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Jihoceska Zbrojovka, Pilsen & Strkonitz, Czechoslovakia (1919-1921) Ceska Zbrojovka a.s., Prague & Strakonitz (1921- ). The Company was founded in 1919 at the instigation of one Karel Bubla, an architect, who realised the need for the new country of Czechoslovakia to build up a firearms industry. Alois Tomiska, gunsmith and designer became the manager and production of the ‘Fox’ pistol began in Pilsen. In 1921, the factory moved to new premises in Strakonitz, Tomiska being retained as designer while an engineer named Bartsch became the manager. In the following year, the Company amalgamated with the Hubertus engineering firm to become Ceska Zbrojovka, following which, the production of military pistols for the Czech Army was contracted to them. Production expanded in the 1920s and 1930s to cover pistols, rifles, machine- and submachine-guns, bicycles, artillery and self-propelled guns, machine tools and motorcycles. In 1949 the Company went to Communist control and was renamed Ceska Zbrojovka Narodny Podnik (Czech Firearms State Factory) In 1955 the amount of non-firearms production was reflected by a change in name to Ceska Zbrojovka Narodny Motorcykclove (Czech Motorcycle Corporation) It must be pointed out there were a seperate Company Ceskoslovenska Zbrojovka a.s. Brno, Czechslovakia, which shared the production of certain models of pistol. Z was a trade name for Ceska Zbrojovka. The state-owned arms factory are situated in the city of Uhersky Brod Czechoslovakia.( now Czech republic). The model Z is actually the ‘Duo’, designed and originally made by F Dusek. Shortly after the Second World War Dusek’s enterprise was taken over by the State and put into production in th CZ factory. The pistol is sculpted to the shape of the 1906 Browning, probably to take advantage of the Browning’s popularity. The pistol do not have a hammer and is striker operated. The pistol does not have the grip safety of the 1906, so the lock-work differs from the popular Browning design. The safety catch locks the slide and the sear and the magazine catch is at the heal of the grip. This pistol was proofed for smokeless powder in Prague. The Z is a pocket pistol of all-steel construction, firing the relatively weak 6.35mm ammunition. It has a simple blowback action with a loose barrel. The trigger is single-action, with a striker and a frame-mounted safety lever which locks the slide and sear. The sights are a groove on the slide. Magazines are single stack. The magazine release button is located at the heel of the grip. The pistol is shaped identical to the Browning 1906, and assembles in the same way. But the Z do not have the grip safety of the M1906 and so the lock-work differs. How to field-strip (disassemble) the Z pistol: 1) remove the magazine by pressing the magazine release button; 2) check that the chamber is empty; 3) pull the slide back, in line with the disassembly mark; 4) rotate the barrel to unlock from the frame and retract the slide all the way forward. Reassemble in reverse order (Ref. ‘Pistols of the world’ by Hogg and Weeks p50 )

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