Skorpion vz.68
Ceska Zbrojovka Uhersky Brod (CZUB) · Submachine Gun · Prototype · 1968
Also known as: Sa vz. 68, Skorpion 9x19
Overview
The Skorpion vz.68 is the 9x19mm Parabellum chambering of the Czechoslovak Skorpion vz.61 machine-pistol family, developed by Ceska Zbrojovka at Uhersky Brod. To handle the more powerful 9mm Parabellum round it used a receiver stretched roughly 25 mm longer than the vz.61 and a bolt of nearly double the mass, while retaining the family's signature in-grip rate reducer and folding wire stock. Only prototypes were built; it reached Czech Army trials in the 1960s but was rejected as too complex and costly, and never entered series production.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 2030 g (71.6 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 2240 g (79.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 590 mm (23.23") |
| Folded Length | 307 mm (12.09") |
| Barrel Length | 131 mm (5.16") |
| Height | 180 mm (7.09") |
| Sight Radius | 150 mm (5.91") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 20 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 400 m/s (1312 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 640 J (472 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 50 m (55 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 750 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 305 mm (12.01") |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Steel |
| Finish | Phosphate |
Calibers
- 9x19mm Parabellum · primary · 9mm NATO — also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, 9x19mm
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Fire Selector
- Features: Rate Reducer In Grip, Folding Wire Stock, Closed Bolt, Stretched Receiver, Machine Pistol
Variants
- Sa vz. 61 Skorpion — Original
- Skorpion vz.83 — Caliber Conversion
Base model
Production
Estimated total produced: 85 · Production years: 1960s; 1990s revival
Prototype only; never series-produced. Approx 85 9x19mm Skorpions built across the 1960s trials and 1990s commercial revival combined
Origin
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Designer: Miroslav Rybar
Notes
Never mass-produced; only a small number of prototypes (with a 1990s commercial Skorpion 9x19 revival, total roughly 85 examples across both eras). The Skorpion family later spawned the modern CZ Scorpion EVO 3. Muzzle energy and effective range are derived/estimated rather than published.
Background
Designer Miroslav Rybar, who created the entire Skorpion family, died in 1970 at age 46 and never saw his 9mm vz.68 revived in the 1990s; its design DNA ultimately lived on in the modern CZ Scorpion EVO 3.