CZ vz 52 Pistol 9mm barrel ream to 9mm Largo?

[motorcarman]

I have a few vz 52 pistols and one is (converted) chambered in 9mm Luger. It does not feed properly, probably because the magazine is too long for the short Luger round. I have seen 9mm converted Tokarev magazines with a spacer to compensate for the shorter 9mm round in the Chinese 54 (same original 7.62 x 25) but not for CZ. (I have a Chinese 54 in 38 Super Auto so the cartridge OAL is correct for the magazine)

I would just like to get the barrel reamed to the longer 9 x 23mm (9mm Largo) cartridge so the rounds fit the magazine and function properly but not over-pressure the barrel. (NOT 38 Super Auto!)

I have a replacement barrel/roller assy for this vz 52 in 7.62 x 25mm so swapping barrels is easy and the cartridge overall length is essentially the same for the 7.62 x 25 and the 9mm Largo.

Anyone know of someone with a chamber reamer or someone with a 9 x 23mm barrel for sale?

Any other suggestions are welcome.

bob

 

[Eli]

They were offered commercially years ago - FAC sold them, I believe.
I *really* dislike that pistol, a close friend was killed when the firing pin safety failed resulting in a discharge.

Eli

 

[Kosh75287]

Condolences on the loss of your friend.
God knows, too many firearm mishaps occur when they are made as safely as possible. Scrimping on making the piece safer seems a uniquely communist way of doing things, which is to be expected from the higher-up's rationalization that any of their own whom they kill in battle (accidentally or otherwise), they will not have to feed, later.

I don't know of anyone with a reamer for 9x23, but there simply must be some floating around, somewhere. A cautionary note I received long ago, from a SAINT named Clark Magnusson (who has probably destroyed more firearms in torture tests than I'll EVER own), recommended specifically against "hot-rodding" this pistol, because the chamber is very very thin at a place where it should be thicker.

From your post, I DO NOT get the impression that you are trying to "hot rod" things, but I'm wondering if reaming a 7.62x25mm barrel to 9x23mm would render that already-thin chamber wall even more thin. Since MY general luck in life is such that if it started raining SOUP, I'D be the only guy caught in the open with a FORK and a COLANDER, I tend to over-research things a bit.

 

[Eli]

The 9mm Largo barrels were offered 20 years ago because there was a lot of surplus 9mm Largo ammo at the time. That isn't the case any more, all that Santa Barbara stuff dried up a while back and is bringing big money now.
The original 7.62X25 is still available for reasonable money, but both the guns and the ammo cost a lot more than they did 'back in the day' - and availability is a lo less as well.

Eli

 

[motorcarman]

I really don't care about ammo availability or cost as I reload all my own stuff.
I even go out of my way to buy obsolete firearms that use obsolete ammo and reform brass to suit if need be. (I reload 7.62 x 38R Nagant ammo 'properly')
I have firearms for 30 Remington, Winchester 1907 (.351), 455 Webley, Steyr 8x56R, 6.5 Carcano, 44 WCF, 38 WCF, etc.

9mm Largo has lower chamber pressures than 9mm Luger so I am not concerned.

I like to make things that don't normally exist. I have a 1981 VW Rabbit with a 1.6 liter Turbo Diesel engine mated to an Automatic Gearbox. It took 3 cars and fabricated brackets to make this one.

I see that the 9 X 23mm Winchester is almost dimensionally IDENTICAL to the Largo.
I can rent a reamer for the Winchester cartridge and load the Largo for the chamber.

I'll post when I get it sorted.

bob