"Scorpio EVO 3": the continuation of the legend

2024 Author: Matthew Elmers | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:49

Submachine gun vz. 61 The Scorpion has become perhaps the most innovative product of the Czech defense industry. For the first time, an ultra-compact submachine gun was created and launched into a mass production, occupying an intermediate position between a pistol and a submachine gun. Due to its size and the possibility of concealed carrying "Scorpion" has gained popularity among the special services and forces of covert operations, rightfully becoming one of the weapon legends of the past century. In the late 90s, the Scorpion trademark was officially registered by the CZ company from Usherski Brod, and the legendary name was given to a new model of compact automatic weapons. But the third-generation Scorpion is not a modern remake of the early 1960s model.

The "grandfather" of the modern "Scorpion", the legendary Scorpion vz. 61

The main problem of the "Scorpion" model '61 was a relatively low-power ammunition, Browning's cartridge of 7, 65 x 17 mm. Therefore, it is not surprising that over time, a number of variants of the submachine gun appeared in other calibers (9 x 18 mm PM, 9 x 17 mm Short, 9 x 19 mm Luger). The most successful of these was the slightly weighted and enlarged version of the CZ Scorpion 9 x 19, released in small numbers in the second half of the 90s. An even more radical upgrade option was the CZ 868 model, equipped with a plastic stock, front grip, optional silencer and brackets for mounting modern optics and tactical accessories. With this sample, CZ in the period from 2005 to 2006 tried to become a participant in the AIWS (Advanced Infantry Weapons Systems) program for the creation of promising infantry weapons. But the modernized CZ 868, in fact, was transformed into a carbine for a pistol cartridge and did not have any significant advantages over existing samples. Therefore, it became the swan song of the second generation Scorpions. At the same time, together with the failure with the CZ 868, the Czech designers realized that it was impossible to achieve positive results by resuscitating a model almost half a century old. The tactical and technical requirements for weapons, materials and coatings used have changed significantly, new and more progressive technological processes have appeared. The production technology of the old "Scorpion", which lagged far behind the modern level, caused especially a lot of complaints from the production workers. There was only one way out - the development of a fundamentally new model was required.

Third birth

The idea of a new PP to replace the "Scorpion" was relevant not only in the Czech Republic, but also in neighboring Slovakia. In 2001, a group of enthusiasts from the city of Trencin decided to start developing a new prototype of their own design, giving it the name LAUGO LTG-1. The name LAUGO comes from the abbreviated name of the city of Trencin in Latin - Laugaricio, and the abbreviation LTG-1 - from the first letters of the names of the developers: Jan Luchansky, Petr Tverdym and Frantisek Gasparik. Incidentally, Jan Luchansky is a former military specialist who took part in the war in the Balkans and has unique knowledge in the field of small arms. During the war on the territory of the former Yugoslavia, he had the opportunity to get to know closely, compare and test in shooting not only all modern NATO infantry weapons, but many samples of weapons from the former Yugoslavia and the Warsaw Pact countries, as well as weapons manufactured in the Balkans by handicraft or semi-handicraft methods (e.g. PP Agram-2000, Šokac P1, Zagi M91 or ERO). To this list must be added and weapons from the Second World War, mostly of German origin, are still in circulation in this hot spot in Europe.

9mm CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1 submachine gun (left view)

Already at the development stage, the LAUGO submachine gun attracted the attention of experts with its originality and simplicity of the device. At the same time, the initiative group had neither the financial nor the technical capabilities to continue the project on its own. Therefore, the Slovak designers were actively looking for investors who could support or take over the development of the software. So in 2004, the LAUGO submachine gun first came to the attention of CZ specialists, but the prototype that existed at that time did not fully meet the requirements that a sample developed for the armed forces should meet. The design required revision. Nevertheless, the interest from the "Czech Zbroevka" was a good incentive for the Slovak designers to speed up the work on the prototype and finalize it taking into account the requirements. In this segment, the work was temporarily taken under its wing by the Slovak holding ZVS from Dubnica nad Vagom, the heir of one of the arms factories of the famous Skoda company, today known as the manufacturer of small arms and artillery ammunition and Slavia air rifles. He made a prototype PP under the designation LAUGO M6 and presented it at the IDET-2005 arms exhibition in Brno. It was supposed to produce PP both for the army (standard version M6-A, short version M6-K and version with a silencer M6-SD) and for the civilian market (carbine M6-C1 and shortened carbine M6-C2). Finally, in January 2007, a contract was signed between the LAUGO development team and CZ. By this time, the project of the new PP was almost two-thirds ready and Cheshskaya Zbroevka took over some of the work, such as the development of plastic stores, USM with a fixed queue length, and also a variant chambered for 40 S&W. In addition, LAUGO's design engineers have become full-time employees of CZ. In particular, Yan Luchansky became responsible for fine-tuning the PP, ergonomics and the development of a new buttstock. Czech designer CZ Jaroslav Chervik took responsibility for construction materials, development of design and technological documentation.

