Big honkin' piece of steel with a big bark and a nastier bite. At one point it seems they were just about giving them away, I think I paid $89 for mine in 2008 or so.
Not as elegant or with that same history as the TT, but probably a better overall weapon.
Is that the CZ 52 model with a decocker that sometimes acts like a trigger?
My Dad carried a Tokarev for a while in VN until he ran out of ammo and chucked it for a Browning Hi-Power.
The problems with military surplus guns for self defense? 1950 was a long time ago. The manual of arms for an East Bloc hog=leg is a lot different from a modern pistol.
How do you strip the mag? The magazine release may be on the heel of the grip, not on the frame near the trigger guard. Rails for lights? Forget it. Night sights? Nope. Just primitive steel half moon front and slit rear sight.
That slide safety, sure you know where it is as you experience adrenaline dump and tunnel vision?
Military pistols weren’t made to be that accurate since they were considered a `last-ditch’ close combat defense and tolerances between moving metal parts were loose on purpose, something like an AK, to allow for grit/lack or too much grease—to avoid jams. And after many thousands of training rounds, they don’t got any tighter. Same goes for a lot of our surplus 1911s.
Safety. Some of the war-time pistols were made using compromise steel compounds due to war exigencies, so if you try out some hot +P+ 9 mil in it, hope it doesn’t blow up in your hand.
A lot of them are unreliable. Many are just worn out, springs and pins just waiting to break, and good luck finding replacement parts.
So there are some downsides.
Upside? You probably didn’t pay too much.
What’s your life worth? Your vision? Want a new nickname, `Lefty’?
If you want to know more, American Handgunner, Jan. Feb 2016, p. 90, `Surplus Guns for Defense?’
I’ve had 2 CZ-52’s and did not like them. Clumsy to handle and painful to shoot. I thought the first one might have had issues, so I got another one that was no better. I much prefer the Tok. Your mileage may vary.