I think I found my next .32 handgun- Zastava M70

[TTv2]

While looking at surplus 7.62x25 pistols on AIM Surplus, I saw the Zastava M70 and I've been thinking about and looking for a .32 ACP pistol, one that's got some history and isn't a modern pistol designed specifically for concealed carry. Most .32's made back in the day have crude sights that don't help much with accuracy, about the only one that doesn't is the Beretta model 100 with the 6 inch barrel.

Those would be great, but the price is a bit much for me.

Savage 1907's look really cool, but I'd be stuck with one magazine and I don't like that. I'm not sure how available M70 mags are, but they can't be as difficult or pricey to get as Savage .32 1907 mags are.

Colt 1903's are great guns, but they suffer from the poor sights like most guns of that time had. I figure if I'm stuck with poor sights, then any well made .32 will work and the M70 isn't junk by any standards, not when it's basically a scaled down Tokarev.

So, any M70 owners out there? Are spare mags available?

 

[lincen]

32 acp’s are one of my favorite calibers. The M70 is well worth the price if it’s like the one I bought. It was even fun removing all the grease to reveal a slightly holster worn pistol. Mags were plentiful but don’t know now but if you need an extra let me know. Most of the 32’s you mentioned are also in my safe and even have 2 Beretta 100’s. The CZ 27 has become one of my favorites, built like a tank but not overbuilt.

 

[MedWheeler]

It definitely has some history. The Vzor 50 and 70 were largely issued to officers with the Czechoslovakian State Security Bureau. This was the country's national intelligence and security agency, and is known to have been even more ruthless with its home-country's citizenry than the Soviet KGB was. I have a 70 which is in near-pristine condition, made in 1973, if I remember right. Admittedly, I have yet to shoot it.

 

[Tallball]

I got a Model 70 NiB. I honestly didn't care for it. It fit my hand poorly and wasn't fun to shoot. I have XXL hands and one of my shooting buddies has tiny hands. He didn't like shooting it, either. Maybe we both disliked the grip angle? I don't remember for sure. It's been a few years. I ended up trading it towards something else.

The one I really like is the Hungarian one made by FEG. I think mine is called a Model AP9, maybe? Anyway, it's basically a Walther PP copy with an aluminum frame. The balance is excellent. My FiL liked mine so much that he got one, too. I think we each paid $225-$250 for them. FEG is now defunct, but you can find them used on GB regularly. Just my two cents. YMMV.

FEG AP9 32acp

• Tallball
• Dec 28, 2017

 

[Tallball]

I have a couple of other fun military/police surplus 32acp pistols. This Mauser Model 1914 was (according to its stamps) accepted into Imperial German service, but apparently never issued to the military. It has reasonable sights and barrel length, so its accuracy is pretty good. It's fun to shoot, but mildly annoying to field strip.

Mauser 1914

• Tallball
• Jul 4, 2018

Taurus actually made a 32acp version of their PT111 pistol (the one that's called something like the G2 now). I think it was called the Model PT132. Depending on how well my memory is working today, they may or may not have been used as police pistols in Japan. I ran across one on GB a couple of years ago and won it for a pretty low bid. It has nice sights and barrel length for a 32acp. Unfortunately mine is DAO, so that makes it a little more difficult to shoot well. I don't recall if they were all DAO or not.

Taurus Model PT132

• Tallball
• Sep 20, 2018

 

[TTv2]

Taurus actually made a 32acp version of their PT111 pistol (the one that's called something like the G2 now). I think it was called the Model PT132. Depending on how well my memory is working today, they may or may not have been used as police pistols in Japan. I ran across one on GB a couple of years ago and won it for a pretty low bid. It has nice sights and barrel length for a 32acp. Unfortunately mine is DAO, so that makes it a little more difficult to shoot well. I don't recall if they were all DAO or not.

Taurus Model PT132

• Tallball
• Sep 20, 2018

I believe the PT132 were all DAO. Taurus, like most others who made a polymer pistol for CCW in the 00s did, felt it necessary to put a heavy DAO trigger in those guns.

 

[Cump]

I don't have one, but definitely understand the appeal. Eye of the beholder, of course, but the m70 is a good looking pistol.

