Zastava M70A Quick Review

I was able to take the Zastava M70A 9mm pistol out on Saturday and put about 200 rounds through it.  Here is my quick review:





Disassembly: This gun looks and seems to operate much like a 1911, disassembly is almost identical to a 1911.  Interesting how it has a removeable 'modular' trigger/hammer assembly.



Ergonomics: Felt kind of strange in my hand at first, as if the grips were set at 90 degrees.  Due to the grip angle, recoil felt differently than most other modern 9mm's--the muzzle seemed to flip up a little more.  

Fit/Finish: Action felt ok, (much better/smoother after breaking in the gun).  I like how it is an all metal gun, but the plastic grips fell cheap (but they function ok).

Reliability: No failures of any sort using factory ammo and my reloads between 4 different shooters.

Cost: only about $200, this gun shoots great for the price and I would tend to trust it more than most of the other "cheapie" hand guns.

Accuracy:  We did not test accuracy on paper, but were satisfied with how we were able to hit the steel targets we were aiming at.

Other thoughts: Magazine is not a "drop free" design which is a little annoying.  Sights are plain jane sights.  

Summary:  Overall, I like this gun.  For the price, I don't know if you can get a better, more reliable gun.  It feels like a commie gun--made of metal, built tough, a few rough edges, very reliable, and accurate enough.  It is maybe what you could call the SKS of handguns.  Glad I bought it, and I probably won't ever end up selling it.  It doesn't feel as nice as all the guns that cost 3-4 times as much (which is to be expected), but functions as it was designed to.

Let me know if I missed something.

Very interesting. Thanks Corn!

Thank you.

Yes, commie guns seem to be ugly but work well. I would expect them to be, as you put it, "accurate enough", and to work every time, all the time. Indeed, ONE thought is that it might be a good carry in that you really don't care if the cops take it, etc. Kind of like Jays, you can get more.

I am not clear on how the safety works. It doesn't seem to be highly practical. ?Is it positive but relatively easy to turn on and off. That issue is present with a number of handguns. For instance, the M&P's seem to have safeties that are hard to work in a pinch. I am happier with DA/SA's because they don't have an irritating safety to deal with.

My Shield, OTOH, has a safety which I routinely disregard. It is not easy nor handy to work. I find others similar.

I'll admit, my first reaction to the photos was "Good Lord, what an ugly gun," but the more I look at it the more sense it makes. Almost looks like a weird rip-off of a large Colt 1903. For that price, seems like a can't-lose deal.

Corn, have you shot any hollowpoints through it?

Devereaux wrote:I am not clear on how the safety works. It doesn't seem to be highly practical. ?Is it positive but relatively easy to turn on and off. That issue is present with a number of handguns.

I will have to take a closer look to see how the safety functions mechanically. From the little that I have played around with it on the range and whatnot, the safety works--and isn't too hard to reach. It doesn't take much effort to switch it on and off, but it is positive. I'm not really used to having/using a safety on a handgun though.

Tennessee Jed wrote:Corn, have you shot any hollowpoints through it?

I haven't yet. I don't know if I will. I don't plan on carrying it, and I mostly shoot cast bullets these days. Maybe I should get a 9mm hollowpoint mold?

Too cool. Thanks!