CZ Scorpion EVO 3A1

     Notes: As with the CZ-805 Bren, the CZ Scorpion has no relation to the VZ-61 Skorpion other than it is a submachinegun.  It is for sale only to police (in automatic and semiautomatic versions) and military concerns, as well as certain bodyguard teams and other government and other law enforcement concerns. It’s operation is by direct blowback, and can empty its 30-round magazine in 1.5 seconds. The construction is mostly advanced composites, and the stock is a right-folding stock which is also adjustable for LOP. The stock can be also completrely removed, creating a mini-SMG or machine pistol.  Atop the receiver is a receiver-length MIL-STD-1913 rail; the sides and underside of the handguards (which are integral with the receiver) also have rails. The top rail is monolithic with the receiver/handguard. Field stripping is extremely simple, requiring only two steps.  Barrel length is only 7.72 inches, tipped with a flash suppressor.

Weapon

Ammunition

Weight

Magazines

Price

Scorpion

9mm Parabellum

2.77 kg

30

$418

 

Weapon

ROF

Damage

Pen

Bulk

SS

Burst

Range

Scorpion

5

2

Nil

2/3

1

3

20

Scorpion (Machine Pistol Comfiguration)

5

2

Nil

1

1

4

17

 

Omnipol VZ-61 Skorpion

     Notes: The Skorpion was designed by the Czech Arms Control Agency (Omnipol) in the late 1950s.  The Skorpion was designed not only to be used by the Czech military, but for sales to other countries’ military forces and to police and security forces.  As such, the Skorpion may be considered an early form of PDW.  The Skorpion was in fact originally designed to fulfill the same role in the Czech Army as a PDW or carbine, i.e., to provide a weapon heavier than a pistol for rear area troops or soldiers who need something more than a pistol but not quite an assault rifle or submachinegun.  Its role later changed to equip vehicle crews and airborne leaders of senior rank.  The various secret police agencies of the Warsaw Pact were also fond of the Skorpion, as was reportedly the American CIA and British MI-6; unfortunately, the Skorpion is also a favorite of many terrorist groups. 

     The base VZ-61 is chambered for .32 ACP; this round was chosen, despite its low power, to keep recoil down and allow the Skorpion to remain light in weight.  The Skorpion also uses a rate reducer that sounds crude, but is quite effective – a pair of hooks literally grab the bolt, and they are connected to a weight in the hollow pistol grip that moves up, down, and then up again.  The first time the weight is in the “up” position, the hooks grab the bolt; the weight then moves down, locking the hooks in place, and then the weight springs back up, releasing the hooks.  The entire cycle only takes a fraction of a second, and effectively cuts the cyclic rate of fire in half.  Operation is otherwise by simple blowback, firing from an open bolt.  Construction is largely of simple stamped steel, with a short, folding wire stock.  The stock can be difficult to use from the shoulder, but when folded, forward, it does make an effective foregrip.  The VZ-61’s 4.53-inch barrel includes a threaded portion to allow the use of a suppressor.  The suppressor that was actually designed for use with the VZ-61 Skorpion is not actually that effective at quieting gunfire even when compared to other silencers of the period, and functions only as a suppressor in game terms.  However, some later versions of the Skorpion are able to mount more modern and more effective silencers.

     The VZ-61E, 64, 65, and 68 are export versions with differences designed to suit the customers.  The VZ-82 is chambered for 9mm Makarov, and the VZ-83 is chambered for .380 ACP.  (The VZ-82 saw limited use by the Russians, while the VZ-83 was supposedly the variant used by the CIA and MI-6.)  The VZ-91S is the same as the 61 series, 82, and 83, except that it is a semiautomatic civilian/collectors’, with a stainless steel receiver and other parts coated in black enamel.

     In 2008, an American company, TG International of Louisville, Tennessee, began producing a semiautomatic, large pistol version of the VZ-61 under license from D-Technik of the Czech Republic.  This version is not actually a submachinegun or a machine pistol, but is included here for completeness.  Sold as the Scorpion (it has an Americanized spelling for this purpose), it is essentially identical to the original, except for the semiautomatic sear and the lack of provision the folding stock of the VZ-61; it is also not threaded for a silencer.  The Scorpion is much lighter than the original due to more modern manufacturing methods and the lack of the folding stock, but the Scorpion can take the same magazines as a standard VZ-61 or ones of new manufacture.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The Scorpion does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Weapon

Ammunition

Weight

Magazines

Price

VZ-61 Series

.32 ACP

1.28 kg

10, 20

$214

VZ-82

9mm Makarov

1.4 kg

10, 20

$266

VZ-83

.380 ACP

1.37 kg

10, 20

$253

Scorpion

.32 ACP

1.13 kg

10, 20

$189

 

