01 Czechoslovak Selfloading Pistol Praga Model Calibre 7,65 mm Browning

Vaclav Holek (1886–1954), a gunsmith and designer, designed the first pistol to become part of the Czechoslovak armaments in 1919 at Zbrojovka Praga. The acute shortage of short firearms in the army motivated the factory to offer them to the Ministry of National Defence; however, the fluctuating quality of the pistols hampered the interest of the military administration. Although the arms factory had already received an order for 5,000 pieces in June 1919, which it had had in stock since 1920, it was not until the mobilisation in October 1921 that a larger quantity of Praga pistols was taken over. Under pressure from the shortage, the Ministry of National Defence ordered 4,600 pieces from the factory on 30 October, on the understanding that they were emergency pistols that would not be introduced into the armaments en masse. Of the quantity received, 3,400 pistols were given to Slovak units, while the remaining number remained with Czech units. In addition to the Army, Zbrojovka Praga sold smaller batches of pistols to the police and also offered them on the civilian market. Their production ran only until the first half of 1923, and a total of 11,200 pieces is estimated to have been made.