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 |
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 |