CZ-75 Years of Service Weapons by Ceska Zbrojovka

Years75of ServiceWeaponS

Českázbrojovka

Uherský Brod

assault Rifles and Carbines

Cz 805 BRen

From vz. 50 to phantom and dUtY

the Submachine Gun of the third Generation

Cz SCoRpion evo 3 a1

by

001 Titul-CZUB-spec 2011-AJ.indd 1 3.5.11 10:12

Features

2 75 years of service weapons by Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod

CZ SCORPION EVO 3A1THE SUBMACHINE GUN24

FROM vz. 50 TOPHANTOMAND DUTY42

THE STORY OF 23/25AND24/26 SUBMACHINE GUNS68

vz. 54 SNIPER RIFLES83

CZ 805 BRENASSAULT RIFLESAND CARBINES

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A LEGEND NAMED SKORPION54

CZUB-spec 2011-AJ:CZUB 2.5.2011 15:54 Stránka 2

Content

ContentInspired by tradition – driven by future 4

(An interview with the General Manager of Česká zbrojovka a.s.,Ing. Lubomír Kovařík, about the history, the present and the futureof the development and the production of the CZ firearms)

The CZ 805 BREN: Assault rifles and carbines 8

This project makes me proud 16(Vítězslav Guryča, the designer talks about the developmentof the new CZ 805 concept)

The CZ 805 G1 grenade launcher 18

The development of the CZ 805 UN/BN 22

The CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1 submachine gun: The third generation 24

I like playing with guns 30(Ján Lučanský, the weapon designer, talks about the developmentof the CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1 from the Slovak roots up to the present time)

CZ sniper rifles 32

Weapons for defense and protection of the residences 38of the Czech president(Current and future equipment of the Prague Castle Guard)

From vz. 50 to PHANTOM and DUTY or the CZ pistols as service guns 42

I feel closest to the assault rifle 50(Talking with Ing. Radek Hauerland, the Technical Director of Česká zbrojovka,about the new service weapons made by CZ)

A legend named Skorpion 54

The Good Old “broom” alias the vz. 58 submachine gun 62

The pioneer “pumps”:The story of the 23/25 and 24/26 submachine guns 68

The ČZ 247 submachine gun: The automatic weapon whosereceiver with the magazine well can be rotated 76

The story of self-loading rifles: vz. 52 and 52/57 80

Galaš´s Mosin: A special story of the vz. 54 Sniper Rifle 83

Machine guns from Česká zbrojovka 86

Signal pistols from Uherský Brod 90

375 years of service weapons by Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod


The new assault rifle by Česká zbrojovka bears thefamous historical name BREN, the new submachinegun SCORPION from Uherský Brod also refers toits renowned predecessor. Obviously, your com-pany attempts to follow the tradition of the Czech,or more precisely Czechoslovak, arms production.How are you getting along, in your opinion?

Undoubtedly, there are many links to our past. Českázbrojovka celebrates 75 years of its existence in2011 and all the time throughout it has been runningin the same place were it was established, that is inthe town of Uherský Brod. It is already a tradition thatwe present new, modernized solutions to the con-struction concept of our own firearms. This attitudeis connected, among others, with the technicalaccomplishment and professional approach of our em-

ployees. These are the undisputable links to our past.However, we do not work only with traditional de-signations – that would certainly not be enough.I think it is crucial that our portfolio is again dominatedby modern firearms for armed forces.

The company from Uherský Brod, one of the most im-portant arms production companies in the world, hasbeen the key supplier of the equipment for national armyand police since its very foundation in 1936. Our new de-velopment and production program called Army& LawEnforcement is now continuing this tradition.

This special issue is dedicated to the history andthe present of the development and productionof service weapons in Česká zbrojovka UherskýBrod. Can we presume that one of the company'slong term priorities is to get back to the pro-duction of a comprehensive portfolio for armedforces and security units? Will this trend affect thecivilian production?

Indeed, our priority has been, and still is, to gra-dually re-establish Česká zbrojovka in the positionwhere it always used to be in the past, that is to be-come the key supplier of small arms for all armedforces of the Czech Republic. I am glad to say that thispriority did not remain in the level of mere visions anddeclarations but it has become reality embodied in thecomplex product line for armed forces which we in-troduced in February 2010. This new product line byČeská zbrojovka offers the national as well as foreignmilitary and security units the top quality, modernservice weapons with effective range covering bet-ween 0 and 1000 metres.

This trend will certainly not affect our civilian pro-duction. I suppose that the number of firearms thatwe produce annually will continue to grow. We planto manufacture and sell 165 000 arms in 2011. Wewant to take advantage of the experience which wegathered during the construction and developmentof automatic weapons for law enforcement and useit in the production of civilian firearms, especially semi-automatic centerfire rifles and rimfire rifles.

The production start-up phase of the multi-caliberassault rifle represents an extraordinary successof Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod. The new weapon

Interview

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Ing. Lubomír Kovařík

Inspired by TRADITION– driven by FUTUREAn interview with the General Manager of Česká zbrojovka a.s.,

Ing. Lubomír Kovařík about the history,the present and the future of the developmentand production of the CZ firearms



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has been introduced into the equipment of theCzech armed forces; however, you would like towin recognition in the international market whichhas been dominated by a very strong and well-es-tablished competition. What are the chances of theeight-o-fives in your opinion? Have any foreign cus-tomers displayed interest in the product?

The signature of the contract with the Ministry ofDefence of the Czech Republic last March 2010 andthe supplies of the CZ 805 BREN A1 and A2 assaultrifles to the Czech Army represent a very prestigiousevent for our company and our main objective is tocomply with all the contractual conditions.

Indeed, the weapons from our new portfolio haveenjoyed a huge interest worldwide. We are now ne-gotiating the delivery of samples and the organiza-tion of presentations with our foreign partners.Many questions have arisen in this regard, for examplethe question of how our weapons will be tested byarmed forces all over the world. We have encounteredinterest in the new products in Latin America, the Mid-dle East as well as in the South-Western Asia.

I believe that the eight-o-five has a pretty good chanceto establish itself in the international market. I am con-vinced that we have introduced a state-of-the-artweapon which represents the real firearm of a twenty-first century soldier and which is fully comparable to themost advanced products of renowned manufacturers.

The multi-purpose grenade launcher CZ 805 G1,whichforms a set together with the assault rifle CZ 805BREN, is another interesting novelty in the portfo-lio of Česká zbrojovka. For the factory in UherskýBrod, it represents a completely new type of prod-

uct. What did it bring to Česká zbrojovka in terms ofnecessary investments in its launching to productionand what are, according to your opinion, the pro-duct's chances to succeed internationally?

The grenade launcher represents an inseparable partof the portfolio for armed forces. From the very be-ginning, we had planned to develop a grenadelauncher of the Czech concept. Nevertheless, I mustadmit that at one time we were playing with the ideaof implementing another grenade launcher. In the endwe decided that it would be much more effective tofinish the development of the already existing con-cept which had been elaborated earlier.

There certainly is a good chance that this weaponwill establish itself internationally. We presume thatour concept of a modular assault rifle which enablesto attach grenade launcher is very perspective. As faras the resources invested in the new product are con-cerned, I can summarize the whole project of theCZ 805 saying that in the last five years we have investedin the project more than 200 million Czech Korunas co-vered entirely by the company's own resources.

Another product which has recently been introducedintotheserialproductionistheCZ SCORPION EVO 3A1submachine gun. In case of this weapon, the demandfrom abroad has been discussed for a longer time.What is the current state of this project?

The serial production of this weapon is already run-ning. If I was talking about real interest in the CZ 805BREN A1 and A2, in case of the submachine gun thesituation is even better. In some countries, we have ex-perienced an enormous interest in purchase of thisweapon which was designed particularly for special



units. In terms of territories we can say that the demandcomes from the same regions as in case of the CZ 805.We were surprised by the interest in the civilian ver-sion of the weapon shown in the Czech Republic as wellas abroad. I have a piece of good news for the personsinterested: we have been preparing the semiautomaticversion. A similar process is ahead of the assault rifleCZ 805. The civilian versions of both the new Scorpionand the eight-o-five shall be launched in 2011.

Can we expect some interesting novelties in theCZ service pistols in the nearest future?

We introduced the pistol of the compact category,the P-07 DUTY, already in 2009. I am glad to say thatit became bestseller immediately and several policeforces have already adopted the pistol into their equip-ment. Since 2010 we offer this pistol also in other cal-ibers. In 2011, we plan to introduce the pistol in thestandard, full size; it will be designated P-08 and it willcontinue in the extremely successful P-07 line. As faras a “small” DUTY is concerned, we would also liketo introduce an innovation which will consist in a slightmodification of its frame. For both P-07 and P-08 weplan to develop a frame with interchangeable back-straps which will enable each user to adjust the pis-tol so that it is fully comfortable for him.

Česká zbrojovka has not been very lucky as far asmachine guns are concerned – despite the fact thatthese weapons were present at the birth of thecompany and that your company has put certainefforts in this field; the machine guns have not re-turned to the production program of Česká zbro-

jovka since the end of World War II when their pro-duction was discontinued. Do you think that thetoday Česká zbrojovka has the potential to es-tablish itself in this field as well?

The truth is that Česká zbrojovka ceased to manu-facture machine guns after World War II. Actually, ourcompany as such started its activity with the productionof machine guns – at that time it was the productionof the LK 30 air machine gun. Machine guns weremanufactured in the arms factory in Uherský Brodalso during World War II. More specifically, it was themainstay fixed aircraft machine gun, MG 17, in caliber7.92mm designed for messerschmitts, focke-wulfs andjunkers. When we started to develop the concept of thenew CZ 805 assault rifle we presumed, and we are stilltaking this idea into account, that with a long, heavybarrel and a multi-shot magazine the assault rifle couldbe employed as a support machine gun within an armedunit or a squad. Today the assault rifle exists in caliber5.56x45mm and we are about to finish the developmentof the caliber 7.62x39mm. In the following period wewould like to dedicate to the development of the cali-ber 7,62x51mm which is another standard caliber ofNATO. Indeed, there is a small step to employ this cali-ber in the prospective development of a machine gun.Generally, we can say that the current requirements onbattle conduct are completely different from what wewere accustomed to in the past. Nowadays, the battlesare conducted by smaller, more universal units: that iswhy they use assault rifles, machine guns as well as sniperrifles or other special weapons at the same time. Ac-cording to our opinion, the use of machine guns inarmed forces will be furthermore negotiated.

The introduction of the new products for servicesector was connected with considerable invest-ments in the adoption of new technologies andin overall innovation of production capacities ofČeská zbrojovka. Can we presume that this smarttechnologic leap will reflect in the construction andproduction for civilian market?

As I have already mentioned, the new production pro-gram cost more than 200 million Czech Korunas. Českázbrojovka commonly invests in development between100 and 120 million CZK each year. These figures includenot only investments as such but also funds expendedinto maintenance and environmentally friendly in-vestments. Briefly, we can say that currently we investthese sums into the improvement of production plantseach year. For example, for the purpose of the assaultrifle production we purchased several top quality CNCmachining centers which will be used also for the pro-duction of the civilian version of the assault rifle as wellas for the production of other civilian weapons.

In 2011 you are starting another five years of yourfunction in Česká zbrojovka. It is apparent that youare looking ahead, nevertheless, could you brieflysummarize the first five years in the function ofthe manager?

I became the head of Česká zbrojovka on the 15thof June 2006 so I would say that it is good to do a smallrecap. Zbrojovka has gradually broken in between the



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top companies in its field. At present time it is a sta-ble industrial company that constantly shows a con-siderable profit. It is good that we have managed toestablish both the first-rate team of employees andthe technical background which is connected to theproduction. Our weapons still enjoy great interest andwe have launched a lot of novelties.

What was Česká zbrojovka like at that time andwhat is it like today?

There is certainly one substantial difference: fiveyears ago our portfolio was, in my opinion, out-of-dateand incomplete. However, in the past period we ma-naged to develop and accomplish a whole range ofnovelties for armed forces as well as for the civilianweapons segment. I believe that we will continue thistrend because there are still things to improve in theassortment of weapons for armed forces, sportsshooting as well as for hunting purposes.

Which direction will Česká zbrojovka be headingunder your guidance in the upcoming years?

We will definitely focus on extending our portfoliofor armed forces and achieving that Česká zbrojovka isconsidered to be the best partner. We will certainly alsotry to find a way to cooperation with armed forces indifferent countries of the world because we currentlyhave business partners in 75 countries worldwide.

We will further consider how to accomplish our civi-lian program so that we fulfill one of our crucial aims:to become the partner of huntsmen, gamekeepers andsports shooters from the very beginning – fromtheir childhood – up to their maturity.

We started the discussion with the history of Českázbrojovka. What would you wish the company forits 75th anniversary?

Prosperity! Česká zbrojovka is a company witha long and splendid tradition. For sure, the 75 yearsspeak for themselves. I am convinced that our posi-tion in the market is clear and I would like to seethat our visions are gradually coming true. I do notdoubt that we can make it. �



Advances


The original Czechoslovak “vz. 58” submachine gun (presented in detail onpage 62 of this issue) ranks, without any doubt, among one of the most su-perior and successful service weapons manufactured in the current Českázbrojovka a.s. At the turn of 1980s and 1990s, the factory planned to replacethis weapon by the complex weapon family called LADA; due to lack of fundson the part of the national army this project was abandoned after 1989.The assault rifle as such returned to the production program of Česká zbro-jovka only at the end of 2009 in the form of a completely new product lineCZ 805 BREN. Let us study the origin of this modern descendant of the leg-endary Czech “58” and the innovation it brings.

CZ 805 BRENAssault Rifles and Carbines


It is certainly good to recall that since the beginningof 1990s, Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod dedicatedmuch effort to developing several types of weapons

in caliber 5,56x45 NATO. First of all, it was the abovementioned LADA weapon family presented also un-der the name CZ 2000. When it turned out that thenational armed forces were not able to invest fundsin the purchase of the weapon, LADA was offeredabroad. The weapon gained good acceptance and af-ter it went through an extensive modernization it wasabout to be introduced into serial production. Apartfrom this project Česká zbrojovka cooperated with thecompany Prototypa from Brno on developing compactweapons for personal defence called HROM and MOR.The results were very promising, unfortunately theproject was abandoned even though functional sam-ples had been presented.

DEVELOPMENTOF A MULTI-CALIBER RIFLE

The fundamental turning point in the developmentof long automatic weapons in Uherský Brod came in2006 when the R&D department of Česká zbrojovkaproposed to develop a multi-caliber automatic rifle,specifying in detail the parameters of the modernmodular automatic weapon.