 

[Palolosj]

Another 7,65 option would be CZ-83. Few years back LGS had some on special closeout price because they could not move any they had in stock.

 

[Ignition Override]

CZ-83: should be an excellent choice for a .32 Auto.

I had the CZ-82 in 9x8 Mak.,and really liked it (superb ergos and trigger), but wanted to condense my collection. You can also buy the CZ-83 in the common .380 Auto.
Many which were imported were probably Israeli "turn-ins."

The lack of a decocker bothers many people, and they are confused about whether the CZ-82/83 is "drop safe". It never bothered me, but many people don't trust using their hands to lower a hammer, even in their garage.

 

[TTv2]

Another 7,65 option would be CZ-83. Few years back LGS had some on special closeout price because they could not move any they had in stock.

Not a surprise, .32's aren't exactly popular in the US, especially if they're made by a foreign company.

 

[lincen]

Not a surprise, .32's aren't exactly popular in the US, especially if they're made by a foreign company.

About four years ago I bought a Bersa Thunder in 32acp from a local pawn shop for $200. These have an extended 10 round magazine an one of the better triggers I’ve seen on a 32.

Sort of mixed feelings about the popularity of handguns chambered for this round. I wish more folks would just try them but the prices would certainly go up.

 

[Plan2Live]

I'd like to own a Sig 230 chambered in .32 but they are 1) hard to find and 2) too expensive to justify.

 

[Jeb Stuart]

Does anyone know what handgun is displayed at the Army National Infantry museum in Atlanta Ga. I was down there a few weeks ago, saw the pistol and holster but got caught up in some other things and did not get a picture of the Pistol what was surrendered by the Nazi general. All it had listed was the caliber. 7.62x25

Surrender

​

Field Marshall Keitel signs the surender terms
at Russian headquarters, Berlin May 9, 1945
"The next day, General Wilding, the commander of the German troops in Berlin, finally surrendered the entire city to the Soviet army. There was no radio or newspaper, so vans with loudspeakers drove through the streets ordering us to cease all resistance. Suddenly, the shooting and bombing stopped and the unreal silence meant that one ordeal was over for us and another was about to begin. Our nightmare had become a reality. The entire three hundred square miles of what was left of Berlin were now completely under control of the Red Army. The last days of savage house to house fighting and street battles had been a human slaughter, with no prisoners being taken on either side. These final days were hell. Our last remaining and exhausted troops, primarily children and old men, stumbled into imprisonment. We were a city in ruins; almost no house remained intact."

 

[jstert]

i considered the zastava m70 but it seems too big and heavy for a pocket ccw, which is my intended use for 32acp, and spare mags seem rare. i have, and want to like better, a naa guardian but i’m not keen on its trigger. keltec p32 seems too thin and plasticky. i don’t enjoy shooting it in 380acp but i sure wish that ruger offered a lcp2 in 32acp.

 

[TTv2]

i considered the zastava m70 but it seems too big and heavy for a pocket ccw, which is my intended use for 32acp, and spare mags seem rare. i have, and want to like better, a naa guardian but i’m not keen on its trigger. keltec p32 seems too thin and plasticky. i don’t enjoy shooting it in 380acp but i sure wish that ruger offered a lcp2 in 32acp.

It's about the size of a Glock 26 and it's all steel, I believe.

I'm not getting it for conceal carry, I just want a .32 that's well made, has decent sights and doesn't cost over $500. The crap thing about almost all .32's is the sights are garbage.

 

[Tallball]

IIRC, my Model 70 was all steel. It was a heavy little bugger, which is fine by me. If it's not for CC, I prefer them heavy.

A CZ83 or Sig P230 in 32acp would be dreamy. Unfortunately, I am guessing they are both kind of rare. If not, I would own one of each.

It took three or four months, but I watched GB daily and finally won a Beretta Model 100 for a bid of around $400. It's about as accurate as a similar 22lr. If someone wanted an extremely accurate 32acp with good sights, my recommendation would be to haunt Gunbroker until you get lucky on one. I have some other good-shooting 32acp pistols, but none of them will ever have this kind of accuracy potential. Ironically, my understanding is that the long barrel and target sights were just put on there to get enough post-1968 "points" to be able to import it, but I don't really care what the reasons were.

