what about a cz52 for summertime ccw carry?

[jon1996]

hello again,
any input on this gun, the size, how accurate they are, reliabilty, i like the price of the gun, and the ammo is not that bad, i just have never seen one or shot one in person, anyone that owns one how big are they and how do they compare to a 380
thanks,
jon

 

[berettaman]

CZ52 is big,bulky,heavy,loud,flame throwing hand cannon.If you need to shoot 3 bad guys,have them line up and save two extra bullets.

In other words it's not really a CCW type firearm.They are great for making a lot of noise at the local range and night shooting is a blast.I've got a couple and love them for what they are,neet guns to have.
Find a good 380 for summertime carry.

 

[silent one]

jon1996,

The CZ52 is a very well built firearm. I personally own two of them. It's a different weapon from the norm. The 7.62x25 cal round is VERY powerful. The cartridge is actually a necked down .30 cal. Most people don't recommend it fot ccw because of the velocity. You could hit an attacker, and the round could completely go through the attacker, and hit an innocent bystander. It isn't recommended for home defense for the fact they can penetrate multiple walls and possibly hit innocent people. Most people I know use them at the range. They really get your attention. The muzzle flash and sound is phenominal to put it mildly.

As far as size of the CZ52, It's what I would conider to be a mid size weapon. The grip area is rather wide from front to back, and a little narrow from side to side. The grips are a composition material which are considered ugly by most. Wood grips are available from after market companies, which help to enhance the looks. The most significant aspect of the cz are the rollers in the slide. The slide actually rides on rollers. As far as I'm concerned, this weapon was very well designed, and ahead of it's time. They do have a habit of breaking firing pins if the weapon is dry fired. Some after market companies make stronger pins to help stop the pin breaking problem. The sights are the military low profile type, similar to the mil- spec .45's. They take a little getting used to. The accuracy is good. There again, accuracy depends on the shooter, as well as the weapon.

 

[m39fan]

Think Colt 1911 for size (FYI, many .45 holsters will fit the CZ). Like the Colt, the CZ-52 is a single-action auto. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a grip safety which would make me a little nervous carrying it "cocked-and-locked". Accuracy and reliability are very good. However, if you do get one, plan on replacing the firing pin with a machined aftermarket piece. The stock cast ones will break easily.

As to the cartridge, most new production ammo is actually downloaded from the original Czech military issue. This is due to the fact that the Soviet Tokarev's share the same cartridge but are not as strong (the Czech's load them MUCH hotter). The round will often overpenetrate but not as much as most would have you believe. Most of this reputation comes from the hot milsurp ammo which will penetrate almost anything you'd want (or not) including vests. Several sellers on Gunbroker.com are now selling new ammo with the 85 gr. Hornady HP which will reduce the problem with penetration.... BUT they are HOT, HOT, HOT!!! The box I recieved from Ron Reed states that they are ONLY for the CZ-52 NOT the Tokarev. He also recommends upgrading to a stouter recoil spring. They are noticibly beefier loadings (more recoil, flash, noise). You could also roll your own as Hornady makes SP, HP and FMJ for it. It IS a .30, not necked down from one.

Do what you're comfortable with, but if I were doing it (I own 2 CZ-52's) I'd go with something else for carry and throw a -52 in the drawer or keep it for range work. Just my .02

Take Care,
Mike

 

[Snowdog]

M39Fan,
I've got a box of 90gr JHP-XTPs and a box of 93gr JSPs from Reed's Ammunition and Research on the way... you can bet I'll test against play dough and chrono them as soon as they make it in. As for being hot, if the listed velocities are accurate, we're talking more muzzle energy than a .357 magnum. However, I'm guessing the velocities (85gr JHP at 1900 FPS) are a bit exaggerated. I post ASAP if his 90gr JHPs really do go 1800 FPS. However, if they do... well, I don't guess over penetration would be a problem.

I've also wondered about the CZ-52 for CCW (in artic-cold temperatures). Being a JSP doesn't rely on an unplugged hollow cavity to expand as a JHP does, but instead in velocity alone, I think it might do quite well on the ballistic level. Time will tell.

 

[M16]

Here is a pic of a Sig 230 .380 on top of a CZ 52 for your reference.

 

[George Hill]

There are some JHP loads for it.

Yeah, you can CCW it and it's not bullky at all. That's odd coming from a cat with "Beretta" in his tag. It's veyr narrow and pretty sleek, but it's not a compact handgun at all.

If you are serious about carrying it as a CCW piece... have a good gunsmith take it apart and examin it in detail. Make sure the safety and decocker works, and that the gun is reliable enough and accurate enough to suit you. They are all different in these regards... some are very accurate and some you couldn't hit water with if you threw it off a dock. Once you are satisfied with it... then you are good to go. Just because someone with no real experience with them says they wouldn't, it's not a reason not to.

As for the gun being loud. Pretty much once the shooting starts in a stressed situation, the noise isn't going to be your problem. And nongun nut type people would be able to tell the difference anyways.

I would still love to see a 1911 style or CZ-97 in this cartridge. So much potential there. I suspect the round is far more accurate than what one would expect.

 

[cratz2]

It's a good gun, no doubt. And a very interestingcartridge but my primary concern would be significant over penetration in populated areas. Even with SPs or HPs, that small of a bullet going that fast has a very good chance of shooting through the first several things it comes across.

For a similarly good gun for not terribly much more money, I'd try to find a decent Mak. In a mostly urban area, I would personally feel much safer carrying a Mak than a CZ52.