Roller Locked Czechnology: the CZ 482 Pistol (Which Eventually Became the vz.52)

Duration: 11:36

The Czech vz.52 service pistol actually began as a commercial export program at CZ. It was developed by two brothers, Jan and Jaroslav Krarochvíl. They actually designed two pistols with similar shape and controls, one blowback in .32ACP (which became the CZ 50 and then CZ 70) and one with a roller locked action chambered for 9mm Parabellum - the CZ 482. In its initial form here, it was finely machined and finished, and used a double-action trigger mechanism. It was seriously considered by the Swiss military in the late 1940s, although the Czech political shift eastward shortly thereafter would have almost certainly doomed any potential adoption by the Swiss. Instead, the Czech military took an interest in the design, and eventually it was revised into a single-action 7.62x25mm Tokarev pistol that was adopted as the vz.52.

Thanks to the Czech Military History Institute (VHU) for graciously giving me access to this one-of-a-kind prototype to film for you! If you have the opportunity, don't miss seeing their museums in Prague: