Has anyone got one of these yet. I just picked mine up from LGS today. It is in excellent condition, .380 acp. Snowing here, so haven't had a chance to shoot it due to snow. I have the Beretta 81, so just had to have one of these. They are very close in size, hope the same holster works, which will be delivered tomorrow.
CZ 83
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I have it's 9X18 twin brother, a CZ82. It is one fine pistol.
Echo40
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The CZ-83 was one of the many pistols I was considering as my first carry gun, right up until I found out that they had gone out of production and subsequently decided that I wanted a Walther PPK/S more anyway.
What sets the CZ-83 apart from all of the other classic straight blowback, DA/SA, .380 ACP Walther PP derivatives is its high magazine capacity, ambidextrous controls, and chrome-plated barrel. Everything else holds 6-8 rounds, whereas the CZ-83 holds 12+1. The only gun like it with higher magazine capacity is the Bersa Thunder 380 PLUS, which holds 15+1, but the Thunder 380 PLUS is a much more recently designed pistol compared to the CZ-83. However, unlike the Bersa, the CZ-83 has ambidextrous countrols, which is yet another difference which sets it apart from all the rest.
So yeah, as a classic straight blowback .380 pistol, the CZ-83 stands alone as the only high capacity, ambidextrous option available. It's a great gun, which is why it's a shame that CZ discontinued production of the 83 some years back. It was the most modern pistol in its class until the Bersa Thunder came along, and even then it still holds many advantages over it. You picked yourself a fantastic firearm.
What sets the CZ-83 apart from all of the other classic straight blowback, DA/SA, .380 ACP Walther PP derivatives is its high magazine capacity, ambidextrous controls, and chrome-plated barrel. Everything else holds 6-8 rounds, whereas the CZ-83 holds 12+1. The only gun like it with higher magazine capacity is the Bersa Thunder 380 PLUS, which holds 15+1, but the Thunder 380 PLUS is a much more recently designed pistol compared to the CZ-83. However, unlike the Bersa, the CZ-83 has ambidextrous countrols, which is yet another difference which sets it apart from all the rest.
So yeah, as a classic straight blowback .380 pistol, the CZ-83 stands alone as the only high capacity, ambidextrous option available. It's a great gun, which is why it's a shame that CZ discontinued production of the 83 some years back. It was the most modern pistol in its class until the Bersa Thunder came along, and even then it still holds many advantages over it. You picked yourself a fantastic firearm.
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I owned one as well as a few of the 82’s. They’re well made guns, but I just think there’s much of a market for 380’s of that size now days. I’ve also owned the Beretta, Browning, and FN 380’s of that same general size. They were all good guns as well.
OP
Well, I couldn't stand it, so I loaded a mag, and despite the snow, I shot the clip full. I have a target set at 10 yds., and I don't know if I hit it or not. Too many bullet holes already in it, need to put up a new target. The pistol worked flawlessly, I shot some steel Wolf ammo. The pistol is a bit snappier than the Beretta 81 in 32 acp. I'll put up a new target and give it another try tomorrow.
Echo40
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It's sort of a niche market, but it definitely exists as evidenced by the continued production/import of the Bersa Thunder 380 PLUS.
I had a CZ-83 many years ago. Shortly after I acquired it, my dad saw it and decided he wanted one as well. I had my FFL friend order one for him, and he was quite happy with it.
I subsequently sold mine, but inherited my dad's in 2014. This is the inherited one; I never photographed the original one.
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If you ever chronograph one of these, you'll be in for a surprise, at least I was. They get a lot more velocity out of the .380 ACP due to the longer (by comparison to the typical .380 Auto.) barrel.
I subsequently sold mine, but inherited my dad's in 2014. This is the inherited one; I never photographed the original one.
If you ever chronograph one of these, you'll be in for a surprise, at least I was. They get a lot more velocity out of the .380 ACP due to the longer (by comparison to the typical .380 Auto.) barrel.
“Over there” in Europe, at least in the old days, calibers like .380 (9mm Kurz) and .32 (7.65x17mm) were considered perfectly adequate calibers for uniformed police and military.
Today we see those calibers as “mouse gun” or “pocket pistol” calibers. Back then they didn’t have the same issues as powerful narcotics, terrorism, body armor, etc. as we have now.
So that’s why the CZ82 (and 83) is what it is. It is a service sidearm, not meant for concealed carry. Same for other guns over there like the Walther PP and the Makarov PM. They were just scaled to their relatively small cartridges which were not considered nearly as impotent as they are considered now.
Today we see those calibers as “mouse gun” or “pocket pistol” calibers. Back then they didn’t have the same issues as powerful narcotics, terrorism, body armor, etc. as we have now.
So that’s why the CZ82 (and 83) is what it is. It is a service sidearm, not meant for concealed carry. Same for other guns over there like the Walther PP and the Makarov PM. They were just scaled to their relatively small cartridges which were not considered nearly as impotent as they are considered now.
merl67
SWCA Member
I had two CZ 82's I gave my brother one. They are excellent guns in every respect fit your hand like it was made for it function is flawless at least with the ones I had.
I think you'll like your CZ83. I've had a CZ82 version since the first batch came in a decade or so ago. They are easy to shoot, which is a plus. I've carried my on occasion. It was my wifes first CCW pistol, under a coat. One of my nephews borrowed it for a few years because he was working his way through college as an armed guard and had to supply his own sidearm. Which also meant he had to qualify with the pistol. Only caution I would give is don't dry fire it without a snap cap.
GyMac
US Veteran
I like the CZ, but I carry a Makarov. The only draw back to the CZ is, I believe, that it is not drop safe.
I have 2, one in .380 that I shoot and the other in 7.65mm that is still new in the box. The 7.65mm has a capacity of 15+1, quite a bit for the caliber. I got the 380 years ago when CZ's were still a secret. It's a Magnum Research import. I also have a couple 82's, the only difference other than caliber is that the CZ82 has polygonal rifling.
CZ83 380ACP
CZ82 9X18 Mak
CZ83 380ACP
CZ82 9X18 Mak
OP
Gene L, my pistol came from Century Arms, Inc. I just looked it up to be sure, and the picture of the CZ83 in excellent condition happens to be the one shipped to me. The same sn.
The CZ83 is really cool since .380 is FAR easier to find than 9x18mm.
And ballistically, the .380 is about 90% as powerful. You will often here some claim the 9x18 is midway between the .380 and 9mm Luger. More internet regurgitated, unsubstantiated drivel.
In reality, from the same lenght barrel, one can expect about 200 ft lbs from the .380 and only about 220 with the 9mm Makarov. The 9mm Luger can be anywhere from the 300-450 ft-lbs range.
The .380 and 9mm Mak also shoot essentially an identical bullet, same weight range (91-98 grains in most cases) and the diameter is nearly identical, with 9mm Mak being a fraction of a millimeter larger, not enough to see let alone make a difference.
Couple that with the greater attention to creating effective defensive loads in .380 due to its much greater popularity (in this country) and the ability to find ammo at every gun shop in America, and it’s a great choice.
As much as I love my Makarov PM military models, I’ll be the first to admit finding cartridges for it locally is a pain. Hornady Critical Defense 9mm Mak is actually pretty available but only one gun shop I’ve found in my corner of Vegas stocks ball.
I sometimes wish they were .380s! There ARE .380 Makarovs around but they are commercial models and don’t hold as much interest for me.
The CZ83 is an absolute winner. Solid, extremely reliable, accurate, widely available ammo, and with 12+1 they offer pretty convincing firepower. Nice guns!
And ballistically, the .380 is about 90% as powerful. You will often here some claim the 9x18 is midway between the .380 and 9mm Luger. More internet regurgitated, unsubstantiated drivel.
In reality, from the same lenght barrel, one can expect about 200 ft lbs from the .380 and only about 220 with the 9mm Makarov. The 9mm Luger can be anywhere from the 300-450 ft-lbs range.
The .380 and 9mm Mak also shoot essentially an identical bullet, same weight range (91-98 grains in most cases) and the diameter is nearly identical, with 9mm Mak being a fraction of a millimeter larger, not enough to see let alone make a difference.
Couple that with the greater attention to creating effective defensive loads in .380 due to its much greater popularity (in this country) and the ability to find ammo at every gun shop in America, and it’s a great choice.
As much as I love my Makarov PM military models, I’ll be the first to admit finding cartridges for it locally is a pain. Hornady Critical Defense 9mm Mak is actually pretty available but only one gun shop I’ve found in my corner of Vegas stocks ball.
I sometimes wish they were .380s! There ARE .380 Makarovs around but they are commercial models and don’t hold as much interest for me.
The CZ83 is an absolute winner. Solid, extremely reliable, accurate, widely available ammo, and with 12+1 they offer pretty convincing firepower. Nice guns!
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Echo40
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I'm going to have to disagree with you there, especially considering how long folks were casually taking various opiates, not to mention how many European nations permit the use of recreational narcotics, or otherwise don't have the necessary police force to properly enforce laws against drugs.
I think it had more to do with the fact that .32 ACP and .380 ACP ammo wasn't downloaded in Europe as it was in the United States out of concern for the wide array of cheaply made potmetal pocket pistols which were in the hands of civilian shooters. In Europe the police/military were the primary users of firearms, and obviously they were armed with high quality pistols like the Walther PP, Makarov PM, FEG PA-63, etc, not cheap Saturday Night Specials that were known to break with moderate use.
Hence why European .32/.380 ammo has a reputation for being hotter than American ammo.
Fortunately, nowadays most American ammo manufacturers are loading .380 ACP hotter due to the prevalence of modern high quality locked breach .380 pocket pistols and the subsequent demand for effective Self-Defense ammo.
The confusion stems from the fact that the Soviet Union had two types of 9x18 Makarov loads, pistol loads and SMG loads. The SMG loads could generate a solid 300ft-lbs of energy, but such loads were too hot for pistols and were obviously fired from significantly longer barrels. So folks see info online that 9x18 can generate up to 300ft-lbs and assume that's the standard performance you would get firing ordinary pistol loads out of a Makarov PM or P64 Wanad.
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Marshwheeling
Member
There is a gap in my small lineup of CZs that needs a CZ82 to fill it. A CZ83 would probably be a better bet.
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