Originally, two versions were planned to be deve-loped: first version employed the calibers 5.56x45mmNATO, 7.62x39mm or 6.8x43mm SPC Rem., the secondversion was supposed to shoot cartridges in caliber7.62x51mm NATO or .300 WSM. Having considered allpros and cons, the company decided – at least for thetime being – to focus on the first version. From the verybeginning the designers had assumed that the inter-changeable magazine wells should enable to use virtuallyall the most commonly used magazines of these calibers.

The project was started with a thorough analysis ofthe output of all the existing and newly developedservice cartridges and of the real needs of military unitsin current engagements.

We should mention at least some of the pros of themulti-caliber concept which was designed for the useof special forces. The concept was developed tooffer a trouble-free and quick employment of troopsusing the ammunition of all the coalition armies in theterritory of conflict and an easy conversion to car-bine/compact/light machine gun/sniper rifle withoutthe necessity to purchase several systems of weaponsor spare parts. The possibility to use the local sourcesof ammunition and the quick conversion of theweapon for the needs of combat represented a greatadvantage for special forces.

It is necessary to hint one important fact: the CzechArmy was planning to rearm their troops and the com-pany from Uherský Brod wanted to succeed in this pro-ject, despite the fact that no specific information aboutthe rearmament had been known. The multi-caliber mo-dular design was, from this point of view, an ideal so-lution – thanks to it, Česká zbrojovka could answer fle-xibly and promptly any requirement of the Czech soldiers.

COOPERATION WITH THE COMPANYFROM SLAVIČÍN

In the first part of the multi-caliber rifle develop-ment, Česká zbrojovka closely cooperated with a spe-cilised development office of the CZECH WEAPONScompany from the town of Slavičín which was suc-cessful in several previous projects. One of the mostinvolved employers from Slavičín was particularlyIng. Ladislav Findorák, who unfortunately died dur-ing the course of this development. It was him whocame with the original idea of the Russian half-locked




bolt system which enables to prepare a weapon fam-ily of different parameters and calibers with a highdegree of spare parts unification.

During 2006 the company from Slavičín trans-formed the basic conception of Česká zbrojovka andthe resulting overall technical setting into a workingsample of the rifle with a bolt locked by a rotatingbreech block and an automatic system driven by ga-ses from the barrel using the most modern con-struction solutions such as the technology CAD/CAMand rapid prototyping. The original concept includ-ed an alternative solution represented by lever-delayedblowback operation would be used (in fact thissystem is typical for the CZW prototypes from Slavičín).This concept, however, was not brought into effect.

The sample of the rifle was introduced to the re-presentatives of the Czech Army within the previewof the project called “21st Century Soldier” in Slav-ičín already in November 2006. In spring 2007 theweapon was publicly introduced for the first time,though in a bit extraordinary way: Česká zbrojovkabrought the rifle to the IDET exhibition in Brno; how-ever, with the anticipation of the rough competitionfight in the upcoming tender for rearmament of theCzech Army, the rifle was exhibited only in a show-case; nevertheless the visitors could participate ina quiz which contained questions regarding the es-timated weight of the rifle or suggesting the weapon’sname. In the end of 2007, the completed model wasconveyed to Uherský Brod and it was solely Česká zbro-jovka who faced the challenge to accomplish its de-velopment and prepare the serial production.

FINISHING THE DEVELOPMENTIt was namely Vítězslav Guryča who participated

in the development of the new weapon family, desig-nated as CZ S 805, in the arms factory in Uherský Brod(see the interview with Mr. Guryča on page 16). He start-ed to ela-borate the complete design documentation fo-cusing his attention on the technical nodes which hadnot been accomplished in the working sample – for ex-ample the magazines, the firing pin block node, amongothers. At the same time, the re-adjustment of theweapon′s nodes in relation to the tests carried out onthe sample was accomplished affecting the folding stock,trigger mechanism, recoil mechanism or the seating ofthe barrel in the receiver. It was also necessary to solvethe timing of barrel locking, the operation pin node, thepowder gases extraction and the barrel fitting with re-gard to its precision. Afterwards, the first prototypes weremanufactured in the design and development shop ofČeská zbrojovka, they were brought into life, measuredand their individual mechanisms were tuned.

With the increasing volume of work the compa-ny decided to create a design team whose members

were Ing. Jaroslav Bachůrek, Ing. Jiří Kafka andIng. Vladimír Šimek. It is necessary to mention thatthe development was being carried out in close in-teraction with the supposed main user, the CzechArmy. In the meantime, the new weapon was pub-licly presented in many occasions. The “uncovered”premiere took place at the Prague exhibition FutureSoldier in October 2008 but at that time it was pos-sible only to look at the rifle. At the beginning of May2009 the new rifle was officially introduced to pro-fessionals at the IDET exhibition in Brno under thename CZ S 805. In autumn 2009 the designation ofthe rifle was changed to CZ 805 BREN; the two vari-ants were distinguished by a supplementary letterA with a number (the basic version – the assault ri-fle – bears the name CZ 805 BREN A1).

In mid November 2009 the Ministry of Defence ofthe Czech Republic put up a tender for supply of as-sault rifles and carbines in caliber 5.56x45mm NATO(including the grenade launcher, optical devices andammunition) for the purpose of partial rearmamentof the Czech Army. On February 1st 2010, the thenMinister of Defence Martin Barták informed of the vic-tory of Česká zbrojovka a.s. in the tender and onMarch 18th 2010 the contract to supply 6 687 piecesof CZ 805 BREN A1 assault rifles and 1 250 pieces ofCZ BREN A2 carbines including accessories between2010 and 2013 was signed.

LOCKED IN THE BARRELThe CZ 805 BREN is an individual automatic weapon

designed for aimed shooting on ground, light armouredand air targets with the effective range around 400m(version A2) and 500m (version A1). It enables to shootsingle rounds, two rounds bursts or fully automatic.The fire mode is set by an ambidextrous fire modeselector which is located on both sides of the receiv-er. The different fire modes are indicated by dots in twocolours (white dot means that the rifle is put on safe,one red dot identifies single round mode, etc.).

The CZ 805 BREN rifles are equipped with hammerforged barrels which feature six right-hand grooves;


they are provided with a locked bolt featuring rota-ting breech block with six locking lugs which lock intothe corresponding recesses in the extended rear por-tion of the barrel behind the cartridge chamber. Thiswell-proven, reliable solution contributes to the ac-curacy of the rifle and eliminates the stresses exertedon the receiver. Thanks to this advantage the R&D staffcould afford to design a receiver made from resistantpolymer. Nevertheless, due to various technical reasons,the polymer was replaced during the developmentprocess by a high-strength aluminum alloy. Česká zbro-jovka yet did not abandon the idea to manufacturethe receiver from polymer and has recently started totest a new material with spectacular properties.

The automatic operation of the CZ 805 BREN riflesis driven by powder gases tapped from the barrel bymeans of a channel leading into the gas extensionthrough which a gas tube enabling the two-stage re-gulation is passing. The impulse of the powder gas-es impacts the face of the breech block carrier bymeans of a piston assembly with an attached spring.The piston assembly can be observed through thetwo horizontal vent ports located on both sides of

the front upper part of the receiver. The rotation ofthe breech block is ensured by the movement of theoperating pin located on the left side of the breechblock carrier. The cam pin is fixed in the breech blockby the body of the floating firing pin which is pro-vided on the left rear side with a slot for automat-ic safety represented by a spring-loaded lever whichis attached to the left side of the breech block car-rier and deactivated by the hammer striking the headof the firing pin. The current version of the eight-o-fives enables to eject the fired cartridge cases onlyto the right side (or more precisely to the right for-ward direction); that is why the extractor claw is lo-cated on the right side of the breech block facewhere it forms a part of the seating for the cartridgecase head while in the left part of the breech blockface there is the spring-loaded ejector.

After the last cartridge has been fired the bolt is re-tained in the rear position by the bolt stop. The con-trolling device enabling to manually secure the bolt inthe rear position is located on both sides of the triggermechanism housing at the spot where the back of themagazine well is tied to the receiver. The bolt is releasedby a short pull of the operating handle backwards.

THE THREE VERSIONSThe CZ 805 BREN rifles are characteristic for their

high modularity enabling to transform them into var-ious configurations and for their unique and simplesystem of exchange of the caliber used. The most ela-borated version is the one in caliber 5.56x45mm NATOwhich exists in three modifications: the assault or au-tomatic rifle (CZ 805 BREN A1), the rifle with a short-ened barrel or so called carbine (CZ 805 BREN A2) andthe light automatic sniper rifle with an extended bar-rel (CZ 805 BREN A3). Virtually, it is possible to trans-form the weapon into a light machine gun.

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CZ 805BREN A1– individualautomaticweapon



The serial production has been started onlywith the versions A1 and A2 in caliber5.56x45mm NATO which were subject toall tests carried out within the overalltestsof thenewproductsofČeskázbro-jovka according to the most stringentmilitary methodology. The manufactu-rer mentions, among others, that after therequired durability test comprising of 20 000 rounds

had beencarried out,one of thetested rifles

showed a dura-bility of 50 000

rounds without any de-fects. The only reason whythe shooting test was dis-continued was that furthercartridge expenditure appea-red like mere wasting.

All the CZ 805 BREN rifles are equipped with a fold-ing, ergonomically shaped stock.

The manufacturer offers also its telescopic versionwith spring-loaded grip surface at the bottom andwith an adjustable polymer cheekpiece. It is possibleto simply remove the stock for the purpose of trans-port, for example.

BARREL EXCHANGEThe CZ 805 BREN barreled action exists also in caliber

7,62x39mm and, perspectively, in caliber 6,8x43mm SPCRem. In order to change the caliber of the weapon therifle is equipped with a simply removable barrel whichis fixed in the receiver by means of six screws (three screwson both sides). The interesting thing is that the screw holesare provided with polymer inserts which prevent fromheat bridge effect as well as from heat transmission fromthe barrel to the external surface of the rifle. After thescrews are loosened the whole barrel assembly can be ax-ially slipped out including the lower mounting rail. Thebarrel has been designed as floating with the single nodewhich contributes to the high precision of the rifle. Inorder to tighten the screws while installing the barrel intothe rifle it is necessary to use the torque key included inthe basic accessories set; there is a defined tighteningtorque and the order in which the individual screwsmust be tightened is also pre-defined. Furthermore, ifthe caliber of the rifle is to be changed, it is necessaryto replace the magazine well, the breech block and thegas tube, which ensures that the pressure of the pow-der gases generated in the course of discharge of theparticular cartridge achieves the energy needed for a re-liable operation of the automatic function.

MAGAZINE WELLSFOR ALL MAGAZINES

In terms of construction, the CZ 805 BREN weaponsrepresent a unique variation on the renowned and

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Detail of the controls on the left sideof the trigger case.

The gas extension with the gas tubeenabling to adjust gas tap fromthe barrel and with the rail forthe attachment of UN/BN CZ 805.



well-proven systems and principles. Thanks to a tho-rough recherché, Česká zbrojovka managed to avoidconflicts of patent rights; on the other hand, the com-pany was not able to push ahead the patent appli-cation for the original design of the exchangeablemagazine well. In contrast with comparable productsof foreign manufacturers where the transition to a di-fferent caliber is usually connected with the employ-ment of a new trigger mechanism housing with anintegrated magazine well, the CZ 805 BREN is providedwith a detachable magazine well.

The magazine well is made from inexpensive poly-mer part inserted into the trigger mechanism hou-sing face while the trigger mechanism housing itselfand the handle, which are manufactured from thesame material, remain without any change.

After the trigger mechanism housing has been re-placed the magazine well is slipped downward out ofthe dovetail groove and the alternative magazine well

is simply inserted onto the dovetail groove. It is nec-essary to apply some force but with the help of a suit-able pad the whole process is a matter of a few seconds.The shape of the dovetail groove and the quality of thematerial ensure the reliable connection of the maga-zine well to the tri-gger mechanism housing.

This solution enables not only to convert to caliber5.56x45mm NATO but also to use virtually all stan-dardized NATO magazines with ambidextrous orbottom attachment (G36, M4/M16); moreover the ori-ginal 30-rounds transparent magazine from UherskýBrod features a double column side-by-side feed andoffers the possibility to apply a dual magazine clampusing removable polymer clips. It is also possible to usethe high-capacity magazines for squad automaticweapons which fit into the magazine wells for theM16/M4 magazines. All the magazine wells featurean ambidextrous magazine release.

Česká zbrojovka has already prepared its owntransparent 7.62x39mm magazine of a design si-milar to the 5.65x45mm NATO magazine. Both ma-gazines can be easily told apart because the curva-ture of the 7.62x39mm magazine body is more no-table due to the bottled shape of the 7.62mm car-tridges. The variable magazine well enables to usethe standard AK magazines, among others. Českázbrojovka is not currently planning to implement theSA vz. 58 magazine into the rifle because this wouldrequire developing of another, i. e. the third, versionof the magazine well. Though the CZ 805 BREN ma-gazines were developed in-house at Česká zbrojov-ka, same as all the polymer parts, they are manu-

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Thanks to the shorterbarrel the CZ 805 BREN A2 carbine hasnotably smaller dimensions and lowerweight than the A1 version



factured by external suppliers (the technology of thepolymer injection has not been introduced in themanufacturing processes of Česká zbrojovka).

MOUNTING RAILSYou can hardly imagine a modern assault rifle

without a comprehensive standardized mounting in-terface for attachment of a various range of up-to-date combat accessories. The CZ 805 rifles are notan exception to this rule.

Their longest rail, which complies with theMIL-STD-1913, forms an integrated part of the re-ceiver – it passes through the whole receiver and be-sides the fact that it is designed for attachment ofvarious optoelectronic aiming devices it usuallyserves for mounting of the folding mechanicalsights with a front sight adjustable in elevation anda diopter rear sight adjustable in windage. The shorterrails located on both sides of the front part of thereceiver are fixed by three screws which, at the sametime, retain the barrel assembly inside the receiver.The lateral rails serve among others for attachmentof an aiming device when firing with a suspendedCZ 805 G1 grenade launcher. The third, bottom railforms a part of the barrel assembly and serves as ananchorage point of the trigger mechanism housing.This rail usually serves for the attachment of eitherthe grenade launcher or the front vertical handle.As far as the handle is concerned, the arms factoryfrom Uherský Brod put on a well-proven product ofan outland source featuring a telescopic bipod.

Since touching the mounting rails while grippingthe rifle is not very comfortable when not wearinggloves in order to soften the grip Česká zbrojovka usesthe renowned rubber butts of foreign productionthanks to which the handling of the rifle is very con-venient (not mentioning the fact that the rifle looksmore attractive with the butts attached).

ACCESSORIESThe barrel muzzle of all versions of the CZ 805 BREN

is equipped with a thread which enables to providethe barrel with a standard flash hider featuring six la-teral ports or with a silencer or, alternatively, witha specially designed extension for the use of blank car-tridges which is also included in the standard equip-ment. The standard equipment of each rifle includesthe new UN/BN CZ 805 assault/combat knife witha polymer holster and a textile attachment system. Theknife was developed by Česká zbrojovka itself and canbe attached into the slot at the bottom part of thegas extension to serve as a bayonet (for more infor-mation about this cold weapon see page 22).

