This was a good comment. You’re not wrong. Here I am two years later watching this because I (edit) found out about this firearm and wanted to learn more about it. He did archive priceless information that can be viewed in another 2 years and still be relevant.
*I* know why I like it. It's tiny, slick, funky, sports some original, clever ideas, and can be operated one-handed. That adds up to a decent amount of coolness.
I'm so proud of you Ian, that you spelled "Václav" correctly. That is so rare for a native English speaker. Well done! True professional, I also love that you're learning French
I wouldn't be surprised if a .25 actually would bounce off your skull, I'm assuming that's what you meant :P. I've heard of stories of people being shot with week cartridges and the round basically hits the skull, slides around under the skin, and comes back out.
+bitfreakazoid Convenience store owner got robbed when my dad was a kid, the guys shot him a bunch with a .22 and they did exactly that! He lived but the Impact force knocked him the hell out
I've heard similar things about large calibers too. I guess it was sort of a bad example. I was just pointing out how it's dumb to brush off something that's actually very deadly.
I've heard a story from a paramedic about a guy who tried to commit suicide with a 9mm and for whatever reason the bullet got under his skin, skipped off the side of his skull, and came out some other direction. When they found him the guy said "I can't even kill myself right!"
That's gotta be one of the best designed pocket pistols that I've ever seen. It's not shaped like a pistol so it won't print like one, and is truly designed for one handed use unlike other "one handed" designs that seem cludged together. Shame that it wasn't commercially successful, but I'd blame that on lack of marketing or pocket pistols falling out of favor more than I'd blame the design itself.
This is by far the top two best gun channels. I like Hickok then forgotten weapons then sootch. There’s a lot of good ones but for some reason this one is easy listening. I can listen/watch this at 5am when I wake up. Some of the others I can’t handle that early. My grandfather would love this if he were still alive. I’m sure he used/shot/had a lot of these guns.
Well, it's not a 9mm, but it has more reach than a knife and most people still wouldn't want to get shot with one of those. So it can't be *that* bad, if you know what I mean. :)
I can't tell you how happy I am to have stumbled across your channel last night. I love learning about firearms, and up until last night I thought that I had seen the majority of whats out there... I subscribed immediately after watching the first video I found, which was the video you did on the little pistol with the horse shoe magazine.
Watching all these auction house videos, I've come to the realization that I'm GLAD of Canada's firearms restrictions, and the hassle of trying to buy guns across the border...because I'd have no money if it was easier...
The S&W model 61 “Escort “ is also a one-handed pistol. The recoil spring assembly sits above the barrel and this makes it easy and safe to cock with the index finger. Despite what some think, with a little work, they are extremely reliable. Mine shoots all types of ammo and never jams. Very few one-handed pistols exist.
Really useful for people who only have one hand/arm. That was probably who bought it anyway. I bet a whole bunch of people today would buy something like this for the same reason.
Nowadays, the popular thing to do is to get a set of sights that has a rear sight with a flat front. You can use that flat edge to rack the slide using your belt.
Thanks for showing us this one. If ever there was a pistol that could be called cute it is this. The twentieth-century's replacement for the derringer.
Ian. You do a great job. You explain the mechanics wonderfully. .25 Auto is not underpowered. It’s just a .25 cal. Similar to a 22 LR but center fire. A lot of people have been dissuaded from doing harm with 5 .22 LR or 25 cal in the chest. Also many people have been murdered with these calibers. Thanks.
Thanks ian, for mentoning that barrell length on an autoloader includes the chamber, so subtract at least an inch to get the actual length. so if you have a 3.1 barrell 9mm ypu have about a 2 inch bbl.
It seems like a perfectly acceptable little pocket gun for that era. You don't have to blow a giant hole through an attacker, you just have to make them go away, and it's more than capable of doing that.
Thanks for doing this Ian. I plan on one day buying a surplus M1891/30, but have never owned a gun. I live in Canada so that may have something to do with it. Anyways, I'm fascinated by how firearms work, and I love the way you break it down. Please keep going, I'll do the patreon thing as soon as I get a CC.
