Shooting the Czech vz61 Skorpion: Machine Pistol or PDW?

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In the US, the commonly accessible version of the vz.61 Skorpion is the stock-less semiauto pistol - and in that configuration the gun is really nothing like the intentions of its designers. The Skorpion was designed to be a personal defense weapons, and in the small .32ACP caliber that really requires fully automatic fire.
The short and small stock does, in fact, provide a nice addition to help control the gun. It does not need to really brace against recoil (which is really minimal), but it does a useful job in providing a third point of contact to keep the gun in control and on target. That said, the Skorpion is actually quite controllable when fired offhand without a stock - much to my surprise.
Thanks to Marstar for letting me examine and shoot their Skorpion!
If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! / inrangetvshow

[@Bastimon]

You try to defend yourself with your good old Skorpion, fire... but snap, you are surrounded and you have to surrender. Then suddenly all the brass falls down from the sky and incapacitates your captors. A genius concept.

[@punkap374]

it broke the tunnel vision

[@thefloppafanatic3450]

outstanding move

[@FilipCordas]

O this gun was not intended to be used to shoot at armed opponents. Most used to in in two man teams in bars and cars, and you don't want the cleanup crew to tell you they didn't find all the shells, because then the lead inspector needs to answer questions why was military equipment used, better have it fall right into your pocket.

[@joshill8134]

...... m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5yWfYOchph6gbs

[@joshill8134]

@Jerry...yes, but it ejects side casings and 9 caliber

[@f4ust85]

Forget tank crews, Skorpions were legendary in the Czech underworld of the 1990s. They were getting "lost" or stolen from army warehouses left and right.

[@MarekParek68]

Jonák had DE .50

[@marvindebot3264]

Yeah, tragic that huh? So many innocent skorpions were lost without trace, mostly in river crossings, amazing how many just fell of tanks into rivers . . . :D

[@samirnodormir3097]

In my country during the '70 was almost as a symbol between criminals and terrorists

[@Pyrochemik007]

@@samirnodormir3097 Meanwhile at CZ company: Oh, we are the baddies, huh?

[@kolomanka]

@@marvindebot3264 Not necessary to mask it, the biggest sellers were the Czech Army and Police.

[@UberMax23]

The vz61 also comes equipped with perfect comedic timing.

[@DinnerForkTongue]

That's absolutely the most important part.

[@Cypress-r2u]

Get that gun a movie contract

[@BrandonWilliams-wf6hg]

@@Cypress-r2u feat. Rob Schneider

[@sharpfang]

The very essence of Czech.

[@dl_supertroll]

Sheer giggle factor

[@DangStank]

*tries to say it can’t be charged one handed *accidentally succeeds in charging with one hand

[@archstanton1628]

*says it can't be accurately fired one handed *Accidentally discovers it can 😁

[@Tokito935]

@@silvirhunter3607 what does that have to do with the video

[@DarkBlqze77777]

Meanwhile in GTA Vice City Stories.. You actually fires it with 1hand.. 😹

[@buckymcbuckson9053]

Did anyone else find that stock deployment super satisfying?

[@saint-cetacean]

It's the Czech version of the HK slap

[@dscrappygolani7981]

It's a neat trick. You are unlikely to use it in real life though. Either it's already deployed when you go in or you have enough time to deploy it properly. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. The rest is Hollywood. I'm surprised that Americans posts such things given that a lot of you have served in wars and even your civilians have this great 'gun culture'. It's amusing really.

[@dscrappygolani7981]

@LeviThe Nuuubbb 😀 you do write quite like the modern American does. But, when you think about it, it's not so much about the weapon as about mindset. Your soldiers will tell you the same thing. Better to take your time than rush into anything. If you're rushing , something has gone wrong.

[@dscrappygolani7981]

@Civil Warlord ah, you just hit puberty, didn't you? Congratulations!!! 👏👏👏👏

[@vaclavjebavy5118]

@@dscrappygolani7981 Considering the stress of having to exit your tank and draw a machine pistol, I'd say that flashy in this case can work. its literally smacking a piece of it if you can fire a gun how can you fuck up that.

[@GunsNGames1]

Imagine the sound of the brass hitting soldier's helmets. *Ping ping ping ping*

[@milat9287]

All of the sudden, the stealth advantage shifts to the tankists.

[@GunsNGames1]

@@milat9287 what about the brass hitting the top of the tanks? :P

[@milat9287]

@@GunsNGames1 If you have to switch from your tank, to your Skorpion, something's probably already gone horribly horribly horribly wrong, and it's crashed beyond repair some swamplands, or something. xD So don't think that'd be the issue!

[@kfusion6906]

@@GunsNGames1 No living vehicle operator would to that. If you are surrounded, your vehicle is immobile and there is no surrounding infantry, you are dead.

[@ComradeMoyer_-Tankmaster496-]

*hiding in a bush, suppressor on scorpion, perfect concealment* *starts shooting* *enemy instantly locates me due to 3 foot brass fountain* Another thing: *enemy calls air support *enemy air support is taken out because a piece of brass went through their engine

[@Matt_Silverwolf]

You forgot to equip Dual Wield

[@supercreamypudding9841]

Grip more better.

