Brief vz. 50 History
Let’s start with the weird name here. You will see “CZ,” “VZ,” “Vz,” and “vz.” associated with names for this pistol. They’re all kind of correct. The actual name is Česká Zbrojovka vzor 50 (Czech Armory Model 50). For basically everyone, but especially Westerners, that’s more than a mouth full. So, it’s generally shortened to vz. 50 or alternatively CZ 50.
Soon after World War II, the Czech government wanted a new firearm to finally replace its aging vz. 27. Naturally, it turned to its local powerhouse arms maker Česká Zbrojovka (aka CZ). While the vz. 50 shared the same .32 ACP chambering and 8+1 capacity as the older vz. 27, it forwarded a dramatically more modern and sleek design over its boxy predecessor.
One of the more fascinating aspects of the vz. 50, for me anyway, is it reflects a wave of new Walther PP/PPK-inspired designs that swept through Soviet-dominated Europe during the Cold War.
Eastern Bloc countries after World War II really loved to conjure the spirit of German gun designer Carl Walther. But they did it in a lot of different ways. It was a fairly natural choice given the design was simple, reliable, and compact. Perhaps more importantly, it was relatively easy and affordable to produce.
Guns ranging from the Russian Makarov PM (1948), Hungarian FEG PA-63 (1963), and Polish P-64 (1965) to the other Czech-designed CZ 82 (1983), popped up all over the Soviet sphere of influence in Europe. Each had similarities to Walther’s simple blow-back design and small metal frame.
Related: CZ 82 Review – Vintage Military Surplus Concealed Carry Pistol
While never officially a part of the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. Unfortunately, that also meant, like many things, that starring roles in the world of film for the vz. 50 were scarce. It's a pity because the gun had a lot of potential as an alternate gun for James Bond villains of the period.
The guns were produced until 1970 and eventually evolved into the vz. 70, which had enhanced grips and a host of minor updates. The following Czech CZ 82 pistol was an interesting double-stack design chambered for the more standardized Russian 9x18mm Makarov.
This Gun’s Story
Several factories produced the vz. 50, but the serial number D 36799 tells us this one came from the Uherský Brod factory. The proof mark on the left side of the slide, while hard to see, is a lion’s head over the letter “N.”
The two numbers that follow denote the year it was manufactured, which was 1970. That puts it near the very end of production. There’s an additional proof mark without the year on the front left side of the trigger guard.
The model of the gun is marked on the left side of the slide as “VZOR 50,” with the caliber designated as “7.65” next to the model number. While I refer to this as a .32 ACP, which is correct, the John Browning-designed .32 ACP round was also known as 7.65mm or 7.65x17mmSR Browning. You can read more on that fascinating round’s history below.
Related: Browning’s .32 ACP – The Tiny Bullet That Changed Handgun History
The grip panels and magazine suggest this gun has lived a bit of a hard-use life. Bakelite may seem like an outdated material in the modern age of high-pressure fiberglass laminates like G-10, but it’s a remarkably robust material that normally stands the test of time well.
There’s a large chunk of the right grip panel that’s broken off. That correlates to the exposed side for most holsters I’ve seen for these guns. The magazine is also missing a chunk out of the left side of the base plate. It’s impossible to know how this happened, but it’s noteworthy that the bluing on the barrel is extensively worn, suggesting a fair amount of shooting.
Specs & Features
CZ’s designers used a basic blow-back, fixed-barrel, SA/DA, single-stack design on the vz. 50. The recoil spring rides along the barrel as a guide during operation. This is similar to the Walther PPK, but they made a noteworthy change to the gun’s disassembly process.
For many of the Eastern Bloc guns based on the PPK design, a user would simply pull down the trigger guard to unlock the slide. Then simply racking the slide back and lifting from the rear would unhook it for removal. That meant the pistol frame required a hinged trigger guard, which takes a bit more factory work to create.
Instead, the vz. 50 features a rather unique disassembly button near the top front of the trigger guard on the right side. Pushing this button down and pulling the slide back and off is how disassembly is done. It’s a simplification that likely reduced manufacturing time since the lower frame could be made from a single piece.