9mm CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1 submachine gun (right side view)

Representatives of the army and police also took part in the creation of the new "Scorpion". The company from Ushersky Brod has long established a tradition to demonstrate prototypes and prototypes to representatives of potential customers even at the development stage. CZ has been very attentive to the criticisms and suggestions received during such meetings. For the most part, they concerned the ease of handling and ergonomics of the weapon.

The very first presentation of the new weapon took place in May 2009 at the IDET-2009 exhibition. The development of the PP was fully completed in the second half of the same year, after which tests began to check the weapon for its compliance with Western military standards. At this stage, the model was given its current official designation CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1. The abbreviation EVO 3 in the designation of the weapon indicates its belonging to the third generation of submachine guns with the name "Scorpion", A1 - that this is the first modification with an automatic ("A") mode of fire. The self-loading version with the ability to conduct only single fire, developed for the civilian market, is designated by the letter "S".

Design

Scorpion EVO 3 A1 is a light automatic individual weapon chambered for 9 x 19 mm Luger. Its automation is based on the principle of using the recoil of a heavy massive bolt. On the right side of the bolt there is a special recess that serves for manual ramming of the bolt in the event that the bolt does not reach the forward position when the weapon is heavily soiled. Shooting is carried out from a closed bolt, which favorably affects the accuracy of shooting. After all the cartridges in the magazine have been used up, the bolt remains in the rear position, it is removed from the bolt delay by pressing the lever located on the left side of the weapon above the trigger guard. The cocking handle is made separately from the bolt and therefore can be rearranged to the other side of the weapon.

The receiver, which connects all the most important units of the weapon, consists of two halves and is made of high-strength polymer. In its front part there is a sleeve into which the barrel is screwed. In addition to the receiver, the body of the firing mechanism, barrel casing, pistol grip and butt are made of polymer materials. Such widespread use of plastics made it possible to make the weapon very light: the weight of the Scorpion without cartridges is only 2770 g, about the same as that of the German PP MP5, which is considered the benchmark in its class, with a fixed stock (MP5 A2 or A4). At the same time, the widespread use of plastics does not affect the combat properties of the weapon: tests have shown that even after the use of 20 magazines, overheating of the plastic parts of the weapon is not observed and it can be fired without gloves. Contrary to the widespread prejudice about the low durability of "plastic" weapons, the Czech PP during the survivability tests showed a very decent result, retaining its performance after 35,000 shots fired in difficult conditions for the weapon to work (dusty, rain, at a temperature of -50 ° C etc.)

In total, the PCB is equipped with five Picatinny rails according to the STD-MIL-1913 standard: one of them is integrated with the upper part of the receiver, and the other four are located on each side of the plastic forend. In the standard version, a mechanical sight is installed on the top mounting plate of the Picatinny rail, consisting of an adjustable front sight and a diopter rear sight.

The new "Scorpion" uses the sights of the Italian company LPA as a standard sight: a fiberglass front sight and a diopter rear sight of the "Ghost-Ring" type

The trigger mechanism has three fire modes: single, bursts of 3 shots and continuous. The change of fire modes is carried out by a double-sided flag translator-fuse located in the upper part of the handle and conveniently controlled by the thumb of the shooting hand. A horizontal pictogram is applied next to the fuse translator to help determine the set fire mode. In addition to the manual fuse, the trigger has an automatic fuse to block the striker. The PP firing mechanism is mounted in a detachable housing, which greatly facilitates its repair and maintenance. In addition, the upper part of the trigger body serves as a guide for the shutter. This original solution made it possible to simplify the design of the receiver and make the incomplete disassembly of the weapon very simple and record-breaking fast.

For incomplete disassembly of the new "Scorpion" it is required to unload the weapon, separate the magazine and pull back the cocking handle. After that, the front axle of the trigger housing is knocked out and a shutter with a return mechanism is removed into the hole formed at the bottom. By the way, this constructive decision of the Czechoslovak development team is protected by a patent.

The PP is fed from double-row magazines with a capacity of 30 or 20 rounds. They are made of plastic and have a transparent body that allows you to easily control the degree of filling and the consumption of ammunition.

The plastic stock, adjustable in length, is equipped with a ribbed butt pad

PP plastic stock, folding on the right side of the receiver. In this case, the weapon does not lose its ability to fire. If such a need arises, then the butt can be completely separated from the weapon. In terms of its structure, the butt is very similar to the butt of the Belgian FN SCAR assault rifle, which served as the prototype for the CZ805 BREN rifle. A feature of the stock is its telescopic design, which allows it to be adjusted in length. The new "Scorpion" can be changed horizontally and the position of the pistol grip. The ability to adjust in accordance with the individual characteristics of the shooter was not advanced in TTZ by any of the potential customers, however, thanks to this initiative of the designers, the weapon has excellent ergonomics and, with a quick attachment, is immediately aimed at the target. The pistol grip of the military version A1 differs from the grip of the civilian model S1: the latter has a smaller volume and does not allow mounting a trigger with automatic firing modes from the combat version. Therefore, the conversion of the civilian version into an automatic weapon is excluded.

