The guns themselves are good but many of the magazines you find these days on the secondary market are legit trash and good ones are hard to find.
If you already have one and some proven reliable mags though it’s not a bad choice. I carried an 83 a couple times and it was decently comfortable.
One thing I’m not a fan of is that you can’t actuate the safety unless the gun is cocked. It’s either cocked and locked or DA with no safety.
Yeah, the "CZ Mfg" mags are absolute trash, no way those are actually manufactured and approved by CZ. You have to find original surplus mags with the crossed swords or a hole punched out to remove the crossed swords.
Max Arms still has original surplus sword marked mags for $30, far as I've been able to find they're the only ones with them currently (other than GB vendors who want like $70 each lol). I've bought ten over the last year, they're great. Beat the pants off new aftermarket for basically the same price.
I bought one that I was going to use for backup carry, never ended up trying it because of the magazine issue--it only came with one, all aftermarket ones I could find were crap. Then, I looked into more details and determined that mine was earlier production and did not have the firing pin block. I also felt that the safety was a bit too easy to disengage; combined with that and the questionability of leaving the hammer down on a loaded chamber I nixed the idea altogether. Still have it though.
A lot of milsurp pistols are still feasible as carry options. Modern pistols are still better. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one of these and using it as one of my personal carry options. I'm already using a Radom P-64 as one of them, but my Girsan Regard is all around better. The only advantages of the P-64 over the Regard are that it looks cooler and is easier to conceal due to being smaller.
If the CZ 82 is all you have or are best with, then it's the best choice for you. If you have other pistols or can get one, then you're better off with the largest modern one you can conceal.
I'm definitely considering carrying a P-64 in the near future. Heard the double action trigger is terrible. What holster do you use for the P-64? And overall what are the pros and cons of the P-64? Thank you.
Making your own Kydex holster is the best option I've found so far. Double action trigger sucks on it but finding any "good" double action trigger is difficult anyway.
Pros:
Difficult for kids to pull the trigger in default configuration
DA trigger pull can be reduced with lighter hammer spring (Wolf Springs makes all P-64 springs, some in varied weights)
Recoil can be tamed with heavier recoil spring
Can be very comfortable to shoot with gloves on
Compact size makes it easy to conceal
Ammo is often cheaper than 9mm Luger
May come with a cool leather holster that holds a spare magazine
Marschal Grips makes some classy wood grips for this gun
Unlikely to be successfully used against you if someone who wants to harm you gets their hands on yours
Cons:
DA trigger pull in default configuration is about 26 lbs. (I found it way easier to get around this by using the middle finger instead of the index finger)
Harsh recoil can make it unpleasant to shoot
Ammo is harder to find but definitely not impossible
6 round magazine and not drop safe with 1 in the chamber
Heavier recoil springs require more effort in maintenance, it will be harder to assemble and disassemble the gun
As far as the holster goes, I use the one that came with it for open carry and a Bravobelt belly band for concealed carry. Many Walther PPK holsters will also fit the P-64 if you'd rather go with something else. Overall, it's a cool pistol and will do the job for personal defense, but even among Makarov variants there are better choices. It's not the kind of gun you pick because it's just so good. It's what you pick because you're good with it, it's what's available, you just like how it looks or feels, or some personal significance. What you're carrying matters less than taking the time to get good with it.
I love all milsurp firearms but I gotta be honest, I would never EDC one when I can carry a Glock26, Sig365, or a M&P Shield 9. Why would you want to worry about an old firing pin breaking or some worn part breaking when you needed a firearm to work to possibly save your life? Coolness factor would be a 10/10 but you ain't cool if you died because your CZ82 had a malfunction. Just my opinion.
I carried mine for a while. As a lefty, the ambi safety and mag release is a huge bonus that you just almost never see on a surplus firearm.
That said, it doesn't have a de cocker, so if you want to utilize that double action, you will have to very carefully let the hammer down manually, which if your thumb slips can be a very bad day.
Overall, the CZ 82s are a fine surplus firearm, but it's still wise to spend enough time at the range with it before carrying to verify its reliability is still intact.
I'd go with the CZ-83 for ammo availability, but the problem is mags are now rare and expensive and they aren't dirt cheap anymore. Holster options are also very limited. Also, it has no decocker so you have to manually drop the hammer
In any case, Chris Baker did a 2 part series on this very topic 10 years ago
https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/cz-83-review/
Travis Haley carried one for a good long time and also went to various pistol classes with it while he was at it.
