Telling Them Apart: The vz. 61, Its 9 mm Relatives, the Yugoslav M84 and the Semi-Automatic Pistols

The variants from the maker's own catalogue and the photographs, identified by their markings: wood and plastic grips, the vz. 64, 65 and 68 prototypes, the vz. 83 and the CZ 91 S, the 9×19 Škorpion and the CZ 868, the Yugoslav M84 and its name collision, D-Technik and Czech Small Arms pistols, US-made receivers, and why the CZ Scorpion EVO is not a Škorpion at all

3.1 The rule: read the markings first

Every Škorpion looks like every other Škorpion from across a room. The differences that matter, select-fire or semi-automatic, 7.65 mm or 9 mm, Czechoslovak, Yugoslav, Czech or American, are on the receiver’s left side: the calibre and model marking above the magazine and the figures around the selector. Grip material and magazine shape narrow the field but prove nothing, because grips and magazines are interchangeable within a calibre and have been swapped on surplus guns.

The identification rule used for every photograph in this dive is: model and maker from the receiver marking where legible, or from the museum’s or maker’s own label; fire modes from the selector’s figures; calibre from the marking or, where there is none, from the magazine (curved for 7.65 mm, straight for the 9 mm versions in CZ’s own catalogue).¹ An uploader’s description is not enough on its own: one of the photographs below was uploaded as a “vz.61E” in 9 mm Parabellum and is marked CZ SKORPION 9x19.

3.2 Four left sides

Figure 1 — Four Škorpions, left sides, not to one scale. A: a vz. 61 with the original wooden grip and 20-round magazine (Land68, CC0). B: a vz. 61 with the later plastic grip and the 10-round magazine; the p… — Figure 1 — Four Škorpions, left sides, not to one scale. A: a vz. 61 with the original wooden grip and 20-round magazine (Land68, CC0). B: a vz. 61 with the later plastic grip and the 10-round magazine; the photograph carries a Česká zbrojovka watermark (uploaded by Pibwl, CC BY-SA 3.0). C: a gun marked CZ SKORPION 9x19, straight magazine (Pibwl, CC BY-SA 3.0). D: Czech Small Arms' semi-automatic Sa vz. 61 Pistol in 9 mm Makarov, with a clear polymer magazine (Land68, CC0). Numbered key: 1 grip, wood or plastic; 2 magazine, curved for 7.65 mm and straight for 9 mm; 3 selector and its figures. All via Wikimedia Commons; composite for this dive.

All four share the receiver, the wire stock folded over the top with its loop around the muzzle, the cocking knob on the side, and the upright grip that houses the rate reducer on the select-fire guns (Volume 2). The 9×19 mm gun (C) has a visibly larger magazine well for its straight double-column magazine.

3.3 The selector tells select-fire from semi-automatic

Figure 2 — Selector figures, left side. Left: a vz. 61, marked 20, 0 and 1; the lever, here at the middle position, covers the 0. Centre: the CZ Škorpion 9×19, marked 30, 0 and 1. Right: Czech Small Arms' sem… — Figure 2 — Selector figures, left side. Left: a vz. 61, marked 20, 0 and 1; the lever, here at the middle position, covers the 0. Centre: the CZ Škorpion 9×19, marked 30, 0 and 1. Right: Czech Small Arms' semi-automatic pistol, marked only 1 and 0. Crops of the photographs in the plate above (Land68, CC0; Pibwl, CC BY-SA 3.0).

The original’s three positions are 0 (safe, middle), 1 (single shots, rearward) and 20 (automatic, forward).² A gun whose selector shows only 1 and 0 is a semi-automatic pistol (D in the plate). A 30 in place of the 20 marks the 9×19 mm CZ Škorpion. What the 20 and 30 stand for is not stated in any source found.

