A detailed, illustrated guide to the Czech vz. 50 police pistol and the modernized vz. 70 version.
The Z handgun models 50 and 70 are available to Western collectors today but were both developed and produced behind the Iron Curtain. In the years since the release of his Cold War Pistols of Czechoslovakia, author James D. Brown has continued his research and amassed significantly more information on this category of arms, especially the Models 50 and 70.
These pistols were designed and produced for the Czech police by eská zbrojovka, better known as "Z," one of the oldest and most important firearms manufacturers in the world. This new illustrated reference describes the production history, markings, operation, performance, maintenance, and accessories of the Z 50 and Z 70.
James D. "Jim" Brown, a native of Davidson, North Carolina, was born in 1949 and has been a shooter and collector of military weapons for most of his life. He volunteered for the draft in 1968 and served with the Fourth Infantry Division in Vietnam, attaining the rank of sergeant and earning the Bronze Star, Air Medal, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, and Combat Infantryman's Badge. He utilized the GI Bill to earn a BS degree with honors from North Carolina State University in 1974, followed by two years of graduate study. In 1978 he joined the US Forest Service, working as a forester on five national forests and as a specialist in the Southern Regional Office in Atlanta, Georgia, until retiring in 2008. He developed skills as a writer-editor through years of data analysis and reporting and has contributed numerous articles to firearms-collecting periodicals. In 2003 he coauthored Japanese Military Cartridge Handguns, 18931945 with the late Harry L. Derby III, followed by the Collector's Guide to Imperial Japanese Handguns, 18931945 in 2007. In 2009 he published Cold War Pistols of Czechoslovakia and has continued the study of Czech arms through today. Jim Resides in Buford, Georgia, with Sue, his wife of 50 years.