The standard equipment contains also the brass brush,pull-wire loop, pull-wire, oil can and a multi-purposewrench. We should also mention the three-point ca-rrying sling (the CZ 805 BREN weapons are providedwith sling clips on both sides) and the pouches madefrom impregnated textile; the pouches can accommo-date two magazines and can be adjoined in various ways.

EASY TO ASSEMBLEIt is not necessary to use any tools in order to carry out

the basic disassembly of the CZ 805 BREN. After havingthe magazine removed and the chamber safety-checkedthe stock is removed by sliding it out from the so calledrear head which closes the rear part of the receiver andwhich is equipped with a massive slot in the T shape anda spring-loaded detent which retains the stock. After-wards it is necessary to remove the trigger mechanismhousing, taking out the rear pin and sliding out the rearhead. The two slots at the upper part of the stockbuttplate serve for a safe storage of both the removedpins. Now it is possible to remove the recoil assemblyformed by the recoil spring and the guide rod. Conse-quently, the breech block carrier is shifted into the rearposition and the cocking lever is removed. Both the



breech block carrier and the breech block can now beremoved from the receiver. While carrying out the gen-eral maintenance the gas tube and the piston are alsodisassembled by pressing the spring-loaded detent onthe left side of the gas extension face and turning thegas tube into a position where its edge comes out of theretaining slot of the extension. The assembly of the ri-fle is carried out reversely and it is as simple as the dis-assembly. Interestingly enough, the basic assembly anddisassembly of the “eight-o-fives” is very similar to theassembly and the disassembly of the famous BREN ma-chine gun of the Czechoslovak origin whose name wasentitled to the new rifles and carbines of Česká zbrojovka.

SUITABLE ALSOFOR LEFT-HANDED USERS

The cocking handle can be installed on both left andright side of the rifle – according to the preferencesof the particular user. Together with the various am-bidextrous control devices, the CZ 805 BREN offersa high degree of comfort to left-handed shooters; theonly obstruction they deal with is the stock foldableto the right-way direction and the right-way ejectionof the fired cartridges – which is not a big deal if webear in mind that the ejection port is located behindthe magazine well and the deflector is positioned be-hind the ejection port while the fired cartridge caseis propelled in the forward direction.

COMFORTABLE SHOOTINGThe CZ 805 BREN rifles and carbines rank among the

weapons with an ergonomic and well-balancedshape which offer the possibility to adjust them ac-cording to the user’s individual measures. For this pur-pose the pistol grip is equipped with exchangeableback straps known from modern service pistols. Theoverall weight of the rifle remains within the standardmeasures of the weapons of its type. The users willcertainly appreciate that they can easily control thefire in all fire modes, including the full burst.

We have already mentioned the functional reliabilityof the final version of the CZ 805 BREN rifles and car-bines which exceeds the officially declared durabili-ty. In practice it means that a defect will most pro-bably appear only if the rules of exploitation areseriously breached by the user.

The trigger travel is smooth and fluent in all the firemodes (1-2-30) featuring a constant trigger pull all theway throughout – a common quality for the weaponsof this category. When shooting in prone position at100 meters with the use of a rest, the CZ 805 BREN ri-fles and carbines in caliber 5.56x45mm NATO (car-tridges with a bullet SS109) comply without any trou-ble with the declared accuracy of 10 rounds within4 MOA which should be equal to maximum dispersionof 116.4mm – a very good result for a weapon of thiscategory. Thanks to the smooth operation of theweapon it is possible to achieve excellent results evenin the two-rounds fire mode.

New users should be aware that the reversible cock-ing handle is moving in the slot in the side of the receiverwhile shooting. The standard version of the cocking han-dle is relatively long which simplifies the manipulation

and enables to easily handle any eventual trouble; how-ever, the user must adopt a proper grip of the weapon.

TECHNOLOGICAL LEAPImmediately after the signature of the contract of

supplies of the CZ 805 BREN A1 rifles and the CZ 805BREN A2 carbines with the Ministry of Defence of theCzech Republic, Česká zbrojovka started to preparethe serial production of the products. It is necessaryto mention that automatic service weapons – sub-machine guns vz. 58 – were manufactured on a largescale in Uherský Brod lastly in the first half of the 1980s.However, the experience and machine equipmentfrom that time would not be suitable for the purposeof the production of the eight-o-fives. The current mul-ti-caliber CZ rifle represents a product of a completelynew and modernized construction and technologicalconception which requires adopting several hi-techproduction processes, installing new machines andmodernizing the factory’s current equipment.

Moreover, the company promptly reacts to theactual worldwide trend and prepares a purely self-load-ing version of the eight-o-five for the civilian market.

The Armed Forces of the Czech Republic are the firstpurchaser of the new assault rifles; nevertheless, Českázbrojovka Uherský Brod does not hide the fact that,despite being proud of the contract on the domesticsupplies, the long-term goal of the company is to es-tablish itself in the international market. Whatever thefinal commercial result of the CZ 805 BREN will be, itdefinitely represents the beginning of a new era ofČeská zbrojovka. With the eight-o-fives and the newCZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1 submachine guns, the com-pany logged in – after a forced pause – to its long andfamous tradition of development and production ofautomatic weapons. Česká zbrojovka re-enters withhigh-quality, modern products of internationalparameters whose serial production representsa technological leap deep into the 21st century. Thisis certainly a piece of good news for the supportersof the Czech arms production industry. �

15

Caliber 5.56 x 45 mm NATONumber of grooves 6Rate of twist 178±5 mm RHBarrel length 360/277 mmOverall length with unfolded shoulder stock 870/787 mmOverall length with folded shoulder stock 670/582 mmWidth with unfolded shoulder stock 77 mmWidth with folded shoulder stock 105 mmHeight with magazine and w/o sights 260 mmTheoretical rate of fire 760 rd/minEffective range of fire 500/400 mAccuracy of fire in single shots up to 4 MOASight radius (with CZ sights) 395 mmWeight w/o magazine and sling 3.49/3.41 kgWeight of empty magazine (CZ) 0.195 KgMagazine capacity 30 rounds

CZ 805 BREN A1/A2



Before we start talking about weapons and yourcontribution to the construction, could you tell usa few words about yourself? How did you get toweapon design and which projects of Česká zbro-jovka have you worked on so far?

I started to work in Česká zbrojovka in 1984 after gra-duating from the Engineering High School in the near-by town of Uherské Hradiště. Firstly, I worked in the toolsdesign, then I moved to production engineering and de-sign and finally I ended up in the design research.

I worked on the CZ 97 pistol, the CZ 700 huntingrifle and on the CZ 700 Sniper rifle. There were moreprojects but not all of them were launched into se-rial production – for example the CZ 75 Compact pis-tol in caliber 7.65 Browning, the grenade launcherPRAK 40x46mm designed for SA 58 or the CZ 570 mo-

dular hunting rifle, to name a few. Since 2007 I havebeen working on the “eight-o-five”.

What was the status of the CZ 805 project whenyou started to work on it and what was your jobin the development?

I started to work on the project in the end of 2007when the working sample called the CZ S 805 devel-oped by the company CZW from Slavičín had beenconveyed to Česká zbrojovka. In the first instance,I was elaborating the overall design documentationand trying to solve the nodes which had not been ac-complished in the sample, for example the magazines.In the mean time, the rifle’s nodes were being re-designed according to the experience gained duringthe testing of the working sample – for instance thefolding stock, the trigger mechanism, the recoil as-sembly or the barrel seating.

The first prototypes were manufactured in the de-sign development shop of Česká zbrojovka by theskilled gunsmith, Mr. Pavel Vrága, and later on alsoby Mr. Jiří Neděla who assembled the grenadelauncher prototypes as well. These prototypesserved for measurements and for debugging of theindividual mechanisms.

By the end of 2008 the volume of the project hadincreased considerably; therefore the Technical Direc-tor of Česká zbrojovka, Ing. Radek Hauerland, togetherwith the Head of the Design Department, Ing. PavelMahdal, decided to create a special team of designers.Since that time I have been working on the project to-gether with Ing. Jaroslav Bachůrek, Ing. Jiří Kafka andIng. Vladimír Šimek. In the course of time, I can say thatthe decision was a very opportune one.

What was the initial setting of the project? If I amnot mistaken, the Czech Army specified their re-quirements on the new weapon with a certain de-lay. Is it correct to presume that during the con-struction of the weapon you had to relay mainlyon the specification of comparable tenders fromabroad and on the analysis of the main develop-ment trends?

The setting had been determined by the develop-ment department of Česká zbrojovka earlier. Theteam managed to bring in a specification which was

Interview

16

Vítězslav Guryča

This projectMAKES ME PROUD

Vítězslav Guryča, the designer talks aboutthe development of the new CZ 805 concept



17

in accordance with the development trend and theirassumption of the market requirement turned out tobe correct. Obviously, as the project developed, we hadto react to actual information arising from the market.

While working on the CZ 805 weapons and the as-sociated accessories, did you encounter anythingwhich caused you a lot of troubles?

There were many things. The project is quite com-plicated and each node is specific. It was very difficultto debug the whole system, make it work faultlesslyand maintain the required durability. We had the greatadvantage that we could solve problems as a team.And there were also several people who were alwaysable to help and give advice.

Is there anything you are really proud of as a designerof the weapons and the associated accessories?

I am proud of the project as such. I am very proudof what the whole design team together with the de-sign development shop managed to accomplish.However, my particular emotional relationship goesfor the assault/combat knife.

What is the potential of further development ofthe CZ 805 weapons? What is the status of the A3version with the longer barrel, for example?

There are always things to improve. The whole con-cept will be further developed based on the re-quirements of the market. It would not be wise to staywith one version only. The A3 version was originallybeing prepared for the Czech Army but, so far, it hasnot been accomplished. Nevertheless, its working sam-ple has been tested and debugged.

Correct me if I am mistaken, but we have heard,among others, about the purely self-loading ver-sion for the civilian market.Do you already know whichmodel it is going to be ba-sed on and when it could belaunched in the market?

Indeed, this option hasbeen mentioned. In my opin-ion, it would be a shame notto accomplish such project.The implementation willprobably depend on the le-gislation which will determinethe barrel length, for exam-ple. Furthermore, we have al-ready prepared a mould fora grip with an exchangeablecore which will enable toprovide the grip with thedifferent fire mode marks.

I think we will need a moreexact explanation here –what does the use of theexchangeable core meanand what advantages doesit bring?

You see, it is very expensive and demanding tomanufacture a mould. The grip into which the tri-gger mechanism is installed is made from polymerand on both sides of the grip, by the fire mode se-lector, there are fire mode marks – I mean the dotswhich demonstrate the position of the selector – in-dicating the safe position, single-round mode,two-rounds mode and full burst. I had anticipatedthere would be the requirement for the self-load-ing rifle which would be provided with two firemodes only – the safe mode and the designermode. Therefore it would be probable that the se-lector positioning will not correspond to the marks,or more precisely, some of the marks would be sim-ply useless. For this reason I agreed with the designerof the grip mould that the corresponding nodeshould be solved by means of an exchangeable coreof the grip mould. It means that we will inject bothtypes of grips into the same mould and only the rel-atively simple core will be changed according to theparticular variant of the trigger mechanism installed.This solution is applicable also for a grip used witha trigger mechanism which would not include thelimited, two-rounds mode, in case customers pre-fer this option. It would require manufacturing onlya new core, not the whole mould.

Are you fully occupied by the CZ 805 project or doyou have time to focus on other development pro-jects as well? In other words, can we look forwardto another interesting weapon designed by youin the nearest future?

The CZ 805 project which includes the rifle, the grenadelauncher and the accessories, is so time-consuming thatI have no chance to focus on other projects. I am fullyoccupied by the CZ 805 at the moment. However, I thinkit would be nice to try something new. �



Grenade launcherThe CZ 805 G1

Until the CZ 805 G1 project was brought in, Českázbrojovka had been engaged in the grenadelauncher development only marginally. Never-

theless, several internal studies and projects concerninggrenade launchers had been elaborated in UherskýBrod; the most accomplished one was the prototypeof the PRAK grenade launcher in caliber 40x46mm in-tended for the assault rifle vz. 58 (designed by Mr.Guryča) which had been tested and presented to theCzech Army. Furthermore, the company had been care-fully monitoring the trends in the market and fromtime to time, one of the Czech or foreign grenadelaunche was used for the purpose of the military pro-gram presentation of the company.

When the new weapon system project aimed atarmed forces was initiated, Česká zbrojovka plannedto include the grenade launcher in caliber 40x46mmNATO from the very beginning with the aim to offer

a complex weapon system not only in the anticipatedtender for rearmament of the Czech Army but also, per-spectively, abroad. At the beginning, the companyplanned to use one of the well-proven foreign grenadelaunchers. However, it turned out to be difficult to es-tablish cooperation with foreign manufacturers andgain samples; that is why the company decided to gofor a substantially simpler solution: to design its own,new grenade launcher. The Technical Director ofČeská zbrojovka, Ing. Radek Hauerland, who was lead-ing the project team, said: “We decided to take our ownway which can be described as the Czech interpreta-tion of well-proven structural members.”

THE CZ G 805 PROJECTThe project, originally called the CZ G 805, was ini-

tiated in October 2007; Česká zbrojovka gained thespecial-purpose grant awarded by the Ministry of In-

The multi-purpose, underslung grenade launcher CZ 805 G1 in caliber40x46mm NATO represents an absolute novelty in the portfolio of Českázbrojovka.This weapon is the result of the development of Česká zbrojovkaitself and, as suggested by its name, it forms a part of the comprehensiveCZ 805 system which includes the CZ 805 BREN assault rifle and carbine andthe multi-purpose combat knife UN/BN CZ 805.

Advances



dustry and Trade of the Czech Republic within the pro-gram called FI-IMPULS. The overall expenses on theweapon development between 2007 and 2010 werefigured out at 6.671 million Czech Korunas (about385 000 USD) while the grant drawn from the nationalbudget between 2007 and 2009 amounted to 2,014million Czech Korunas (approximately 116 000 USD).The project was entrusted to the experienced team,led by the above mentioned Ing. Hauerland, whilethe key role of designer was assigned to VítězslavGuryča and Ing. Josef Krutil.