[@supermaksas]

I see we have a person of refined culture here.

[@supercreamypudding9841]

You forgot to equip Steady Aim as your second perk too.

[@r.o.o.k.]

@@supercreamypudding9841 Steady Aim Pro noob.

[@stevenbobbybills]

@Charles Gomez funnily enough, with how the rate reducer works it's one of the guns that could have the video-gamey rate of fire increase by replacing or removing parts rather than messing around with the spring strength and bolt weight.

[@EnLaMatrix1]

"Fun isn't what it was designed for" **Designed with a tacti-cool folding wire stock so it fits in a hip holster and is to be used in full auto with tiny mags and the falling empty brass will ding on metal helmets** I'm not sure about that

[@Paveway-chan]

It's a party-gun!

[@Ricardo_Lucero]

Funny how he says it’s surprisingly controllable, I mean it’s 32 caliber that isn’t a very big round

[@beelz5932]

@@Ricardo_Lucero while true, it was made even more controllable with it’s rate reducer, lowering a rate of fire which would have been 1000 rpm to 850

[@adhd_with_pennies4867]

@@Ricardo_Lucero the stock is the most important part of the gun its very unique its angled upward for recoil reasons ur apose to put it on top of ur shoulder against cheek its angled so the recoil goes downward on semi so one shot the gun goes downward when u shoot one round and automatically puts u back to the position of aiming down sights making it very good

[@grafixbyjorj]

Classic tank crew soft helmet will solve the brass rain problem, that's probably why they never bothered to revisit the ejection system to add some sort of case deflector.

[@DrSid42]

It's also ambi like this. Not sure if that was the motive.

[@danmorgan3685]

Another benefit is top ejection won't cause problems with the stock folded. This gun is so compact it must have been hell trying to squeeze everything in. The Czech really do make great guns.

[@grafixbyjorj]

Yeah, top eject is a good plan for all those reasons, but maybe a deflector could throw the brass forward a bit so it lands in front of you, not on you :) I expect in most real world engagements there's enough topography involved that your barrel elevation will be the couple of degrees up or down you need to make the brass miss your head.

[@19Koty96]

or you could use it gangsta way... sideways... )))

[@dentistguba]

the falling brass acts as a distraction while you run to cover.

[@PelemusMcSoy]

8:20 This looks like the most majestic and gentlemanly way of holding a firearm.

[@koushiro86]

It’s a dueling pose for sure and thus you can guarantee Ian is the first AND last user to wield a Skorpion in this way

[@Brawler_1337]

@@koushiro86 It was also the standard way you fired pistols back in World War 1. He’s also got the standard issue facial hair to look the part.

[@J.DeLaPoer]

@@Brawler_1337 Going back even further to the 18th century, pistols were fired one handed, while standing side-on and with your off hand placed jauntily on your hip, or in your pocket. It's not just some silly etiquette, nor entirely a relic of fencing stance, but also the optimal way to shoot one handed. Plus the advantage of presenting only one's side to the enemy. It's just that by the 1950s we'd discovered shooting with both hands on the grip is far superior for control & accuracy, albeit with the down side of exposing the much larger target of one's front to the enemy.

[@twanheijkoop6753]

​@@J.DeLaPoertad late, but the current way of standing sqaure against your target is also to make sure your plate is facing the enemy since most don't carry side plates

[@J.DeLaPoer]

@@twanheijkoop6753 True, although personal armor, vest or plate, didn't come into common use until about 30 years after the current shooting stance became standard.

[@spudgunn8695]

So no one hip fired it. Damn, I was looking forward to seeing someone trying to extract hot brass out of their nostrils!!!

[@patrikhjorth3291]

Spud Gunn I think if you just want to hurl a lot of lead in the general direction of the enemy, you might as well turn the gun sideways and shoot it one-handed rather than shooting from the hip. That should give you the same result, with the added "bonus" of making you look like an extra in a 90:s gangster movie. Win-win!

[@spudgunn8695]

Laird Cummings but would you really want to smell it that up close and personal?

[@planescaped]

Just point the gun at the ground and launch the casings at your target.

[@mattsamoto4451]

they got a kit for that too

[@comradecommissar8223]

Its happened only once From what I remembered

[@urasakman914]

Now thats a golden shower

[@amauryleblanc7979]

offered to you by brass-er

[@tusk1142]

@@amauryleblanc7979 10/10

[@djdrack4681]

the hottest golden shower

[@Shawn_the_Protogen]

The only acceptable type there is.

[@realmenshoot3085]

I see you remembered to bring your brass deflector on the second day. : p

[@rifles_up2263]

Real men shoot 308 #hat lol

[@lenny_1369]

It's raining brass Hallelujah, it's raining brass Oh yeah (It's a song referrence)

[@weasel20817]

I remember shooting one of these in Iraq in 2003; I was surprised by his initial comment because I remember it very controllable w/o the stock as a pistol on full auto...I could have shot it all day; very comfortable, very controllable.

