PCC History

Like many of you, I grew up swooning over guns I saw in the movies. And one of the iconic weapons from all those great eighties movies, was the Heckler & Koch MP5 of one variant or another. The short and rapid stroke of these old roller guns, together with their sexy physique made them the envy of anybody with an eye for firearms. Who would have thought that years later, when the time came to shoot one, I’d feel a little let down.

But this story is about a CZ Scorpion you might be thinking? Indeed it is. Your average gun owner cant afford the real MP5’s, and have to settle for clones, or something else entirely. I find myself in the latter group, and this is my “something else” story.

The Scorpion EVO

A co-worker showed up to the office one day, and like we do at my work, when you bring a gun to work, you damn sure go around and show it to everybody else. The gun he brought was the aforementioned CZ Scorpion Evo S1, configured as a pistol, with the short barrel and everything. In short order he had changed out the feature-less rear end, and installed an arm brace. For those that are unaware, the arm-brace is essentially a legal loop-hole around the SBR Tax. For those unfamiliar with the SBR Tax, its part of the National Firearms Act (NFA) that requires certain firearm configurations to be registered and taxed by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms/Explosives (BATFE). And those of us who are familiar with the ATF have been robbed, infringed upon, and inconvenienced enough for all the rest of the gun community that aren’t familiar with them. Gratuitous, stupid, and superfluous are words that come to mind when reading through ATF regulations. The SBR/arm brace debacle is a perfect example of that.
The CZ Scorpion is a 9mm blowback operated pistol. But when a stock, and other accessories like suppressors and larger magazines are added, the Scorpion comes very close to feeling like a valid replacement for the MP5 I always dreamed about as a kid.

Customizing My CZ Scorpion EVO

I immediately swore an oath to myself that the Scorpion would one day be mine. With disposable income well beyond my reach, I set to finding deals, and discounts. And it wasn’t too long before I found just what I was looking for, and for a decent price.
They even had the SB Tactical arm-brace in stock that I wanted, the collapsable PDW Style. I was off to a great start, but there was much more I wanted to do. The pistol grip of the Scorpion is widely believed to be too steep and angle, and is a bit uncomfortable. So I replaced it with one from Magpul, the pistol grip is mounted on a dovetail, which gives the user the opportunity to adjust it closer or further from the trigger. A nice feature for sure.
Another frequent complaint for the Scorpion is the right side safety selector digs into the trigger finger when firing.

The good folks at Gear Head Works made a fantastic reverse safety option, that shifts the selector above the finger instead of into it.
I wasn’t quite done with Magpul yet, I also bought a few 35 round P-mags for the Scorpion, as well as their magazine release which extends a bit further, and adds a paddle release to the end.

I was getting very close, all that was left I thought was a Midwest Industries 11.5” handguard, it should cover most of my SilencerCo Octane suppressor. It was close, so after running it like that for a couple months, I took an axe to my little Scorpion (actually a lathe) and cut the barrel back another 1.75 inches and re-threaded the muzzle 1/2-28. This allowed the suppressor to poke out just enough to get my fingers on it and tighten it.

One of the great benefits in my eyes to the Cz Scorpion, and pistol caliber carbines in general, is getting my kids on the firing line. The small size of the Scorpion, and its collapsible arm brace/stock make a perfect companion for even my 11 year old to shoot with comfort and confidence.

With all my alterations and additions finally in place, the Scorpion felt like what I wanted it to be. Which leads me back the beginning of our story. I told you I felt a little let down by the MP5, and I’ll tell you why. After shooting my Scorpion for several months now, getting used to the function and features, I was again given the chance to shoot an MP5SD, Which of course I jumped at. But to be perfectly honest, there were a few things I wished the MP5 had. For example a bolt lock-back on empty, and a pic rail.

Final Thoughts

I guess I should clarify, I LOVE the MP5, its beauty and performance are nearly untouchable. The beauty runs deep with its impressive and reliable mechanics inside as well.
But for all that, I think if my Scorpion was setup as a full auto like the HK was, I might like it just a bit more. This of course after the alterations, and making the gun fit me just the way I wanted it. I know there is a lot of you out there cringing, and shouting heresy over the crowd, but it’s true. Rest assured however, if ever I get the chance to own the OG HK, I will jump at the chance.
I love everything about this handy little “pistol”. It is compact, but packs quite a load of ammo, and despite being a pistol, it is still quite useful at distances out to nearly 100 yards. The Trijicon MRO is a perfect option to keep sight picture simple and quick to bring on target. While not a true long gun, the CZ Scorpion is an excellent weapon to have handy in my vehicle, bedside, or anywhere your CCW might not be quite enough. The controllability, and high capacity, make it a a good defense weapon. While the compactness and profile make it easy to take almost everywhere.
It may be sometime until I can run around wielding dual sub machine guns, but until then, the CZ Scorpion will be following me everywhere.
-CBM