Over the past century virtually all major firearms manufacturers from countries all over the world have produced handguns chambered in .32 ACP. Czechoslovakia, the birthplace of the CZ-83, is no longer with us, but the CZ-83 is still dependable 30 years after its introduction.
History
CZ, Česká Zbrojovka (Czech Armory), was the primary firearms manufacturer in Czechoslovakia from 1936 until 1993. Succeeding the Cold War, the formerly communist country split into the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. Spanning a history of over 75 years, CZ still serves as the principal firearms manufacturer for the Czech Republic.
You may have heard of the CZ-75, Skorpion or the AK-like Vz. 58, but the CZ-83, civilian counterpart to Vz. 82, is one of the lesser known firearms produced by CZ. Firearms adopted by the Czech military are prefixed “Vz” which stands for “Vzor” (model). This is comparable to the U.S. military’s nomenclature where the prefix “M” designates official firearms; for example, the Beretta 92FS serves as the U.S. military’s M9 pistol.
By the early 1980s, the official sidearm of the Czech military was the aging Vz. 52 chambered in 7.62x25mm Tokarev. The Soviet Union strongly urged its Warsaw Pact allies to adopt the standard Soviet Makarov pistol, the Makarov PM. CZ, unsatisfied with the design of the eight round Makarov PM, began work on their own 12 round pistol using the 9x18mm Makarov. It would receive the military designation of Vz. 82 and the civilian label of CZ-83. Read More