I've watched a few Forgotten Weapons reviews of European made pocket pistols over the last week or so, obviously I get one in my feed, watch & like, and more follow. The last one was a quirky little French model made around the turn of the century, and before that a Belgian made tiny mag fed pistol from around 1920, looked a little like a Kolibri. Anyway the point is that in the late 19th and early 20th century there appear to have been a fair few small manufacturers producing these in Europe, and therefore there obviously was a market. I have the impression from these vids and other sources too that smaller firearms for civilian use were no big deal back then whereas in modern day Europe they are virtually unheard of. Presumably there were no complex licensing and registration procedures involved in those days. Furthermore gun crime in those days wasn't really prevalent, I mean I haven't heard of school shootings 100 years ago. I wonder when this would have changed? I am guessing that it would have been during and just after WW2, in the German-occupied countries possession of a firearm would have been prohibited and a scary thing if it meant that the Gestapo could consider you to be a member of a resistance organisation. It's a real shame that things have changed to such an extent that nowadays our governments don't see their citizens as responsible enough to own and carry small firearms for self-defence.
OOooo!!! It looks like a baby gun (so cute)! Czech Zbrojovka is/was the manufacturer, which still produces guns, much better guns, if I may add. This piece would be a backup for a backup (tertiary pistol). For such a small caliber .25ACP surprised me when I was shooting it with some other gun. It made a hole through an apple tree (about 6-inch diameter) with every shot. Angry little thing...
It looks like a great little gun, I have a little revolver which wouldn’t take up any more space but might be a hair wider with five Ron capacity of 22 Magnum in that thing is surprisingly easy to shoot, accurate and 22 Magnum is no slouch it’s going 1900 ft./s out of a rifle, I think the modern day version of this should be a double stack 10 or 12 round capacity and that would definitely do the trick in 22 mag
I actually think this is a better design than Browning's original (FN 1905/06 and Colt 1908 Vest), because Browning's design had really tiny manual safety that were hard to manipulate. The Baby Browning (FN 1931) solved the safety issue, but this Praga still have longer grip to give you better control, since the trigger is positioned way forward from the grip :)
This is really cool. Interesting ergonomics and the one hand operation(Think modern guys using their rear sights to cock a SA pistol) is reminiscent of pistol modifications done today.
To be fair, if you understand the purpose of it, its not a bad idea. Theres probably better options today but as long as you recognize that this isnt a full sized combat pistol and is tiny for the purpose of being tiny, its not too bad
Not exactly sure what that is, but extra tall sights give extra hookiness to hook on stuff and manipulate the slide. Or something silly like an IPSC open gun charging knob sticking out the side.
I'd recommend a good revolver if shooting one handed is a heavy requirement for you. Can still have a decent sized cartridge, and cock it with the thumb.
Your work created an archive of timeless information pieces. In 10 years they will be as informative and viewable as they are today. Remarkable.
This was a good comment. You’re not wrong. Here I am two years later watching this because I (edit) found out about this firearm and wanted to learn more about it. He did archive priceless information that can be viewed in another 2 years and still be relevant.
@@Mordant.Melodys Hopefully someday we'll be able to buy a DVD compliation or something, when we're just not allowed to view guns on the internet.
I don't know why but I like it.
Well, maybe its because its almost 100 years old but still can get you away from troubles.
It a smol gun. Even when. Bad I love them lol
*I* know why I like it. It's tiny, slick, funky, sports some original, clever ideas, and can be operated one-handed. That adds up to a decent amount of coolness.
you should..... its from my home country
I would actually try to carry that but I wouldn't be able to stop showing it to people just to demonstrate the cool function.
I'm so proud of you Ian, that you spelled "Václav" correctly. That is so rare for a native English speaker. Well done! True professional, I also love that you're learning French
its surprising he didn't the say english version of the name "Wenceslaus"
This little gem held my attention more than some other firearms from the auction. Just a neat design.
I am Czech and I remember that my grandpa used to have this pistol as an heirloom. I thought it was a toy...
Thats cool
Given that this was meant for concealment, if you put it in your pocket you would be caching a small Czech.
🤣
No
God dammit. Lmao
@@stoatystoat174 can you please explain?
Don’t quit your day job just yet…the stand up comedy world isn’t ready for a bon mot master such as yourself.
I'd like to see a modernized iteration of this design. It's really a pretty neat concept and looks to be nicely engineered.
in .22lr or .380. .25acp is relatively rare and expensive to much so to justify its ballistic effectiveness or lack there of.
Personally, I'd prefer it in .22 LR as a gun this small in .380 would have pretty horrible recoil issues...
@@warhawk3719 true, I would just wonder if the rim would cause feeding or ejecting issues
@@primeministersinister625 good point. Hadn't considered that. Perhaps the best option is to just call it off, eh? ;)
@@warhawk3719 fair enough the range a go to doesn't allow guns without a trigger guard anyhow
Why do people talk like a .25 would bounce off their skill due to their extreme manliness...