[@TheLegendsmith]

Very cool. Who were you with in Iraq?

[@davehood2667]

It's round is too weak to kick.

[@Pyrochemik007]

@@terreausore2435 Czech guns were exported to all eastern block, and even israel was equipped by us. Elite vietkong units were carrying vz. 58 submachine guns. But since we prefered quality over quantity, they were not affordable en masse, so other countries stayed with obsolete but cheap AKs.

[@seantrizzole1741]

Well that’s because Ian has the muscle mass of a 12 year old girl 🤣😜

[@gagida1829]

@@seantrizzole1741 you underestimate 12 year old girls

[@jakeplissken]

Loved the shot of the brass falling from the sky!

[@BassFlapper]

JakePlisskenSDA really satasfing to see

[@xorising]

I consider that a strong comedy feature of the gun

[@witeshade]

agreed, that was very well framed and shot and looked amusingly epic

[@pavel-wolfdog6846]

I used Scorpion many many times and never falling the brass on my head. OK, if you hold the gun 100% horizontally, then maybe. But this is gun for action shooting, so that mostly you have the barrel little bit down or up and then is no problem with brass.

[@fmunzar24]

@@pavel-wolfdog6846 zajímalo by mě jestli ještě nějaká podobná zbraň má vyhazovák přímo nahoru, nevíš?

[@forknife326]

3:25 the way he looked at the camera and then it hit him was perfect 😂

[@countersphere2924]

Yeah it had me dying of laughter haha

[@codyj1162]

The little "thwack" completed the ensemble. 😂

[@Lornext]

Whoever designed this weapon deserves a medal.

[@Ealsante]

... that's tossed up into the air so it comes down on his head.

[@dinonatorful]

@@Ealsante lmao

[@mehmeh1999]

It was the final project for an army student.

[@MarekParek68]

We were comunists at the time, also this gun is nearly 60 years old, and its creator Miroslav Rybář died few years after start of manufacturing the weapon

[@tforaodg]

Miroslav Rybář

[@martintaus2212]

My personal weapon in Czech Army duty. 1991-1993, 1.st guard company.

[@thisisabsolutelystup]

What did you think of your equipment?

[@martintaus2212]

What....? Mega shit. Gun OK, equipment ala WW2 Red army :-/

[@kirkpurdy1995]

@@martintaus2212 Was the gun reliable? like did it ever get jammed or anything like that.

[@martintaus2212]

This weapon is absolutely reliable, no one in the unit encountered a defect, it's simple, but the SMG advanced design, disassembly and impact mechanism is similar to the AR-15, but in the service we did not shoot much, mostly relied on the attack knife UTON www.uton.cz/uton-vz-75/u75-serie-0007/ Thanks for your interest.

[@5minutemovies977]

What caliber did you used with this gun ?

[@joelmuller358]

High speed footage gives a great view of the rate reducer at work. Nice!

[@Isaac-ho8gh]

Joel Müller Yeah saw that! That was cool.

[@mikesykes7861]

Is that what is causing the bolt to appear to "pause" when going back into battery?

[@francislematt7079]

I wanted to see the rate reducer in different settings to show, well obviously, the different rate of fire...

[@Isaac-ho8gh]

Mike Sykes Yeah that's what it is and fair enough Francis, that'd also be pretty interesting.

[@mysss29]

This gun's rate reducer doesn't have settings, although I see how the threaded plug might give that impression/allow it in a very limited sense by minutely adjusting the preload[?] on the spring. Given the two moving parts there are of fixed mass, and there's simply a spring controlling them, I don't think this was ever meant to be adjustable. I assume it'd probably be a really bad idea to have that plug unscrewed very much, or at all...the threads could probably break or walk the plug out pretty quickly with all those impacts/that vibration.

[@pathfinder2reality]

In Serbian Army all tank, artillery and vehicle crews are armed with this gun. Zastava Arms makes a licensed copy of this gun called Zastava M84 Skorpion

[@sims2mw]

Are the Serbian ones .32 caliber or 9mm caliber?

[@pathfinder2reality]

@@sims2mwThe military issue is chambered in. 32ACP (7.65x17mm). There was a variant M84A which was in .380ACP (9x17mm Short), but those vere very rare. It was issued with 4 magazines with 20 bullets capacity and a leather holster. The weapon was very popular with criminals in the ex Yugoslavian countries and was used in many criminal showdowns in the 90's.

[@РалеС]

@@pathfinder2reality Also used as a secondary weapon for special forces, paratroopers

[@veselinjokanovic3032]

Also pilots. My grandpa was a mig-29 pilot in the Yugoslav army and he had one of those.

[@ProphTruth100]

@@veselinjokanovic3032 everything about that is super cool

[@Batmack]

I cant stop czechking your videos lately

[@mattmk_ii1063]

...

[@miklosrowan7637]

lame pun

[@4231jerome]

Bat mack just the right amount of cheese for me, great pun

[@OEFvet0311]

I see what you did there.

