Another Czech
Owning 2 in x25, this was a special treat.... it's not a common find. a cz.52 that was refurbed and built by BRNO in 9mm. Nearly all 9mm cz.52s are built stateside and use aftermarket parts. However, there were just a few that were actually built and proofed by BRNO in the mid 90's. I had heard the legend and seen a few photos, but never seen one in person so when this showed up locally, I had to buy it. They polished and blued the slide, leaving the frame parkerized, and it shares the standard issue magazine.
In the early 1990s, the vz. 52 was declared surplus and the Ministry of Foreign Trade began releasing them for export sale. Century Arms (CAI) was the first major U.S. purchaser, but after an initial burst of collector interest, sales sagged a bit. In order to restore interest, the Czechs revivied the 9 mm conversion program and directed Zbrojovko Brno to perform the work. Part of the conversion process involved polishing and re-blueing the slides, and those pistols being prepared for CAI were also roll-stamped on the lower left front of the slide, "MOD.52 Mfg. By BRNO In Czech Republic / Imported by CAI ST.ALB.VT." The numerical portion of the pistol's serial number (but not the series prefix) was stamped on the outside of the chamber, along with the caliber designation, "9 mm LUGER." These pistols were commercially proofed after conversion and a proof sequence number was stamped on the right side of the receiver (this is what I have been tracking). To date, only 95 and 96 proof sequence dates have been reported and no sequence number above 6,000 has been observed, indicating that the total number of these conversions probably did not exceed 10,000.
In a way the cz.52 had came full circle, it was original designed as a 9mm, but due to Soviet pressure and the Warsaw pact it was converted to the x25 caliber.
Import stamp
Czech proof stamps, caliber and barrel serial and barrel proof, it's a 1996 and 4277 in sequence number, serial on left side matches on frame, slide and barrel