The World of Pistol Caliber Carbines has only grown in the last few years. In fact, it’s become one of the most substantial growing subsections of both rifles and SMG lite pistols. One I was excited for was the CZ Scorpion. As a CZ fanboy, and PCC fan I was excited to see them bring the Scorpion EVO to the states in a semi-automatic configuration. Today we are going to be reviewing the Scorpion EVO 3 S1 Carbine.
What is it?
The CZ Scorpion EVO S1 Carbine is a 9mm, semi-automatic, magazine fed rifle. It features a 16.2-inch barrel, weighs 7 pounds and comes in at 34.75 inches long with the stock extended. The Scorpion EVO carries a $999 MSRP.
The Scorpion is a fun rifle for a variety of tasks. The gun comes with two 20 round magazines, but 30 round magazines are widely available. That’s a smart business move by CZ because if there are bigger mags available, I’m buying them. There are also magazine loaders and mag couplers available, too.
The carbine variant features a healthy degree of M-LOK compatible slots for direct attachment of accessories. The top of the weapon wears a full-length scope rail, and it comes with an excellent set of iron sights. The stock can fold and is adjustable for different lengths. The carbine comes outfitted with a muzzle brake or a faux suppressor. This is a very modern rifle, and it shows that CZ put a lot of thought into its design.
CZ Scorpion On the Range
The first thing we want to talk about is ergonomics. The gun features a variety of ambidextrous controls to make it left-hand friendly. The charging handle can be swapped from side to side. The charging handle is well forward of the shooting hand and very easy to reach with the nonfiring hand.
The magazine release is an AK/MP5 style paddle that’s quite wide and easy to engage. The bolt release is for righties only, but with the charging handle, it’s redundant.
The biggest ergonomic downside is the ambidextrous safety. This safety digs into your hand as you fire the gun, which causes some slight pain after firing the gun for an extended amount of time. There are several aftermarket selectors which delete the safety, and it’s a five-minute Dremel adjustment.
Recoil
One surprising thing about this weapon is the recoil. It’s not bad when compared to a 12 gauge shotgun. Compared to other PCCs though it’s surprising. This is due to the blowback action and the need for a massive bolt. It recoils right around the same as a standard AR-15.
Accuracy
The CZ Scorpion isn’t a precision rifle, but the accuracy is impressive. The 16.2-inch cold hammer forged barrel, the well-made sights, and long sight radius make this thing easy to shoot accurately. With a good position, I can make a 1.5-inch group pretty regularly at 100 yards. The downside is the 9-pound trigger that has that slight plastic on plastic feeling. It’s a firm pull, but it is a short one.
Reliability
The Scorpion has proven to be an extremely reliable rifle. I’ve used a little bit of everything in this gun, and it just chugs through it. From cheap TulAmmo to high-end defensive ammo, this gun eats it all. I’ve used Lead-free zinc ammo, Freedom Munitions reloads, polymer jacketed rounds and more. The gun has yet to have a malfunction. That’s one of the advantages of the simple blowback action.
The Final Word
This is a fun gun. It’s reliable, looks cool and is extremely modern. The gun is super fun for ringing steel and could make a great home defense carbine. I should also mention the CZ Scorpion proper has recently entered the US Army’s subcompact weapons trials, so the SMG variant could eventually be in use by the US Army.
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