The objective was to construct the weapon as an in-dependent modular single-round unit provided withradial opening of the barrel and enabling to install itsimply underneath the receiver of the new weapon fam-ily (initially called the CZ S 805). The grenade launcherwas supposed to be simple in terms of both construc-tion and production, suitable for economic, massproduction and for fire of all modifications of 40x46mmgrenades which correspond to the NATO standards. Theinitial technical specification was based on an open con-struction and on the possibility to use the two types ofbarrels in one weapon unit. The parameters of the newgrenade launcher were determined as follows: the over-all length should have been between 320 and 385mm,the overall length of the weapon including the shoul-der stock between 620 and 737mm, the barrel lengthbetween 250 – 305mm, weight without cartridge andstock between 1.3 – 1.7kg, weight with the stock in-stalled but without the cartridge between 2.4 and 2.8kg.The service life was defined to be at least 1000rounds. Determined to cover a four meters diameterfrom the target center valid for the weapon as such aswell as for the grenade launcher attached to the rifleboth by day and night the hit potential was determinedas follows: while shooting at the distance of 100-200metres the hit potential should have been 80%,shooting at 200-300 metres the hit potential shouldhave been 70%, whereas while shooting at the distanceof 300-400 metres, which is the maximum effectiverange, the hit potential was settled to 60%.

It is not necessary to describe this extensive taskspecification because the team managed to complywith almost all the required conditions which are in-cluded in the following description of the weapon.However, the intention to use cartridges in caliber40x53mm with the help of a by-pass chamber whichwould reduce the muzzle velocity, remained unac-complished; at least for the time being.

AGILE TIME MANAGEMENTAs it is usual for all new weapons of Česká zbro-

jovka, the team successfully employed mathematicmodels and calculations employing CAD/CAM tech-nologies and rapid prototyping during the grenadelauncher development. This fact simplified andspeeded up the construction of a working samplewhose preparation, production and testing (shoot-ing was not included due to the fact that at time therewere no grenades available) lasted from March un-til September 2008. The suggestions of the antici-pated users, the representatives of the Czech ArmedForces, were integrated already at this stage whichfundamentally contributed to optimizing theweapon's parameters. The working sample was test-ed at the shooting range in March 2009. One of theinteresting moments in the sample development wasthe acquisition of the ballistic data for the purposeof sights development; it was the Military Techno-logical Institute for Arms and Ammunition from thetown of Slavičín who collected the data by means of

The CZ 805 G1 an underslungweapon attached tothe CZ 805 BREN A1assault rifle



scanning the trajectory of the fired grenades. By theway, shooting from a grenade launcher is a very ex-pensive matter. Training grenade costs some 750 CzechKorunas (about 43 USD) while a live shell costs 2 500Czech Korunas (approximately 145 USD). Polishgrenades are a bit less expensive – their price is about1 200 Czech Korunas (70 USD). Bearing in mind theseexpenses, it is obvious that it was quite costly only toverify the declared service life of the weapon. Notmentioning the fact that there are only a few placeswhere grenades can be shot in the Czech Republic. Theobservations acquired during the measurements andthe testing of the sample were employed in the con-struction of the prototype. The prototype, com-pared to the working sample, featured a different so-lution of some of the nodes and a generally simplerassembly. It was Ing. Vladimír Šimek who con-tributed substantially to this stage of development bymaterial strength calculations and by simulating thegrenade launcher load during the shooting.

The prototype testing was successful; therefore wecan say that since the end of 2009 the developmentof the grenade launcher, which was renamed toCZ 805 G1 as a result of the final designation of theweapon system, is considered to be fully accomplished.The accomplished weapon successfully passed througha whole range of exhaustive tests carried out withinthe control military test according to the most strin-gent military methodology and by the end of 2010 theweapon was launched into serial production. First sup-plies are intended for the Ministry of Defence of theCzech Republic which ordered not only the CZ 805BREN rifles and carbines in spring 2010 but also 397pieces of the CZ 805 G1 grenade launcher in the formof an underslung weapon.

From the technological point of view, the newCZ 805 G1 grenade launcher belongs to the newweapon generation of Česká zbrojovka: it is manu-factured with the help of the modern, fully automaticprocesses from high quality steel alloy, high-strengthaluminium alloy, modern engineering plastics and with

the use of the state-of-art technologies for the sur-face protection of materials.

AMBIDEXTROUS CONTROLLINGFrom both the construction and technological

point of view as well as from the user's point of view,the CZ 805 G1 multi-purpose single-round grenadelauncher in caliber 40x46mm NATO is a highly mo-dern, simple and safe light weapon designed to an-nihilate armoured targets, incapacitate personnel andmilitary technologies located in open spaces or fieldshelters. It is able to safely shoot a wide range of mo-dern standardized grenades in caliber 40x46mm: cu-mulative, armour-piercing, fragmentation as well asspecial grenades (such as thermobaric, fuming, illu-minating, incendiary grenades or gas shells). The con-struction of the weapon is based on the requirementthat it shall be used both as an underslung launcherand an independent unit. For this reason, the load-ing system is provided with a barrel whose end canbe tilted aside and which offers the possibility to sim-ply change the direction of the barrel tilting to theleft or right side according to the user's needs or pref-erences. In the locked position, the slot located on theexternal part of the barrel end engages the lockingdetent which is situated in the middle of the breechblock and which has the shape of a rounded plate thatforms the support of the cartridge head.

The direction of the barrel tilting is adjusted by twist-ing the breech block which rotates around thebreech block nut that passes through the hole in itsbottom. In case the breech block is directed to the rightby the locking detent, then the barrel end is tilted tothe left and vice versa. In order to reverse the lock-ing lug it is necessary to push the spring-loaded de-tent located on the left side of the trigger mechanismhousing using a suitable tool; the detent is providedwith a recess which facilitates easy handling. Once itis released, the breech block can be twisted by 180°



reaching the position where it is locked by the detentagain. Depending on the direction of tilting it is nec-essary to adjust the detent of the movable polymerforend, designated as pistol grip by Česká zbrojovka.The detent which must be unlocked before you ma-nipulate with the forend (pistol grip) is an elementwhich was additionally required by the customer. Itis possible to adjust it with the help of the commontools included in each gunsmith's tool kit. The simpleambidextrous manipulation is facilitated also by thehand guard which can be tilted up by 90° both in leftand right direction without much effort, thus facili-tat to shoot in gloved hands.

INGENIOUS SIGHTSIn order to install the launcher on a carrying

weapon or on so called “carrier” for individual usethe grenade launcher is equipped with a massive at-tachment dovetail located in its upper part whichserves as an attachment element for the mountingrail according to MIL-STD-1913 with a removable leftsideboard and three fixing screws. When used withthe rifle, the launcher is attached to the weapon frombelow and its sights are installed on the left mount-ing rail of the assault rifle with the help of the sightsadaptor. In fact, the adaptor is a platform whichserves for the attachment of the sights in the hori-zontal position. This solution was accepted so thatthe main mounting interface located at the top ofthe rifle's receiver could serve for the attachment ofother accessories. The correct position of the grenadelauncher sights is determined by the length of theadaptor. Of course, it is possible to install the sightsdirectly on the top rail of the rifle or carbine; it isa matter of space only.

The grenade launcher carrier is provided with a pis-tol grip (which is ergonomically identical to the oneemployed in the CZ 805 BREN) and another mountingrail situated at the top where you can attach foldingmechanical sights. The installation of the sights is veryingenious: it is not necessary to zero them againafter they are installed – firstly, the front sight isattached to the rail and afterwards the folded rear sightis placed to the rail in such a way that its front parttouches the front sight base. In other words, thefolded rear sight length is at the same time the lengthof the point of aim. The rear sight is attached to therail by locking it into the nearest lateral slot.

Such proximity would not be sufficient for a riflebut for a grenade launcher, the effectiveness is with-in accepted tolerance. It is possible to adjust the sightsby twisting the front sight with the help of the rec-tifying key included in the accessories. For the pur-pose of transport or storage, it is also possible to foldthe front sight thus fixing the rear sight in the fold-ed position. The detent button which serves for fold-ing is located on the left side of the front sight base,the rear sight has its button on the right side (it isdetermined by the fact that the base is integral forboth the front and rear sight). The grenade launch-er carrier is provided with a folding shoulder stockwhich is unified with the CZ 805 rifle. The basic, non-telescopic version is used as standard.

EASY HANDLINGThe CZ 805 G1 grenade launcher handling is simple

and intuitive: the weapon is unlocked by locking-offthe forend (the pistol grip) which encircles the barreland is provided with lateral slots for a reliable grip, andmoving it in the forward direction. While unlocking,the automatic firing pin safety is engaged. Conse-quently, the barrel is tilted to the right or left (accordingto the breech block setting) to its utmost position mak-ing the barrel chamber accessible. After a cartridge isinserted, the barrel is closed and the grip is shifted back-wards to the locked position. The firing pin block is de-activated and the weapon is ready to fire.

Another safety element is represented by an axiallyshiftable manual safety which blocks the trigger; it isformed by a pin with a controlling slot. In case theweapon is off-safe the safety end is protruding to theright from the trigger mechanism housing and there isa red dot clearly visible. The left end of the safety is pro-vided with a recess with a white dot. Shooting withthe CZ 805 G1 grenade launcher is not complicated, thefunctioning of the weapon and the perceiving of thefire by the shooter corresponds to the power of the car-tridge used. The practical tests have shown that thegrenade launcher achieves the required accuracy as wellas long service life, durability and operational reliabi-lity without any problems even in adverse conditions.

THE SUCCESSFUL KICK-OFFThe CZ 805 G1 grenade launcher seems to be an

accomplished weapon in all respects, featuring at-tractive technological and user-friendly parameters.As far as the grenade launcher construction is con-cerned, Česká zbrojovka performed a feat of derring-do – though the company had only a theoretical ex-perience with this kind of weapon before, duringthree years they managed to develop and introduceinto serial production a completely new product.They did not apply any original construction elementsin the grenade launcher, however, it is more im-portant that the weapon is comparable with thesimilar products of foreign origin. �

21

Caliber 40x46Barrel length 250 mmOverall length (w/o folding stock) 331 mmOverall length with unfolded stock 616 mmOverall length with folded stock 413 mmOverall height (w/o folding stock) 90 mmOverall height (with folding stock) 180 mmWeight (w/o cartridge and folding stock) 1.55 kgWeight with folding stock (w/o cartridge) 2.230 kgTrigger pull weight 40 NEffective range of fire (point target) 150 mEffective range of fire (area target) 350 mOperating temperature from -50°C to + 50°CFailure rate (excluding failures attributed

to defective ammunition) to 0.2 %Service life 1000 rounds

CZ 805 G1



What was the main impulse for Česká zbrojovkaUherský Brod to provide its new assault rifle withthe multi-purpose combat knife which can be usedas a bayonet?

The assault knife which can be used as a bayonetcurrently belongs to the standard accessories of assaultrifles established in armies all over the world. There-fore, we anticipated that in case we would be su-pplying the new assault rifle to the Czech Army for ex-ample, they would require the knife as well. The con-cept of a universal assault/combat knife, or for shortthe UN/BN, is based on the logical assumption that thebayonet is frequently used in combats. Present day sol-

diers need rather a multi-purposedevice than the classical bayonet;

nevertheless there should be an optionto use the device also in combination with the au-tomatic personal defence weapon. We managed tosatisfy this requirement by means of the fittinglyshaped handle and the simply exchangeable knifeguard. In order to exchange the guard it is necessaryto loosen only one of the screws of the knife’s headwith the help of the universal key which is compati-ble for the whole CZ 805 family consisting of the as-sault rifle, grenade launcher and the knife.

Who is the author of this cold weapon and howwas it developed? Were you cooperating with a re-nowned knife designer during the development?

I am the author of the knife, I designed and developedit while working on the CZ 805 BREN assault rifle. Thewhole development was running in Česká zbrojovkaUherský Brod without cooperating with any other de-signers. After I had carried out a recherché among theprofessional users focusing on the dimensions andweight of the knife I decided to use the tanto blade whichis able to pierce for example a Kevlar layer without anyproblems. Afterwards we started with the constructionand optimization of the knife’s gravity center.

Interview

22

The classical bayonet, primarily designed to be applied to the barrel of a longpersonal defence gun, has been considered an anachronism for a long time al-ready; not mentioning the fact that the number of armies who include bayonetcombats into their training programs is decreasing. In the mean time, the multi-purpose combat knives have successfully replaced bayonets in the modernmilitary equipment: the combat knives still allow the possibility to attach themto the assault rifle while providing for more effective use – by far not only in com-bat. Designed within the development project of the CZ 805 family in Česká zbro-jovka Uherský Brod, the brand new CZ 805 UN/BN knife ranks among thesemodern knives. We were talking about its development and main parame-ters with the designer from Uherský Brod, Mr. Vítězslav Guryča.

The developmentof the CZ 805 UN/BN

Overall length of the knife 317 mmBlade length 191.5 mmLength of the knife with scabbard 380.8 mmWidth of the assault knife version 30 mmWidth of the combat knife version 23 mmWeight of the knife 0.385 kgWeight of the knife including

the scabbard and the sling 0.985 kg

THE CZ 805 UN/BN



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Is it possible to attach the CZ 805 knife to riflesof other manufacturers?

The CZ 805 UN/BN was designed only for the para-meters of the eight-o-five. We were considering the pos-sibility to attach the knife to a different weapon as well,nevertheless, taking into account the purpose of the knife– i.e. the fact that it serves as a tool in the first place –I gave up this idea. Moreover, the knife attachment isdetermined by the barrel length in front of the gas ex-tension which is a measure defined by the CZ 805 BREN.However, there is still an option to use various adaptors...

What was the course of the development of theaccessories, I mean the scabbard and the attach-ment system?

From the very beginning, I had anticipated the ne-cessity to use a multi-purpose pouch for the knife notonly for the purpose of a safe placing of the knife butalso for the attachment of the shearing blade whichserves for example for cutting a wire – this kind of toolcurrently belongs to the standard accessories, by the way.The longitudinal through slot in the holster belongs tothe multi-purpose elements. The slot was designed inorder to relieve the pouche´s inside from water, mudor sand; I had an idea: why couldn’t we design the slotin the size of a blade? At the bottom of the shearingblade attached to the polymer pouch there is a screwblade which can be used for tightening or loosening ofscrews. If the screw would not loosen you can insert theknife through the longitudinal slot in the holster thuscreating an arm which will help you to wrest the screwout. It is the same as if you loosened the wheel nuts ofa car. As far as the design of the attachment system isconcerned, we approached a specialized Czech companywith excellent references which designed and manu-factured the first samples. The variable system, whichenables both belt and thigh attachment, includes alsoa small pocket which can be used as another guard forthe knife or for the multi-purpose wrench.

What tests did the knives and the associated ac-cessories pass through?

