Intratec Protec 25?

[Buck Nekkid]

Howdy!

I an unashamed CZaholic! I'd really like to buy a CZ 45 (they were imported in the early 50's) or a CZ 92 (not imported, but you know how some things just appear!).

Unfortunately, I can't find either on any of the gun selling sites (I've listed a WTB here at THR too).

My back up plan is to find an Intratec Protec 25, which is supposed to be a CZ 45 clone. I know that Intratec is gone, but does anyone have one or info about them?

Any info on the Protec 25 shure would be appreciated, thank!

 

[pocketgun]

I handled one several times at the gun store when I was considering buying one back in the 1990's. Long, heavy DAO trigger, and available in three finish options: Black (blued), Silver (nickel), and some teflon coated finish that had a greenish tint over nickel IIRC. I think it was called "TecGuard" or something to that effect.

Both .22LR and .25ACP were available. Considering its size, weight, and small caliber, I think you can do better for carry these days. If you can find one for $150-$200 it might be fun to have in the safe or to "play" with (not to minimize its lethal potential, of course).

 

[Buck Nekkid]

Pocketgun that's exactly what I was thinking. A curiousity that might be fun. I don't think you can take a .25 acp seriously as a carry or even back up pistol.

 

[alamo]

I considered one as well back then in the days before Kel-Tecs and NAA Guardians & Seecamps were impossible to find. I got a .25 Beretta 21instead. With so many concealed carrry options available today, I would never carry a .25 again.

 

[pwrtool45]

I had one. As other posters mentioned, it's as a relic of times gone by when there were no kel-tec .32/.380s, guardians or (available) seecamps.

I dug the little critter out of mothballs and shot it before I let it go. I didn't remember the weapon to be unreliable, and it ate up a mostly full mixed box of old UMC .25 ball and Hornady XTPs (all I had on hand) with no feeding- or extraction-related malfunctions. I did have one Hornady XTP that was a dud cartridge. Considering the age and storage conditions of the ammo, I actually expected a few more duds.

I wouldn't call the finish "blued." One step removed from "black paint" is a tad more accurate. The trigger is heavier than my P32, but not really longer. Also, the pistol's weight is substantially greater than the Kel-tec P32's. The size/weight differential on paper is one thing, but putting the two side-by-side in your hands is something else.

It had an interesting method of disassembly. The slide is retracted a bit and the barrel is rotated clockwise to disengage the locking lugs from the frame. It came from the factory equipped with a shock buff. If this is in line with what you know about the CZ-36/45 then it might indeed be a clone.

For practical use, it is appreciably larger, heavier and fires a weaker cartridge than many modern alternatives. For a collection, just keep your eyes open. I don't have production figures, but I remember seeing a lot of them in the mid/late 90s. They probably surface at pawn shops from time to time.

 

[pocketgun]

Good info pwrtool45, it has been a long time since I handled one - the black paint finish seems correct now that you bring it up.

Here are some pics of the CZ-45 and Protec 25 for comparison:

Pocketgun that's exactly what I was thinking. A curiousity that might be fun. I don't think you can take a .25 acp seriously as a carry or even back up pistol.

Certainly it rates below most other pocket pistol cartridges, but it beats pepper spray. I would take it seriously if someone were pointing it at me. Someone needs to come out with a truly tiny pistol to go with it (.25ACP), otherwise the Kel-Tecs, Seecamps, and NAA Mini Guardians sadly outclass it these days. As a collectable, that isn't a factor of course. One of the Protecs I posted the pictures of above is available at gunsamerica.com BTW.

 

[Buck Nekkid]

Thanks for the picture comparison. The Intratec sure looks similar. Here's what the CZ 45 has morphed into...the CZ 92 which is only available in Europe as far as I know.



I would love to see this over here in .380 or maybe one of the NAA calibers.

 

[pwrtool45]

Looking at the side-by-side comparisons I can see the resemblence. The location of the trigger pin, extractor pin, magazine release, bobbed hammer and guttersnipe sights[1] give it away. Was the magazine safety native to the CZ-45 or is that an Intratec addition?

This is an interesting bit of trivia to have. I always figured the Protec-25 to be just another throwaway blowback design that happened to work. That it's a clone of CZ-45 explains a lot. Guess now I know they tended to work so well.

As to the .25 ACP being a serious cartridge: I wouldn't consider it a joke. It's not much compared to what we have now, but once upon a time you either carried an all-steel J-frame sagging down in your pocket, an all-steel 1911 or revolver on your belt, or you carried a .22/.25 pocket auto. These little DAO .25s meant you didn't have to carry a condition 3 Baby Browning or a cocked and locked .25 in your front pocket . I, for one, am certainly glad to have more options available today, but a .25 will still poke a hole in you. It's not ideal by a long shot, but if that's all you got, then that's all you got. Try not to stand directly in front of one.

[1] I'm not sure "guttersnipe" is accurate. AFAIK, guttersnipe sights still have a front sight post in the groove. These sights were just a plain groove running the length of the slide.

 

[Dr.Rob]

That Pro-Tec looks frighteningly like a z-matic cap gun I had as a kid.

The CZ 92 certainly looks interesting.


Are they all safety-less DAO's?