Cz 70 Serial Numbers

The design is an interesting one, which directly led to the CZ-52 pistol. Indeed, at one time I pondered whether or not a CZ-50 or 70 double action trigger could be mated to a CZ-52. The idea never went anywhere as I was unwilling to buy the parts and experiment on my excellent, non-refurbed 1954 model 52.

More interesting is that the CZ-70 is really just a CZ-50. I know, Ian Hogg and others say the 70 is a modified/improved 50, but that would only be in new stamps and new grips. Indeed, a large percentage of CZ-70's are just refurbished CZ-50's with new slides or new slide stamps (possibly after old markings were removed). You can tell because CZ-Strakonice manufactured 50's but never 70's. CZ-Uhersky Brod made 70's and 50's using a different (and more Communist) serial number scheme.

The Strakonice-built 50's had a 6-number serial number whereas the UB-made ones have a letter prefixed number (four or five numbers) that is sometimes rather sloppily-stamped. There are many 70's with older Strakonice serial numbered frames. Strakonice stopped CZ-50 production in 1952 to manufacture CZ-52 pistols for the army. When 52 production ended in 1954, Strakonice stopped making pistols and focused on motorcycles and other non-firearms products. When CZ-50 production resumed, it was at Uhersky Brod. In 1970, UB cosmetically changed the 50, called it the model 70, and put it back out on the commercial market.

It was just marketing, nothing more, because the pistols are the same except for said cosmetic changes. Remember, at UB, five years later they came out with the CZ-75 (with the same pattern in the grips as the original CZ-70). Both designs were intended to compete on the commercial market (the 70 was continued in Czech police service along with the 50, many Czech police 70's are on the market right now). The CZ company we know today started life with the CZ-50 (never having made a single CZ-52). Semantics to be sure, because companies move to new factories from time-to-time, and certainly the firearms engineers did not suddenly put on motorcycle engineering uniforms, but the first pistols built by CZ-UB were late-model 50's. Considering CZ-Strakonice started back up, and won the rights to use the original CZ logo, it may be more correct to say that they were indeed two different companies, but I doubt in the late 1950's UB started with a new set of engineers. Davis Thanks for that info, I picked up a CZ vz.

70 last night for $150 and think I got a good deal. Download Xilero Pk here. It appears to be a really solid pistol, based on the Walther PP/PPK.

I hope to pick up some.32 ACP soon and see how it shoots. Just a question, does anyone have a good lead on where to get extra magazines, a holster or anything else related to this particular pistol? Also, I found a CZ vz. 50 manual and know that they are basically the same gun, but if there are any other sources of information on this model I would be grateful.

1911 1911A1.45 Colt.45 ACP Production Statistics and Serial Numbers.