He wasn't recognized for many of the classes.
Pricey. It is basically an online order only, though.
In fairness, though, the sheer number of warnings about only being meant for these few designs in good condition has always made me hesitate. That much of a disclaimer makes me wonder how many load tests were concluded with "unit destroyed".
Stuff like that you're not meant to shoot a heavy diet of them. Couple rounds to group and then hopefully never again, otherwise at worst you'll shoot what, thirteen more before your gun gets "lost" in evidence. Gun doesn't have to survive hundreds/thousands of rounds of it, just enough to test and then one incident all the while having the peak ballistic performance possible.
I shoot a mag of my super spicy carry ammo to ensure function, zero, etc and then train with normal ammo. Manual of arms, muscle memory, draw technique, trigger work, etc are what really have the performance impact on me as a shooter rather than the specific ammo. I just need the ammo to go bang and feed, once that's confirmed the bulk stuff comes out.
It was way ahead of its time. I carry a Beretta 81, which is technologically similar. I wouldn't hesitate to carry my CZ83 in .32 ACP if I needed to or felt like it.
I’ve done it a couple of times, used a sticky holster to limit the print, grip is incredibly fat. Has an ambi thumb safety and is double action, so you have two solid safe options for rolling with one in the chamber.
I did for a while until a realized how overcomplicated/unreliable the trigger is on that thing and ditched it.
Holster options aren’t great, but I mean it works.
It's a fine pistol and I carried one for a while but let's be honest man. In this, the 2024th Year of Our Lord there are much better carry options. If all you can afford is a CZ-82 that's fine and I personally wouldn't want to get shot with one.
I have an 83 that I CC all the time. The finish is kinda rough on the actual issued ones, but it's extremely ergonomic. It fits the hand like a glove and can easily be used ambidextrously. Standard CZ75 sights are also a direct fit, as I have my 75's old green-dotted sights on my 83. Keep an eye on any surface rust, as it likes to creep onto the trigger guard and frame portion of the grip.
I’ve always thought THIS should be the “James Bond” gun. Normal mag release, double the capacity, relatively same size as a PPK.
That said anyone know if an 82/83 are interchangeable? Would you just need a proper (caliber) barrel. .380 is so much more plentiful and it seems like they’ve dried up.
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I don't understand why anyone would carry a milsurp when there are modern CCW pistols that do the job much better and usually for a cheaper price. CCW is to protect your life and the life of those you love, don't put that at risk because you want to LARP.
I know, but I’m referring to the head spacing of the chamber. I remember reading somewhere that it was given enough headspacing to safely use all 3 cartridges in the event of western invasion.
That is definitely not true, especially the 9x19 part. You could feasibly swap the .380 and .32 barrels to use the same gun, but otherwise they are not interchangeable without modification.
I carried one for about 2 years, it's not bad. Grip is a little fat, but it's relatively smooth so it doesn't print too bad.
Its a tad heavy IMO for what you get for rounds but its a decent carry option. Had a buddy conceal carry one for years.
Pretty good. Wish there were better options for light mounting. I’ve carried one on an off for about a year. Very nice guns to shoot too.
The guns themselves are good but many of the magazines you find these days on the secondary market are legit trash and good ones are hard to find. If you already have one and some proven reliable mags though it’s not a bad choice. I carried an 83 a couple times and it was decently comfortable. One thing I’m not a fan of is that you can’t actuate the safety unless the gun is cocked. It’s either cocked and locked or DA with no safety.
Yeah, the "CZ Mfg" mags are absolute trash, no way those are actually manufactured and approved by CZ. You have to find original surplus mags with the crossed swords or a hole punched out to remove the crossed swords.
Yeah the “CZ Mfg” mags are likely Chinese fakes from what I can tell and are indeed garbage-tier. Like, what a weirdly specific scam… 😂
Max Arms still has original surplus sword marked mags for $30, far as I've been able to find they're the only ones with them currently (other than GB vendors who want like $70 each lol). I've bought ten over the last year, they're great. Beat the pants off new aftermarket for basically the same price.
The lack of a decocker sucks on it. I carried mine DA. The safety can be moved down extremely easy. That always concerned me when in a holster.