The figures prove what the receiver was marked for, not what the parts inside it now do. A gun marked 20, 0, 1 may be a deactivated or re-classified gun. The current pistol’s maker sells it with the selector reading 1 and 0 only.³

3.4 The vz. 61: wood and plastic, and what the markings say

The service gun was made by Česká zbrojovka at Uherský Brod from 1962 or 1963 (Volume 1). Its standard data, from CZ’s catalogue: 7.65 mm Browning, 270 mm long with the stock folded and 522 mm unfolded, 115 mm barrel, 1.30 kg without magazine, curved magazines of 10 and 20 rounds.¹

Figure 3 — Česká zbrojovka's catalogue page for the "Samopal vz. 61 - Škorpion", with its data table: 7.65 mm; 522/270 mm; barrel 115 mm; sight radius 148 mm; width 43 mm; height 167 mm; sights for 75 and 150… — Figure 3 — Česká zbrojovka's catalogue page for the "Samopal vz. 61 - Škorpion", with its data table: 7.65 mm; 522/270 mm; barrel 115 mm; sight radius 148 mm; width 43 mm; height 167 mm; sights for 75 and 150 m; cyclic rate 750 rounds per minute; 1.30 kg without magazine. The gun shown has the plastic grip. Undated, 1990s; reproduced by Forgotten Weapons, 2013.

Grips. Early guns had a wooden grip with vertical flutes; later guns a black plastic grip with the same flutes and a thumb shelf. Czech reference works date the change to 1978, but no primary source for the date was found.⁴ Grips are interchangeable, so a grip dates nothing by itself.

Finish. Small Arms Review describes the parts kits imported into the United States as being of two types, the later one, of 1975 to 1976, with “a tough, dark grey-blue powder paint finish”.⁵ Nothing else found dates the finishes.

Markings. The gun in panel A carries, on the left of the body, CZECH REPUBLIC above the magazine catch and a double-struck MADE IN … CZECH REPUBLIC beside the selector. “Czech Republic” dates the stamping to 1993 or later, which on a gun made in 1962 to 1979 means it was marked again for export or sale after the split of Czechoslovakia. The original Czechoslovak factory marking was not documented in any primary source found for this dive, and none is described here.

Figure 4 — The left of the body of the vz. 61 in panel A: CZECH REPUBLIC above the magazine catch, a double-struck MADE IN ... CZECH REPUBLIC, and the selector figures. Crop of a photograph by Land68, CC0, vi… — Figure 4 — The left of the body of the vz. 61 in panel A: CZECH REPUBLIC above the magazine catch, a double-struck MADE IN ... CZECH REPUBLIC, and the selector figures. Crop of a photograph by Land68, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The designation “vz. 61 E” appears on photographs and in reference works and is often explained as an export model. No primary source for it was found; it is recorded here as unconfirmed.

3.5 Rybář’s 9 mm prototypes: vz. 64, vz. 65 and vz. 68

CZ’s history names three 9 mm developments by Rybář, none adopted:⁶

Table 1 — Rybář's 9 mm prototypes: vz. 64, vz. 65 and vz. 68

Model	Cartridge	Status (CZ)
vz. 64	9 mm Browning (.380 ACP, 9×17)	prototype, mid-1960s
vz. 65	9 mm Makarov (9×18)	prototype, mid-1960s
vz. 68	9 mm Luger (9×19)	“the last and most advanced design”, finished before Rybář’s death in 1970

Forgotten Weapons describes the vz. 68 as “developed as an export variant”.⁷ The sectioned drawing of the vz. 68 in Volume 2 shows its double-column straight magazine. No photograph of any of the three was found.

3.6 The vz. 82

Reference works describe a vz. 82 in 9 mm Makarov, developed around 1980 to go with the Czechoslovak 9 mm vz. 82 pistol and its cartridge, with magazines of 12 and 24 rounds, and built only as prototypes. Forgotten Weapons says it “introduced a number of manufacturing changes”.⁷⁴ No maker’s or army document for it was found, and it is listed here so that it is not confused with the pistole vz. 82, a different weapon.

3.7 The vz. 83: the 9 mm Browning Škorpion CZ sold

CZ’s catalogue offered the vz. 83 as a weapon “for universal use”, ideal for police forces and security services of all kinds, small enough to be “carried concealed in a shoulder holster”, and able to take a suppressor.¹

Figure 5 — Česká zbrojovka's catalogue page for the "Samopal vz. 83 - Škorpion" in 9 mm Browning, with straight magazines of 12, 24 and 30 rounds. Its table gives the same dimensions as the vz. 61, a cyclic r… — Figure 5 — Česká zbrojovka's catalogue page for the "Samopal vz. 83 - Škorpion" in 9 mm Browning, with straight magazines of 12, 24 and 30 rounds. Its table gives the same dimensions as the vz. 61, a cyclic rate of 900 rounds per minute and a maximum range of about 1,300 m. Undated, 1990s; reproduced by Forgotten Weapons, 2013.

