C&R · II · 244
CZ vz. 38
Section II: curio or relic, still subject to the Gun Control Act
Official wording
ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION II · VERBATIM · PDF P. 9 ↗
Czechoslovakian, CZ38, pistol, cal. .380ACP.
What this entry requires
- INFOATF states no date; production was about 1938–1939.
Editorial facts · Our research
- Country
Czech Republic (Czechoslovakia)Basis: the ATF wording - Manufacturer
- Česká zbrojovka, PragueBasis: outside reference ¹
- Type
- PistolBasis: the ATF wording
- Action
- Semi-autoBasis: no citation
- Caliber
- .380 ACPBasis: the ATF wording
- Made
- 1938–1939production; ATF states no dateBasis: outside reference ²
- Service
- Military
Source
- Official wording
- ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section II · PDF p. 9 ↗ · ATF original ↗
- Entries
- 1 line
- Verbatim check
- Checked against the PDF text before every release
- Editorial facts
- Confidence: Medium · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
- References
- 1. Wikipedia, “ČZ vz. 38” ↗, maker: infobox manufacturer Česká zbrojovka; designed by František Myška at ČZ
- 2. Wikipedia, “ČZ vz. 38” ↗, years: infobox production date 1938−1939; Ezell: about 10,000–12,000 made in 1938−1939 (Hogg gives more than 40,000 in total)
- Fact tags
- ATF the ATF wording states it.
- REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
- ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
- NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
- Source checked
- 20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
- Corrections
- 1 change · see below
Correction history
- Evidence passYears: 1938–1945 → 1938–1939. Wikipedia infobox and Ezell: produced 1938–1939
Historical context
Image: Wikimedia Commons, “CZ38 (6825670598).jpg” by Askild Antonsen, CC BY 2.0. Retrieved October 2026.
Summary: Wikipedia, “ČZ vz. 38”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
FROM WIKIPEDIA
The vz. 38 is a Czechoslovak blowback pistol chambered in .380 ACP. While it was intended to be a cheaper and simpler replacement for the vz. 24 pistol used by the Czechoslovak Army, not a single pistol was delivered before the German occupation in early 1939. Most of them were seized by the German Army and issued to second line and police units.