I wouldn't be surprised if a .25 actually would bounce off your skull, I'm assuming that's what you meant :P. I've heard of stories of people being shot with week cartridges and the round basically hits the skull, slides around under the skin, and comes back out.
+bitfreakazoid Convenience store owner got robbed when my dad was a kid, the guys shot him a bunch with a .22 and they did exactly that! He lived but the Impact force knocked him the hell out
I've heard similar things about large calibers too. I guess it was sort of a bad example. I was just pointing out how it's dumb to brush off something that's actually very deadly.
People poach bear and moose with 22lr.....
I've heard a story from a paramedic about a guy who tried to commit suicide with a 9mm and for whatever reason the bullet got under his skin, skipped off the side of his skull, and came out some other direction. When they found him the guy said "I can't even kill myself right!"
That's gotta be one of the best designed pocket pistols that I've ever seen. It's not shaped like a pistol so it won't print like one, and is truly designed for one handed use unlike other "one handed" designs that seem cludged together. Shame that it wasn't commercially successful, but I'd blame that on lack of marketing or pocket pistols falling out of favor more than I'd blame the design itself.
This is by far the top two best gun channels. I like Hickok then forgotten weapons then sootch. There’s a lot of good ones but for some reason this one is easy listening. I can listen/watch this at 5am when I wake up. Some of the others I can’t handle that early. My grandfather would love this if he were still alive. I’m sure he used/shot/had a lot of these guns.
How has this not been in a Bond movie? I can already hear Desmond Llewelyn telling a quipping Sean Connery to “grow up, 007.”
God bless you Ian for doing all of this. My life hasn't allowed me to explore firearms as much as I'd like, but this is the next best thing!
Good to know Google thinks early 20th century firearm education and teaching me with song and flashy colors what a firetruck is are relatable.
Same
Aw man, I want to be taught what a firetruck is in song form! All I get as lousy video on sex ed in Germany
i got so confused when i saw that
i got so confused when i saw that
Still
What an interesting little pistol/gun. I would love to own one. Thanks for the exposure to these unique firearms!
Well, it's not a 9mm, but it has more reach than a knife and most people still wouldn't want to get shot with one of those. So it can't be *that* bad, if you know what I mean. :)
I only carry 500 S&W because anything smaller will barely even kill someone.
@@Moostery 22 LR will kill wtf.
Only because they don't make a handgun in 950 JDJ
@Graham I've seen that one
@Grahammabye
This has to be one of the coolest things I've seen on here so far. it was neato
I can't tell you how happy I am to have stumbled across your channel last night. I love learning about firearms, and up until last night I thought that I had seen the majority of whats out there... I subscribed immediately after watching the first video I found, which was the video you did on the little pistol with the horse shoe magazine.
I feel like this pistol would be popular with veterans of world war 1 who only had one hand
Very good point.👍
How would they load the magazine?
@ with great difficulty
@ One handed.
Or only one arm, at least. I think you can rack a regular slide by pressing it onto you?
Am I the only one who sees a vintage locomotive in the slide?
OneTallOrder where
I didn't, but I do now!
It's a Deltic
Yeah it looks like a emd f or e series
OneTallOrder yooooooo
Watching all these auction house videos, I've come to the realization that I'm GLAD of Canada's firearms restrictions, and the hassle of trying to buy guns across the border...because I'd have no money if it was easier...
small dick?
@@cokeforever what?
@@sliceofbread2611 dude, google Freud
@@cokeforever dude google basic comprehension.
AtholAnderson I can see why this is one of the top comments lol
This is the first gun that you have shown that I have never heard of. Quite an accomplishment.
very cool little gun. it really is neat how some features work on the unusual firearms.
I love these little oddities! There’s something almost gentleman-like about it, almost like I can simultaneously sip tea and dispatch my troubles lol
That dinky little things actually really cool.
The S&W model 61 “Escort “ is also a one-handed pistol. The recoil spring assembly sits above the barrel and this makes it easy and safe to cock with the index finger. Despite what some think, with a little work, they are extremely reliable. Mine shoots all types of ammo and never jams. Very few one-handed pistols exist.
Truly informative on historic firearms of all types.
Thanks.
Really useful for people who only have one hand/arm. That was probably who bought it anyway. I bet a whole bunch of people today would buy something like this for the same reason.
yup....unless they need to reload. That magazine catch on the bottom isn't so good for 1-handers.
That's what teeth are for!
