of Gunblaster and a couple of swipes with a cloth took care of the oil, and a light coat of CLP went on the working bits. The barrel was pristine, though the grooves don't seem as deep as I'm used to with my various imperialistic capitalist pig weapons (Ruger, Kimber, Browning, etc.).
Taking the grips off to complete the cleaning revealed the name "Marcor" hand etched (scratched) into the underside of the RH grip -- not sure if that's a company or a person. No "Property of Uncle Tito" or similar million-dollar find, unfortunately.
Reassembly was a cinch (once I figured out what I was doing -- had to try it without the recoil spring first, to see how things work). I didn't replace the firing pin, but I did put the Hogues on in place of the bakelite. The Hogues went on without any fiddling, the left one a perfect snug fit and the right just a tad loose. No complaints there. Man, what a difference a decent set of grips makes! I should see if Hakan makes some nice grips for this thing.
So all in all, I'm more than pleased with my purchase. J&G made things right for me, right away, and it's hard to find service like that these days. Major props to Andrew. Now, if only S&B would deliver that ammo shipment to them so I can try this bad boy out!
- 0 -
Markings:
Left Frame: Y3497 (s/n), followed by "rid"
Left Slide: none
Right Frame: VOZ 81 above trigger, crossed cannons (swords?) and 54 above takedown
Right Slide: C.A.I.'s import markings
Top of Slide: Y3497
Bbl (visible through ejection port): Y3497
Inside of Right Grip: "MARCOR" (hand etched)
Under flap of holster: Ink stamp, only partly legible:
________________
|aaaaaa|bbbb|ccccc|
|aaaaaa|bbbb|ccccc|
|aaaaaa|dd|ee|ffffff|
|aaaaaa|dd|ee|ffffff|
|________________|
a: Crossed Swords
b: OTN? QTN?
c: Illegible -- looks almost like backwards C - dash - forwards C?
d: 4?
e: K.V.
f: 1962
The package was sent FedEx Air, and had "must be signed for" stamps on it, but was left on my doorstep. Not J&G's fault, but a bit of an eye-opener nonetheless. The pistol was sold as VG+, and although I'm not an expert on grading, I would have rated it at the low end of that. Finish was good, barring a bit of wear at some of the corners, but there were heavy machining marks and the bakelite grips were quite scratched, though there were no chips or gouges. The issue leather flap holster was well-worn and dark, and, like most of this type, thin (the leather itself, I mean) and butt-ugly. The gun was also bone-dry: not a bit of cosmoline or even gun oil.
My first act was, naturally, to ensure the gun was in safe condition, so I attempted to remove the mag and check the chamber and barrel. The mag would not come out. Like many European pistols, the release is in the butt, next to the lanyard, and the mags must be pulled out -- they do not drop free. This one, however, would not come out. Thinking that perhaps there was some esoteric Balkan alchemical formula that must be followed, I thought I'd lock the slide back and try again. The slide would not lock back. I decided to skip that part for the time being, and after working the slide a few times to ensure no ammo was present, tried again to remove the mag, holding the release with one hand and pulling hard on the lip of the mag with my other. The lip/bottom plate of the mag came out in my hand and the follower spring landed on my feet. And still the mag would not come out. I then used the takedown to remove the slide and barrel assembly, and tried to remove the mag by pushing down from the top while holding the release with my other hand. No dice. I also noticed at this time that the hingepin for the slide lock lever was broken: I could see nothing in the hole on the right side, and the pin had backed out about 2mm on the left. At this point I packed it all back up and resolved to call for a Return Authorization in the morning.
After a couple of attempts -- time difference between VA and AZ conspired to have me call when the person I needed to speak with, a gentleman I know only as Andrew, was out -- I got hold of the correct person. Andrew was pleasant, prompt, and attentive. I got my R.A. number and he was able to work with me to set up a timeframe for the FedEx pickup so I wouldn't have to hang around the house all day. I also went ahead and ordered an extra firing pin (I hear the stock pins tend to break if the gun is dry-fired, and even though I will be avoiding that sin, I figured better safe than sorry -- who knows what kind of abuse it's been through before coming to me), a spare mag, and some new Hogue Pau Ferro grips.
Two business days later, I received a new package (signed for it, this time). I'm not sure, but I suspect Andrew may have hand-selected this one, because the new pistol was as nice as the first one was not. This time I'd assess the gun as being at the upper range of VG+: the grips, though still bearing a few scratches (not much you can do to avoid that with bakelite), were much sharper looking; and though there's still a tad holster wear to the blueing (or Parking, I guess), the gun hardly appears to have seen use. In fact, if it weren't for the holster wear, I'd swear it was brand new. The holster, though still cheap cowhide a fuggly design (looking like someone's Tandy kit), looks as if it hasn't seen use since it was issued (or inspected?), in 1962 according to the still legible stamp on the inside.
There were no problems in locking the slide, pulling the mag, and removing the slide assembly for cleaning (other than nearly taking my own thumb off with the screwdriver I was using to remove the barrel and recoil spring from the slide). There was a light coat of oil on all the appropriate surfaces, but everything looked clean and new. I suspect the previous owner only took it out of the holster for his annual qualifications, assuming they have such things over there. A few squirts of Gunblaster and a couple of swipes with a cloth took care of the oil, and a light coat of CLP went on the working bits. The barrel was pristine, though the grooves don't seem as deep as I'm used to with my various imperialistic capitalist pig weapons (Ruger, Kimber, Browning, etc.).
Taking the grips off to complete the cleaning revealed the name "Marcor" hand etched (scratched) into the underside of the RH grip -- not sure if that's a company or a person. No "Property of Uncle Tito" or similar million-dollar find, unfortunately.
Reassembly was a cinch (once I figured out what I was doing -- had to try it without the recoil spring first, to see how things work). I didn't replace the firing pin, but I did put the Hogues on in place of the bakelite. The Hogues went on without any fiddling, the left one a perfect snug fit and the right just a tad loose. No complaints there. Man, what a difference a decent set of grips makes! I should see if Hakan makes some nice grips for this thing.
So all in all, I'm more than pleased with my purchase. J&G made things right for me, right away, and it's hard to find service like that these days. Major props to Andrew. Now, if only S&B would deliver that ammo shipment to them so I can try this bad boy out!
- 0 -
Markings:
Left Frame: Y3497 (s/n), followed by "rid"
Left Slide: none
Right Frame: VOZ 81 above trigger, crossed cannons (swords?) and 54 above takedown
Right Slide: C.A.I.'s import markings
Top of Slide: Y3497
Bbl (visible through ejection port): Y3497
Inside of Right Grip: "MARCOR" (hand etched)
Under flap of holster: Ink stamp, only partly legible:
________________
|aaaaaa|bbbb|ccccc|
|aaaaaa|bbbb|ccccc|
|aaaaaa|dd|ee|ffffff|
|aaaaaa|dd|ee|ffffff|
|________________|
a: Crossed Swords
b: OTN? QTN?
c: Illegible -- looks almost like backwards C - dash - forwards C?
d: 4?
e: K.V.
f: 1962