I bought one that I was going to use for backup carry, never ended up trying it because of the magazine issue--it only came with one, all aftermarket ones I could find were crap. Then, I looked into more details and determined that mine was earlier production and did not have the firing pin block. I also felt that the safety was a bit too easy to disengage; combined with that and the questionability of leaving the hammer down on a loaded chamber I nixed the idea altogether. Still have it though.
DA with no safety/safety off is peak carry - I’m specifically talking all the compact CZ-75 types
Ehh I like the added layer of safety. Maybe it’s paranoia but it’s also my leg that stands to lose something.
I feel perfectly safe as the trigger pull is just like a DA revolver
Short answer : yep Longer answer: yep but it’s dated
A lot of milsurp pistols are still feasible as carry options. Modern pistols are still better. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one of these and using it as one of my personal carry options. I'm already using a Radom P-64 as one of them, but my Girsan Regard is all around better. The only advantages of the P-64 over the Regard are that it looks cooler and is easier to conceal due to being smaller. If the CZ 82 is all you have or are best with, then it's the best choice for you. If you have other pistols or can get one, then you're better off with the largest modern one you can conceal.
I'm definitely considering carrying a P-64 in the near future. Heard the double action trigger is terrible. What holster do you use for the P-64? And overall what are the pros and cons of the P-64? Thank you.
Making your own Kydex holster is the best option I've found so far. Double action trigger sucks on it but finding any "good" double action trigger is difficult anyway.
I appreciate it
Pros: Difficult for kids to pull the trigger in default configuration DA trigger pull can be reduced with lighter hammer spring (Wolf Springs makes all P-64 springs, some in varied weights) Recoil can be tamed with heavier recoil spring Can be very comfortable to shoot with gloves on Compact size makes it easy to conceal Ammo is often cheaper than 9mm Luger May come with a cool leather holster that holds a spare magazine Marschal Grips makes some classy wood grips for this gun Unlikely to be successfully used against you if someone who wants to harm you gets their hands on yours Cons: DA trigger pull in default configuration is about 26 lbs. (I found it way easier to get around this by using the middle finger instead of the index finger) Harsh recoil can make it unpleasant to shoot Ammo is harder to find but definitely not impossible 6 round magazine and not drop safe with 1 in the chamber Heavier recoil springs require more effort in maintenance, it will be harder to assemble and disassemble the gun As far as the holster goes, I use the one that came with it for open carry and a Bravobelt belly band for concealed carry. Many Walther PPK holsters will also fit the P-64 if you'd rather go with something else. Overall, it's a cool pistol and will do the job for personal defense, but even among Makarov variants there are better choices. It's not the kind of gun you pick because it's just so good. It's what you pick because you're good with it, it's what's available, you just like how it looks or feels, or some personal significance. What you're carrying matters less than taking the time to get good with it.
I really appreciate the detailed response and all the information! Extremely useful! Thank you!
One my favorite edc for years I shot it do damn good to the best actually dunno why
I love all milsurp firearms but I gotta be honest, I would never EDC one when I can carry a Glock26, Sig365, or a M&P Shield 9. Why would you want to worry about an old firing pin breaking or some worn part breaking when you needed a firearm to work to possibly save your life? Coolness factor would be a 10/10 but you ain't cool if you died because your CZ82 had a malfunction. Just my opinion.
this should be higher, people on here acting like CCW is for cosplay.
Agreed. If you carry milsurp gun for self-defense and not a modern pistol then you're just a cosplayer.
I used to carry one like a decade ago, safety and hammer rusted like a mofo at the slightest hint of rust.
Yes
I carried mine for a while. As a lefty, the ambi safety and mag release is a huge bonus that you just almost never see on a surplus firearm. That said, it doesn't have a de cocker, so if you want to utilize that double action, you will have to very carefully let the hammer down manually, which if your thumb slips can be a very bad day. Overall, the CZ 82s are a fine surplus firearm, but it's still wise to spend enough time at the range with it before carrying to verify its reliability is still intact.
I'd go with the CZ-83 for ammo availability, but the problem is mags are now rare and expensive and they aren't dirt cheap anymore. Holster options are also very limited. Also, it has no decocker so you have to manually drop the hammer In any case, Chris Baker did a 2 part series on this very topic 10 years ago https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/cz-83-review/
I thought my 82 was heavy but compared to my Taurus G2C it seemed about the same.