The knives were subject to a durability test which con-sists in rubbing against a brass roller – it is a modified testof the vz. 58 bayonet, or more precisely of the sharpenedbayonet. In other tests, the knife was cooled to -50°C and

afterwards it was tested mechanically by cutting into woodand even into concrete. Under this temperature we ca-rried out also the drop tests into a concrete slab. The sametests were carried out also at the temperature of +50° C.Furthermore, we examined the durability of the shear-ing blade by cutting wires of various diameters and hard-ness. Various different trials were accomplished within themilitary tests – for example cutting to iron-plate target,stinging to iron-plate rollers, leverage, etc.

Česká zbrojovka provides for the production onits own Does it involve any specific processes ormaterials, other than those which are used forfirearms production?

The prototypes as well as the first samples were man-ufactured in Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod. We pro-gressively used various kinds of blade materials and im-plied different heat treatment methods in order to makesure that the knife complies with the conditions and re-quirements defined for a high quality tool, including thesurface finish and the development of the knife's poly-mer parts. At present, the knives are manufactured bya European knives manufacturer outside Česká zbrojovka.Nevertheless, Česká zbrojovka was able to manage thetechnology and it would possible to return the knivesproduction to Uherský Brod virtually any time. �



The name “Scorpion” is inseparably related to theoriginal compact submachine guns which weremanufactured by Česká zbrojovka for whole

two decades amounting to almost 200 000 pieces ofguns produced for the purpose of the Czechoslovaksecurity and armed forces as well as for the purposeof export. The less effective 7.65mm Browning caliberof the basic model called vz. 61 which was determinedby the original main client, the Ministry of Interior of theformer Czechoslovakia, turned out to be the weapon’sdisadvantage. Since the second half of the 1990s Českázbrojovka had been attempting to employ the in-disputable potential of this interesting weapon bytransforming it into more powerful calibers. The mostsuccessful was the development of the 9mm Luger sub-machine gun which was launched in the market ina small quantity under the designation CZ SCORPION9x19. The prototype called XCZ 868 offered within the

Advanced Infantry Weapons Systems (AIWS) programbetween 2005 and 2006 was another result of theweapon's modernization. Nevertheless, it was theswan song of this product line. Despite the unbeat-able small dimensions, easy handling and high degreeof accuracy, Česká zbrojovka had to look round fora more modern and simpler weapon of the similar ca-tegory because the company did not manage to sim-plify the 9mm Scorpion in terms of production.

THE SLOVAK ROOTSIn the meantime, in 2001 three Slovak enthusiasts

from the town of Trenčín started with the develop-ment of a completely new submachine gun called LAU-GO which won recognition of experts for its ingenuityand simplicity despite the first samples were a mat-ter of improvisation. Česká zbrojovka displayed interestin the Slovak weapon in 2004 for the first time; how-

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Even though the designation of the new submachine gun of Česká zbrojovkahints at the famous tradition of the original automatic weapons from the be-ginning of 1960s called Scorpions, the only thing which they have in com-mon is the place of production.The CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1 model representsa modern adaptation of the classical submachine gun concept and excelsin simplicity of both the construction and the technology, as well as insophisticated ergonomics and very attractive, user-friendly parameters.

CZ SCORPIONEVO 3 A1 Submachine gun

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The ThirdGeneration



ever the prototype did not comply with the strict con-ditions which the company usually follows in the con-struction of weapons for armed forces. This feedbackrepresented to the Slovak constructors a useful lessonand an impulse to further development; therefore, af-ter a short intermezzo, during which the developmentof LAUGO was shielded by the Slovak company ZVSfrom Dubnica nad Váhom, the agreement on the as-sumption of the Slovak weapon by Česká zbrojovkawas signed in January 2007.

Together with the prototype and the documenta-tion Česká zbrojovka employed also one of thethree original designers, Mr. Ján Lučanský, who esti-mates that at that time the submachine gun had beenapproximately 60% completed. The polymer maga-zines, as well as the option to shoot three-round burstsor the version in .40 S&W caliber were to be accom-plished. The results of the durability tests of the im-proved prototype showed that Česká zbrojovka beton the right card – one of the prototypes shot about35 000 cartridges without any failures.

As usual for all service weapons made by Česká zbro-jovka, the new Scorpions were presented to elite armedand security units whose feedback is always a valuablesource of information for a further development. In thiscase, the feedback of the military and police expertswas successfully used for purpose of ergonomics tun-ing, which will be mentioned later.

THE THIRD GENERATIONIt was mainly Mr. Ján Lučanský who continued in

the weapon's development in Uherský Brod; joining the

design department of Česká zbrojovka at the beginningof 2009 he started to tune the styling, the ergonomicsand the new shoulder stock. Another designer, Mr.Jaroslav Červík, focused on the production materi-als, do-cumentation and production technology. In 2009the new weapon was publicly presented for the first timewithin the traditional spring exhibition called IDET whichtakes place in Brno. The presented samples had almostbeen perfected by that time but the development con-tinued for some time afterwards. The basic 9x19mm ver-sion was officially declared as finished in the second halfof 2009. At that time, the submachine gun had alreadypassed all the factory tests carried out according to thestrictest western and eastern military standards.

Besides the construction, the designation of the newweapon was also tuned, finally settling to CZ SCOR-PION EVO 3 A1. “EVO 3” means that it is the third gen-eration of Scorpions from Uherský Brod (the secondgeneration being the CZ SCORPION 9x19), “A” standsfor the automatic version in caliber 9mm Luger, or40SW respectively. The self-loading version for the civil-ian market, which is also already finished, will be de-signated with the letter “S”.

THE POWER OF SIMPLICITYThe CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1 is a light automatic per-

sonal weapon in caliber 9x19 (9mm Luger) which en-ables to shoot single rounds, three-round bursts or fullbursts. The fire mode is settled by the ambidextrousselector/manual safety located on both sides of thetrigger mechanism housing; the individual fire modesare designated by horizontal pictograms.



The new Scorpion is equipped with a massiveblowback breech which is provided with a recess atthe front right side; the recess is accessible throughthe ejection port and serves for pulling the bolt to thefront position in case the weapon is extremely dirty.The CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1 is provided with a ham-mer striking mechanism containing an automatic fir-ing pin block safety; the weapon fires from the closedbolt position which ensures the ideal conditions forachieving the highest accuracy. After the last cartridgehas been fired the bolt remains locked open caughtby the bolt stop whose grip surface is located on theleft side of the trigger mechanism housing.

The bolt is a slide assembly on the detachable trig-ger mechanism housing and it is guided by the cen-tral stud with one recoil spring. This enabled to de-sign the receiver as a simple, two-piece shell madefrom a highly resistant engineering polymer. In the re-ceiver front there is a so called fixation insert intowhich the barrel is screwed.

The forend inserted onto the barrel (which isequipped with a cooler), the trigger mechanismhousing, the pistol grip, the folding telescopic stockas well as the stock base are made from the highly re-sistant polymer, too. Thanks to this material theweapon is really light despite its dimensions: itweighs only 2.77kg without the magazine. TheMIL-STD-1913 mounting rails, which form an inse-parable part of the receiver (or more precisely, of itstop) and all the four sides of the forend, representa highly progressive element. Despite a generous use

of polymer parts the weapon does not overheat. Thepractical tests have shown that thanks to the so-phisticated construction, the new Scorpion is able toshoot 600 rounds in a row without any damage to theweapon and without the necessity to use gloves.

THE FASTEST DISASSEMBLYThe weapon's concept is based on an original idea

which is even protected by the patent law. The ideaconsists in the already mentioned removable triggermechanism housing which works as a gate into theweapon's internals and substantially simplifies the ba-sic disassembly of the weapon, carried out as follows:after the magazine is removed the bolt is cocked, thereversible cocking handle is caught by a safety slot atthe rear. The front pin of the trigger mechanism hous-ing is slid to the left and after the rear hinge is un-hooked the trigger mechanism housing is removed.The bolt assembly together with the recoil spring andthe guide stud are taken off through the hole in thebottom of the receiver. The assembly of the weaponis carried out reversely.

The disassembly and assembly of the weapon takeonly a few minutes and can be carried out by an in-experienced user even; the CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1aspires to become the submachine gun with the fastestdisassembly and assembly time in the world.

THE PERFECT ERGONOMICSWe have already mentioned the weapon's er-

gonomics. The designers dedicated a lot of time and

75 years of service weapons by Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod26


energy to solve the ergonomics, while using variousinstruments and patterns and taking into account thesuggestions of the experts from both armed and se-curity units. The result corresponds to their effort. Interms of ergonomics, the new Scorpion can hardly finda competitor. It perfectly fits in the hand, the aimingis absolutely natural and all the controls are situatedexactly where the user needs them.

Thanks to the sophisticated balancing, the polymerbuffer situated at the rear of the leading stud andthanks to the fact that the weapon fires from the frontposition of the breech block, the CZ SCORPION EVO3 A1 can be easily handled in all fire modes even witha relatively high rate of fire, including the long, thir-ty-round bursts. All these factors contribute to a highprecision which is achieved within the maximum ef-fective range of 250 metres. Furthermore, the weaponis distinguished by the above-standard possibility toadjust it to the individual measurements of theshooter and to tactical conditions. The horizontally ad-justable pistol grip is a unique element. The telescopicstock which folds to the right can be adjusted in a widerange of different lengths. The overall dimensions ofthe weapon can be further diminished by removingthe stock (it is necessary to press the spring-loaded dis-assembly button which rises from the rear end of thereceiver) for the purpose of transport or for the useof the submachine gun in constrained spaces.

WIDE RANGE OF ACCESSORIESThe CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1 is provided with swi-

vel mounts for standardized three-point or single-

point carrying slings. The weapon is supplied with dou-ble column transparent polymer magazines featuringside-by-side feed position, having the capacity of 20or 30 cartridges. The magazine catch located at thefront bottom part of the hand guard is ambidextrousand easily operated. On special demand, the CZ SCOR-PION EVO 3 A1 submachine gun can be supplied witha wide range of accessories, such as a silencer, whichcan substitute the specifically shaped cylindrical com-pensator attached to the muzzle, several types oftorches with attachment clampings, laser designators,tactical grips as well as red dot sights. The standardversion of the CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1 is outfitted withadjustable mechanical front sight and a diopter rearsight which are installed to the top mounting rail.

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Caliber 9x19Barrel length 196 mmOverall length with unfolded shoulder stock 660 mmOverall length with folded shoulder stock 410 mmTheoretical rate of fire 1150 r/minWeight without magazine 2.77 kgMagazine capacity 30 rounds

CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1


The controls of the CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1can be easily handled even while wearinggloves.


AT THE SHOOTING RANGEIn course of 2010, one of the co-authors of this

special issue had the chance to test out the pre-se-rial version of the CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1 subma-chine gun by himself and here is how he summarizedhis experience:

“For the purpose of comparison I reminded at firsthow the classical Scorpions in caliber 7.65mm Brown-ing and 9mm Luger behave in practice. From the veryfirst moment you know that the CZ SCORPION EVO3 A1 is a weapon of a different category – it is a cla-ssical submachine gun which immediately catches yourattention thanks to the convenient weight, perfect ba-lancing and the very comfortable ergonomics. The ba-sic horizontal adjustment of the pistol grip suited me;moreover, I appreciated the easy handling of the fold-ing stock, especially its quick folding up, and the sim-ple adjustment of its end (the butt) – you can do boththese adjustment literally by a single movement.

The weapon I had in my hands was provided witha front sight equipped with a relatively big whiteball on its top. This is not an optimal option forlonger distances because smaller targets might becovered; however, inside the tunnel shooting rangeit worked on the contrary – the aiming was com-fortable and prompt. The cocking handle was situ-ated to the left side, therefore as a right handed userI managed it with my left hand, same as I managedthe magazine catch while replacing the magazine.Both operations could be carried out without anytroubles. I operated the safety, fire mode selectorrespectively, with the thumb of my right hand – itwas very easy and the conversion to different fire

modes was clearly perceptible even without check-ing the safety visually.

Shooting single rounds was virtually a calm ma-tter and I retained full control over the weapon alsoin the three-rounds fire mode. I would need morepractice in order to achieve higher degree of accu-racy while shooting full bursts but taking intoconsideration that I was handling the new Scorpi-on for the first time, the result was not bad at all.You can convince yourself about the exceptionally



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sophisticated operation of the weapon during thefull bursts fire mode on the internet – the only thingyou have to do is to write the name of the subma-chine gun into the youtube.com finder and you willfind a video showing Ján Lučanský while he firesthree magazines quickly one after another.”

PROMISINGEXPECTATIONS

Until spring 2010 it seemed that thenew submachine gun by Česká zbrojovkaaims mainly to foreign markets; this as-sumption was supported by occasional af-firmative references of the leading repre-sentatives of the company. Therefore, the pro-fessional circles experienced a big surprisewhen in spring 2010, the Ministry of Defenceof the Czech Republic ordered from Českázbrojovka 572 pieces of the fully automaticCZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1 personal defense weaponsin caliber 9x19 including accessories and ammunition.These submachine guns are destined for the Prague

Castle Guard which, besides its re-presentative role,provides for the security and protection of the resi-dences of the Czech president and his guests. (For moreinformation about the Prague Castle Guard and itsequipment go to page 38.)

Obviously, with such a reference, the chances of thenew Scorpion to succeed have substantially increased.Nevertheless, even before the information about theCzech Ministry of Defense order was published, it wasevident that Česká zbrojovka exactly hit the actual needs

in the market by launching thisweapon. Increasingly more se-curity institutions and organi-zations from the Czech Re-public as well as from abroadwho can practically get toknow the weapon duringvarious presentations haveshown interest in thenew submachine gun.The feedback of theprofessionals showsthat the CZ SCORPI-ON EVO 3 A1 sub-machine gun isa model whoseparameters rep-

resent a very in-teresting alternative

to the dominating HKweapons. Česká zbrojovka does

not hide the conviction that the numberof orders of the third generation of Scorpions from Uher-ský Brod shall be increasing in the nearest future. �



Could you briefly introduce yourself? Where do youcome from? What did you study and what expe-rience do you have? How did your relationship toweapons develop?

My name is Ján Lučanský and I come from the near-by Slovak town of Trenčín. I graduated at the Second-ary School of Mechanical Engineering. My relationshipto weapons evolved already in early childhood – main-ly in terms of theory – when I was reading specializedbooks and magazines, Střelecká revue (Shooter's Review)was my favourite for the whole 12 years so I must havegained some information from the magazine (smiling).

I worked in armed forces for some time. I gainedextensive experience with small arms already duringthe Balkan conflict where I could practically get to

know the Agram, Šokac, Zagi and Ero submachineguns, the AK, G3, AR15 or Vz 58 assault rifles, theSKS, SVD, M76, RT 20 rifles – which I also shot with– the RPK, PKM, MG34, MG42, Browning M2HB,ZPU-2-14.5mm machine guns as well as the RPG 7,RB 57, M80 Zolja, M79 Osa anti-tank weapons.

