Ammo choices for the VZ-61 and its rate reducer
Posted by Chefur on Sep 21st 2026
Shooters using vz. 61 Škorpion in modern times are often faced with problems arising from their choice of 7.65 / .32 ACP ammo.
The original ammo specifications for the vz. 61 are a 4.75 gram bullet at 318 meters per second, equaling 240 joules of energy. Or, a 73.3 grain bullet at 1,043 feet per second, and 177 ft-lbs of energy.
Most .32 ACP ammo on the American market is severely under-loaded, causing spotty reliability depending on the specific vz. 61.
The remarks in the "issues observed" column are from my experiences shooting both my original factory select-fire vz. 61, as well as my own reproduction receivers. The two perform identically.
| Brand |
Bullet weight, grains |
Bullet velocity, FPS | Muzzle energy, ft-lbs | Percent underloaded | Issues observed |
| S&B, Surplus | 73 | 1043 | 177 | 0 |
Available almost exclusively from Royal Tiger. Ammo in sealed spam cans runs flawlessly, but the latest shipments have issues from improper storage and come in cardboard boxes, often with water damage. I've experienced primers falling out, duds, under loaded rounds, and one squib out of about 3,000 rounds fired from the damaged ammo. Another ~3,000 of good condition rounds from a sealed can were fired without issue |
| S&B, new production | 73 | 1043 | 177 | 0 | ~4,000 rounds fired. Occasional stovepipe, two or three through the whole batch. |
| Maxx Tech / Tulammo | 71 | not published | TBD | TBD | None fired, planned to chronograph at a later date |
| Fiochhi Range Dynamics, blue box | 73 | 1000 | 162 | 8.4% | 1,000 round case fired. Occasionally fails to activate the rate reducer, otherwise functional. |
| Geco | 73 | 984 |
157 |
11.3% | none fired |
| Norma | 73 | 984 |
157 |
11.3% | none fired |
| Winchester | 71 | 905 |
129 |
27.1% | none fired |
| Magtech | 71 | 905 |
129 |
27.1% | The cast bullet variety of this load engraves on the rifling when chambered in a surplus barrel, which leaves the bullet stuck in the barrel and dumps the powder when you try to extract an unfired round. Occasional misfeeds. Will not activate the rate reducer reliably. |
| PPU | 71 | 902 |
128 |
27.6% | 500 round case purchased, gave up at a few hundred. Frequent malfunctions. Removing the rate reducer helped but still frequent stovepipes |
| Federal | 71 | 900 |
128 |
27.6% | Only a hundred rounds or so fired without the rate reducer, functioned fine. |
| PMC | 71 | 900 |
128 |
27.6% | Infamous for not working in the vz. 61, although I haven't tried myself beyond a small handful that worked without the rate reducer. |
As you can see, the vast majority of ammo on the American market is severely under loaded. While the heart of the vz. 61 is a very simple direct blowback operation, tolerant to a wide range of ammo, the rate reducer system requires full power and high quality ammunition to work properly. Even then, the rate reducer mechanism does exhibit wear and tear after heavy use and must have proper maintenance performed frequently. A majority of the parts kits I've inspected have springs below the minimum length and must be replaced, and exhibit wear on the cam surfaces which must be polished and lubricated.
In semi automatic fire, the rate reducer lessens felt recoil by a small amount, roughly 10% or less. It is not necessary to the function of the gun. While it is a very interesting feature, I recommend removing it if you have any issues. My factory select fire 1964 example runs flawlessly with it removed, albeit obviously at a higher rate of fire.
The Yugoslavian armorer's manual gives the length spec of a brand new rate reducer return spring as 146mm +/- 1mm, and a reject length of 131mm. I have found they often begin failing much closer to 140mm.
Improper maintenance, weak springs, or weak ammo will often cause the rate reducer claw to get stuck, failing to release the bolt from the rear of the receiver. This is usually remedied by simply pulling the charging knobs back and releasing them, but on unfortunate occasions the grip cap must be removed to free the reducer parts enough to release the bolt.
Use of a barrel that has been reduced in length requires that the rate reducer be removed. The loss in muzzle energy results in insufficient bolt velocity, and causes frequent rate reducer failures. Even the use of a suppressor is not enough to compensate for the lost energy.
Weak ammo will also occasionally result in spent casings failing to eject and winding up inside the receiver, sometimes even jammed inside the trigger group.
It's worth noting that under powered ammunition often works best in heavily worn guns with the rate reducer removed. I suspect this is due to worn recoil springs being weaker, but have not had a chance to test this directly.