cz52 or tokarev?

[1911crazy]

as for a carry pistol I cannot recommend either pistol that shoots the 762-25 round due to over penetration problems, both are fun pistols and accurate in most cases. for a home defense  or carry weapon I would advise you to get a CZ82 in 9mm makarov. Very nice pistol, great trigger, very accurate.

Which I just did!


Still have my CZ52, though. Think I'll take both to the range tomorrow ans shoot them side by side.

I'm thinking about a 3rd CZ82 now......with the sons shooting with the daughterinlaws now i need more guns. Not only do these girls bait there own hooks when fishing, they shoot too.

[Merle]

Two different designs as you know.  The CZ is bigger and stronger by design.  It was built to handle the hotter submachine gun loadings in the 7.62x25mm caliber.  The Tokarev was designed and built around the standard pressure 7.62x25mm pistol loadings and does not tolerate the higher pressures of the sub-gun ammo.  The difference in velocity is about 150-200'/sec for some of the sub-gun loadings and the pressures are higher than in the pistol loadings.  Standard 7.62x25mm pistol loads from either Ron Reed, Sellier and Bellot or PRVI are all at the correct load range for that caliber.  It is very wise to avoid mil-surp in the Tok as you don't know if it is sub-gun ammo or not. 

This net-myth just will not die!

The CZ-52 barrel is thinner than that of the Tok just forward of the chamber, & will always fail before a Tok barrel, ceteris paribus.

The CZ-52 got the rep as "some super strong crap" when a gun-writer [blessed w/ imperfect logic] got ahold of one some years ago, & finding Czech subgun ammo for sale, decided that the CZ-52 must be stronger than the Tok. As those who've blown them up can attest, nothing could be further from the truth!

Among other things, the CZ-52s roller-action isn't as strong as a true Browning-style lockup as featured in the Tokarev; it is more properly classed as "delayed blowback" than a true locked breech.

Please, look around Chuck Hawk's website for more info & do some due diligence net research before trusting someone's assertion that the CZ-52 is some hella strong pistol... 

That said, I like my CZ-52 more than my brother's Tok, for just fun shooting. Much easier to field strip at the end of the day, among other things. The Tokarev never has to worry about bent magazine feed lips tho'; they're machined into the receiver. Lots to be said for both designs...

  I have reloading books that were out before the internet that gives loads for the cz52 and states they are unsafe to shoot in a pistol designed for the 30 cal mauser. Have a friend who fired a 9mm round in his with the wrong barrel installed  very loud ruined the barrel but nothing came apart and with a new (better marked) barrel it is still working fine. may want to rethink that gun writer internet rumor.

A 30 Mauser & a 30 Tok are two different animals, so it's not much of a surprise that your loading manual states such. The 30 Mauser was used in the C96 Broomhandle Mauser, and is a less powerfull round.

[Basicguy]

Is really over penetration a problem? With the average weight of males going over 200 pounds with some over 400. A 380 or Mak round may not deliver the goods in the breadbasket. If I fully penetrate my target, there is no one in the next mile. It is doubtful that I will be called on to use any round for self defense but if I need to ventilate a target it might as well bleed from both sides, maybe breaking their spine on the way out.

[torpedoman]

Troy,
I own both of them. I like them both in their own way. I replaced the mainspring
on both of them with new ones from Wolff gunsprings the very minute they came
through the door. I highly recommend that for any milsurp rifle or pistol that you
buy. There's no telling how old the spring is in these old weapons. For $14 it's
cheap insurance. That being said, I did a few things extra to my CZ 52 to make
it more to my liking. The firing pins on CZ 52's are notorious for breaking. I
decided to replace mine with a -2 pin setup from Harrington Products. It made
a huge difference with the trigger pull by lightening it up a lot and I never have
to worry about a broken firing pin anymore. Then I added a set of hardened rollers.
I also added a Hogue grip sleeve.
The few things made the CZ 52 a lot more to my liking. Without them, I wouldn't
like it nearly as much as I do. It's a lot of fun to take the CZ 52 out to the range
and fire off some rounds. It is loud and it has a nice flame coming out of the barrel.
It draws a crowd real quick. People asking all kinds of questions like: "What the
hell is that thing?" "Where did you get it?" "I've never seen one of those before."
It's a lot of fun! I have a Romanian Tokerev as well. All I did to it was replace the
mainspring. I really like the Tokerev straight out of the box. It just feels right in
your hand. It is slimmer than the CZ 52 and I like the sights better. Both of them
are good shooters. I would definitely recommend you get both of them. The CZ
is a real unique pistol. Easy to field strip. Fun to shoot! The Tokerev is a great
pistol. Slim. A natural pointer. Similar to a 1911. Here's some good info.