The page’s data, against the vz. 61’s on the following page:¹

Table 2 — The vz. 83: the 9 mm Browning Škorpion CZ sold

Item	vz. 83	vz. 61
Cartridge	9 mm Browning	7.65 mm Browning
Length, unfolded / folded	522 / 270 mm	522 / 270 mm
Barrel	115 mm	115 mm
Cyclic rate	900 rpm	750 rpm
Combat rate, short bursts	110 rpm	100 rpm
Effective range, hand / shoulder	up to 50 / up to 150 m	up to 50 / 150 m
Maximum range	about 1,300 m	about 1,500 m
Weight without magazine	1.30 kg	1.30 kg
Magazines	12, 24, 30 rounds, straight	10, 20 rounds, curved
Empty magazine weight	0.10 / 0.14 / 0.18 kg	0.07 / 0.10 kg

CZ also claims for the vz. 83 operation from -50 °C to +70 °C in dust and rain, “100 per cent interchangeability of parts” and “easy disassembly without the use of tools”.¹ Forgotten Weapons reads the page the same way: “the same size and weight as the vz.61”, with a select-fire trigger mechanism.⁸

3.8 The CZ 91 S: CZ’s own semi-automatic

CZ’s catalogue describes the CZ 91 S as “a self-loading pistol fitted with a folding shoulder rest, having the external form identical to the automatic weapon Škorpion”, intended for personal protection, sport shooting and collectors.¹ Three calibres were offered.

Figure 6 — Česká zbrojovka's catalogue page for the semi-automatic CZ 91 S: 7.65 mm Browning, 9 mm Browning or 9 mm Makarov; 310 m/s; 270/522 mm; barrel 115 mm; 1.14 kg in 7.65 mm and 1.28 kg in the 9 mm cali… — Figure 6 — Česká zbrojovka's catalogue page for the semi-automatic CZ 91 S: 7.65 mm Browning, 9 mm Browning or 9 mm Makarov; 310 m/s; 270/522 mm; barrel 115 mm; 1.14 kg in 7.65 mm and 1.28 kg in the 9 mm calibres; magazines of 10 and 20 rounds in 7.65 mm, 12, 24 and 30 in 9 mm. The inset shows a version with a bright upper and a wooden grip. Undated, 1990s; reproduced by Forgotten Weapons, 2013.

Note the weight: 1.14 kg for the 7.65 mm CZ 91 S against 1.30 kg for the vz. 61, a difference CZ’s page does not explain; the absence of the rate reducer is one possible reason, but it is not stated. As sold in Europe it kept the folding stock, which in the United States would make it a short-barrelled rifle (Volume 6).

3.9 The CZ Škorpion 9×19 and the CZ 868

A gun marked CZ SKORPION 9x19 and MADE IN CZECH REPUBLIC, with a selector marked 30, 0 and 1 and a straight magazine, is panel C of the plate above. Czech Wikipedia describes a CZ Škorpion in 9×19 mm shown as a prototype in 1999, with sights for 75, 150 and 250 m and magazines of 10, 20 and 30 rounds; the photograph’s markings agree with the calibre and the 30 on the selector, but no CZ document for it was found.⁴

The CZ 868 went further from the original: a fixed butt, a vertical foregrip, a rail with a red-dot sight and a suppressor, displayed at a trade show with a card reading “CZ 868 Scorpion”. Czech Wikipedia describes an XCZ 868 as the last prototype, in 9×19 mm with a telescoping stock, a detachable foregrip and an ambidextrous cocking lever.⁴

Figure 7 — A CZ 868 at a trade show, with fixed butt, vertical foregrip, top rail and red-dot sight, and suppressor; display card "CZ 868 Scorpion". Photograph by Pibwl, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

