The Unofficial P64 Resource Forum

In Poland P-64 is known as "CZAK". Many people use this name. "Czak" was the name of the designer project of this pistol. This word is an acronym of designer's(officers of polish army) last names.
Witold Czepukatis
Romuald Zimny
Henryk Adamczyk
Mieczyslaw Adamczyk
Stanislaw Kaczmarski
Kazimierz Kowalewski
Jerzy Pyzel
Designers were a group of polish officers. As You see there was seven officers. Two of them has the same surname but there is no information that they was a family. Word "czak" was written with one "A" and one "K". There is no letter "P" in this word because last designer was included to project in the ending part.
There is no Information about designers and they're career.

Is Adamczyk a common Polish name?

And is "Czak" a word in Polish and if so, what does it mean?

Mike, Bartos' post clearly states that it was an acronym for the multiple designers. You must have been in a hurry.

mikethewreck,
Yes this is just an acronym. There is no other means of this word

Adamczyk is very popular polish surname
bartos

There are 49,599 Adamczyks in Poland. That's out of a population of 38 million. Source for this data is the Polish genealogy website - www.polishroots.org.

Question for bartos: Is CZAK an official Polish designation? Or is it more of a slang word? Sort of like how the U.S. M1 rifle is referred to unofficially as a Garand.

Hi jw,
"czak" was official name of designer project of this pistol, but this is a slang name of this pistol.
bartos

JW, thanks for the Polish Roots web site!

And no, I was not in a hurry. I know some acronyms do not correspond to words (like TNT, CZAK, etc.) but some do.

CZAK isn't a proper word in polish, but it sounds exacly as a name Chuck(Norris ) . When i hear CZAK I see that rough boy from Mark Twain Books(I believe the boy was actualy named Hack fin)... I can say only for myself, but I wouldn't be surprised if others would come with simmiliar associations..

Thanks herrmannek for help. It is great idea to compared words "czak" and chuck. Now guys You know how to say it.

Two of them has the same surname but there is no information that they was a family.

Yes, both Adamczyks were brothers. All of the designers are now retired officers, in their 70s - if not late, unfortunately. They all graduated from the WAT (Wojskowa Akademia Techniczna) Military Technical Academy in Warsaw between 1953 and 1955, so some of them were plank-owners there: Class of 1953 was the first to graduate from there. Of the original six designers, four are still alive: Witold Czepukajtis, Romuald Zimny, Stanis³aw Kaczmarski and Kazimierz Kowalewski. Jerzy Pyzel, who joined later on and dealed mostly with the production technology, not the design itself, is also alive and kicking.

pezzonovante,

Are you in contact with any of these gentlemen?

I wonder if they are aware that their invention has become popular in the U.S. and that there is a website which is devoted to it.

jw

Thanks herrmannek for help. It is great idea to compared words "czak" and chuck. Now guys You know how to say it.

So CZAK is pronounced "chuck", not "See Zack"?

Thank you. It is such a help to have someone who can read the manuals and knows the history.

Actually, for the correct pronunciation, you would pronounce it the same as the English word "chock."

CZAK Click to hear