CZ-83 .32 ACP

[aprayinbear]

Any others out there?

I recently picked up a CZ-83 in .32acp from Auction Arms. I wanted a light recoil handgun for teaching technique and as a fun plinker. I was told it was made in 1992 and was a police sidearm for the newly established Czech Republic.

Inexpensive ammo is hard to find locally, so I ordered some cast lead bullets from Rim Rock Bullets and some once fired brass. The Rim Rock bullets were sized to .313 (I would have preferred .312) and had problems with some of the thicker walled brass not chambering easily, but once I separated the brass I did just fine.

I've been to the range twice since my purchase and had loads of fun. Very accurate out to about 20 yards. And no problems. The fixed sights work well for my aging eyes. I know that most people don't think the .32 acp is an adequate defensive weapon, but for an easy to shoot and accurate auto, I don't think you can go wrong. Fo more punch I wouldn't mind one of these in 9mm makarov as well.

Photos to come!

[Karl/Pa.]

I would be careful using cast bullets in a polygonal barrel. Might be asking for leading problems. [I'm assuming the CZ83 is polygonal like my 82's]

[toivo]

I would be careful using cast bullets in a polygonal barrel. Might be asking for leading problems. [I'm assuming the CZ83 is polygonal like my 82's]

My CZ-83 in .380 has conventional rifling. The 83 is also available in 9x18 Makarov, and I believe those are polygonal, probably because CZ was already tooled up to produce polygonal barrels in that chambering. I would guess that the .32 chambering of the CZ-83 has conventional rifling, but I don't have an authoritative source for that.

AFAIK, the only difference between a CZ-82 and a CZ-83 in 9x18 is the finish and the shape of the trigger guard. The commercial version is available in gloss blue or satin stainless and has a squared-off trigger guard, whereas the milsurp has a painted finish and a round guard. Oh, and the milsurps have a lanyard ring.

[Niner]

Welcome to the forums toivo . I hadn't thought much about the barrel being a standard round rifled barrel in the CZ83's rather than that odd boxy 9x18 configuration in the earlier model. That's a good point.

Looks like there are still some CZ83's in .380ACP around as well as the Mak round CZ-82's. Only thing is...... the 380 isn't considered C&R and costs about $60 more than the earlier model it is modeled after. But the CZ83's are said, in advertisements, to have been manufactured between 1986 and 1994 which would make them relatively modern.

[toivo]

Hi, Niner, thanks, this looks like a great forum. I found it while searching for info on CZ-83's in .32 ACP.

One thing I forgot to mention is that there are two types of 83's out there: the regular commercial ones with the square trigger guard and "nice" finish, and a milsurp 83 like the ones that J&G is selling. The milsurp has the round trigger guard like the 82, but it has a kind of a matte blue finish, almost like parkerizing, instead of the painted finish that the 82 has. I have one of the milsurps.

I think the Czechs made the 82 right up until '93 also, or at least it was in service with the Czech military until then -- that's what the Wiki says, anyway. I have two: one is date-stamped '89 and the other '90.

EDIT TO ADD: The commercial 83 is still being produced in .32 and .380, but I think only the .380 is being imported into the US.