Beretta Model 100

• Tallball
• Sep 24, 2017

 

[Joel Shrader]

While looking at surplus 7.62x25 pistols on AIM Surplus, I saw the Zastava M70 and I've been thinking about and looking for a .32 ACP pistol, one that's got some history and isn't a modern pistol designed specifically for concealed carry. Most .32's made back in the day have crude sights that don't help much with accuracy, about the only one that doesn't is the Beretta model 100 with the 6 inch barrel.

Those would be great, but the price is a bit much for me.

Savage 1907's look really cool, but I'd be stuck with one magazine and I don't like that. I'm not sure how available M70 mags are, but they can't be as difficult or pricey to get as Savage .32 1907 mags are.

Colt 1903's are great guns, but they suffer from the poor sights like most guns of that time had. I figure if I'm stuck with poor sights, then any well made .32 will work and the M70 isn't junk by any standards, not when it's basically a scaled down Tokarev.

So, any M70 owners out there? Are spare mags available?

I currently own a model 70 32acp and find it to be one of my favorite shooting pistols. It's a little heavy for pocket carry but , perfect for IWB or OWB . Very little recoil , and accurate. The sights are standard steel military style but , can be helped with a little paint for old eyes.

J & G sales has them for $199 and plenty of spare mags for $19 each. Great pistol and fun to shoot.

 

[Monac]

Having owned both, I like the Romanian Cugir (aka Carpati) Model 94 32 automatic much better than the Zastava Model 70 32. The Carpati has an alloy frame so it is significantly lighter, it is more compact, and although the grip shape looks awkward, I found that it was actually excellent for me. It is a copy of the Walther PPk, and so is a more up-to-date design than the Model 70, and much easier to field strip. The single action trigger pull on my Model 94 is good, and so accuracy was good as well. The sights aren't exceptional, but they are big enough to be useful. Magazines still seem to be available on GunBroker.

This is what the gun looks like: https://www.gunbroker.com/item/844593941

Now the bad news:

1) The DOUBLE action trigger pull is awful. I have never owned a Polish P-64, but if its DA trigger pull is even worse, then I don't want to.

2) On my particular gun, if you hold the gun sideways so that the side with the safety catch faces the ceiling, and then use the safety catch to drop the hammer on a loaded chamber, the gun FIRES. This is bad, I realize, and would rule the gun out for many people. I don't know if this is just my gun, or if it is common. I have never taken mine to a gunsmith, because most gunsmiths I have met don't want to fool with anything strange and cheap.

 

[Electricmo]

I picked up a surplus M-70 a couple of months ago. I like the thing! Not the best trigger but not a gun you see everyday either. All steel and good looking. I like having these old surplus weapons. Won't kill your hand shooting this either. Pretty accurate to boot. I recommend it.

 

[test drive]

I have one, made in Feb 1980. They are very well made and accurate. J&G did have mags. The gun is still made in Serbia for the civilian market often nicknamed “little bee “. THe last few I have seen come in have been in like knew condition but I haven’t seen any at the last 4 or 5 gun shows. I like the surplus ones because they say made in Yugoslavia which hasn’t been a country since the mid 90s. Maybe that will make it more collectible down the road. Anyway I really like mine and never a malfunction .

 

[Mr. Zorg]

I've been on the fence about a Zastava M70 pistol, this thread is encouraging me to seriously consider picking one up.

Wikipedia says some were manufactured in .380 Auto but I've never seen one in the wild. If I ever do, that'll really grab my interest.

 

[test drive]

My understanding is that model is also still made in Serbia but there are no plans for Zastava to export. Go ahead and get the .32 it really is a great little pistol.
.

 

[Mr. Zorg]

It certainly looks that way. The M70 pistol isn't currently included in the handguns on the Zastava Arms USA web site.

https://zastavaarmsusa.com/products/handguns/

 

[test drive]

That’s because it’s Zastava USA. Look at the regular site.

 

[Mr. Zorg]

I'm speaking WRT being imported to the USA. Zastava Arms USA is advertised as the exclusive importer for current production firearms in the USA. So, not on the Zastava Arms USA site = no plans to import into the USA.

Can you post a link on the Zastava Arms site indicating the M70 pistol is currently planned to be exported to the USA? I haven't seen that anywhere.