                                  Robert
CZ 52

http://harringtonproducts.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6w4kZXi1Uk

Tokerev

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FuIQ6KXoWE



 

As a side note when you install the harrington firing pin kit  YOU REMOVE THE DECOCKER FUNCTION AND THE FIRING PIN BLOCK SAFETY FEATURE  of the cz52. Polishing the factory firing pin retainer and its bore and the contact area of a good steel replacement firing pin will give you a lot better trigger without any added cost and you retain all your safety features. A friend replaced his with the harrington and loaded his pistol and decocked it and put a round thru 2 kitchen cabinets a few pieces of dinnerware and his back wall.

[1911crazy]

The Yugo M57 TT Tokarev is being offered with two mags in excellent condition but its more like unissued for $199 at J&G sales right now.  I just received mine and it looks awesome.  I may order another to shoot it and put my first one away in the safe.

[troy_mclure]

well im finally ready to buy, anybody seen any deals lately? the only ones ive seen on gunbroker wont ship to my 03ffl because they are in ill.

[jlwilliams]

There are some excellent Polish Tokarevs on the market right now.  If you aren't finding anybody who will ship to a C&R on gunbroker, try Shotgun News.

[Avyctes]

I just was offered a CZ52 for $125 today by a guy who bought it years ago (probably when they were $50).  Said it came with the holster and cleaning rod.  I told him I'd buy it sight unseen.  For that price I can't hardly go wrong.  I like both guns, but for handling and shooting  I prefer the Yugoslavian m57.   It is more comfy to shoot to me than my Cz52 and I seem to be more accurate with a Tokarev (I can also outshoot my Cz52 with my Romanian TTc).  I added a Hogue slip on to the Cz52 which enhanced the comfort metrics, but that skinny trigger and heavy pull are still not as good as the Tokarev to me.

[Airsporter]

$125 is a GREAT deal!   These are no longer coming in.   FWIW, I paid just over $100 for a cherry one from SOG back in 2005 with all the accessories/extra mag.  I swapped the original firing pin for aftermarket and trigger pull is now REALLY nice!

[jlwilliams]

  On a related note:  I'm keeping my eye's peeled for an adjustable sught (I have some kicking around in the parts boxes, but I'm looking for one that will be a good 'fit') with the idea of 'upgrading' a Tokarev.  New sights and a trigger job for starters.  Then I'll see what if anything more I'd like to do to it.

[Avyctes]

Took delivery of the CZ52.  Fantastic deal.  This appears to be one of the very early imports with the original gray phophate like finish.  The pig skin looking holster is in great condition.  I haven't got a chance to tear into it in detail, it's out in my car.  Anxious to get home and look it over more slowly.  But I'm happy to have been in the right place at the right time for once. 

[ECV Slick]

I must admit that I deeply regret not buying a CZ-52 when they were cheap and plentiful.  Now that I’m stocking the caliber for my Tokarevs, it would make getting a CZ-52 even more attractive.

[gandog56]

CZ52 hands down...

Why? I had both. The trigger pull on the CZ52 was horrendous to me. The Tok was so much smoother and lighter. Once I got the Tok, I traded the CZ52 for a Savage 110 in 30.06 with a scope, which was hitting the gong at 150 yards the first time I shot it. Haven't regretted trading the CZ52.

Now my CZ82 you would have to kill me to get out of my hands.

[Mikey]

gandog:  that was a good trade.......

[gandog56]

gandog:  that was a good trade.......

I thought so. Especially when I took it to the range and rang a gong at 150 yards without making any scope adjustments.

[Vintovka]

Wanted to revive this thread in view of the time gone by AND the fact that the bulgarian ammo is being offered again. Just one round of the ones marked Star 54 (from in packs of 16) have "ended"  many 52s including the one i had.  Since the time of the last last thread seems like the number of 52s with problems have kind of flatlined. I assume its because word was out on the Bulgarian stuff. With current tok ammo shortages the Bulgy stuff may become a problem again even at $.50+/round. Just a reminder folks

[Graybeard]

btt