Excellent video. I love that you have so much detail on the history, production, and particuliarities of this pistol. Far too many people just gloss over that but the history is what interests me the most. Were the cz 70 serial numbers always sequential? By some strange quirk, I ended up with a cz 70 with serial number 100020 and it seems odd to me that I'd end up with literally the 20th gun produced. I'm not accustomed to the first year's production of any guns surviving unless they were specifically set aside (such as being made into a presentation piece for some dignitary.)
Thanks :) well, you may just be lucky there :) Is there any year stamp on the gun? There could be a proof mark next to the loaded chamber indicator for example... if it is 69 or 70 you may be a winner.
@@CzechoslovakGunStories The finish has suffered over the years so it was hard to see at first but there is a 72 stamped there. Possibly was held for a period of time before being accepted, I guess. That sort of thing has happened before. You planning on doing videos on the other CZ variants?
@@bwhog sure, it could have sit somewhere before it was sent out to the customer... unfortunately there is a lot of mess in the serial numbers... after all the Cz50/70 was produced between 1950 and 1983.. a lot changed during that period of time.... anyway, there's definitely going to be more videos... namely about Vz. 58, Sa vz. 26, CZ 75, CZ82/83 etc. :)
thank you :) btw. I see you need some help with the Vz. 70 but I cannot expand the comment to see the rest, can you re-send it below here? I am more than happy to help :)
Great video. Will get Vz.50 or 70 next for my small collection, while they're still cheap. Some people are already trying to sell them at inflated prices of €200-300 here in Austria. But there're still a lot of them out there for €80-120.
that is planned... the only problem is I cannot find a reasonably priced vz.82 - they all just disappeared :) once I find one - I will for sure make a video..
@@CzechoslovakGunStories Wow, even _you_ have problems finding one? I've been looking for years and all I could find occasionally were a few Vz.83s in .380 ACP. How can so many guns just vanish? Strangely though, there're quite a few videos from the US about the Vz.82. Have they all gone over there?
I'm looking at a CZ-50 pistol now. Looks like the previous owner put a CZ-70 grip on it. It is one of the Strakonice pistols and it does have the NB marking on the grip. I will probably start the paperwork on it tomorrow. The shop is wanting around $300 for the pistol and 30 rounds of ammunition. Thanks for the information you provide.
thanks :)... yes, it is very common here as well to see CZ-50s with CZ-70 grips, hammer etc. The original CZ-50s grips were brittle and were often replaced. Some 50s were also simply upgraded to 70s by the police armourers :)
One of the 1st handguns i ever shot...my uncle got one from old Donnie Tucker our neighbor, traded a old Taurus.38 snub nose for it when i was real young..i remember the day Donnie pulled up on his tractor and they traded and we ended up shooting it the rest of the day. Id really like to get another one.
The CZ-50 made an appearance in one of my favorite series, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (the 1979 BBC mini series with Alec Guiness). It's the pistol Jim Prideaux picks up from a local agent in Czechoslovakia, quite appropriately. His has the solid hammer of the early production models, I have a 1950 Strakonice manufactured CZ-50 that is to all appearances identical and it is quite a nice pistol. Info here: www.imfdb.org/wiki/Tinker_Tailor_Soldier_Spy_(1979)
What about the nickel plated CZ 50s and CZ 70s? There are some "factory nickel plated" ones coming into U.S. from Serbia already nickel plated and some in used condition, meaning they were issued to someone nickel plated. Not just recently nickel plated aftermarket. Who did these nickel plated CZ 50s and 70s go to when they were issued or for what particular purpose?
hey there, the CZ factory made some nickel plated handguns typically as a gift for VIPs or per wish of the customer.... hard to say how many of them were nickel plated directly in the factory though, many were, for sure refinished by 3rd parties over the years and there are no sources of information for that...
Excellent video & information. From your video, I learned that I have a CZ 50, with a stamp of "NB 50" on the metal divider between the grips, indicating this CZ 50 was accepted into service in 1950. I purchased this CZ 50 in the early 1990's at a gun show, & the seller didn't know much about it, but it was reasonably priced, as I recall. Thank you for all the helpful information you provided about these CZ 50 and CZ 70 pistols! I have had occasional issues with rounds "hanging up" in the magazine during extraction, while firing the pistol, & I noticed one of the magazine lips had a slight burr at the top of the lip, which I lightly filed to smooth the surface, & this may have helped some. Can you tell me a good source to obtain replacement parts for my CZ 50, if I needed them? Cheers!
