Mar 09 2007
Range day, new pistolas…
Today was a day off. Jilly in daycare and Lisa at work, my errands list suspiciously small so I snuck off for a few hours at the range to give the new S&W Model 14 and (having finally obtained some ammo for it) the CZ52 some trigger time (The CZ52 is leaving soon to join Mikes collection, and I’m loathe to pass on a firearm I’ve not had a chance to try).
Never having fired either of the pistols before made it a bit of an exciting trip for me. I had been told time and again the CZ52 spits a tongue of flame out the end (common to Tokarevs I am told, but again this is as close as I have come) and was looking forward to checking this out for myself. So I raced into the indoor pistol range, spent a few minutes figuring out the controls for the overhead heaters (thank God!) and then set up the digital camera to record video and had at it.
(This is a screen cap of the video from the CZ52.)
Excuse the few pictures, I had the entire range to myself and really wanted to spend my time shooting targets not pictures. I limited my time with the CZ52 to approx 25 rounds (as the ammo doesn’t belong to me, and while I’m sure Mike won’t mind I didn’t want to impose on his unwitting hospitality), and put just over 100 through the S&W Mdl.14.
Impressions on the CZ52 were good. It’s a nifty little pistol, and the smaller size suited my wee hands well. It has a heck of a bark, and my accuracy was complete crap. Having fired the little guy I’m regretting parting with it, but thats likely just the gun nut in me. The S&W Mdl.14 was a complete joy. The grips are just slightly too big for me small hands, and as it’s been years since I fired a revolver I kept adjusting my grip until it felt comfortable (my damn thumbs kept popping up!).
Once the revolver was seated comfortably the accuracy was evident. I stepped the target back every 12 rounds and ended up shooting at 30 yards comfortably.
I couldn’t be happier with the addition of the .38 to my little collection. There is an added bonus here, in that my range is just about a 5 minute drive from my new employer, so the very real possibility of regular AM range trips after work seems possible.
(For those that asked, here is the entire video clip)
Good post.
James
The CZ looks way cooler than the wheelgun, though. Not that I’d want to get shot with either one, but the .38 is a little weak on the penetration and damage scale.
Why don’t you go for a .50 Desert Eagle (apart from the megabuck price tag)?
Kewl image! Worth keeping for cover art for your next book
CM: Hehe, I’d personally prefer the .38 over the 762x25mm (although it’s a little “zippier”), but that was my first hand impression.
As for looks, hrm… nah, can’t agree with you on this one. The wheelgun has classic lines and a look to it, and the CZ52 looks (like Mike mentioned earlier) like a ’60s space pistol.
Neither are hideous, but the wheelgun is the apple of my eye at the moment. No doubt at all.
.50AE? Hehe… I can barely afford to shoot the firearms I have, without adding an expensive pistol that shoots expensive ammunition to my meagre collection.
Nah, I’d like to add a .45, specifically a 1911, but thats about as big as the bullets for the handguns are going to get. That addition should weight in at less than 25% of the cost of the Deagle, and it’s much cheaper to feed.
I’m a strickly meat and potatos sort of gun owner.
-GRIN-
Dad: Ayup, nifty cap. The video file itself is fairly boring “Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang” stuff, but the occasionally captured muzzle flash was kinda nifty.
Don’t know if it’ll make the next cover though, I had been working on a idea with a co-worker who does photography to collaborate on some cover art, using my firearms and his camera gear and a model.
We’ll see if it ever comes to fruition as the one thing we both lack in any quantity is time, not to mention time at the same time.
Meh…
Well if you’re gonna top it off with a .45 then you might as well save up and go for the gusto with a Kimber. I’ve got a Raptor which handles and shoots better than I do. if you’re more traditionally inclined you might go with an auto ordinance or Springfield. Almost all modern pistol makers make a clone for the cult of the Colt these days, which seems odd to me because I personally rate it pretty low as a self defense weapon. As a target gun it’s still very nice indeed.
Now that is a great action shot!
Yikes! For a moment I thought I’d arrived the wrong site!
A new format … hmmm … you can tell the folks who run their monitors at 1600×1200! LOL!!
Gee … my old LCD monitor won’t handle more than 1024×768 … will have to find that ‘scroll’ button on my keyboard
Hehe, just experimenting with some different themes.
No real changes planned as yet, but I’ve got a lot of formatting going on within the posts which make changing themes a little labour intensive so I’ve been playing around getting a feel for what sort of work I can expect.
A few of the themes seem positive. I’m not sold on any of them as of yet however.
Your monitor may resume normal activity now.
-GRIN-
Seeing as I might not fire any of those 25 rounds in 2007 I don’t mind at all.
The least you deserve for putting up with all the foot-dragging getting the trade done…
Thanks Mike, I figured you’d be ok with it. 25 rounds between friends isn’t the end of the world.
-GRIN-
I tell ya what, join one of the smaller clubs and get your ATT sorted out, and I’ll make a special trip into town to drag you out to Guelph (You know the indoor range is fully heated now right?).
I might even be convinced to grab several boxes of .45acp prior to the trip just to abuse your Para (although I am still planning on picking up a 1911 or clone as soon as finances permit).
Foot dragging? Nah…that’s just life messing with us, nothing about this exchange has been exactly “rushed”, so I’ve never been worried about it.
Not at all like a transaction with someone I don’t know, where I agonize over the arrival of the firearm wanting to make sure I didn’t buy a lemon.
[...] Mugwug of the MoralFlexibility blog went to the range with a-soon-to-not-be-his CZ52 (which was one of the things I was looking for at the gun show this weekend), as well as with a S&W Model 14 he recently required (that looks exactly like the one I own, down to the custom wood grip panels). [...]
That’s a nice CZ, mine’s got the black finish. Does it have the stock firing pin? Nice format, btw.
[...] interesting that RNS and Moral Flexibility have recent posts mentioning the CZ-52. I guess I got excited about mine after I finally printed [...]
Steve: Grey finish on mine, appears to be all original so I’d assume it has a standard firing pin.
Was there a specific problem with the firing pin I should be aware of?
It’s a nifty little handgun, how long have you had yours?
I’ve had mine since September but it’s only had one range trip. The firing pins have a reputation for being brittle, evidently it takes a few dry fires to break it (according to what I’ve read).
Hrm, hadn’t heard about the firing pin problem, going to have to warn Mike as he is the proud new owner of the pistol.
Still think it’s a nifty little handgun however.
Duly noted.
[...] time ago Erik posted a great picture of the muzzle flash from his Cz-52. Today while cleaning all the old gun pron off the PC, I came across some video from a range trip a [...]