CZ’s Scorpion 3+ Stings!

If you have a hankering for pistol caliber carbines, the CZ Scorpion 3+ carbine might be worth a hard look

by Bob Campbell

I am sitting on the porch watching the sun set as I write this. My home is in the middle of a street sawhorsed on each end by intersections. My neighbors are good, working folks. It is good when there is peace in the valley, and this is a peaceful little village. My home is 118 years old, but it isn’t without modern essentials. My personal defense firearms are modern, proven, and reliable. My institutional service and education may make me the voice of experience and some of those experiences I could have done without.

My opposite number in his walk of life is stewing in a cell or in a dope house planning some type of mayhem. Every self-respecting marginal character needs a few years of downtime for validation. Some are wrecked and punked up in prison, but most are released meaner and tougher than ever. What does that have to do with a gun review? It means you should take counsel from someone who has had more than a paper cut in their life. You need a lifesaver. The 9mm carbine under review is among the finest lifesavers available.

The CZ Scorpion 3+ carbine is among the most useful carbines I have handled. The piece handles in a similar manner to the H&K MP 5 9mm with which I have a passing acquaintance. The CZ is a straight blowback operated action with mostly polymer construction. A cocking handle rides on the forearm. It is easily actuated to make the Scorpion ready for action. The safety is well placed for rapid manipulation.

A plunger-type magazine release is on the right side of the receiver, an AR-15 type on the right. The grip is well designed. The stock is ideal for this type of carbine. The stock folds by pressing in a plunger and folding against the receiver. This is a neat system that allows easy transport. The old school truck gun may now be a 9mm PCC!

The magazines are double-column 20- or 30-round units. The magazines depart from most high-capacity pistol magazines as they are easily loaded and shorter than many pistol magazines of similar capacity due to the double column design.

The forend features a generous amount of M-LOK space. The receiver hosts a long stretch of Picatinny rail for mounting optics. There are variations in the barrel. One features a fake suppressor that makes for a good gripping surface and just looks great. The other features a muzzle brake. The muzzle brake may not be needed on a 9mm but if you are firing in competition and a split in times makes a difference, it does matter.

There are two important features on every firearm that influence practical accuracy: the sights and the trigger action. The Scorpion’s sights are excellent. The sights marked CZ (I have seen another brand occasionally on the CZ carbine) are top notch. The front is a protected post. The rear features a drum with four apertures. The largest aperture is for short-range use and should be used for firing inside of 50 yards. They work very well, leading the eye to the center of the front post. The small aperture allows surprisingly good precision even to 100 yards. If you use the largest aperture, you will have real speed. The smaller aperture is for longer range applications. If you use it at shorter range, there is a tendency to confuse the shrouded front sight ‘wing’ with the center post. Learn the difference in the sights and how each is most useful at 25, 50, and 100 yards. This is a very good system. No batteries, no glass.

My Scorpion does not have a lot of frou-frou, but it is a capable defensive combination. Some folks hang a lot of gear on the rifle, and while that is fine for commerce and play, it looks to me as if someone has dressed while wearing a blindfold.

The trigger is OK if not great. It breaks right at seven pounds. Trigger compression is controllable, and I have no complaints as far as accuracy and control goes. Just the same, if you are going to shoot 3-gun, grab a Timney trigger!

The CZ Scorpion is fast into action. Very fast. And comes to the shoulder quickly. I have fired the Scorpion extensively in fast-paced drills at man-sized targets. Speed to an accurate first shot hit is everything. Hit probability, beginning with the carbine at low ready, is excellent. Follow up shots are good to excellent. It isn’t difficult to execute double taps, hammers, and controlled pairs at ten to fifteen yards. The hit probability of this carbine versus any handgun cannot be overstated.

Most of the ammunition I have used in these drills has been Fiocchi Range Dynamics — some 115-grain FMJ and some 147-grain FMJ. Results are good. Firing at 25 yards with open sights, the CZ simply runs a pistol, any pistol, into the ground. Moving to 50 yards and even 100 yards, results were similarly pleasing. I was surprised at the accuracy potential of the carbine even at these distances. Drop was less than I had anticipated. Using the six o’clock hold at 25 yards translated to dead on at dirt clods and aluminum cans at the 100-yard berm. The Scorpion is simply more capable than I would have imagined.

Bowing to modernism, I mounted a Vortex StrikeFire II on the Scorpion for further evaluation. As you may imagine, speed perked up noticeably. The Vortex red dot offers good dot size and color adjustment, red to green, and an excellent sight picture. Firing with both eyes open, I tore up a lot of paper and did a great deal of damage to reactive targets at a long 100 yards.

As for 9mm wound potential, this is something that must be discussed. Hunters and those who have studied wound ballistics, unlike some of the popular press commandos, have a good understanding of what happens when a copper jacketed insult strikes a biped or quadruped threat. The skin subcutaneous fat and diaphragmatic tissue must be penetrated. The projectile should expand and damage tissue rather than slipping through or pushing tissue aside. The 9mm is available in modern loads that offer excellent wound potential. I have not yet used all my education, but one seminar I attended addressed forensics and wounds incompatible with life. A pistol bullet doesn’t have the power range and energy of a .223, and if you need to take medium-size game or engage past 100 yards, the 9mm isn’t it.

For most of us considering home defense, the 9mm is the best choice. If multiple hits are needed, the Scorpion is a good platform for delivering those hits. When you have had insufficient sleep, are shocked by a home invasion, and your logic is momentarily stunned, a fast-handling carbine can be a lifesaver. A CZ Scorpion loaded with Speer’s Gold Dot Carbine load is a formidable combination.

Accuracy Testing

I conducted several accuracy tests from the 50-yard line. At 25 yards — a long home engagement range — the piece tends to lob bullets into one hole. At 50 yards, there are cartridge combinations that are more accurate than others, but no real dogs. Here are the results of the 50-yard firing tests, five shots each, with the groups measured from the inside to inside of the most widely spaced bullet holes.

Fiocchi 147-grain FMJ: 2.5 in.
Fiocchi 147-grain JHP: 2.6 in.
Speer 135-grain CARBINE: 2. 25 in.
Black Hills Ammunition 124-grain JHP: 2.5 in.
Hornady 135-grain FlexLok: 2.25 in.
Tula 115-grain FMJ/Steel Case: 4.0 in.
Winchester 115-grain FMJ White Box: 3.5 in.
MagTech 115-grain FMJ: 3.65 in.

Note: Results were fired on the same day using the Vortex red dot. Recoil was not a factor. Even the cheapest ammo was useful for practice.

What I Like

Easy shooting, good accuracy, easy handling. Plenty of room to mount optics or lights.

What I Don’t Like

The trigger isn’t atrocious but could stand improvement. Despite this opinion, the carbine is very easy to fire accurately.

Compare To

The CZ Scorpion costs a bit more than some carbines, such as the S&W Response. Handling is much better, in my opinion, than the 9mm AR carbines. It just seems to be the right set up. If you want a folding carbine, the KelTec or the S&W FPC are the way to go. The Scorpion is a great shooter on every count but may not be your favorite depending on the role the 9mm PCC fills in your life.