I don't doubt Clark's results a bit, but it's important not to read more into them than what's there. They tell you about when a gun will FAIL due to overpressure rounds. They don't necessarily tell you about the durability of a gun when used with ammunition that's within its design specifications. He has explicitly stated that he used overpressure handloads to get these pistols to fail and that he fires very few rounds through his test guns for obvious reasons. The result is that the application of his testing results don't really relate to anything a normal user is likely to encounter as he acknowledges in some quotes below.
Here are some comments from Clark's posts about the CZ52 and how his testing relates to normal use of the pistol:
Yes the CZ52 is fine as far as I know with factory ammo.
All this talk is over some academic strength hierarchy that only matters to a few people.
All this talk is over some academic strength hierarchy that only matters to a few people.
This has nothing to do with your CZ52.
You are ok.
You can shoot factory ammo and book loads.
You are ok.
You can shoot factory ammo and book loads.
Ok, here's what I'm talking about. If you take a typical lever rifle in .45-70 and shoot a bunch of really hot loads (not overloads) it will eventually shoot loose. It won't blow up, but things will start to loosen up. Parts will start to rattle and eventually you'll probably get some breakage.
Now, let's do the same test with a hypothetical bolt rifle in the same caliber and ammunition with very thin chamber walls that are, nonetheless constructed to tolerate normal operating pressures. The bolt won't shoot loose if the metallurgy is good--regardless of the amount of use. However, the thin chamber walls mean that if you start intentionally overloading the two guns, the bolt gun will certainly blow up first.
What would such an experiment teach us? Well, first of all, it would tell you that if you like all your appendages in their current configurations and wish your senses to keep operating normally, it's not wise to overload a gun with thin chamber walls. It would also teach us that the point at which a gun fails catastrophically from overloads is not necessarily a good measure of its durability when it is being used with ammunition that is within its design specifications.
For more understanding of the difference between catastrophic failure vs normal use durability, look at Clark's comparison of the .40S&W to the 10mm. He has found that he can overload the .40S&W to dramatically higher pressures and performance than he can the 10mm due to differences in the case design. Guess what sort of a practical application that has to real life? None. If you shoot loads in your .40S&W that far exceed 10mm performance, Clark's testing showing it's not likely to blow up will be a small consolation when the gun beats itself to death in relatively short order due to excessive slide velocity and tremendously exaggerated recoil. Clark admits that he has to "compose himself" after every shot with his test pistol in .40S&W.
As far as the roller locking action causing problems, to date the only problems I have heard of regarding the roller locking action had to do with aftermarket rollers that were not hardened properly.
I don't have any information to suggest that the comparison is relevant. As a counterexample to the implication of your comment, it's interesting to note that Beretta sells a .40S&W version of their 92 series pistol but does not sell (and recommends against converting to) a .357SIG model. While the two rounds are very similar in dimension and the guns would also be dimensionally and metallurgically identical, Beretta will not endorse the .357SIG's use in a converted Beretta .40S&W pistol citing unacceptably decreased service life as the reason.
As far as the ammunition difference between the .30 Mauser and the 7.62x25 goes, even assuming that the hot Czech ammo is a weblegend, there's clearly a 200fps or so difference between the typical loadings in this caliber. The 7.62x25 is typically around and above 1500fps while the .30 Mauser is typically closer to 1300fps. That SBP loading of the 30 Mauser in the link you provided is by far the hottest I've ever seen.
Here's what Clark has to say about the difference.
"The 30 Mauser and the 7.62x25mm Tokarev are the same [or so close to the same dimentionally, that the difference is lost in the tolerances] except for the pressures.
Tokarev ammo from Russia is at 30 Mauser pressures, but Tokarev ammo from Poland, Bulgaria, Rumainia, China, Austria, and the Czecks is 42kcup."
Elsewhere he quotes Accurate Arms pressure measurements: Tokarev ammo from Russia is at 30 Mauser pressures, but Tokarev ammo from Poland, Bulgaria, Rumainia, China, Austria, and the Czecks is 42kcup."
"...Russian ammo was
significantly below this pressure averaging 31,000 C.U.P"
Anyway you cut it, 11KCUP is a significant difference, and one that should not be ignored.significantly below this pressure averaging 31,000 C.U.P"
To throw another monkey wrench into the works, here's a quote from Mike Irwin posted some time ago on this forum:
Witnessed.
With my own two eyes.
Ammo coming out of sealed boxes with Czech markings.
Velocity out of the CZ was roughly 1660 fps. across the chronograph. The owner and several other shooters, myself included, put about 150 rounds of the Czech ammo through several 52s.
Another shooter brought out his TT-30 and loaded up with the same ammo.
2 magazines later, the gun was ruined with the barrel split and bulged the slide.
Since then I've also heard of at least two other cases of the same thing happening with TTs using Czech ammo.
With my own two eyes.
Ammo coming out of sealed boxes with Czech markings.
Velocity out of the CZ was roughly 1660 fps. across the chronograph. The owner and several other shooters, myself included, put about 150 rounds of the Czech ammo through several 52s.
Another shooter brought out his TT-30 and loaded up with the same ammo.
2 magazines later, the gun was ruined with the barrel split and bulged the slide.
Since then I've also heard of at least two other cases of the same thing happening with TTs using Czech ammo.
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