CZ Scorpion EVO 3 family, variant by variant

The family starts with the CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1, introduced in 2009¹ as a Czech 9x19mm Parabellum blowback design. In the catalogue record, it sets the baseline figures for the line: a 196 mm barrel, 670 mm overall length, 410 mm length with the stock folded, a 30-round detachable box magazine, 370 m/s muzzle velocity, 510 J muzzle energy, 250 m effective range and a cyclic rate of 1150 rpm.

Those figures matter because they define the reference pattern from which the catalogued family branches. The family record linked to the A1 lists two variants: the CZ Scorpion EVO 3 S1, introduced in 2015 as the semi-automatic civilian branch, and the CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1 Micro, introduced in 2020 as the compact branch.

This article follows that family tree figure by figure. It uses the A1 as the root model, then measures each recorded change in the S1 and A1 Micro against the A1 baseline: dimensions, barrel length, magazine capacity, muzzle velocity and effective range, while noting what remains common across the line, above all the shared 9x19mm Parabellum chambering and blowback operating system.

The root design and what the A1 established

The CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1 is the reference pattern for this family. In the catalogue record, it is a 9x19mm Parabellum blowback design with a 2,500 g¹ empty weight and a 2,770 g loaded weight, a height of 210 mm and a width of 60 mm. Its recorded construction is a polymer frame, a steel barrel and a polymer stock. The barrel specification is also part of what the A1 established for the line: 6 grooves with a 250 mm twist.

Those figures matter because they define the baseline against which the later family branches are measured. When the article compares the S1 and the A1 Micro, the question is not what the EVO 3 family is in general, but what changed from this recorded A1 pattern.

Historically, the catalogue places the design before CZ adoption, noting that the EVO 3 line began in the Slovak Laugo project and was then substantially reworked by CZUB into the production arm. One contemporary summary states that Czech designers from Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod “modified the original standards to meet modern standards” (source).

One caution belongs with the baseline: the A1 empty weight is under review in the catalogue because sources disagree. It can be stated as 2,500 g as the record holds it, but it should not carry a broader conclusion on its own.

What the S1 changed for the civilian market

The CZ Scorpion EVO 3 S1, introduced in 2015¹, is the civilian semi-automatic branch of the CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1 pattern. In the catalogue record, it keeps the same 9x19mm Parabellum chambering and the same 196 mm barrel length as the A1, so the basic layout remains close to the service model.

The recorded changes are in configuration and external figures. Overall length is 406 mm² for the S1, against 670 mm for the A1. Magazine capacity is 20 rounds rather than 30 rounds. Empty weight is 2270 g rather than 2500 g, a difference of 230 g³, as the chart below shows. Muzzle velocity is recorded at 366 m/s for the S1 and 370 m/s for the A1, a reduction of 4 m/s. Effective range is recorded at 200 m rather than 250 m.

A concise comparison is enough to show the pattern:

Taken together, those figures show that the S1 is not a new design line. It is the same family adapted to a semi-automatic civilian role, with shorter recorded overall length, lower magazine capacity and a small reduction in recorded velocity.

Source: GET /v1/firearms/compare?ids=cz-scorpion-evo-3-a1,cz-scorpion-evo-3-s1,cz-scorpion-evo-3-a1-micro

The data in this chart

Firearm	Empty weight (g)
CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1	2,500
CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1 Micro	2,500
CZ Scorpion EVO 3 S1	2,270

What the A1 Micro changed for compactness

The CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1 Micro, introduced in 2020¹, is the compact branch of the family when set against the CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1 baseline. The main recorded changes are in length, barrel length, muzzle velocity and effective range.

Compared with the A1, overall length falls from 670 mm to 600 mm⁴, a reduction of 70 mm³. Barrel length falls from 196 mm to 154 mm, a reduction of 42 mm. The chart below shows that this is the shortest barrel in the catalogued family. Muzzle velocity is recorded at 340 m/s for the Micro, against 370 m/s for the A1, a difference of 30 m/s. Effective range is recorded at 150 m rather than 250 m, a reduction of 100 m.

Two figures stay unchanged in the record. Magazine capacity remains 30 rounds, and empty weight remains 2500 g. That means the compact variant is not a lighter branch in the catalogue figures, but a shorter one.

The result is a variant that keeps the same 9x19mm Parabellum chambering and blowback operating principle as the root model while moving to the shortest recorded format in the line. Its lower recorded velocity and shorter recorded effective range align with that more compact layout.

Source: GET /v1/firearms/compare?ids=cz-scorpion-evo-3-a1,cz-scorpion-evo-3-s1,cz-scorpion-evo-3-a1-micro

The data in this chart

Firearm	Barrel length (mm)
CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1	196
CZ Scorpion EVO 3 S1	196
CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1 Micro	154

One cartridge, three recorded outcomes

All three catalogued members of the family are chambered for 9x19mm Parabellum, so the cartridge provides a fixed baseline for comparison. In the cartridge record, overall length is 29.69 mm⁵, case length 19.15 mm, bullet diameter 9.01 mm, typical bullet weight 7.45 g, typical muzzle velocity 360 m/s and typical muzzle energy 481 J.

Against that shared chambering, the recorded outcomes within the EVO 3 family vary by model. The CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1 Micro is listed at 340 m/s⁴. The CZ Scorpion EVO 3 S1 is listed at 366 m/s². The CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1 is listed at 370 m/s¹. That gives a family spread of 30 m/s³ from the lowest recorded figure to the highest.

Only the root A1 has a muzzle energy figure in the supplied firearm facts, 510 J. That is 29 J above the cartridge record’s typical 481 J, but the article should not infer matching energy figures for the S1 or the Micro because none are supplied here. The useful point is narrower: one cartridge specification remains constant across the family, while the recorded firearm outputs, especially muzzle velocity, differ from 340 m/s to 370 m/s according to variant.

A concise family ledger

A concise ledger makes the family structure clear. Across the catalogue record, all three are Czech designs, all are chambered for 9x19mm Parabellum, and all use blowback operation. What changes is the branch role and the figures attached to size and performance.

Read as a family tree, the line stays close to the A1 pattern. The S1 keeps the A1’s 196 mm¹ barrel and shared chambering, but shifts to the civilian semi-automatic branch with a 20 round² magazine and a shorter recorded overall length. The A1 Micro keeps the 30 round magazine, but shortens the barrel to 154 mm⁴ and overall length to 600 mm, with lower recorded muzzle velocity and effective range.

For the full catalogue entries, see the CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1 family pages.

Materials and densities

Sources and methods

Figures under review. The catalogue's own data checks still question one figure in this post, given here as the record states it. How the data is checked.

Footnotes

1. GunSpec catalogue record for the CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1, which cites militaryfactory.com, combatoperators.com, sandboxx.us, czfirearms.com. In the API: firearms reference. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

2. GunSpec catalogue record for the CZ Scorpion EVO 3 S1, which cites czfirearms.com, thetruthaboutguns.com, gundigest.com, web.archive.org. In the API: firearms reference. ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. Method, comparisons: a difference is one catalogue figure minus another of the same kind, in the same unit. Comparisons. ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. GunSpec catalogue record for the CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1 Micro, which cites czfirearms.com. In the API: firearms reference. ↩ ↩² ↩³

5. GunSpec catalogue record for the 9x19mm Parabellum, which cites bobp.cip-bobp.org. In the API: calibers reference and ammunition reference. ↩