If I am not mistaken, you have been working on theCZ SCORPION EVO 3A1 submachine gun project fromits very beginning when it was designated “LAUGO”.

Indeed, at the beginning the weapon was namedLAUGO – the name was taken from the Latin de-signation of the present town of Trenčín – Laugari-cio. I would say that everything started with a state-ment of one person who said that in order to designand manufacture an automatic weapon you need todispose of an extensive technical and technologicalbackground. This was a challenge. So we constructedthe LTG model whose name was formed by the ini-tials of the three members of our construction tri-nity: Lučanský, Tvrdý, Gašparík.

At the beginning, we were only playing with theconstruction of an automatic weapon (you can findmore information in the Střelecká revue no. 12/2001).The project was running very slowly due to lack offunds. Then the company ZVS Dubnica entered thescene and thanks to it we were able to proceed a bitfurther between 2004 and 2005, in particular by im-plementing polymer into the submachine gun con-struction. The result was presented at the IDET exhi-bition in 2005 as well as in specialized magazines.

When, or at what stage, and under what conditionsdid Česká zbrojovka enter the project? And whatwas your role in the project at that time?

Česká zbrojovka entered the scene in 2004 for thefirst time. From our point of view, we were almost fi-nishing the development at that time – however, wehad no idea about the Czech Army's extremely strictmethodology originating in 1950s and 1960s whichare always followed by Česká zbrojovka in the courseof weapons construction for armed forces. Obvious-ly, from this demanding perspective, Česká zbrojov-ka did not acknowledge our project as vital.

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Ján Lučanský


I like playingwith GUNS

Ján Lučanský, the weapon designer, talks aboutthe development of the CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1

from the Slovak roots up to the present time


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It was in 2007 when Česká zbrojovka showed in-terest for the second time. Our project was ap-proximately 60% finished at that time. Česká zbro-jovka wanted to supply the original LAUGO con-struction with polymer magazines, to add a three-round bursts limiter and accomplish the .40 S&W ca-liber, among others. I started to cooperate with Českázbrojovka on external basis and continued to workon the above mentioned requirements.

What happened after the LAUGO submachinegun had been taken over by Česká zbrojovka?What was your role in the construction andpreparation of the serial production?

The submachine gun with the newly implementednodes was subject to extensive durability tests. With-in the course of the tests, a sample shot about35 000 cartridges, the function was tested under ad-verse conditions: dust, water, temperature of -50°C etc.Since January 2009 I started to work as a specializeddesigner in the R&D Department of Česká zbrojovkawhere I joined Mr. Jaroslav Červík, the designer of suchweapons as for example the CZ 75 STANDARD IPSC orthe CZ 75 MODIFIED IPSC with whom I had already co-operated earlier, when I was working for the com-pany on external basis. We created a small projectteam: I focused on the weapon's styling, the er-gonomics, the new telescopic folding stock, whileJaroslav was engaged in identifying and applicationof appropriate modern engineering plastics, in do-cumentation maintenance and in searching theconvenient technologies for the serial production.

How much has the weapon changed compared toits original Slovak version? Which changes are themost important in your opinion?

The main differences include the three-roundbursts limiter, the polymer magazines, the new,removable folding stock adjustable in length, thehigher heat resistance,the styling as well as theergonomics.

Are you satisfied withthe current CZ SCORPIONEVO 3 A1 model or do youthink there is somethingto improve?

No, I think I will never besatisfied – that's what de-velopment is about (laugh-ing). For example, I amworking on the simple so-lution of the bolt applyinga split material which re-duces the weapon's rateof fire by 200 shots perminute and its recoil by30%. The principle consistsin the fact that the weightof the slide is divided intotwo segments which aremoving side by side.

Among the highly appraised parameters of the fi-nal CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1 model – besides the ex-treme simplicity of both its design and production– we can name its excellent ergonomics which en-ables to adjust the weapon according to the user'sindividual measures. How did you get to such a so-phisticated shape, overall balancing and posi-tioning of the controls?

We achieved the current ergonomics of theweapon with the help of various instruments, 2D and3D patterns, and, of course, we also took into con-sideration various suggestions. The important thingis that I personally like playing with guns – I can playwith a gun for hours.

Is there anything else about the CZ SCORPION EVO3 A1 submachine gun which you would emphasize?

I would definitely call attention to its exceptionalheat resistance – this weapon is able to shoot 20 ma-gazines in a row in full burst fire mode, which is600 rounds in total, without showing any defects andwithout the necessity to wear gloves. We should alsoremind that its disassembly and assembly is probablythe fastest among automatic weapons, moreover,there is no need to put the disassembled parts aside-you are simply holding everything in your hands.

The “A1” in the weapon's designation suggeststhat the development of the new “Scorpion” doesnot finish with this model. Which versions are be-ing prepared and when are they planned to belaunched in the market?

Two lines distinguished by the last letter in theirdesignation are currently being prepared. The “A”line represents the weapons for army, or more pre-cisely for armed forces, while the “S” line indicatesthe self-loading version. The number 1 behindthe letter stands for the standard version in caliber9x19 or 40 S&W. �



RIFLES

Česká zbrojovka has been engaged in the sniperrifles development and production since the mid1950s when the company manufactured the vz. 54

sniper rifles intended for the Czechoslovak Army,using some parts of the Soviet bolt-action riflescalled Mosin (you will find more information aboutthe vz. 54 on page 83). Afterwards, there was a longpause and the company returned to this project onlyin the 1990s under completely different political andeconomic conditions which resulted, among others,in the transition to the effective “Western” 7.62x51NATO caliber (or .308 Winchester).

At the beginning, the new sniper rifles from Uher-ský Brod represented only a sort of by-product of the

modernization of the hunting and sporting bolt-ac-tion rifles portfolio – that is how the CZ 537 and CZ550 sniper rifles were developed. Both these rifleswere reliable, accurate guns featuring the Mauser typebolt, however, they belonged rather to the former tra-dition of the sniper rifle craftsmanship.

THE CZ 700Developed in close cooperation with the Czech sniper

shooters, the CZ 700 Sniper model can be consideredas the first real sniper rifle from Uherský Brod (in fact,it was the first factory-made weapon of its kind in theCzech Republic); surprisingly, the designers from Českázbrojovka deviated from the well-established Mauser

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The times when a sniper shooter could do with a common military or huntingrifle equipped with an aiming scope passed a long time ago. Diversity of tar-gets and situations which the present military and police snipers have to faceis extremely wide; this fact turned out to be more obvious especially after theso called global war against terrorism had broken out where the sniper riflesbelong to the key instruments of the infantry equipment. As a result of thistrend, the demand for new sniper systems which would cover the whole spec-trum of the present as well as future sniper roles within the military and se-curity units has substantially increased. In reaction to this trend, Česká zbro-jovka developed a new concept of the CZ 750 bolt-action sniper rifle.

CZ Sniper



bolt-action and employed the Weatherby bolt-actionfeaturing three locking lugs in two banks (that is 6 lugsin total) located at the rear part of the bolt.

ThereasonwhytheWeatherbybolt-actionwasusedhadbeen related to the intention to introduce the new CZ 700modular hunting rifle which would serve as the basic con-cept for various other long guns. First of all, the big borerifle designated CZ 700 Sport designed for the ISSF disci-plines was developed, featuring a stock designed by Mr.Vítězslav Guryča, the designer, in cooperation withIng. Bohumír Pokorný from the Dukla sports club Plzeň.

Afterwards, the CZ 700 Sniper model, originally pro-vided with a stock similar to the sports version rifle,was developed. Nevertheless, the durability of thisstock proved to be insufficient for the intended pur-pose and unsuitable in more aspects. For this reason,the new stock of a different shape featuring a buttplate and cheekpiece adjustable in height was de-veloped (by the way, Mr. Guryča gained the utilitymodel for this solution). The specific shape of the stockwas given, among other things, by the fact that the10-round magazine was hidden. The basic model ofthe stock made from laminated wood was providedwith a thumb hole located behind the pistol grip; how-ever, a bit differently shaped stock made from blackpolymer was also developed featuring a large recessinstead of the thumb hole. This solution offered ex-cellent ergonomic features − the only disadvantage wasthat it could not be used by left-handed shooters.

Nevertheless, in the course of the development theleft-handed version was designed featuring a mirror-inverted bolt-action configuration.

The CZ 700 – of course manufactured in caliber 7.62x51NATO was a high quality weapon excelling in very com-petitive parameters and outstanding performance.

The sophisticated stock was provided with a rail for bi-pod attachment situated at the bottom of the forend.A very positive feedback was noted in regards of thecrooked bolt handle with a massive polymer knob whichin combination with the smooth bolt travel con-tributed to the very comfortable handling of the rifle.

The receiver top of the basic version was outfittedwith a mounting rail according to MIL-STD-1913, how-ever, some of the versions of the rifle featured the cla-ssical rails located on the receiver bridge for the pur-pose of mount rings attachment. The trigger me-chanism of the CZ 700 was fully adjustable with theoption to install the set-trigger.

The basic version of the CZ 700 Sniper M1 achievedan excellent accuracy of 0.5 MOA with the use of the topquality ammunition. Nevertheless, the CZ 700 was de-signed as a part of a weapon system distinguished,among other things, by a removable floating barrel whichcould be replaced within five minutes without the ne-cessity to use any special tools. Besides the heavy, coldhammer forged barrel the weapon could be suppliedwith a fluted barrel or a barrel adjusted for subsonic am-munition and sound suppressor attachment. Togetherwith the two types of stocks, the rifle offered a widerange of different combinations. Unfortunately, thewhole project ended up with the production of the testseries of the basic hunting version and a few pieces ofthe Sniper version. Nevertheless, the experience gainedin the course of this project represented a valuable sourceof information for the upcoming development ofa new line of sniper rifles by Česká zbrojovka.

CZ 700 + CZ 550A systematic development of a new a bolt-action sniper

rifle for military and police shooters was initiated in the

CZ 700 Sniper M1

75 years of service weapons by Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod 33

CZ 750 S1 M1


first half of 2003 in Uherský Brod. For this purpose, thedesigners of Česká zbrojovka merged the best qualitiesof the CZ 700 Sniper rifle, namely its sophisticated stock,with the excellent Mauser type CZ 550 hunting line. Atfirst, the company introduced an improved version ofthe CZ 550 rifle, called the CZ 555, which, owing to anadditional guiding rib, excelled in more accurate guid-ing, smoother bolt travel and shorter extractor. The su-ccessive version of the rifle, designated the CZ 750 S M1,was introduced to public already in 2003 within the IDETexhibition in Brno; at that time, the rifle was alreadyrenowned for the first successes gained in varioussniper competitions. The new rifle had a very prom-ising start, therefore, its further development was car-ried out in close cooperation with the nationalarmed forces. Within the course of the development,Česká zbrojovka manufactured several prototypeswhose ergonomics, accuracy, intuitive handling as wellas low demands for maintenance were being tunedwhile the maximum reliability of all the rifle's func-tions had to be retained for the whole service life.Properties of each prototype were continuously ver-ified in international sniper competitions.

The development of the new rifle was finished justin time to be presented within the IDET exhibition inMay 2005. Nevertheless, it would be a bit misleadingto speak of one rifle only. Česká zbrojovka had beenpreparing a whole sniper concept within whicha comprehensive line of rifles intended for differentpurposes was being designed.

WELL-PROVEN COMPONENTSThe bolt and the steel receiver of the final CZ 750

sniper rifle originate in the well-proven design of theCZ 550 hunting rifle which is considered by manypeople as the most perfect bolt-action rifle of theMauser type ever manufactured. Therefore, thefront part of the CZ 750 bolt is provided with twosymmetrical locking lugs which engage matchingrecesses in the receiver. Handling the bolt, whose liftangle is 90°, is smooth and reliable. Curved slightlybackwards and provided with a knob made fromhardened rubber, the sophisticated bolt handlealso contributes to easy handling. The popular longextractor ensures reliable cartridge case extraction.

The bolt was designed as standard that the cartridgecase is ejected upon bolt opening. Being well aware ofthe user’s requirements, Česká zbrojovka offers also a spe-cial version of the ejector which removes the cartridgecase from the extractor and retains it in the firing cham-ber whereof it can be taken out manually (the point isthat the sniper shooter does not leave cartridge cases

as a trace at the place where he was shooting). The trig-ger mechanism of the CZ 750 sniper rifles was designedas a compact unit enabling fine tuning of the trigger pull(14 – 18 N) and the trigger blade positioning. On request,the trigger mechanism is equipped with the single settrigger which is ”set” by pushing the trigger blade for-wards. Thus, the trigger pull is between 4 and 8 N andcan be finely adjusted by means of the set trigger ad-justment screw located in front of the trigger.

The CZ 750 sniper rifles are provided with an easily ac-cessible and operated manual safety located at the rightrear of the receiver. The basic version of the safety hastwo positions: in the rear, on-safe position, the safetynot only blocks the firing pin but it also prevents the boltmanipulation. On customer’s request the rifle can be sup-plied with a three-position safety which enables theshooter to manipulate the bolt while the trigger me-chanism remains blocked. The bolt stop is positioned atthe left rear of the receiver and by pressing it the boltis released and can be removed out of the rifle.

NO MECHANICAL SIGHTSThe CZ 750 family of sniper rifles does not feature

mechanical sights since the receiver of all the mo-dels is provided with a MIL-STD-1913 rail whichserves for mounting a scope or other aiming devices.You can hardly imagine a modern sniper rifle with-out a bipod; the CZ 750 is not an exception to this rule– the most commonly used bipod with the CZ 750 isthe Harris bipod which is installed into the 220mmduralumin rail located at the forend bottom.

The standard CZ 750 sniper magazine is a double-column 10-round magazine with side-by-side feed. Itscharacteristic feature is that the magazine body is pro-tected by a rubber cover which reduces the risk ofdamaging the magazine surface during rough hand-ling, reduces ingress of dirt into the magazine welland undesired clangs caused by the contact of themagazine walls with the magazine well. The CZ 750S2 M1 sports model, which is not offered any more,was provided with a more subtle stock made from la-minated wood and supplied with a shortened 4-roundmagazine; however, it was also possible to use thestandard 10-round magazine with this rifle. Locatedat the front part of the trigger guard, the magazinecatch is well accessible in all the CZ sniper models.

THE BASIC MODELThe CZ 750 S1 M1 model is the classical heavy sniper

rifle designed for the very accurate shooting withina distance of 800 metres which provides for a con-venient solution to all sniper missions, namely those

34

CZ 750 S1 M2



situated in open spaces. For this reason, the rifle isequipped with a barrel based on a thorough deve-lopment during which different barrel lengths, twistrates and rifling number were tested. The optimumsolution was found in the 660mm long floating ba-rrel, i. e. a barrel which vibrates during the fire, fea-turing 4 right-hand grooves and a 10 inches twist rate.