3.10 Yugoslavia: the M84, and the other M84

Yugoslavia made the Škorpion under licence. CZ names the licence copy as the Zastava M-84.⁶ Small Arms Review in 2006 called the Yugoslav guns “M61(j)”, “still being produced”.⁵ Czech Wikipedia puts licence production at Crvena Zastava in Kragujevac in the mid-1980s, says the M84 had a synthetic grip, and names a semi-automatic M84A, also in .380 ACP; none of these points was found in a Zastava document.⁴ Zastava’s current military catalogue does not list any Škorpion.⁹

The name causes a real confusion. Zastava’s M84 is also, and today much better known as, a general-purpose machine gun in 7.62×54R. A United Nations panel’s list of arms flown from Belgrade to Liberia in 2002 shows both in one consignment: “60 automatic pistols M84, 7.65mm” and “5 machine guns M84, 7.62mm”, with 75,000 rounds of 7.65 mm ammunition.¹⁰ A reference to “M84” without a calibre or a type cannot be taken as a Škorpion, and most photographs labelled “Zastava M84” on Wikimedia Commons are of the machine gun.

The one photograph used in this dive of a Škorpion in Serbian hands is in Volume 4. It is labelled in the Belgrade Military Museum as an “automatic pistol 7.65 mm Scorpion”. From the photograph alone, it cannot be told whether it is Czechoslovak or Yugoslav made.

3.11 D-Technik and Czech Small Arms

Two Czech companies made semi-automatic Škorpions after CZ stopped.

D-Technik a.s. made the pistol imported into the United States from 2009. Small Arms Review described it as “newly manufactured”, “redesigned in a semiautomatic-only capacity to allow import and sale for civilian purchase”, with a new safety, the rate reducer removed, and “the rear of the receiver … smooth”, without the stock mount. Its barrel was 4.5 in (115 mm) and its suggested retail price $599. The US distributor was Czechpoint, Inc. of Knoxville, Tennessee.¹¹ Rock Island Auction’s descriptions of D-Technik pistols sold in 2018 and 2020 give 7.65 mm, a 4½-inch barrel, and hardwood or laminate grips, with estimates of $750 to $1,100 for one pistol (June 2018) and $900 to $1,300 for a pair (November 2020); the prices realised are not public.¹²¹³

Figure 8 — A semi-automatic D-Technik Škorpion pistol, right side, without a stock: the receiver marked D-TECHNIK a.s. CZECH REPUBLIC and, on a panel, PATENT PENDING. Photograph by Surv1v4l1st, CC BY-SA 4.0, … — Figure 8 — A semi-automatic D-Technik Škorpion pistol, right side, without a stock: the receiver marked D-TECHNIK a.s. CZECH REPUBLIC and, on a panel, PATENT PENDING. Photograph by Surv1v4l1st, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Czech Small Arms (CSA) of Jablůnka nad Bečvou describes itself as “the only manufacturer of legendary sa vz. 58 rifles and sa vz. 61 pistols”.¹⁴ Pazdera writes that it started new production after 2008, “in semi-automatic and fully automatic form and in four calibres”.¹⁵ Its civilian Sa vz. 61 Pistol is made in 7.65 mm Browning, 9 mm Browning, 9 mm Makarov and .22 LR. Its manual: “The pistol can shoot in single shots only”, two 20-round magazines (two 10-round in Canada), effective range up to 200 m in its general description and up to 150 m in its specification table, weight without magazine 1.29 kg in 7.65 mm.³ Czechpoint now sells CSA’s pistols in the United States: on 20 October 2026 its store listed vz. 61 pistols in .32 ACP, .380 ACP (“Gen 2”) and .22 LR, each with a threaded barrel at $1,079.00, all out of stock that day, and its stock mounting plate is “designed for all Czech Small Arms VZ. 61” pistols. Unlike the D-Technik pistol, the current frame is “drilled and tapped for optional folding stock plate” (Volume 6 explains why that matters).¹⁶ Reviews say CSA is D-Technik under a new name; CSA’s own pages do not mention D-Technik, and no document settling it was found.

