The Samopal vzor 61, more commonly known as the Škorpion, is a Czech machine pistol.
History
The Škorpion was developed in 1959 by Miroslav Rybář, and completed by 1961. It was then adopted by the Czechoslovak army and then exported to various countries.
Design Details
The Škorpion is a hammer-fired select-fire machine pistol using blowback and firing from a closed bolt. The cartridge used by the Škorpion, the .32 ACP cartridge, produces a very low recoil impulse and this enables a simple unlocked blowback operation to be employed; there is no delay mechanism and the cartridge is supported only by the inertia of the bolt and the strength of the return springs. On firing, gas pressure drives the case back in the chamber against the resistance provided by the weight of the bolt and its two recoil springs. The bolt travels back, extracting the empty case which is then ejected straight upwards through a port in the top cover of the receiver housing. The Škorpion uses a telescoping bolt wrapped around a significant portion of the barrel, similar to an Uzi, which makes the weapon very compact. Installed in the bolt head of the Škorpion is a spring-loaded casing extractor and a fixed, double ejector, which is a protrusion in the weapon’s frame. Because the bolt is relatively light, there is an inertial rate reducer installed in the pistol grip; this helps reduce the rate of fire of the weapon from 1000 RPM to 850 RPM. The rate reducer operates when the bolt reaches the end of its rearward stroke it strikes and is caught by a spring-powered hook mounted on the back plate. At the same time, the reducer drives a lightweight, spring-loaded plunger down into the pistol grip, which is easily accelerated and passes through a heavy weight which is left behind because of its inertia. The plunger, having compressed its spring, is driven up again and meets the descending inertia buffer, slowing down the rising plunger which, when it reaches the top of its travel, rotates the hook and releases the bolt which is driven forward by the compressed recoil springs.
Variants
- vz. 61/64/65
Variants with curved box magazines chambered in various calibers.
- vz. 68/82/83
Variants with stick magazines chambered in various calibers.
- vz. 61 E
Variant of the vz. 61 with a plastic pistol grip.