[@mrdictator7030]

No stop

[@ronaldmacdonald8667]

"Let he who is without sin chuck the first brass" -Gun Jesus

[@TheDeadfast]

This gun is heaps of fun to shoot... until you end up with a casing stuck behind your collar!

[@exploatores]

that is why you should have a coton scarf.

[@DrSid42]

Just add gangster slant to your grip ;-)

[@yam83]

That's what neckerchiefs/keffiyehs are for.

[@iaial0]

@Yung Colgate not flammable/not melting at low temps

[@dacoobob]

as a lefty this happens with most guns

[@rodwi6743]

Probably the best, most honest videos made. I like that we are seeing the gun and not someone's ego. Ian is very humble, articulate and sharing of his knowledge.

[@projectblack2462]

Yeah, hes a historian. He doesnt have bias when he approaches a platform. Thats why he was surprised how controllable it is because he assumed and commented in the previous video and this one about how it would be largely inneffective with the stock folded due to muzzle rise. Hes not advocating any gun. He even thinks trash guns like the Striker 12 are cool, and he'll tell you if they are trash to shoot and why, because he will often shoot them. He will often tell you if a gun has a certain reputation and why, but from an academic perspective. Hes the kind of guy who would be like, "Cool, a Highpoint" or like when he reviewed the Rogak p18. He chuckled about how it was not really capable of being gas delayed due to its manufacture, despite being a Steyr GB clone.

[@Pigness7]

Every time I see your beard my mind goes: "Kentucky fried chicken"

[@davekrab3363]

Mr McCallum is good, but not finger lickingly so.

[@MelBrooksKA]

He knows the 11 secret spices to gun design

[@jefffoster6093]

MelBrooksKA but what of the herbs?

[@Wargoat6]

pignessman 7 i always think of fried chicken.

[@robertmaybeth3434]

11 secret oils for thee bolt and trigger assy

[@chrischiampo8106]

The Brass in Slow Motion falling was like Manna Falling From Heaven To Gun Jesus 😲😮😀

[@EldarKinSlayer]

Gun Jesus needs a Bump Helmet!

[@davewolf8869]

I laughed.. thank you

[@benbilbrey749]

Chris Chiampo BLESSED BE HE! 🙏

[@foofoo3344]

An armored vehicle crew or any soldier would be wearing a helmet so, the brass raining down is actually not a problem.

[@grifter3680]

3:30 "NYAaah" - Gun Jesus, 5th November 2017 Words to live by

[@bagelgon992]

He turns his head and instantly gets dinked by a case. It really made me laugh

[@MrGeorocks]

perfect timing

[@mphelps1013]

Remember remember the fifth of November.

[@MrCh0o]

The gunshell plot!

[@wanderingranger4208]

It almost looks like the casing falls behind his glasses but I’m sure it bounced away

[@hoothoot7122]

Pistol or pdw? *yes*

[@regularfather4708]

That's the answer that every PDW designer should attempt to give.

[@acido4309]

In Czech its submachinegun

[@Ezekiel_Allium]

PDW: Pistol you Dim Wit

[@marvindebot3264]

@@Ezekiel_Allium Wrong

[@Ezekiel_Allium]

@@marvindebot3264 you don't know

[@Darkerloaf]

Normally, when I see a shooting video by any channel, I ignore it. They bore the heck out of me. If I want to shoot a gun, I can go do so. With Forgotten Weapons, I'll watch the video but only because it is Forgotten Weapons and I might glean something about the function of the gun. When I saw 9 minutes on this video, I got excited because I knew there'd be analysis and impressions along with shooting. I can't speak for other people, but at least for me, that's what gets me to watch a channel. Keep up the good work! I have watched damn near all of your videos. This and C&Rsenal are two of my favorite channels (and I found C&R because of you, Ian).

[@ihcfn]

@@jonross377 go troll somewhere else, you might get the reaction you want. Not that kind of channel. Have a good day 😊

[@marvindebot3264]

@@ihcfn WTF? Y'all are lost and confused ain't y'all?

[@longshot7601]

I imagine that after a little practice with this thing you learn to tilt the gun slightly to rain brass on your buddy instead of yourself. That shell bouncing off of Ian's head was comedic gold.

[@marvindebot3264]

You do, yes. It only takes the smallest of tilts.

[@squillz8310]

I loved watching that. I'm so happy it happened on camera

[@djdrack4681]

I can only imagine the inexperienced person doing a 'drive by' shooting in the hood with this tilted -90 deg. 'proceeds to unload a couple clips in

[@WarpigA23]

If you've bailed out of your tank, and are using this to keep the enemy's heads down while you get to cover, you're probably not standing still!

[@panzerman22]

#1 last time I was this early Czechoslovakia was still a country.

[@josephconradsa5375]

Slovakia already seceded from the czech republic in 2006 ! XD

[@w0tna781]

1993 actually ;)

[@intwernet]

it was in 1993

[@Tobascodagama]

I usually hate "first" comments, but this was a pretty good joke.

[@edi9892]

panzerman22 We tend to call the area still like it, annoying all that broke free... Seriously, that part of Europe got quite complicated.

