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Small armsIn service
Semi-automatic pistol
CZ 52 is a semi-automatic pistol originating in Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. Reported operators include Algeria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Grenada, Ethiopia, Palestine, Somalia, Tanzania, Zambia.
Semi-automatic pistol
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
1952–1982 ( Czechoslovakia )
Cuban intervention in Angola Rhodesian Bush War Uganda–Tanzania War Lebanese Civil War 1982 Lebanon War Salvadoran Civil War United States invasion of Grenada Ethiopian Civil War Eritrean War of Independence Somali Civil War Algerian Civil War
Jan and Jaroslav Kratochvíl
1952
1952–1954
Approx. 200,000
0.95 kg (2.09 lb)
210 mm (8.3 in)
120 mm (4.7 in)
7.62×25mm Tokarev
Recoil operated, roller locked
500 m/s (1,640 ft/s)
50 m
8-round detachable box magazine
Rear: notched and dovetailed front: fixed blade
Algeria
Cuba
Czechoslovakia
Grenada
Ethiopia
Palestine : Used by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) factions.
Somalia
Tanzania
Zambia
The CZ 52 (also known by the Czechoslovak military designations vz. 52 , for (vz. - vzor = model) "model of 1952", and CZ 482 ) is a semi-automatic pistol designed by two brothers, Jan and Jaroslav Kratochvíl, in the early 1950s for the Czechoslovak military. Around 200,000 vz. 52s were made by Česká Zbrojovka in Strakonice from 1952 to 1954. Before standardizing on the 7.62×25mm vz. 52, the Czechoslovak military used several domestic and foreign pistol models in three different calibers. After 30 years of military service, the vz. 52 was eventually replaced by the 9×18mm Makarov caliber vz. 82 .
The CZ 52 pistol is a roller-locked short recoil –operated, detachable box magazine–fed, single-action, semi-automatic pistol chambered for the 7.62×25mm Tokarev cartridge (the gun was originally designed for 9×19mm Parabellum caliber but due to political pressures had to be redesigned for the then-standard Soviet pistol cartridge). It weighs approximately two pounds unloaded. Military models feature either a parkerized finish or a gray oxide coating, while some CZ 52s were arsenal reblued in the 1970s. These re-finished guns are usually marked as such.
Because the sear must overcome the additional spring pressure of the firing pin block, an inherent feature of the CZ 52 is its unusually heavy trigger pull, often in the 8–10 pounds-force (36–44 N) range.
When cocked, loaded, and closed; the recoil spring, positioned coaxially around the barrel, provides the pressure necessary to lock the barrel and slide together via the rollers. When a round is discharged, the barrel and slide recoil together while the cam block is held stationary by a lug in the receiver. After traveling rearward a short distance (about 0.16" or 4 mm), the rollers are allowed to disengage from the slide via recesses in the cam block. At this point, the slide is free to continue rearward, cocking the hammer, extracting the spent case from the barrel's chamber, and ejecting it clear of the pistol. After reaching the end of its stroke, the slide is returned to cocked and loaded by the compressed recoil spring, again collecting a fresh cartridge from the magazine and inserting it into the chamber.
By the late 1990s, after the popularity of the surplus CZ 52 had started to increase, hollow-point ammunition in 7.62×25mm became available from custom shops. The pistol proved capable of handling extremely "hot" loadings, and many shops sell custom or hand-loaded ammunition.
Replacement barrels were available to change the caliber to 9×19mm Parabellum . Doing so provides a much wider range of ammunition choices, at the cost of a significant drop in power.
Česká zbrojovka Strakonice 1 reference imported from Wikimedia project Russian Wikipedia Wikimedia import URL https://ru.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cz52&oldid=97068862
CZ 52 7.62×25mm Semi-automatic pistol Czechoslovakia
CZ 52 7.62×25mm Semi-automatic pistol Czechoslovakia
Reference text from Wikipedia contributors, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
True scale
Sourced dimensions beside a 1.75 m human reference.
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Points represent sourced observations, including revisions. Revisions on the same effective date are not separate inventory events. Ranges appear in the table and are not plotted as exact points.
| Observation / report period | Value | Source | Claim state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 2026 | 0.12 m | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| 1 Oct 2026 | 0.12 m | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
CZ 52 equipment records. Variants, orders and quantities are shown as reported in each inventory source; coverage is incomplete.
Algeria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Grenada, Ethiopia, Palestine, Somalia, Tanzania, Zambia
Equipment reference ↗
Algeria
Cuba
Ethiopia
Grenada
Palestine
Slovakia
Somalia
Tanzania
Zambia
South Korea
Poland
Belgium