Like the decockers that were found on many Soviet-era military designs like the P-64 and Makarov PM, the vz. 50 hosts a thumb safety on the frame that will decock the pistol when pushed fully down. In a feature I really like that’s not on the P-64 or Makarov PM, the decocker requires an extra push down on the safety. This allows the gun to be safed in SA-mode without decocking and setting the DA trigger.
Related: Makarov PM – Russia's Warfighting 'Walther'
Moving the safety up places it in the fire position, and moving it down locks the trigger. It’s the reverse of a 1911-style safety and strange to American hands at first. You can still operate the slide when the safety is on.
Here’s a quick look at the basic specs:
Weight: 1.44 pounds
Length: 6.5 inches
Barrel Length: 3.77 inches
Sight Radius: 5 inches
Width: 1.12 inches
Height: 4.28 inches (4.81 inches with magazine)
DA Trigger Pull: 11.1 pounds
SA Trigger Pull: 4.5 pounds
Capacity: 8+1
The double-action trigger is heavy and long at 0.55 inches of travel. The single-action trigger is par for the course of period military triggers. It has 0.38 inches of travel to the relatively light 4.5-pound break.
Fortunately, even if you are starting with a decocked hammer, the second shot will reset the SA trigger. It’s not refined, and you more or less mush your way through the wall and break. It’s neither terrible nor great, but it did turn out to be plenty accurate.
Here’s a quick video of how the trigger runs:
My biggest gripe is with the small magazine release button. Most Walther-styled guns in the Soviet Bloc used heel magazine releases. This one has a shallow button that rides very high on the frame. It’s impossible to reach without adjusting your grip or using your support hand. Interestingly, the update to the vz. 70 apparently found the magazine release to be too big and made it even smaller.
Finally, we get to the crude notch sights with a 5-inch sight radius. That’s actually not bad for a somewhat small gun There’s a light anti-glare wave texturing along the top of the slide. The rear sight is technically adjustable for windage, but it’s been punched to set it in place. This was a fairly common practice for older military firearms.
Shooting & Accuracy
I started my trip to the range with very low expectations for this gun. I didn’t expect it to be unpleasant, but the trigger and sights were crude enough that I just didn’t plan on feeling impressed with myself afterward.
The little vz. 50 ended up surprising me a bit. The recoil is fairly tame. I would expect that from a 1.44-pound gun shooting .32 ACP. It’s a round reserved mostly for mouse pistols these days. I did have some issues with the sights. It wasn’t that they were off. Rather, they have clear limitations for me.
At 25 feet, my eight-shot group was surprisingly great. It mostly fell just to the left of the center but in a tight grouping that would have been mostly red-center bullseyes if I had shot just a hair to the right.
At 35 feet, I started to noticeably lose the target over the crude front sight. The grouping was still self-defense effective, and all but one shot fell in the black. I think that speaks to the purpose of the gun. It shot .32 ACP, a common but not overly powerful round even at the time, and it was relatively small.
Related: Old P-64 vs. SIG’s P365 – Does the Old Polish ‘Walther’ Stand Up?
The vz. 50 was meant for daily carry and close work. It mostly served as a sidearm for the military, police, and Czech secret police. Though, there was a limited commercial market for the guns as well.
The trigger doesn’t feel great, and you can’t really stage the trigger at the wall. But I’m generally quite pleased with the self-defense-distance shooting the gun is capable of achieving.
I had no issues with reliability, but I was only able to run 100 rounds of .32 ACP through it. That’s just what I still had in stock for testing. Personally, I see this as much more of a cool collectible and occasional shooting companion anyway. It’s a piece of history.
That said, these guns have been commonly used as budget-friendly self-defense firearms for many years.
Pros & Cons
Here’s my short list of the pros and cons for this surplus vz. 50 pistol:
Pros:
- Great piece of history
- Mechanically interesting
- Accurate and reliable
- Simple takedown method
- Easy to clean
- DA/SA trigger
- Safety can be used with/without decocking
- Fun to shoot
Cons:
- Hard to reach magazine release
- Very basic sights and trigger
- Heavy for its caliber
-
8+1 capacity is small by modern standards
Final Thoughts
The vz. 50s used to be a dime a dozen when I first saw them on the market. Guns like these old Cold War relics tend to vanish with time. Still, they are very enjoyable to collect and shoot. The lesson I’ve learned is to strike early if you want to own a piece of history like this.
Once they’re gone, they’re gone. And then the prices start to go up and up.
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