Figure 9 — Czech Small Arms' semi-automatic Sa vz. 61 Pistol in its three frame sizes, from its manual: left to right, 7.65 mm Browning; 9 mm Browning and 9 mm Makarov, with a straight clear polymer magazine;… — Figure 9 — Czech Small Arms' semi-automatic Sa vz. 61 Pistol in its three frame sizes, from its manual: left to right, 7.65 mm Browning; 9 mm Browning and 9 mm Makarov, with a straight clear polymer magazine; .22 LR. Czech Small Arms, Sa vz. 61 Pistol Instructions Manual, 2016, figure 1.

3.12 US-made receivers

In 2005 a US company, RT Manufacturing, obtained ATF’s approval of a semi-automatic Škorpion receiver made in the United States. Small Arms Review reported that ATF “issued their approval on 25 August 2005”, that a receiver made to the approved specification “is not readily convertible” to automatic fire, and that apart from US markings and “no folding stock dovetail, you cannot tell the difference”.⁵ The same company was to supply automatic receivers as post-1986 dealer samples. The legal status of guns on these receivers is in Volume 6; how such guns are assembled is not covered by this hub.

3.13 The CZ Scorpion EVO 3 is a different gun

CZ’s current submachine gun, the CZ Scorpion EVO 3, borrows the name and nothing else of substance. CZ describes it as a “lightweight, automatic firearm featuring a patented blowback design with a massive dynamic bolt and removable trigger housing”.¹⁷ As the photograph shows, it has a polymer receiver, a conventional angled grip and a side-folding stock; CZ’s description mentions no rate reducer, and there is no wire stock. It is not covered by this dive.

Figure 10 — A CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1, left side, with a red-dot sight: a different design that shares only the name. Photograph by Land68, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

3.14 Tell them apart

Table 3 — Tell them apart

Feature	Where to look	What it tells you
Selector figures 20, 0, 1	left side, above the grip	marked select-fire, 7.65 mm or the vz. 83
Selector figures 30, 0, 1	same	CZ Škorpion 9×19
Selector figures 1, 0 only	same	semi-automatic pistol (CSA; D-Technik)
CZ SKORPION 9x19	left of the body, above the magazine well	the 9×19 mm CZ gun
D-TECHNIK a.s.	right of the body	D-Technik semi-automatic pistol
Sa vz. 61 with calibre “9 mm Makarov”, “.22 LR” and so on	left of the body	Czech Small Arms pistol
CZECH REPUBLIC	anywhere	marked in 1993 or later, whatever the year of manufacture
Curved magazine, 10 or 20 rounds	magazine	7.65 mm
Straight magazine, 12, 24 or 30 rounds	magazine	9 mm (vz. 83, CZ 91 S in 9 mm, CSA 9 mm pistols)
Clear polymer magazine	magazine	CSA pistol in 9 mm
Wooden fluted grip	grip	earlier vz. 61, or a replacement; dates nothing by itself
Smooth receiver rear, no stock pivot	rear of the body	D-Technik pistol, or a US-made receiver
Fixed butt, foregrip, rail	whole gun	CZ 868 family
Polymer receiver, conventional stock	whole gun	CZ Scorpion EVO 3, a different design
”M84” in a document	calibre and type	7.65 mm automatic pistol is the Škorpion; 7.62 mm is the machine gun

3.15 What could not be verified

What “vz. 61 E” means, and whether it was an official designation.
The original Czechoslovak factory markings of the vz. 61.
The vz. 82: any maker’s or army document.
The CZ Škorpion 9×19 and the CZ 868: any CZ document or date.
The Yugoslav M84’s licence date, factory and differences, and the M84A.
Whether Czech Small Arms is D-Technik renamed.
Who makes US-made receivers today.
Why the CZ 91 S weighs 160 g less than the vz. 61.

