Igrlik, I would absolutely love to read these, but I do not read/write Czech. Do you
know someone who could/would translate the two jpg files to English?
All thanks to friend from another czech forum:
Rana z milosti - "Coup de Grace"
During the 90?s, when police officers started carrying a round in the chamber after the level of security has taken a turn for the worse, doubts about the vz. 82?s drop safety started to surface in light of multiple accounts of drop-induced accidental discharge with severe consequences. Any deficiency in the design?s safety was initially dismissed by the Czech police management, until in 1998 in an accidental discharge following a drop, a bystander was hit in the head and gravely injured.
During the following examination of the handgun by Prague?s Institute of criminal investigation, it was experimentally proved beyond a shadow of doubt that it was entirely possible for an accidental discharge to occur after said model of firearm was dropped. (Until then, a drop safety test used to be performed in adherence to the TP-VD-637-81, which was the methodology required by the handgun?s technical documentation. The methodology, which specified a number of ways for the handgun to be dropped ? all from the height of just one meter ? did not cover the worst case scenario: a drop straight on the hammer.) A follow-up investigation revealed that all revisions of the handgun since the start of production were affected by the issue. Every single vz. 82, regardless of whether the hammer mechanism was pre- or post-update, in otherwise acceptable technical condition and carried in accordance with the instructions for use, for example according to the DoD regulation D?l-21-28 ?9mm pistole vz. 82,? can suffer from an accidental discharge after being dropped from a reasonable carry/use height (even less than 1m), if a round is chambered at the time.
This revelation, in light of the past accidents and other challenges faced during the service of the vz. 82 pistol, effectively sealed its service with the Czech law enforcement. Solving the issue would be complicated, among other things due to the fact many of the parts were being manufactured in a number of size categories (disconnector 1-5, sear 1-3, safety 1-4, trigger bar disconnector 1-5, rear sight 1-6) and some of the other parts weren?t interchangeable between all of the revisions of the handgun. That would necessitate the acquisition and use of a wide range of specialized tools, keeping a surplus of different spare parts in stock and employing highly qualified specialized personnel (armorers).
The decision to phase out the vz. 82 pistol from service in the Czech law enforcement (the military and the prison guard were perfectly happy to retain them in active service, and in Slovakia they?re being issued even to this day) was also influenced by the limitations of the 9mm Makarov / 9mm vz. 82 round, particularly its lower penetration and worse immediate incapacitation rate, its unimpressive accuracy and a narrow selection of bullet designs available on the market compared to the standard 9x19 round (9mm Luger). The price of the round compared to the already mass-produced 9mm Luger round was also higher. However, the outdated and obsolete vz. 82 pistols were still in the proces of being phased out by 2002, tied to the distribution of CZ 75 D Compact pistols chambered in 9mm Luger. (The adoption of which by the Czech LE was anything but smooth, but that?s a different story entirely.) A limited number of vz. 82 pistols was still in service by as late as 2008. ?Between the years 2002-2008 the rearmament of the entire force was completed,? confirmed the public relations officer of the Police presidium, Zuzana Sou?kov?. Yet according to sources close to Shooter Revue, a certain number of these handguns remains in service with the Ministry of Interior to this day.