They find a way. I knew a guy with 1 arm and 1 leg, who could use a 2 handed xbox controller without any major issues.
Nowadays, the popular thing to do is to get a set of sights that has a rear sight with a flat front. You can use that flat edge to rack the slide using your belt.
This was designed for dog defense.
A superior selection of when to end the video I must say 🔥🔥🔥
Thanks for showing us this one. If ever there was a pistol that could be called cute it is this. The twentieth-century's replacement for the derringer.
Needs a modern version of this pistol.
Ian. You do a great job. You explain the mechanics wonderfully. .25 Auto is not underpowered. It’s just a .25 cal. Similar to a 22 LR but center fire. A lot of people have been dissuaded from doing harm with 5 .22 LR or 25 cal in the chest. Also many people have been murdered with these calibers. Thanks.
100% correct, one .25 auto in your heart and you are as dead as someone with a 9mm para in there.
This is super freakin cool. Once again some cool Czech Engineering.
What a curious little pistol.
Thanks for sharing!
When the gun tipped over at the beginning, I laughed more than I should have.
Haha, 0:23 for anyone else who missed it the first time.
A ONE HANDED PISTOL? Impossible technological achievement.
That was really neat! I love some of the obscure guns that you profile on here!
Keep up the good work!
...thats a neat piece.....Ian, yesterday The Great War plugged you guys... good advertising on there...
:P
ThePoptartster hey poptartster..how you been? good 2 c ya...
Greg Miller
b(~_^)d
ThePoptartster ..always entertaining..that's why i like ya..
Get a room. Preferably the one two doors down, which certainly isnt bugged.
Thanks ian, for mentoning that barrell length on an autoloader includes the chamber, so subtract at least an inch to get the actual length. so if you have a 3.1 barrell 9mm ypu have about a 2 inch bbl.
These pocket guns are always cool! Thanks for sharing.
What a fantastic design! I would like to see a modern iteration of this. :)
It seems like a perfectly acceptable little pocket gun for that era. You don't have to blow a giant hole through an attacker, you just have to make them go away, and it's more than capable of doing that.
"How am I going to catch the Bad Guys with that peashooter!?"
-McGonagle
"That's really tiny."
Kolibri: am I a joke to you?
Wow...gives whole new meaning to the term "light rack".
For about the first minute it's one "big" "that's what she said" joke...Sweet gun review... Keep up the good work sir
Thanks Ian!.. I Really Kinda Liked This Gun!.. Sometimes The Odd Ones Are My Favorite!.
I think that is a fine little pocket pistol. If there was a .32 version I would carry it.
But that wouldn't fit inside your wallet.
Thanks for doing this Ian. I plan on one day buying a surplus M1891/30, but have never owned a gun. I live in Canada so that may have something to do with it. Anyways, I'm fascinated by how firearms work, and I love the way you break it down. Please keep going, I'll do the patreon thing as soon as I get a CC.
It looks like a piece of abstract art.
thats a surprisingly good design
A tiny video for a tiny gun. Cool. I like the gun.
I don't know why, but I love the word "zbrojovka". Every time I see it on a Czech gun I get a little giddy.
what an interesting and cool design, probably very fashionable back in the day... i can see this being a villian's gun in a mobster movie
I've watched a few Forgotten Weapons reviews of European made pocket pistols over the last week or so, obviously I get one in my feed, watch & like, and more follow. The last one was a quirky little French model made around the turn of the century, and before that a Belgian made tiny mag fed pistol from around 1920, looked a little like a Kolibri.
Anyway the point is that in the late 19th and early 20th century there appear to have been a fair few small manufacturers producing these in Europe, and therefore there obviously was a market. I have the impression from these vids and other sources too that smaller firearms for civilian use were no big deal back then whereas in modern day Europe they are virtually unheard of. Presumably there were no complex licensing and registration procedures involved in those days. Furthermore gun crime in those days wasn't really prevalent, I mean I haven't heard of school shootings 100 years ago. I wonder when this would have changed? I am guessing that it would have been during and just after WW2, in the German-occupied countries possession of a firearm would have been prohibited and a scary thing if it meant that the Gestapo could consider you to be a member of a resistance organisation.
It's a real shame that things have changed to such an extent that nowadays our governments don't see their citizens as responsible enough to own and carry small firearms for self-defence.
This is obscenely cool.
elegant simplicity
What a pretty little pistol.
God DAMN it I keep seeing really neat things on this channel and I don't have enough resources to get them all. I do have some though!!
very cool. I wish we had innovation like this today.