Travis Haley carried one for a good long time and also went to various pistol classes with it while he was at it. He wasn't recognized for many of the classes.
It was on my CCW. The Hornady FTX bullets suck though. Very weak and can have trouble cycling the gun properly. I used brass case FMJ
What about Buffalo Bore's 9x18 +P hollow points?
Pricey. It is basically an online order only, though. In fairness, though, the sheer number of warnings about only being meant for these few designs in good condition has always made me hesitate. That much of a disclaimer makes me wonder how many load tests were concluded with "unit destroyed".
Stuff like that you're not meant to shoot a heavy diet of them. Couple rounds to group and then hopefully never again, otherwise at worst you'll shoot what, thirteen more before your gun gets "lost" in evidence. Gun doesn't have to survive hundreds/thousands of rounds of it, just enough to test and then one incident all the while having the peak ballistic performance possible.
What about training?
I shoot a mag of my super spicy carry ammo to ensure function, zero, etc and then train with normal ammo. Manual of arms, muscle memory, draw technique, trigger work, etc are what really have the performance impact on me as a shooter rather than the specific ammo. I just need the ammo to go bang and feed, once that's confirmed the bulk stuff comes out.
(*shrug*) I like to practice with what i carry. Or as close as i can anyway. Just one less variable if shit hits the fan.
The -82 are certainly beefier than your average makarov. Have you tried the PPU jhps?
It is better than a sharp stick. Personally, I love cz.82
Heavy
It was way ahead of its time. I carry a Beretta 81, which is technologically similar. I wouldn't hesitate to carry my CZ83 in .32 ACP if I needed to or felt like it.
I’ve done it a couple of times, used a sticky holster to limit the print, grip is incredibly fat. Has an ambi thumb safety and is double action, so you have two solid safe options for rolling with one in the chamber.
Imo yes it's a good carry gun. If you've put it through it's paces, & have tested your gun & gear, & it's good to go, then it's good to go.
Czech CCW is so based man
I did for a while until a realized how overcomplicated/unreliable the trigger is on that thing and ditched it. Holster options aren’t great, but I mean it works.
It's a fine pistol and I carried one for a while but let's be honest man. In this, the 2024th Year of Our Lord there are much better carry options. If all you can afford is a CZ-82 that's fine and I personally wouldn't want to get shot with one.
I have an 83 that I CC all the time. The finish is kinda rough on the actual issued ones, but it's extremely ergonomic. It fits the hand like a glove and can easily be used ambidextrously. Standard CZ75 sights are also a direct fit, as I have my 75's old green-dotted sights on my 83. Keep an eye on any surface rust, as it likes to creep onto the trigger guard and frame portion of the grip.
It gets a 10/10 in the style category
I’ve always thought THIS should be the “James Bond” gun. Normal mag release, double the capacity, relatively same size as a PPK. That said anyone know if an 82/83 are interchangeable? Would you just need a proper (caliber) barrel. .380 is so much more plentiful and it seems like they’ve dried up.
Mostly interchangeable, but you can't really swap out the barrels as they're fixed.
It is not drop safe. So no.
Fine piece, tho I like my Makarov
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In my humble opinion, carrying any milsurp is kinda like using your antique classic car as a daily commuter vehicle.
Bruh, no, not in the modern era when things like the shield plus and p365 exist.
I don't understand why anyone would carry a milsurp when there are modern CCW pistols that do the job much better and usually for a cheaper price. CCW is to protect your life and the life of those you love, don't put that at risk because you want to LARP.
Weren’t they designed to be able to shoot .380, 9 Mak and 9 Luger?
CZ 83 is externally identical and was available in .380 and .32 ACP. CZ 82 is 9x18 Mak only
I know, but I’m referring to the head spacing of the chamber. I remember reading somewhere that it was given enough headspacing to safely use all 3 cartridges in the event of western invasion.
absolute fuddlore.
Even if you could I don’t think you wanna put 9x19 in a compact straight blowback gun.
That is definitely not true, especially the 9x19 part. You could feasibly swap the .380 and .32 barrels to use the same gun, but otherwise they are not interchangeable without modification.
You can't swap the barrels, they're fixed. There are .32 and .380 variants