[@Гр-н]

When you are out of ammo and while reloading your Škorpion the falling brass will shoot enemies and help you to survive. Czech genius!

[@dujecurlin6265]

Its raining brass

[@joescannoli7660]

Duje Curlin hallelujah, it’s raining brass

[@dscrappygolani7981]

Hallelujah!

[@strawberrymilkshake4576]

@@dscrappygolani7981 IT'S RAINING BRASS~

[@patrickbyrne5070]

He better do full auto pistol grip.. “I’ve come back next day with more ammo” Aw Ian you’re a good man lol

[@Vidar_Odinson]

Rock out with your stock out.

[@nindger4270]

I automatically read that with the "Crawl out through the fallout" melody in my head.

[@leonardpearlman4017]

That could be a t-shirt! Or maybe a poster, part of the Gun Jesus line of merchandise.

[@cameronjenkins6748]

That shot at 3:15 is probably one of the coolest ones I've ever seen. Also, the sound that the brass makes as it comes down to the ground is quite neat.

[@ShawarmaFarmer]

I actually prefer videos like this where you expend the whole magazine instead of repeating high speed footage half way through a magazine. In my opinion high speed has its place in displaying the mechanics but it shouldn't make up the majority of the video. Good work regardless, especially with the videos where you examine the workings of the firearms.

[@kamelionify]

I would have like to see effect on target but it was still a cool video and a really cool firearm

[@RandyLeftHandy]

I'm sure he would do more footage like this, but he's limited on how much he can use some of these firearms. These firearms are ultimately up for sale.

[@mysss29]

Yeah, I always find myself wishing there were steel at Julia that he was shooting at, to get a little more practical feel for the gun...such as that'd be. Still, it's definitely a treat every time we get to see a rare gun like this in action after the main video!

[@Beretic805]

Ive always had a fascination to the Skorpion ever since playing with it in the original Rainbow Six as a kid. Such a compact package with a huge rate of fire.

[@angermacfadden2702]

I also have been fascinated with this weapon. A friend told me, supposedly, it has bad ergonomics. IDK. Seems legit.

[@grc70]

The falling brass wouldn't be an issue to troops wearing their helmets.

[@bilibiliism]

Stellar Steel in real combat situation, no one would hear that sound, everything else happens on field are louder.

[@dierdred_the_gray]

Only thing that would bother them is the rounds going down the collar.

[@YukonWilleh]

hold it at a slight angle so it all flys over your buddy instead

[@kenibnanak5554]

Or to troops moving forward. :)

[@rubenskiii]

*Legend says the sound of .32 ACP raining down on the helmets makes a louder ping than an m1 garand clip...*

[@SimpleThingsOnly]

You reminded me to my military days. This thing is such a fun to shoot. I was able to hit targets up to 150m away. Of course for the 150m target you need probably more than 20 rounds :)

[@workingguy6666]

Ian, how about your input on the pausing of the bolt during slow-motion (like at 8:30 ) actually helping aid in keeping the muzzle-rise low? It really looks like the pause makes the mass of the reciprocating bolt 'push' the firearm back down before the next shot is fired. Seems ingenious.

[@silent_bob_]

That should be the rate reducer that he mentions at the end of the video.

[@Sinn0100]

I have to admit that I always considered the VZ61 Scorpion to be...a throwaway weapon. For example, if you were caught in a warzone you wouldn't want to dump it as fast as you can. I based this on nothing more than the look of the weapon...which you should try to avoid. I now look at this little machine pistol in a new light. Further, the closed bolt is amazing. Thank you for showing us this crazy little machine pistol!

[@sergeantbigmac]

That raining brass shot was beautiful. Your camera work has gotten really excellent Ian. Its been really awesome watching you grow and improve over the years. Thanks for the best gun videos on the internet!

[@maximilienrobespierre7927]

Vz61: when you just need a little less gun.

[@thesturm8686]

The Führer is looking for you

[@suqmacoknbals4929]

@@thesturm8686 😂😂😂😂😂 ah i see your a a man of culture

[@suqmacoknbals4929]

When your a ak and she says just the tip

[@rizaradri316]

Fegelein!! Fegelein!! Fegelein!!

[@ArnoSchmidt70]

I would love to see this compared to the MP7.

[@lukaszpokoju]

Well I may be mistaken but I think the Skorpion is no match compared to the MP7.Ojectively The MP7 is more ergonomic, about the same weight, can accept accessories, the 4.6x30 however anaemic still provides better penetration, magazine capacity/options is broader and the effective range is way better. I can't see any instance where the Skorpion would be better apart from the overall cost and ammo price. The overall bulk, maybe... But we have to be fair, both guns have a gap of about half a century. The Skorpion remains a pretty effective weapon in its role, and is only obsolete because of today's accessories &ergonomics and armour penetration requirements. That being said I think it would be a better alternative to a standard semi-automatic 9 mm as a sidearm for a tank crew.

[@VonGrav]

the MP7 is amazing, you can shoot groups at full auto wihtout any problem.