I really want one. Also, 25acp is very lethal at defense range. Seen it in person.
what really neat design!
If there was a modern production of this weapon I would buy it, super neat
Pocket and vest pistols are on my mind a lot lately . perhaps because its the only class of firearm missing from my collection
I'd buy that! It's fantastically clever
Read rocket pistol, got intrigued, got disappointed, then got intrigued again. Thumbs up!
Ingenious design! Somebody must take this design and manufacture maybe a .32 version and correct all possible faults this one had.
Pretty ingenius little pistol!
Neat little thing. Wonder if it could be scaled up to a .32 or even .380 if you used the pull and push style of feeding?
No reason why not and it wouldn't need to be that much bigger although it would need to be a bit longer.
naw it wouldnt need to be longer
Time to revisit this concept
Very cool
I wish it made a comeback
What a neat little concept!
In your educated opinion, how safe would you say is to shoot the little Praga 1921 with modern 25 ACP ammo?
It would be just fine.
Thanks!
Fan tastic. I'll take two of these little pistols and get to work on some extended magazines :p
I'm sure ProMag makes 30 rounders for it.
O NOES
Them fellas at pro mag are always on top of their game , making high speed low drag operator equipment for rare antique firearms :D
This is a really nice looking firearm in my opinion.i would love to own one of those.
I love those kind of tiny guns I want one of those 4 my collection
Excellent find - never seen the like - was wishing you did a take down segment on it.
OOooo!!! It looks like a baby gun (so cute)! Czech Zbrojovka is/was the manufacturer, which still produces guns, much better guns, if I may add. This piece would be a backup for a backup (tertiary pistol). For such a small caliber .25ACP surprised me when I was shooting it with some other gun. It made a hole through an apple tree (about 6-inch diameter) with every shot. Angry little thing...
LUV this design!
THUMBS UP FOR ALL THE WROK IAN DOES!
Yes, at the Wrok Island Auction and other places.
A modern variant of these would be fantastic. Checker stacked 22 Magnum would make it totally viable.
It looks like a great little gun, I have a little revolver which wouldn’t take up any more space but might be a hair wider with five Ron capacity of 22 Magnum in that thing is surprisingly easy to shoot, accurate and 22 Magnum is no slouch it’s going 1900 ft./s out of a rifle, I think the modern day version of this should be a double stack 10 or 12 round capacity and that would definitely do the trick in 22 mag
what a neat little pistol. thanks for sharing.
That is a pretty innovative design... interesting if nothing else. I dont know how practical but imagine if you were a amputee or something.
Another fun little piece I'd buy a modern replica of.
Really neat pistol!
I actually think this is a better design than Browning's original (FN 1905/06 and Colt 1908 Vest), because Browning's design had really tiny manual safety that were hard to manipulate. The Baby Browning (FN 1931) solved the safety issue, but this Praga still have longer grip to give you better control, since the trigger is positioned way forward from the grip :)
Looks like a great lil gun
The folding trigger would be a great idea for people that choose to carry without a round chambered
This is really cool. Interesting ergonomics and the one hand operation(Think modern guys using their rear sights to cock a SA pistol) is reminiscent of pistol modifications done today.
Looks like the predecessor to the Hi-Points we know and love.o
That is a cool little gun!
I like it ! Very interesting design in my opinion .
Damn, when you called it tiny (with emphasis) It's confidence shriveled and it took a nosedive. You hurt the little guy's feelings.
that is a pretty neat lil pistol! I'd like to see a modern remake. of the weapon .
For what it's meant to be, it seems fine, great even. I sometimes wonder how many things fail for no other reason than that they are ugly.
I gotta say I like it. Like to see a remake in 380
To be fair, if you understand the purpose of it, its not a bad idea. Theres probably better options today but as long as you recognize that this isnt a full sized combat pistol and is tiny for the purpose of being tiny, its not too bad
I NEED IT (I have right side hemipledgia so it is hard to use a regular pistol, if only they still made these by special order) :(
Not exactly sure what that is, but extra tall sights give extra hookiness to hook on stuff and manipulate the slide. Or something silly like an IPSC open gun charging knob sticking out the side.
I'd recommend a good revolver if shooting one handed is a heavy requirement for you. Can still have a decent sized cartridge, and cock it with the thumb.
Honestly, that's a clever little design and I think a modern version of it would sell pretty well. Just my opinion, though.
That cut out in the slide remainds me a lot of the different Praga, V3S
Looking forward to seeing how much these guns you have reviewed went for on the auction block.