The barrel’s muzzle of the basic model is equippedwith a single-chamber compensator which reduces therecoil to the convenient 5.4 J. As indicated by Českázbrojovka, when the compensator is removed and re-placed by the muzzle cap, the recoil increases to theacceptable 9.04 J. The manufacturer guarantees theminimum service life of the barrel, in other words ofthe rifle as such, to 5 000 shots without any substantialdeterioration in accuracy.

The CZ 750 S1 M1 model features a sophisticatedstyling of the stock made from highly durable blackpolymer strengthened by fiberglass. Within thecourse of the development, the designers focusedmainly on adjusting the stock's ergonomics to conformto the position in which the sniper shooter will be hi-dden for several hours while observing the combatzone and identifying the target. There were severaldesigns in question; finally a version similar to the old-er CZ 700 Sniper model was chosen because its

rather long, 10-round magazine flushes with the stock.Among the characteristic features of the CZ 750 S1 M1stock excels the accentuated pistol grip with the thumbhole for the shooting hand which can be used bothby left and right-handed shooters. Thanks to this, thesniper rifle from Uherský Brod really fits into the shoul-der, it is comfortable to hold and it can be easily han-dled without wrist and forearm fatigue.

As far as adjustable components of the rifle are con-cerned, it is obvious that Česká zbrojovka has perfectlymanaged this field. The cheekpiece can be elevatedup to the required height, and it can be even installedto the right side which is a great advantage for left-handed shooters (of course, there is still the exclusivelyright-hand bolt handle but this should not cause muchtrouble to an experienced shooter). The butt plate of-fers a wide range of options conforming to the in-dividual needs - it can be adjusted in height and it isprovided with three exchangeable pads of differentwidths. Bearing in mind all these adjustment options,you will hardly find a sniper shooter who would notbe able to adjust the CZ 750 stock according to his in-dividual measures and needs.

We have already mentioned the duralumin mount-ing rail located at the bottom of the forend, howeverit is necessary to emphasize that the rail is long enough

35

The CZ 755 S3 M1 – a transition in the evolution of the new generationof the specialized CZ sniper rifles.



to enable to change the gravity center of the wholerifle by moving the bipod. Resistant against less care-ful handling for example while in transport, the sur-face of the polymer stock is provided with a checkeringwhich substantially contributes to reliable grip of therifle even with wet hands.

The barreled action is anchored into the stock bytwo screws – one of them being sited in the forend,another behind the cartridge well. Originally, the ri-fle's accuracy and alignment were regulated beforethe final assembly with the help of a special compoundfilled in between the stock and the receiver. Never-theless, this belongs to the past already – at presenttime, a duralumin insert, embedded into the stock, ful-fills the same purpose in a substantially simpler andmore effective way.

DESIGNED FOR URBAN AREASThe same barreled action, the same controls and

handling, more compact size – that is a brief charac-terization of the CZ 750 S1 M2 model. While the stan-dard model of the rifle is the classical modern sniperrifle with a wide effective range, the shortened ver-sion was designed as a high precision rifle for use inconstrained spaces and urban areas with the possibilityto install a sound suppressor (that is why it is some-times designated as the subsonic version). It can beused in various situations but the manufacturerpresents it mostly as a rifle aimed for the fight againstthe enemy sniper shooters.

The CZ 750 S1 M2 can be easily distinguished by theshorter barrel. As usual, Česká zbrojovka tested seve-ral versions of the barrel; nevertheless, the objective wasmore challenging in this case due to the requirementthat the barrel should be applicable not only with sub-sonic ammunition and the silencer installed, but alsowith standard cartridges. The final product of the

development was the 450mm ba-rrel with 4 right-hand grooves anda 10 inches twist rate. Using the sub-sonic ammunition and the silencer,this sniper rifle precisely hits a tar-get within 300 metres, while with-out the silencer and with the use ofcommon cartridges it hits a targetwithin 500 metres. This perfor-mance is more than sufficient foruse in urban areas.

The silencer supplied with the ri-fle is provided with 8 chambers,complies with the MIL-STD-1474NATO standard and reduces thesound to 124 dB; at the same time,it substantially reduces the flash pro-duced at the muzzle. By the way, thesilencer features the same mini-mum durability without any dete-rioration in accuracy as the barrel –the respectable 5 000 shots.

When standard ammunition isused the silencer can be removedand the muzzle is provided witha cap installed on the right-hand

thread of the muzzle. An interesting piece of infor-mation for comparison: according to the measure-ments carried out by Česká zbrojovka, when firing the7.62x51 NATO Norma Diamond Line cartridges witha 168 grains bullet without the use of a silencer thesound level only slightly exceeded 150 dB.

Thanks to the shorter barrel, this subsonic versionis equipped with a shorter polymer stock – more pre-cisely the forend is 11cm shorter in comparison to theCZ 750 S1 M1 which required to shorten the duralu-min mounting rail for the bipod to 155mm. On theother hand, the CZ 750 S1 M2 features the same ex-cellent ergonomics and flawless construction as thestandard model. Bearing in mind that the weight re-duction is more than half a kilo, the CZ 750 S1 M2 isa smart, easy-to-use sniper rifle with capacity fora great piece of work when used by a professional.

THE SPORTS VERSIONSniper rifles have long ceased to be a privilege of

sniper shooters only. Accurate shooting at long dis-tances has become a popular sports discipline; in thisregard, Česká zbrojovka prepared other versions ofthe CZ 750 sniper rifles: originally, it was the CZ 750S2 M1 model with a wooden stock which was, in thecourse of products unification, substituted by theCZ 750 S1 M1 SPORT – a model practically identi-cal to the S1 M1 model. Even though the S2 M1 ver-sion already belongs to the past, we should brieflyremind that it was typical for its sports stock madefrom la-minated wood which was not outfitted withthe adjustable components but the ergonomicswere still at the very best level. The most distinct fea-tures of the stock included the three longitudinal re-lief ports located at the forend which served for bet-ter cooling of the barrel and contributed to good bal-ance of the rifle. Markedly elevated cheekpiece was



supposed to satisfy a wide spectrum of shooters.Much care was devoted to the shape and the incli-nation of the pistol grip in order to enable smoothpulling of the trigger without causing fatigue to theshooter’s wrist and forearm. The fixed rubber Pach-mayr butt plate was 0.8 inches thick.

The massive sports-style polymer knob of the bolthandle belonged to one of the most interesting“tweaks” designed particularly for the S2 M1 version.It was so successful that it started to be employed inall other models of the CZ 750 sniper rifles.

The S2 M1 model was provided with a pair of Trigattiswivel studs, whereas the front stud served for bipodattachment at the same time. Thanks to the materialused and the shape of the stock, this model was onekilogram lighter than the basic S1 M1 version while shar-ing the same technical and tactical parameters (exceptfor the muzzle which was not provided with a thread)including the minimum durability guaranteed by themanufacturer. However, in order to sustain the slimsport silhouette of the rifle, it was necessary to use thealready mentioned 4-round magazine.

TOP QUALITY ACCESSORIESWithin the development of the modern sniper rifle,

Česká zbrojovka thoughtfully considered the optimumaccessories following and also partially developed someof them. Extensive tests of riflescopes, the designersfrom Uherský Brod decided to go for the 6-24x56 T CarlZeiss Diavary scope which is equipped with preciselygrounded lens featuring a thin layer of magnesiumfluoride that enhances lens speed. The crosshair in-cludes the modern illuminated reticle arrangement andthe possibility to estimate the distance of the targetaccording to the height of a human figure. Thisrangefinder is equipped with a very fine parallax ad-justment within range of 50 – 1 000 metres. The 56mmeyepiece diameter in combination with the variablemagnification within the range of 6-24x provides fora sufficient field of view for combat zone observationsas well as the consequent pin-point target acquisition.This riflescope is supplied with a two-piece lowmount ring made by the same manufacturer.

We have already tackled the Harris bipod. Its ad-vantages consist mainly in its simple installation, whichis carried out with the help of one screw, and the quick,six-position height adjustment. The essential acces-sories of a modern sniper rifle include a mirage de-flector which prevents from hot air mirage above thebarrel and in the field of view of the riflescope; forthe purpose of attachment of such a band, the CZ 750rifles are provided with simple swivels situated ap-proximately 1cm underneath the barrel surface. Theaccessories include also on all-purpose mountingwrench, a muzzle cap and four pieces of butt plateinserts. Based on the special requirement of the CzechArmy, Česká zbrojovka developed a tactical trans-portation bag named TPO 05 for the purpose of trans-port. It is a nylon impregnated backpack bag whichaccommodates the rifle both comfortably and safe-ly while transporting it in the battlefield; furthermore,the bag enables to pass the rifle on a rope down high-er places as well as from a helicopter. The interesting

thing is that the TPO 05 bag can be used for a sim-ple shelter construction.

THE SUCCESSFUL WEAPONOriginating in the well-proven experience, the CZ 750

family was developed by the top designers closely co-operating with professional sniper and sports shooters.Such a combination is not a matter of course and the re-sults speak for themselves. According to the opinion ofexperienced shooters – whose view is the most appre-ciated in this case – these rifles rank among the world'stop of their kind, excelling by its perfect ergonomics,smooth travel of mechanism and, last but not least, bythe innovative modular concept.

The CZ 750 rifles have been available in the marketalready several years and besides the successes achievedin the sports field they succeeded also in several pro-curement contracts from foreign armed and security units.

LEADING TO THE NEW GENERATIONIn 2010, Česká zbrojovka introduced the new CZ 755

S3 M1 sniper rifle equipped with a heavy, broached ba-rrel. One of its characteristic features was the new high-ly resistant duralumin stock with an ergonomic pistol gripand a simple, though very effective adjustable butt plate(provided with an integrated third support in additionto forward-located bipod). We cannot forget about thenew magazine well designed for precise magazine guid-ing and an additional mounting rail according to MIL-STD-1913 at the front part of the receiver.

As this designation suggests, the new model by Českázbrojovka returns to the roots of the CZ 750 family whileemploying the CZ 555 as the basis for construction.Owing to the CZ 555, the CZ 755 sniper rifle was providedwith a short extractor which ensures reliable extractionand contributes to a smooth travel of the bolt.

It turned out that the CZ 755 S3 M1 rifle was not in-tended to become a part of the portfolio of Česká zbro-jovka; in fact it was designed as a sort of “interim mo-del”, thanks to which Česká zbrojovka successfullytested several new components and principles. These arenow being employed within the development of a com-pletely new sniper rifle which will not be based on thecurrent concept, however. As a matter of course, Českázbrojovka employs the experience acquired by the pro-fessional sniper shooters from squads and army unitswithin the course of various current military conflicts. �

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Caliber 7.62x51 NATO

Overall length 1220 mm

Barrel length 660 mm

Height 175 mm

Width 77 mm

Weight without cartridgesand bipod 5.8 kg

Weight without cartridgeswith the bipod installed 6.2 kg

Magazine capacity 10 cartridges

CZ 750 S1 M1



Interview

38

WEAPONS for defenseand protection of the residences

of the Czech PRESIDENTCurrent and future equipment

of the Prague Castle GuardSubject to the President's Military Office,The Prague Castle Guard is an inde-pendent part of the Czech Armed forces. Besides the representative role, itsmain job is to guard, protect and defend the residences of the President andhis guests. Most visitors to the Prague castle perceive the guardsmen as well-built young men in elegant uniforms who protect the premises of the castle,standing still as an attraction for tourists and holding the shiny, though non-firing, vz. 52/57 parade rifles. In fact, it is a top-trained combat unit providedwith a very interesting equipment. We talked about the details with Lieute-nant-Colonel Richard Zapletal, the Chief Officer of the Castle Guard.



39

According to the official web pages, the CastleGuard currently consists of 655 people: 83 Staff Of-ficers, 136 Warrant Officers, 389 Master Ser-geants and 47 civilian employees. How many ofthem have been assigned a weapon?

The figures you have just mentioned are not quitecorrect. Since January 1st 2011, the Castle Guard em-ploys 651 people: 81 Staff Officers, 74 Warrant Offi-cers, 376 Master Sergeants, 77 soldiers ranked in thesquad and 43 civilian employees. 608 soldiers havebeen assigned a weapon.

Howmany women are currently employed in theCastle Guard?

There are 42 women in total. 14 of them are soldiers,out of which 4 women serve as the gate-keepers do-ing exactly the same job as their male colleagues andcomplying with the same requirements.

I can't resist to ask the question: Has the Guardever been forced to really use their weapons?

As far as I know the modern history of the Cas-tle Guard, it has not been necessary to use a weaponfor its primary purpose. I am aware of only one casewhen weapon was almost about to be used: it wasin 1991 when an offender stopped his illegal actiononly after a warning shot had been fired. In this case,the Castle Guard was most probably closest to useof their weapons as the last means of preventionagainst illegal action.

At present time, it is the vz. 61 Scorpion subma-chine gun in caliber 7.65mmwhich represents themain firearm of the Castle Guard. When and un-der what circumstances did the Castle Guard in-clude it into its armament? Howmany pieces areincluded in the current armament and what pur-pose do they serve for? Have there been anychanges in this regard over the last years?

The vz. 61 submachine gun was massively introducedinto the Castle Guard equipment in 1991. The quan-tity of the guns has continuously changed in accor-dance to the quantity of employees. The CastleGuard has currently over 500 pieces of these guns inits equipment. The gun is used for the purpose of cus-tody of the President's seat when the Prague castleis closed or when security measures are increased.

In what configuration are the Scorpions used bythe Castle Guard and what accessories are em-ployed? Are there any adjustments carried outspecifically for the purposes of your unit? Do youuse reflex sights, fast draw holsters or anythingelse?With regard to the future collectors – are thevz. 61 submachine guns of the Castle Guard pro-vided with a special marking?

The vz. 61 submachine guns used by the CastleGuard are the standard version models, identical tothe ones used by the Czech Army, so this is nota piece of good news for the anticipated collectors.The Guard carries the gun in a leather holster with-out any additional accessories – no reflex sights orfast draw holsters.

If I am not mistaken, the Castle Guard is equippedwith several types of holsters for the Scorpions.

Yes, that is true. The basic version made fromleather is used in combination with the vz. 95 uni-form during the trainings. While wearing the rep-resentative uniforms, the guardsmen use belt hols-ters in black or white colour.

The Scorpions are automatic personal defenseweapons which are specific in many aspects anddue to its relatively weak cartridge, the effectiveuse requires a thorough shooting training. Whatis the Guard's experience in this regard and howis the shooting and tactical training organizedwithrespect to the parameters and performance of thevz. 61 submachine guns?

The Castle Guard pays high attention to shooting andtactical training. Even though this unit is often desig-nated as a “carpet troops” in media, the reality is some-where else. The Castle Guard has special training pro-grams which contain, among other things, regularshooting and tactical training. The training focusesmainly on combats in built-up areas and on small units'tactics. Each year, the training is concluded by a marchof the troops in the training premises.