[@BraindeadCRY]

Its a good comparison. You're wrong when you say the two weapons where designed for different roles, Inbound. The Mp7, just like the vz61, was never intended as a primary weapon for the military. Its not a weapon intended to replace rifles. Just like the scorpion the mp7 is the weapon used for vehicle crews, artillery crews and any other job that has the threat of ending up in infantry combat but isnt primarily intended to fight in such a manner. Even in police use it serves a similar purpose since the primary job of a police officer isn't shooting things, police just carry weapons in case they end up needing them. And much like a tank crewman one very specific requirement the police has is to be able to use their weapon very quickly when disembarking from a vehicle without it getting in the way. The major design philosophy difference between the two is that the scorpion fires pistol ammunition while the mp7 uses 4.6x30, which is essentially a miniaturized rifle round. Other than the need for more armor penetration these days they where designed around much the same set of requirements and for the same roles.

[@robertmaybeth3434]

not even in the same class. Anemic pocket pistol round vs. a 4.85 round going 3 times as fast. This skorpion might be better then a pistol, but bet on it not much better

[@aaronmoore7817]

Ime the more you shoot the more deadly any weapon becomes lol but as a weapon fanatic and if your "comparing" of course a mp 7 is "better". Lol. People will compare a eagle talon to a Dodge demon if you let them hahahahaha

[@jacobpeacy4003]

Something I've always said is "It doesn't really matter what round you're using if you send enough of it down range"

[@donaldoehl7690]

Or use good shot placement. See Ian's review of the Beretta Model 71.22LR as used by the Israelis.

[@TransistorBased]

American 180 just got an inflated ego

[@pavel-wolfdog6846]

Skorpion vz.61 was in the past using mostly by czechoslovakian police. When we seen the comunist poilicemans on the streets with scorpions, then was clear, that something happens (forbidden demonstration, sensitive date like birthday of our first president, august 21st etc.). By army was scorpion used really like a "stronger" pistol. Mostly by officers e.g. commandant od ammunition stock guard. Scorpion was standard weapon by the prison guard.

[@michalvelcic2112]

It was originaly issued for paratroopers

[@blucz883]

I can tell you that it wasnt... Police SNB used Vz.50,70,(82 or 83 i dont know for sure) pistols... Never seen one with Vz.61. And from the talks it was used mainly in army.

[@pavel2k]

@@blucz883 Every communist police officer in cz had a pistol AND vz 61, but they didn't use it often. I know, what i'm talking about.

[@blucz883]

@@pavel2k I know it too.. Taky vim co SNBáci používaly. Ale ten člověk nahoře tady psal že to bylo nejvic používáno policii... S čímž nesouhlasím. Ano je pravda že jo mohly mít ale spíš nosily 50/70 pistole

[@marianmarkovic5881]

@@blucz883 If u look footage from uprising in Leopoldov prison(1990), first line Police troops who were clearing area were armed by either vz.61 Scorpions or Shotguns,... some guys also had vz.58

[@billysmith5409]

I love how pleasantly surprised Ian was about how easy it was to fire the skorpion with the stock folded.

[@UGotSimmonSized]

Making it rain!

[@iwantcrawfish6110]

The Klob in goldeneye for N64

[@klaasvaak-fw7yx]

The thing goes skrraa, papapakaka

[@Bubbaroza]

klaasvaak0413 no just skraaa

[@artiew8718]

No ketchup just sauce. Raw sauce.

[@SweWince]

+klaasvaak0413 Ah, I see you're a man of culture as well

[@SGTcz90cz]

The thing goes "TATÍČKA MASARYKA NA TEBE TY JEDEN MRŇAVEJ"

[@rasimos]

Barratttatta

[@onmilo]

When compared to an AOW SBS with a 3 shot tube magazine the vz61 is capable of laying down the same level of firepower with less noise signature, less recoil, a smaller footprint and faster reloads. Remarkable weapon indeed.

[@BassFlapper]

Man these videos are in-depth and interesting, well done

[@OperatorVanta]

If only he had double Skorpions, Akimbo style lil bois

[@Vollification]

It's klobberin time :D

[@tomasfibich]

With the folded stock, the official shooting instruction was to hold the part of the wire stock, which is below the barrel/muzzle, with your off-hand to stabilize. It seems a bit weird but it works quite well. Also, with the stock extended, you can fire one-handed with the stock tucked into your sleeve (its enough) or with the stock against your cheek, right below your eye, as it is complicated to get a good cheek weld

[@Theenemy38]

3:26 when you try to look cool for the camera but the brass don't let you.

[@azimuth361]

"Remember; short, controlled bursts." Corporal Dwayne Hicks, Colonial Marine Corps.

[@marvindebot3264]

There is no "overkill." There is only "open fire" and "reload." - Maxim 37.

[@rexmcstiller4675]

3:35 As a guy of a tank crew you wear a helmet so no problem :D

[@theratwithdrip]

3:28 idk why but i cannot stop laughing at this lmao, something about the sound of it hitting his head and the "ah, jeez" he sounds like a dad who's lawnmower got jammed

[@countersphere2924]

Ikr 🤣🤣🤣

[@Mildcat743]

So is Skorpion a nickname because of how the stock folds or an actual designation?