The horizontal position of the pistol grip can be changed in accordance with the individual characteristics of the shooter

The PP can be used both with a standard "two-point" belt with attachment for two swivels, and with a "three-point" belt, allowing you to carry the weapon behind your back "in an alpine way", like biathletes. Other included accessories of the third "Scorpion" include a silencer, LCC, tactical flashlights with attachment devices, additional handles, and red dot collimator sights.

Of particular note is the simplicity of the design of the Czech submachine gun, which consists of more than 90 parts. A very high rate of fire, equal to 1150 rds / min, and allowing a 30-round magazine to be discharged within 1.6 seconds, is striking. Nevertheless, the weapon is well controlled even with continuous firing in long bursts. The merit here belongs to the excellent shock absorption of the bolt in the extreme rear position, although the plastic buffer device used in the PP looks very modest. Most likely, the lion's share of the impact energy is absorbed by the plastic receiver - this effect is well known in pistols with a polymer frame, which have a noticeably "softer" recoil compared to their all-metal counterparts.

Application

Initially, it was believed that the third generation "Scorpion" is a proactive development of the company, intended primarily for export. CZ's reputation and legendary name could well have been the key to the success of the Scorpion EVO 3 A1 in the international arms market. However, when an order from the Czech Ministry of Defense followed for a new submachine gun, it came as a surprise even for military experts. The Czech Ministry of Defense signed a contract in the spring of 2010 for the supply of 572 Scorpion EVO 3 A1 PPs as a personal self-defense weapon to equip the guards of Prague Castle. The contract provides, in addition to the purchase of the weapon itself, the supply of accessories and ammunition for it. The Prague Castle Guard Brigade is an elite unit of the Czech army, which, in addition to representative functions, performs the tasks of protecting the residence of the President of the Czech Republic and his guests.

In 2012, a civilian version of the CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1 PP was presented, which was named the CZ Scorpion EVO 3 S1 pistol carbine. It is intended for professional and semi-professional training of representatives of law enforcement agencies, private security guards, self-defense, IPSC athletes or just amateur shooters. Magazine capacity 5, 10, 15 or 20 rounds. Interestingly, one of the Danish firms has already released an Airsoft version of the software.

In addition, representatives of the company said that the new "Scorpions" are already being used by the Czech army special forces. This relatively small but fundamentally important success has sparked a surge of interest in the new PP on the part of various security agencies. So, for example, according to unofficial, but reliable information, the new "Scorpion" has already been seen in the hands of soldiers of one of the special forces of the Czech police. The listed facts, of course, give the Czech gunsmiths reason for optimism, but let's not get ahead of the events. As they say in the Czech Republic, you should not praise the day until evening. And yet, two important conclusions can be drawn with absolute certainty.

First, the development and adoption of such models as the CZ 805 BREN assault rifle (see."Brother" No. 10, 2012) and the Scorpion EVO 3 A1 submachine gun, showed that the Czech arms industry has overcome a protracted crisis and is able to compete with the world's leading manufacturers. The third "Scorpion" is quite capable of claiming the role of PP to replace the well-deserved Hecker & Koch MP5, which has become almost a standard model of a submachine gun for police and special forces.

If necessary, the flame arrester can be screwed from the muzzle of the barrel and replaced with a muzzle device for silent and flameless shooting

Secondly, on the example of the Scorpion EVO 3 A1, a tendency towards preference for submachine guns of the so-called "heavy class" was clearly manifested. Although the "light class" PPs, to which the former Scorpions belong, the Polish PM-63 RAK, the Israeli Mini-Uzi and Micro-Uzi, or the American Ingram, compare favorably with the heavy PPs in terms of size and weight, they significant disadvantages, such as high ammunition consumption, insufficient stability when firing bursts, and inconvenience of holding with both hands. Heavy PPs, to which the Scorpion EVO 3 A1 belongs, are distinguished by their higher fire efficiency and much better ergonomics. The convenience of handling weapons has acquired particular importance today, since a modern fighter, as a rule, has to shoot in protective equipment (body armor, gloves). And if this is the case in winter, when winter clothes are also worn? In this case, ergonomics becomes paramount. And one more indisputable plus of the heavy PP: it is much easier to ensure the installation of modern sighting optoelectronics, such as night and day optical sights, collimators, laser sighting devices and tactical flashlights. Of course, there are situations when a light PP is more preferable - for example, if concealed carrying of weapons is necessary. Therefore, the class of light PPs has a right to exist, but the niche they occupy is much smaller than that of PPs of the heavy class. In addition, recently, light PPs had to make room for a little in connection with the emergence of a new type of small arms - PDW, as well as self-loading pistols with high-capacity magazines. In this regard, CZ hit the very spot, making a stake in the course of its proactive development specifically on the heavy-class PP. However, there are no obstacles to creating a light PP based on the Scorpion EVO 3 A1, as, for example, did Heckler & Koch, releasing a shortened and lightweight version of the MP5 K based on its heavy MP5. Regardless of this, the release of the third "Scorpion" on the market has become a notable event in the arms world.