I love the video it is very informative. My CZ50 is 12891 of. Production and it does not he the NR and date on the frame. It has a crest or seal on the left side of the slide. Is this normal? Thank you
Hi there, thanks and yes, that make sense, yours is from the later production batch. I suppose you have a letter before the serial number? A-D I would guess. The markings on the left will be a proof mark from the Czechoslovakia.
Can you elaborate on why we should be looking for Národní Strakonice and a six digit serial number if we are going to purchase this? Did I miss it in the video?
Well, surely for the fact that Strakonice made pistols are typically of better quality. In terms of materials as well as craftsmanship. Strakonice factory produced mainly pistols since early 20s. Uherský Brod had much wider production range whereas Strakonice specialized mainly in pistols. So when the production moved to Uherský Brod, the workers had neither the expertise nor all the tools to make such a good quality pistols.... Hence all the post-1953 pistols may be a little more rough... also the fit and finish differs usually.... which does not mean that post-1953 pistols are no-go, but if you have a choice, I can recommend the early guns :)
Is it possible to modify the hammer so that it does not damage the slide over time? If possible this sounds like a good modification if one intends to practice and train a lot with these guns to avoid the slide wear damage. Another idea is a way somehow to modify the magazine feed lips so they would not bend with 8 or 9 rounds loaded. Would heat-treatment cause them to be too brittle and prone to failing? Has anyone experimented with this since increasing the magazine capacity is probably a desirable goal while maintaining reliability..Are there any aftermarket magazines available that do not have this flaw?
wow.... well I guess it costs something to get them there, plus taxes, permissions and all.... on the other hand the new stuff is cheaper there than up here in CZ.
The price of new guns are a bit higher in the Czech Rep. than in the US because of low sales volume and higher tax. You would love the prices on military surplus machine-guns (LMGs, SMGs) and assault rifles in the Czech Rep. Unless you have a dealer permit the weapons have to be blocked to semi-auto but they are all original with original receivers. An Israeli army UZI is around $400, AKs and VZ58s are around $750. I picked up a Thompson M1A1and a new old stock early 80's Colt M16A1 a short bit back for $1700 each. Just now getting a surplus US GOV. marked M16A1 for $1800.
Yes, correct, when the production was moved to Uherský Brod the naming convention changed - most probably to meet the common naming convention in the new factory, that is just my guess though. So whatever has 6 digits - it is an old production from the original factory. The letter + 5 digits is a newer production - much bigger one - and it applies to CZ 50s as well as CZ70s
I have a problem with the cz 70 pistol which is that if you put more than five bullets in the store and put them in the pistol the problem is that he does not like in the box correctly and if you put four bullets in the store he works fine  knowing that the original store of this pistol. I’m thank you very much
Up here more expensive.... CZK 4000 - 4500 for Vz52. Vz50 and vz70 between CZK 500-2000 depending on the condition. The ammo price is more or less the same price however the 7.65 is new stuff non-corrosive... Also the expected lifespan of Vz52 is like 2500 rounds... Vz50 can do way more
Czechoslovak Gun Stories man... it’s so cheap , you really have a great set of gun laws , although I don’t really agree with hollow points being illegal ...
@@andreaberetta9656 yep, agree, that is stupid... especially with most people carrying 9mm Luger here which can easily go through a thug and do some mess behind him... but we managed to make lasers legal, so let's call hollow points and silencers a next goal :)
@@andreaberetta9656 nope, not a problem, I work in a company full of both EU and non-EU citizens... they seem to be happy here... I suspect the good beer may play some role in it though :D
Pořád se nemůžu rozhodnout, ale 50 se mi líbí víc, tak asi tu, ale pěkný kousky už jsou kolem 5k a to se mi nechce, ještě před pár lety byly za 2, hrůza :/
Very informative video. Thanks so much for putting this together.
Excellent video. I love that you have so much detail on the history, production, and particuliarities of this pistol. Far too many people just gloss over that but the history is what interests me the most. Were the cz 70 serial numbers always sequential? By some strange quirk, I ended up with a cz 70 with serial number 100020 and it seems odd to me that I'd end up with literally the 20th gun produced. I'm not accustomed to the first year's production of any guns surviving unless they were specifically set aside (such as being made into a presentation piece for some dignitary.)
Thanks :) well, you may just be lucky there :) Is there any year stamp on the gun? There could be a proof mark next to the loaded chamber indicator for example... if it is 69 or 70 you may be a winner.
@@CzechoslovakGunStories The finish has suffered over the years so it was hard to see at first but there is a 72 stamped there. Possibly was held for a period of time before being accepted, I guess. That sort of thing has happened before. You planning on doing videos on the other CZ variants?