[@trixus4768]

actual designation

[@semi-otto6787]

Though the designation came from the stock design I believe

[@petrsukenik9266]

äs i get it "submavhine gun model 61 "scorpion" " is proper designation

[@Stalutes64]

Ian, when I watch the slow motion it really seems like the rate reducer might actually be helping keep the muzzle climb down by doing more than just lowering the rate of fire. Notice how when the bolt carrier catches on the latch for the rate reducer that the inertia from the bolt moving forward should be imparted back into the frame of the gun at that moment of contact. Once it fully cycles the action and the bolt closes all the way, it dumps that inertia into the frame a second time, and the muzzle has some time to start moving down while the hammer drops and fires the next round.

[@sniprzkitty]

Do you think that the 9x18 version of this gun would behave differently. More powerful recoil, less controllable and would it make a significant difference ?

[@messerschnitt7943]

For what I heard the 9mm version wasn't that bad either (and was also popular by the Czech criminals because of that).

[@Face2theScr33n]

2:40 Did Ian get a haircut, or morph into Bloke on the Range?

[@gfhjkfghj4208]

Hmm, Ian looks quite different in the first and last slomo with that short hair. Weird.

[@bilibiliism]

cdemartino16 that's apparently gun Saint Paul.

[@theguybehindyou4762]

Forgotten? I remember it being the worst gun in Goldeneye! :V

[@tulipalll]

Damn straight

[@TaunTom]

Yeah, but does it '80's hip-fire?!

[@spudgunn8695]

TaunTom only if you want to be picking hot brass out of your nostrils. Be fun to watch, I suppose......

[@lukaszpokoju]

You still can tilt the gun a little bit on one side to avoid this inconvenience :D

[@1337penguinman]

This would be a near perfect weapon for a personal security detail. Plus .32ACP is still readily available.

[@difficultinterest1582]

KGB loved this, especially on FDB Ops

[@Draxindustries1]

The very weapon which killed a 9 Yr old child when hit in the chest and a beautiful 21yr old lady who had her brains blown out in Liverpool UK earlier this year 2023. This is NOT a pistol,it's a SMG capable of holding a drum mag..

[@J.DeLaPoer]

The Skorpion is one of the greatest PDWs of all time; and maybe _the_ greatest machinepistol period, depending how you want to class it (I prefer the Beretta 93-R personally). Really the only drawback is the anemic caliber, and at the sort of range this was designed for, that's kind of a non-issue. Heavy calibers and armor-piercing stuff is great, but.... It just seems like almost every other machinepistol of comparable size out there is either inaccurate, heavy recoiling, and awkward to use; or it's an insane 1400rpm firehose that's impossible to control. This has good ergonomics, is vaguely pistol-like albeit huge, and yet you can still rock'n'roll without the stock and have the weapon remain accurate and controllable. Try that with a Mac-10/11, Stetchkin, Glock 18, HK MP7, Micro-Uzi, etc. and you'll instantly see and feel the difference. I have zero experience with the Mauser C96 Schnellfeuer nor the new/current Russian OTs-33 Pernach (Stetchkin replacement). I've seen enough video of the Mauser though to know it was more like AA gun with an insane firing rate. As for the Pernach, who knows? But if I had to pick a machinepistol to carry, it'd be Skorpion or the 93-R. I have no idea what the general opinion of the Beretta 93-R is, but after extensive experience (I owned one for many years), I found it accurate and very controllable and reliable; also the proprietary folding front grip works well, while ensuring the gun still fits in any holster that works with the M9/92/92FS. People like the compare the 93-R to the G18 a lot. Yes, they're both similar in weight, size, controls, etc of the 'standard' pistol types from those companies. However I found the Glock (while fun) is just an inaccurate bullet hose with a stupid-fast rpm and awful kick/muzzle rise. Next to useless without a stock, and even then... The 93-R's built in front grip was very useful, as was selectable burst mode and lower overall rpm. This makes the extra firepower viable and accurate even without the stock in use, and muzzle climb and felt recoil are much lower than the G18 IMO. And this is much too long and rambling already.....

[@Bl4ckD0g]

It's pretty amazing how controllable it is. I've always like the skorpion. Wish I could get one.

[@alisahutako4518]

Someone help me~ I keep playing back to Ian getting hit by falling brass in the head at 3:30~ i find this part super funny~

[@januhlar4817]

Czech ??

[@mira238]

Do you think?

[@graham1034]

A folding charging handle could be an improvement. Maybe a brass deflector, though that could block the sight picture.

[@jayque300]

Ian, in the slo-mo when the bolt was almost at it's forward end of travel it seemed like it would stick a bit before locking into battery, it appeared to happen every other shot or so. Was that an element of design like the rate reducer or just a result of friction?

[@ForgottenWeapons]

+Jeremy Quigley It’s a blowback action, so there is no locking. What you are seeing there is the time it takes the hammer to fall.