References

Česká zbrojovka, catalogue pages 17 (“CZ 91 S”), 18 (“Samopal vz. 83 - Škorpion”) and 19 (“Samopal vz. 61 - Škorpion”), undated, 1990s, reproduced in Ian McCollum, “Czech vz.61 Photos and Catalog”, Forgotten Weapons, 9 October 2013, https://www.forgottenweapons.com/czech-vz-61-photos-and-catalog/ (accessed 2026-10-20). Translations for this dive. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶
US Army Foreign Science and Technology Center, Small Arms Identification and Operation Guide: Eurasian Communist Countries, FSTC-CS-07-35-66, July 1967, paragraph 27, https://archive.org/details/fstc-cs-07-35-66-small-arms-identification-and-operation-guide-eurasian-communist-countries (accessed 2026-10-19). ↩
Czech Small Arms s.r.o., Sa vz. 61 Pistol Instructions Manual, PDF dated 29 September 2016, https://csa.co.cz/files/files/texty/1639562589_sa_vz_61_pistol_instructions_manual.pdf (accessed 2026-10-19). ↩ ↩²
“Samopal vzor 61”, Czech Wikipedia, https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samopal_vzor_61 (accessed 2026-10-19). Cited only where it is the sole source, and labelled. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵
William R. Bishop, “The Skorpion Comes to America”, Small Arms Review vol. 9 no. 11, August 2006, https://smallarmsreview.com/?p=4361 (accessed 2026-10-19). ↩ ↩² ↩³
Česká zbrojovka a.s., “Vz. 61 Škorpion – The PDW Founding Father”, 28 November 2022, https://www.czfirearms.com/news/vz-61-skorpion-the-pdw-founding-father (accessed 2026-10-19). ↩ ↩²
Ian McCollum, “Vz61 Skorpion”, Forgotten Weapons, undated, https://www.forgottenweapons.com/submachine-guns/vz61-skorpion/ (accessed 2026-10-19). ↩ ↩²
Ian McCollum, “Czech vz.61 Photos and Catalog”, Forgotten Weapons, 9 October 2013, https://www.forgottenweapons.com/czech-vz-61-photos-and-catalog/ (accessed 2026-10-20). ↩
Zastava Oružje, military products catalogue 2024, https://zastava-arms.rs/upload/vojni_katalog_2024_s.pdf (searched 2026-10-20). ↩
United Nations Security Council, letter of 24 October 2002 from the Chairman of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1343 (2001) concerning Liberia, transmitting the report of the Panel of Experts on Liberia, S/2002/1115, 25 October 2002, annex, paragraphs 64 and 65 and Table 1, https://documents.un.org/api/symbol/access?s=S/2002/1115&l=en&t=pdf (accessed 2026-10-20). ↩
Jeff W. Zimba, “SA VZ. 61 Scorpion from Czechpoint, Inc.”, Small Arms Review vol. 12 no. 6, March 2009, https://smallarmsreview.com/?p=14942 (accessed 2026-10-19). ↩
Rock Island Auction Company, lot 1048, 21 June 2018, “D-Technik VZ61 Scorpion Semi-Automatic Pistol with Extra Magazines, Holster and Pouches”, https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/1031/1048/dtechnk-scorpion-pistol-765-mm (accessed 2026-10-20). ↩
Rock Island Auction Company, lot 456, 18 November 2020, “Two D-Technik VZ 61 Scorpion Semi-Automatic Pistols with Cases”, https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/2037/456/two-dtechnik-vz-61-scorpion-semiautomatic-pistols-with-cases (accessed 2026-10-20). ↩
Czech Small Arms, home page, https://csa.co.cz/ (accessed 2026-10-19). ↩
David Pazdera, “Jak vznikl Škorpion: žádost o vývoj”, Střelecká revue, January 2022, p. 74, https://www.streleckarevue.cz/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/74-skorpion.pdf (accessed 2026-10-19). ↩
Czechpoint, Inc., “Vz. 61 Pistols”, https://czechpoint-usa.com/vz-61-pistols/ ; “Vz. 61 Pistol (.22 LR) Threaded”, https://czechpoint-usa.com/vz-61-pistol-22-lr-threaded/ ; “VZ. 61 Stock Mounting Plate”, https://czechpoint-usa.com/vz-61-stock-mounting-plate/ (read 2026-10-20). ↩
Česká zbrojovka, “CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1”, product page, https://www.czfirearms.com/en-us/mle-products/submachine-guns/cz-scorpion-evo3-a1 (accessed 2026-10-20). ↩