Weapon

ROF

Damage

Pen

Bulk

SS

Burst

Range

VZ-61

5

1

Nil

2/3

2

4

15

With Silencer

5

1

Nil

2/3

1

3

13

VZ-82

5

1

Nil

2/3

2

5

16

With Silencer

5

1

Nil

2/4

1

3

13

VZ-83

5

1

Nil

2/3

2

4

16

With Silencer

5

1

Nil

2/4

1

4

13

Scorpion

SA

1

Nil

2

2

Nil

15

 

Sa-58/98 Bulldog

     Notes: This Czech design was originally made for export and uses the grip and trigger mechanism of retired VZ-58 assault rifles.  It is also possible that the barrel is from a VZ-58, cut down and bored out to accept the new caliber.  The weapon was designed for low cost sales.  The Bulldog can accept a wide variety of optical sights or laser aiming devices.    The Sa-58/98 S is a version with a permanently attached silencer.  As of 2002, this weapon is listed as “available,” but it is not known if there are any takers.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Though it was originally designed for export, with the advent of the Twilight War, it was adopted by Czech special forces operating behind enemy lines, as it could use captured enemy ammunition, as well as use worn-out VZ-58s. 

     Merc 2000 Notes: This was not a popular modification except among poorer Third World nations using the VZ-58 (a short list).

Weapon

Ammunition

Weight

Magazines

Price

Sa-58/98

9mm Parabellum

2.8 kg

30

$303

Sa-58/98 S

9mm Parabellum or Parabellum Subsonic

3.5 kg

30

$418

 

Weapon

ROF

Damage

Pen

Bulk

SS

Burst

Range

Sa-58/98

5

2

Nil

3/4

1

3

20

Sa-58/98 S (Standard Ammo)

5

2

Nil

4/5

1

2

19

Sa-58/98 S (Subsonic Ammo)

5

2

Nil

4/5

1

2

17

 

VZ-23/24/25/26

     Notes: These are simple submachineguns designed shortly after World War 2 by Vaclav Holek.  Some of the principles of the VZ-23 series were picked up by Uziel Gal, and used to design the Uzi.  The selective fire feature is controlled by trigger pressure; a light pull gives semiautomatic fire, while full pulls allow automatic fire.  The VZ-23 series uses the telescoping bolt principle (which is what Uziel Gal later used), and a magazine filling tool is clipped to the side of the foregrip when the weapon is issued.  The series was originally chambered for 9mm Parabellum ammunition, but after the Soviet takeover, a caliber switch to 7.62mm Tokarev was forced on the Czechs, producing the VZ-24 and VZ-26.  Those two are still the most common variants.  These weapons are no longer in active Czech or Slovakian service, but they are quite common, in Africa, Central America, Cambodia, and Cuba.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Most VZ-23s and 25s have been converted to VZ-24s and 26s.

Weapon

Ammunition

Weight

Magazines

Price

VZ-23

9mm Parabellum

3.27 kg

24, 40

$360

VZ-24

7.62mm Tokarev

3.19 kg

32

$355

VZ-25

9mm Parabellum

3.5 kg

24, 40

$335

VZ-26

7.62mm Tokarev

3.41 kg

32

$330

 

Weapon

ROF

Damage

Pen

Bulk

SS

Burst

Range

VZ-23

5

2

1-Nil

4

1

2

29

VZ-24

5

2

1-Nil

4

1

2

23

VZ-25

5

2

1-Nil

3/4

1

2

29

VZ-26

5

2

1-Nil

3/4

1

2

23

 

 ZK/383

     Notes:  Whether the ZK/383 is a heavy submachinegun or a light automatic rifle is open to question; however, it is normally classed as a submachinegun due to its ammunition.  The ZK/383 is a large and heavy weapon, very strongly built and difficult to destroy.  It was not actually used by the Czechs except in very limited numbers in the reserve role.  During World War 2, it was issued to the Bulgarian military and some German troops; after World War 2, it was sold to Bolivia and Venezuela, and it was used in the Balkan States as late as the 1960s.  It has a number of features not typical of submachineguns, such as a bipod, bayonet lug, and a graduated long-range sight.  The rate of fire may be semiautomatic, 500 rpm, or 700 rpm (the latter two rates identical for game purposes).  The “police” version, the ZK/383P, omits the bipod, though the mount is still there.

Weapon

Ammunition

Weight

Magazines

Price

ZK/383

9mm Parabellum

4.25 kg

30

$626

 

Weapon

ROF

Damage

Pen

Bulk

SS

Burst

Range

ZK/383

5

2

1-Nil

4

1

2

33

ZK/383 (Bipod)

5

2

1-Nil

4

1

1

42