[@MagPel1]

Forgotten Weapons Are you sure about that? Sometimes the charging handle goes directly to the end of the slot and sometimes it pauses with what looks like about 1cm to spare before it finally goes all the way. Won't the hammer fall when the bolt is all the way forward? I would guess it's a small but noticable feeding issue. I swear i could hear the full auto rythm being a little uneven.

[@captiannemo1587]

I noticed that as well.

[@lyntonr6188]

I think what you are seeing is the rate reducing system the gun has to slow down the rate of fire, Ian explained it in the previous video

[@MagPel1]

Lynton Rodda No i'm pretty sure it's not. Thats what happens when the bolt is in the rear position but what i'm referring to is what sometimes happen just before it goes into battery some of the times.

[@flashedwards]

While watching your video about field stripping this nasty little Skorpion I had an interesting thought....why not disconnect the rate of fire reducer? Mechanically it looked absolutely easy to do but the outcome might be horrendous. You demonstrated that the reduced rate of 850 rounds/minute was quite controllable but running wide open could be a different story. Aside from the controllability problems how long would it take for this petite bullet spitter to beat itself to death? I know that there are a few machine pistols that crank out 1,200 to 1,500 rounds/minute but that is how they were designed to operate. What are your thoughts on this?

[@snowdogs01]

I can see where ComBloc "dignitary protection" or intelligence operatives would carry a Scorpion with stock removed and a shoulder sling.

[@yam83]

Hey! That's Comecon to you, mister! And actually we should say Warsaw Pact, or more accurately Treaty (of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance) operatives.

[@mortisCZ]

A whole lot of friendship and cooperation in 1968, wasn't it? :-D No hard feelings, You are of course right.

[@vsarge8762]

*Goldeneye 64 Flashbacks intensifies*

[@hartzaden]

a a machinegun that i own, i can say if general room clearing this thing is also alot more handy in a close in enviroment than a full sized SMG and its wimpy carterage is fine vs anyone with out armor

[@DFX2KX]

and you're a little less likely to go through someone you have to shoot at, into the room behind him. Which is saying something in close quarters.

[@leonardpearlman4017]

For shooting around the house? That's what I was thinking.

[@aidanfarnan4683]

"Fun.. fun isn't something one considers when bailing out of a tank. But this... this does put a smile on my face."

[@rosssteel2467]

1:43 had me dead💀

[@indestructablelamp778]

This weapon definitely exceeded his expectations, didn't it?

[@robertoazuaje9279]

I find the fact that it can be shot with one hand on full-auto really satisfying for some reason.

[@TheNinjaDC]

I know it is working flawlessly with it's rate reducer, but watching it cycle in slow mo is painful. They way the action artificially jerks around and stops, just feels wrong, even if nothing is wrong.

[@Bloodreign137]

Whenever I see anything about the skorpion I always can’t help but think of the movie snowpiercer and the ridiculous pin point accurate shots that the character is taking from hundreds of yards. Great gun, great movie, terrible scene

[@patrickemery5077]

Looking for my first open carry gun. I might just pick up the covilian version of this.

[@Tugboatpb]

1:30 I would be lying if I didn't rewind that 3 times

[@jaroslavbenes3963]

The counterweight is there as well to correct the aiming after the recoil in full auto. (Or it is been saying here in Czechia)

[@AlexPcmsm]

Are there many other firearms with an ejection port facing straight upwards?

[@olddirtbiker5088]

A couple of years ago I was able to buy a semi auto version for about $400 new. It's a beautifully made pistol and pretty accurate.

[@angermacfadden2702]

Do you like the ergonomics? I had a friend poo pooing this, he said it felt uncomfortable to hold. Which I doubt.

[@leonardpearlman4017]

Love the slow motion video! You can see the magazine moving around, the rate reducer action, the raining brass is a nice touch too. I was really surprised to see how little muzzle flip there was. This looks viable to me, like something that could stay in production! This happens on a lot of these videos, you wonder how this GOT forgotten.

[@dalekidd420]

It was intended for a specific purpose, yes... but in the process, provided an ideal platform for ANOTHER purpose. That combination of compactness and controllability also made it perfect for concealable firepower, resulting in it becoming the weapon of choice for a wide variety of terrorists and assassins for over three decades.

[@yaosteve1524]

Good stock ready movement:)

[@mr.gunzaku437]

.32 ACP gets a bad rap and is a effective cartridge at standard pistol ranges without the kick of 9mm or .45. 10-20 round magazines are perfect for something this compact. I'd take one for personal defense.

[@JohnLeePedimore]

It creates it's own smokescreen.

[@Isaac-ho8gh]

JohnLeePedimore She's a smokin' lol

[@Isaac-ho8gh]

And nice channel also.. Gave you a sub.

[@19Koty96]

Brass screen

[@OoOoOo-we3dn]

7:44 just imagine the context away

[@jarink1]

That is some impressive hang time on the ejected brass!

[@chrisjanicki4031]

Quick scorpion manual. 1.Fire 2. Run away from former firing position asap. 3. Repeat.

[@granapriego]

Duel wield for the win.