@@bwhog sure, it could have sit somewhere before it was sent out to the customer... unfortunately there is a lot of mess in the serial numbers... after all the Cz50/70 was produced between 1950 and 1983.. a lot changed during that period of time.... anyway, there's definitely going to be more videos... namely about Vz. 58, Sa vz. 26, CZ 75, CZ82/83 etc. :)
Awesome video on the cz50! I just ordered my first one
Amazing Video!
Amazing Channel!
Discovered both today and I can’t get enough, also from your vz.61 videos ;-)
thank you :) btw. I see you need some help with the Vz. 70 but I cannot expand the comment to see the rest, can you re-send it below here? I am more than happy to help :)
Very informative video, I learned a lot about my VZ 50.
Incredibly informative.
37:36 buying guide
Great video.
Will get Vz.50 or 70 next for my small collection, while they're still cheap. Some people are already trying to sell them at inflated prices of €200-300 here in Austria. But there're still a lot of them out there for €80-120.
yep, I remember when CZ 27s were up here for like EUR 50, now the go for like 150 so I missed that opportunity.
Please do a video like this over the vz82/83 that would be awesome!
that is planned... the only problem is I cannot find a reasonably priced vz.82 - they all just disappeared :) once I find one - I will for sure make a video..
@@CzechoslovakGunStories Wow, even _you_ have problems finding one?
I've been looking for years and all I could find occasionally were a few Vz.83s in .380 ACP. How can so many guns just vanish?
Strangely though, there're quite a few videos from the US about the Vz.82. Have they all gone over there?
I'm looking at a CZ-50 pistol now. Looks like the previous owner put a CZ-70 grip on it. It is one of the Strakonice pistols and it does have the NB marking on the grip. I will probably start the paperwork on it tomorrow. The shop is wanting around $300 for the pistol and 30 rounds of ammunition. Thanks for the information you provide.
thanks :)... yes, it is very common here as well to see CZ-50s with CZ-70 grips, hammer etc. The original CZ-50s grips were brittle and were often replaced. Some 50s were also simply upgraded to 70s by the police armourers :)
Czechoslovak Gun Stories Thanks for the information. I’ll quit looking for the original grips then.
One of the 1st handguns i ever shot...my uncle got one from old Donnie Tucker our neighbor, traded a old Taurus.38 snub nose for it when i was real young..i remember the day Donnie pulled up on his tractor and they traded and we ended up shooting it the rest of the day. Id really like to get another one.
Outstanding review of a beautiful historic pistol design, CZ 50. Thank you.
👍✌️🇺🇲 New Hampshire
CZ 27 .380 x2 1925 +26
CZ 50 7.65 1951
CZ 52 7.62x25 1953
CZ 83 .380 1989
CZ 457 Lux .22wmr 2020
CZ 75 pre-B 9mm 1993
CZ 2075 D RAMI 9mm 2019
........ New Subscriber 👍👍
thank you sir!!! nice collection there btw... :)
You forgot the CZ 82 much more improtant than the CZ 83
The CZ-50 made an appearance in one of my favorite series, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (the 1979 BBC mini series with Alec Guiness). It's the pistol Jim Prideaux picks up from a local agent in Czechoslovakia, quite appropriately. His has the solid hammer of the early production models, I have a 1950 Strakonice manufactured CZ-50 that is to all appearances identical and it is quite a nice pistol.
Info here: www.imfdb.org/wiki/Tinker_Tailor_Soldier_Spy_(1979)
Thanks for the tip mate! Will check the movie... I'm glad you are happy with yours.. these Strakonice ones are the best really
What about the nickel plated CZ 50s and CZ 70s? There are some "factory nickel plated" ones coming into U.S. from Serbia already nickel plated and some in used condition, meaning they were issued to someone nickel plated. Not just recently nickel plated aftermarket. Who did these nickel plated CZ 50s and 70s go to when they were issued or for what particular purpose?
hey there, the CZ factory made some nickel plated handguns typically as a gift for VIPs or per wish of the customer.... hard to say how many of them were nickel plated directly in the factory though, many were, for sure refinished by 3rd parties over the years and there are no sources of information for that...
Excellent video & information. From your video, I learned that I have a CZ 50, with a stamp of "NB 50" on the metal divider between the grips, indicating this CZ 50 was accepted into service in 1950.
I purchased this CZ 50 in the early 1990's at a gun show, & the seller didn't know much about it, but it was reasonably priced, as I recall. Thank you for all the helpful information you provided about these CZ 50 and CZ 70 pistols!
I have had occasional issues with rounds "hanging up" in the magazine during extraction, while firing the pistol, & I noticed one of the magazine lips had a slight burr at the top of the lip, which I lightly filed to smooth the surface, & this may have helped some. Can you tell me a good source to obtain replacement parts for my CZ 50, if I needed them?
