Greetings. If you?ve been following CZs for a while, you are aware of the oddities and inconsistencies of CZ firearm production such as in the older pre-B where there?s not much information available. Thanks to member Earl Keese for spotting this one on an auction site and bringing it to my attention. When he passed on it, I decided to bring it into the forum fold and here?s a closer look at it.
When looking at the external features of a pre-B, these are the usual subtle and not so subtle, distinguishing features that give a clue on the period of production if the proof year is not visible on the oval: ?Made in Czechoslovakia? (on one or two lines), blued or painted finish, safety lever (one or two hole), wide or narrow hammer, trigger guard sweep/size, factory grips and of course, serial number. These typically place a pre-B into these year(s): 1980-1982/1983, 1984, 1985, 1986-1987 and 1988 onwards.
The feature that caught Earl Keese?s eye was the ?Made In Czechoslovakia? on one line in the frame, usually a sign that the pistol is from 1980-1983. However, the serial number was an alpha+4 digits which would not match the sequence of an early 80s gun (6-digits). The year on the oval was not clear in the auction photo.
The question at hand....did CZUB produce -
a) a frame oddity in 1990 with the one-line roll mark when the two-line roll mark was the standard since some time in 1983?
b) a near-complete pistol from the early 80s that was finally proofed and released?
c) an early 80s frame mated with current 1990 slide and production parts?
Short answer, there?s not enough to be conclusive to my untrained eyes. I prefer to lean towards the c) possibility of older frame and current slide/parts (it has the narrow spur hammer from 1988 forward). Perhaps this makes it an even more interesting specimen and true to the unpredictable CZ character.
Here?s what I found. On inspection, the oval revealed a 1990 proof year. This is a well worn pistol with many shiny spots. There?s a difference in looking at the base finish of the slide and frame. Under some lighting, the frame looks like it has a slight hue (reminiscent of the plum hue that some blued pistols acquire?). The Made in Czechoslovakia was finely roll marked in small sized font whereas the serial number on the slide and barrel looked crudely stamped in a larger size font. This one has the narrow spur hammer.
I compared it with a 1983 and a 1991, with both pistols in the standard blued and painted finish of their time. Externally, the trigger guard shape and size is closer to the 83 than the 91 with its slightly enlarged, rounder guard and bulge on the bottom front. This also has the small, rounded opening for the trigger pin housing compared to the expanded, ?igloo? opening on the 1991. This is not a determining feature as the small pin hole can be found into some 1991 pistols.
From top to bottom by year: 1983, 1990, 1991. A cursory look into the internals of the frames, slides and barrels doesn?t reveal much aside from the typical markings, finish and rough tool marks found in pre-Bs. The barrels for the 1990 and 1991 have a more visible flat surface ridge under the locking lugs. One unusual feature with the 1990 gun is that the rail in the frame just above the mag well on the left side is very faint...it?s almost smooth in a small spot. My wild conjecture is that it might have been cause for quality control rejection back in the early 80s but okayed for production use by 1990.
Thanks for looking. Would love to hear from pre-B owners if they have interesting aspects of their pistols to share.
Photo time:
1983 (top)
1991 (bottom; note - not shown with original slide stop)
Top to bottom: 83, 90, 91.
Edit - forget to mention it has the usual nice pre-B trigger action with short reset. Shoots a bit low for me but good groupings can be had.
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