Cheers!
I love the video it is very informative.
My CZ50 is 12891 of. Production and it does not he the NR and date on the frame. It has a crest or seal on the left side of the slide.
Is this normal?
Thank you
Hi there, thanks and yes, that make sense, yours is from the later production batch. I suppose you have a letter before the serial number? A-D I would guess. The markings on the left will be a proof mark from the Czechoslovakia.
Can you elaborate on why we should be looking for Národní Strakonice and a six digit serial number if we are going to purchase this? Did I miss it in the video?
Well, surely for the fact that Strakonice made pistols are typically of better quality. In terms of materials as well as craftsmanship. Strakonice factory produced mainly pistols since early 20s. Uherský Brod had much wider production range whereas Strakonice specialized mainly in pistols. So when the production moved to Uherský Brod, the workers had neither the expertise nor all the tools to make such a good quality pistols.... Hence all the post-1953 pistols may be a little more rough... also the fit and finish differs usually.... which does not mean that post-1953 pistols are no-go, but if you have a choice, I can recommend the early guns :)
Is it possible to modify the hammer so that it does not damage the slide over time? If possible this sounds like a good modification if one intends to practice and train a lot with these guns to avoid the slide wear damage.
Another idea is a way somehow to modify the magazine feed lips so they would not bend with 8 or 9 rounds loaded. Would heat-treatment cause them to be too brittle and prone to failing? Has anyone experimented with this since increasing the magazine capacity is probably a desirable goal while maintaining reliability..Are there any aftermarket magazines available that do not have this flaw?
A good to very good condition vz. 70 goes for like $300-400 USD here in America :(
wow.... well I guess it costs something to get them there, plus taxes, permissions and all.... on the other hand the new stuff is cheaper there than up here in CZ.
The price of new guns are a bit higher in the Czech Rep. than in the US because of low sales volume and higher tax. You would love the prices on military surplus machine-guns (LMGs, SMGs) and assault rifles in the Czech Rep. Unless you have a dealer permit the weapons have to be blocked to semi-auto but they are all original with original receivers. An Israeli army UZI is around $400, AKs and VZ58s are around $750. I picked up a Thompson M1A1and a new old stock early 80's Colt M16A1 a short bit back for $1700 each. Just now getting a surplus US GOV. marked M16A1 for $1800.
When it comes to the VZ70, why do some pistols have 5 digits serial numbers with J or D prefixes (1971 production year)? Are updated VZ50s?
Yes, correct, when the production was moved to Uherský Brod the naming convention changed - most probably to meet the common naming convention in the new factory, that is just my guess though. So whatever has 6 digits - it is an old production from the original factory. The letter + 5 digits is a newer production - much bigger one - and it applies to CZ 50s as well as CZ70s
I have a problem with the cz 70 pistol which is that if you put more than five bullets in the store and put them in the pistol the problem is that he does not like in the box correctly and if you put four bullets in the store he works fine  knowing that the original store of this pistol. I’m thank you very much
would a cz 52 in 7.62x25 run for the same prices or would it be more expensive ?
Up here more expensive.... CZK 4000 - 4500 for Vz52. Vz50 and vz70 between CZK 500-2000 depending on the condition. The ammo price is more or less the same price however the 7.65 is new stuff non-corrosive... Also the expected lifespan of Vz52 is like 2500 rounds... Vz50 can do way more
Czechoslovak Gun Stories man... it’s so cheap , you really have a great set of gun laws , although I don’t really agree with hollow points being illegal ...
@@andreaberetta9656 yep, agree, that is stupid... especially with most people carrying 9mm Luger here which can easily go through a thug and do some mess behind him... but we managed to make lasers legal, so let's call hollow points and silencers a next goal :)
Czechoslovak Gun Stories man it would be nice to move there , it shouldn’t be too difficult either since I’m a EU citizen
@@andreaberetta9656 nope, not a problem, I work in a company full of both EU and non-EU citizens... they seem to be happy here... I suspect the good beer may play some role in it though :D
Pořád se nemůžu rozhodnout, ale 50 se mi líbí víc, tak asi tu, ale pěkný kousky už jsou kolem 5k a to se mi nechce, ještě před pár lety byly za 2, hrůza :/
Could you make such a quite nice comment in Czech as well? Thanks. L.K.
Měl by si začít přemýšlet nad profilovkou a tím druhým . Dělá to trošku i reklamu
Zatím se učím ale je to v plánu :)
@@CzechoslovakGunStories dobře tak ne vše může být hned