The universal vz. 59 machine guns in caliber7.62mm represent the additional equipment of theCastle Guard.What version,what quantity and forwhat purpose does the Guard use them?

The Castle Guard uses the multi-purpose vz. 59 ma-chine guns with both the light and the heavy bar-rel; however, it is not appropriate to mention thequantity used by the units. They are supposed to beused in emergency situations, when the president’sseat must be defended.

Similarly as with the Scorpions we would like toknow, whether you use the “59” in the standardversion or whether they are specially adjusted forthe purposes of the Castle Guard.

Same as the vz. 61 submachine guns, the vz. 59 ma-chine guns are used by the Castle Guard in the stan-dard version without any adjustments.

Allegedly, you are not quite satisfied with the pa-rameters and the performance of the multi-pur-pose vz. 59 machine guns….

This weapon was manufactured a longer time agoand its construction and parameters do not satisfy thepresent needs. Indeed, we would appreciate if it wasreplaced by a modern machine gun.

How about the machine-gunners – are these sol-diers specially assigned or are all the guardsmentrained to shoot a machine gun? Is the particularsituation of a combat in the premises of the PragueCastle somehow reflected in the machine gunshooting training?

Obviously, the machine gunners rank among the firesupport squads within the Castle Guard where all thespecialists are ranked. These squads, with respect to thespecial purpose, are subject to specially adjusted train-



ing programs. The training programs are, in contrastto training programs of the Czech Army, adjusted tothe conditions of the Castle Guard; in other words, theyreflect the particularities of the use of a machine gunin the premises of the Prague Castle. To be more pre-cise, it is necessary to mention that these shooting train-ings serve for the purpose of both the service withinthe Guard and the representative role. In practice itmeans that the machine gunner must be able to handlethe machine gun as well as the vz. 61 submachinegun and the representation rifle whose official nameis Pu 52/57. Apparently, the requirements on a CastleGuard soldier are extremely high.

The combination of the vz. 61 Scorpion submachinegunsand thevz. 59machineguns is reallyunique; I amnot sure whether we would find an analogy some-where in theworld. Has it proved good in practice?

Indeed, this combination of the two completely dif-ferent weapons is unique, nevertheless it respects theconditions in which both guns are used. From the tac-tical point of view it is necessary to remember that theprotected premises are located in a built-up area whichis, moreover, protected by international agreementsas a UNESCO monument.

Does the Castle Guard use any other firearms? Howabout sniper rifles, pistols, signal pistols? Onsome pictures showing the guardsmen during

a training we can see them using the vz. 58 sub-machine guns, the SVD self-loading rifles, ma-nual anti-tank weapons…

Naturally, the Castle Guard owns the classicalequipment of an infantry, such as the vz. 82 pistols,the vz. 44/81 signal pistols, or the already mentionedvz. 61 submachine guns and vz. 59 machine guns; how-ever, there are also specialised guardsmen who use theDragunov sniper rifles and the RPG-7V anti-tankweapons of Russian origin. These guns are operatedby the Castle Guard specialists who rank among thefire support squads.

And how about the use of the above mentionedvz. 58 submachine guns?

This is a very specific case. The thing is that one ofthe disadvantages of the vz. 61 submachine guns isthat the corresponding training ammunition is notmanufactured. Therefore, the Castle Guard is forcedto carry out the training with the vz. 58 submachineguns which are not used in service as such, however.This impractical duplicity in the equipment shall beeliminated after the planned rearmament of the Cas-tle Guard is provided for.

And how about the vz. 52/57 rifles, how manypieces does the Guard own?

At the moment, the Guard owns two kinds of theserifles. On one hand, we have the parade vz. 52/57 rifleswhich are adjusted accordingly (they are non-firing ri-fles). On the other hand, the Castle Guard possessesalso the fully functional vz. 52/57 rifles. The Guard owns952 pieces of the parade rifles designated “Pu 52/57 přeh.zneh.” (meaning “non-firing”) and 11 pieces of thePu 52/57 which are fully functional. The functional Pu 52/57rifles are exclusively in possession of the Castle Guard,the Czech Army does not have these models.

For what purpose are the functional rifles used?For training purposes and for the purpose of a state

funeral in case a president died – this right is entitled toformer presidents as well. The current vz. 58 machineguns are not representative enough for the salute of ho-nour; the new assault rifles from the equipment of theCzech Army will be even less representative.

The non-functional vz. 52/57 rifles were adjustedfor ceremonious purposes during which the riflesare exposed to strokes.What does the adjustmentconsist in?

During ceremonious acts the Guard uses solely thenon-functioning guns. The adjustment consists in thick-ening the metal butt plate, placing a dilatation rubberinsert in between the stock and its butt plate and length-ening the screw which tightens the butt plate. These ad-justments, provided by the Service center Jaroměř, werenecessary especially because of the frequent strokeswhich the rifle must endure during the exercises.

What colour are the non-functional vz. 52/57 stocks?The original vz. 52/57 rifles were equipped with

a brown stock. For the purposes of the Castle Guard,the stocks are impregnated in dark brown or almost



41

black colour so that they are tuned with the colourof the uniforms.

Just out of curiosity – are the guardsmen trainedto use the vz. 52/57 rifle in close combat, if nece-ssary? It is still a gun provided with a folding bay-onet, besides the stock as such…

Each soldier is trained to use a gun in emergency,so the Castle Guard is no exception; nevertheless therules for such use are as strict as those for shooting.Striking with the stock can be used only exception-ally and the situations in which the guardsmen canuse their gun in this way are strictly defined.

In spring 2010, theMinistry of Defense of the CzechRepublic ordered 572 pieces of the CZ SCORPIONEVO 3A1 submachine guns in caliber 9x19mmwithaccessories and ammunition. Were there othermodels considered as well? And how do you feelabout this choice?

The Castle Guard required the replacement of thevz. 61 submachine guns because of their technical ob-solescence. The government of the Czech Republicmakes it clear that all firearms purchased for the Mi-nistry of Defense shall be of the Czech origin. It is pre-mature to evaluate the CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1 now.The chosen guns comply with the defined criteria andthey are currently subject to military tests in which theCastle Guard participates. Whether the choice was co-rrect or not we shall know only after these submachineguns are introduced into service.

Allegedly, introducing a weapon of the PDW ca-tegory, typical for the use of ammunition whoseforce is high enough to penetrate a ballistic pro-tection, was also considered.

Indeed, this option was in question. To put it sim-ply, however, the Castle Guard does not need to killthe offender but its aim is to make him stop the ille-gal action. The 9x19mm caliber weapons are muchmore suitable for this purpose. The bullets of the PDWammunition penetrate a ballistic vest causing an in-jury or death, while the 9x19 bullets paralyse the of-fender temporarily. Even a trained person will be in-capacitated when hit by a 9mm bullet.

Is the Castle Guard going to take over the CZ SCOR-PION EVO 3A1 as it was presented to armed forcesor will you have any special requirements on theweapons or their accessories? How do you plan tosolve the sights and the carrying sling?

The Castle Guard will take over the weapons in thepresented version supplemented by reflex sightsand tactical lights. Furthermore, the weapon shall besupplied with a single-point tactical sling.

Does the planned takeover of the new Scorpionsmean that the vz. 61 submachine gunswill be com-pletelywithdrawn from theCastleGuard armament?

Yes, it does.

Canwepresume that thedifferent specifications andperformance of the CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1 sub-

machine guns will require changes in the Guard'straining as well as the practical employment?

Of course – as we have already mentioned – the ef-fectiveness of the cartridge used in vz. 61 submachineguns is completely different. The new armament willrequire amending the training documents both interms of methodology and practical training.

Is the introduction of the new Scorpions the onlychange planned in the Castle Guard equipment ordoes theGuard plan any other changes of this kind?

The change in the basic armament of the guards-men represents the first step in the process of mod-ernization. Further changes will follow, especiallywith respect to the specialized guardsmen – thesniper shooters. Same as everywhere else, howev-er, the modernization of the armament will dependon the funds assigned.

Is it true that the CZ 75 SP-01 PHANTOM pistols,which were ordered by the Czech Ministry of De-fence in spring 2010, will be introduced also intothe Guard's equipment?

It is probable. The guardsmen have already ac-quainted themselves with this model and consider itsuitable for the Guard's purposes. The big advantageis also the fact that the CZ 75 SP- 01 PHANTOM pis-tol uses the same ammunition as the CZ SCORPIONEVO 3 A1 submachine gun. �



Even though we mentioned the ČZ vz. 50 model asthe first service pistol by Česká zbrojovka in the ti-tle of this article, there is a kind of pre-history of

the CZ pistols dating back to the period before WorldWar II. Being the key supplier of a wide range of com-ponents at that time, the arms factory from Uherský Brodparticipated in the production of the new Czechoslo-vak army pistol named vz. 38 which was being com-pleted in Strakonice, the former parent factory of Českázbrojovka. In regard of the subsequent events, however,this was only an unimportant episode. The decision ofthe central authorities of the Czechoslovak industrymade after Communist Coup in February 1948 was farmore important: the arms production in the town ofStrakonice was discontinued because it was situated dan-gerously close to the Western borders. Its daughter com-pany in Uherský Brod was selected to become the heirof the famous tradition of the Strakonice factory and one

of the first outsourced pro-ducts the “police” ČZ vz. 50pistol was on the first and the “police” ČZ vz. 30 pistolwas one of the first outsourced products.

ČZ vz. 50: THE POLICE PISTOLPrimarily intended for the purposes of the national

security forces, the ČZ vz. 50 pistol in caliber 7.65mmBrowning (.32 Auto) was designed in Česká zbrojovkaStrakonice between 1947 and 1948 by the brothers Janand Jaroslav Kratochvíl as the successor of the ob-solete ČZ vz. 27 pistol. The new handgun featuring blowback breech and fixed barrel was very advanced for thattime: it was outfitted with a SA/DA firing and triggermechanism having external hammer and various pro-gressive safety elements – automatic firing pin block,rotary manual safety enabling to safely release thecocked hammer and original cartridge indicator whichwas structurally connected with the extractor.

42

History & Advances

There is no doubt that the semi-automati pistols for national as well as fo-reign armed and security forces represent the most perpetual products in thewide portfolio of firearms manufactured by Česká zbrojovka in the course ofits seventy-five year existence. Handguns for service purposes became the partof the company's portfolio in the second half of the 1950s. Since that time theyhave belonged to it and over the last generations they have ranked among thebest of their kind available in the international market.

From

to PHANTOMand DUTY

vz.50

or the CZ pistols as service guns



43

which means that the overall quanti-ty of the closely related pistols fromUherský Brod, the vz. 50 and the vz. 70,reached over the respectable one million.At the beginning, most of the pro-duction was intended for export to the“capitalist countries”, as they were called inthe former Czechoslovakia, where, after a partial decreasein demand around mid 1970s, the interest in defence pis-tols was strong again. At the same time, the Czechoslo-vak Federal Ministry of Interior started to require largerquantities of the vz. 70. Because the export was givenpriority, the Czechoslovak security units had to wait forthe new pistols until the end of the 1970s; notwith-standing, they were never supplied the required quan-tity. For this reason the national police forces wereeagerly interested in the new service handgun, which wasbeing developed by Česká zbrojovka in a detached de-signing office in Prague by Mr. Augustin Nečas, the long-term co-worker of the legendary Koucký brothers.

CZ 82: DESIGNED FOR ARMYAND SECURITY

Even though the commercial performance of theČZ vz. 50/70 models had been excellent on a long-termbasis, it was clear in the 1970s that the concept of thesehandguns had been exhausted because it did not en-able to be adjusted to the modern requirements of thecustomers, represented in most cases by the security and

At the beginning, the vz. 50started to be manufactured in Strakon-ice but already in the middle of 1952 –when almost 90 000 pieces had been ma-nufactured – the program was discontinued with theperspective of transferring the production to thearms factory in Uherský Brod, designated as the Pre-cision Engineering Factory in those days. The actualtransfer took longer than expected; it was most prob-ably caused by the fact that at that time the factory inUherský Brod started to face problems with the trou-bled vz. 52 self-loading rifle (by the way designed bythe Kratochvíl brothers as well). Therefore, both fac-tories agreed on the details of the production trans-fer of the ČZ vz. 50 pistol only in autumn 1956 afterwhich the process speeded up. Though the PrecisionEngineering Factory faced many problems when start-ing the production of the pistols, the first serial pieceswere accomplished already in December 1957; the pro-duction continued without interruption until 1970.

At the beginning, the vz. 50 pistols manufacturedin Uherský Brod were criticized for lower quality, ne-vertheless, in the course of years and with growingexperience of the factory, the quality continuouslyimproved. Moreover, in the second half of the1960s the ČZ vz. 50 went through an extensive in-novation which led to partial modifications of thebasic model in the first instance, finally giving birthto the modernized ČZ vz. 70 version.

The factory in Uherský Brod manufactured about273 000 pieces of the ČZ vz. 50 pistol. We do not knowthe exact quantity supplied to the national securityforces and the army; however, the quantity was pro-bably not so big because the Czechoslovak police unitshad already been rearmed by the pistols from theStrakonice factory and the Ministry of National De-fence purchased the vz. 50 only exceptionally. As faras export is concerned, we know about the supply of7 000 pieces to the Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria. Al-together we can say that the most part of the “po-lice” vz. 50 pistols from Uherský Brod ended up as com-pact defence handguns in foreign, especially Westernmarkets where they represented a highly demandedproduct thanks to their price competitiveness.

ČZ vz. 70: DESTINED FOR EXPORTIn the course of 1970, the ČZ vz. 50 pistol was replaced

from the production program of the arms factory inUherský Brod by the updated ČZ vz. 70 model in ca-liber 7.65mm Browning (.32 Auto). The new handgundi-ffered from the original version mostly by its appea-rance; the modernization affected above all the grips.Furthermore, the extended magazine bottom was man-ufactured from new, more durable material and theoverall design of the pistol was innovated. It is worthmentioning that the graphic design was elaborated bythe architect Ing. František Crhák who would lat-er gain more popularity thanks to his participation onthe design of a completely new pistol, the CZ 75.

The ČZ vz. 70 pistols were manufactured from the se-cond half of 1970 (for a short time the production wasrunning simultaneously with the vz. 50 pistols) until 1983.The quantity manufactured exceeded 819 000 pieces

ČZ vz. 50 from 1969(photo by James D. Brown,The standard inscriptionswere not colour-highlighted)

The “50“ in action recorded in a picturefrom a handbook published by the Cze-choslovak Ministry of Interior in 1963.




armed forces. As a result of this situation, in 1975 Českázbrojovka, hidden under the name “Precision EngineeringUherský Brod” at that time, was assigned to developa new pistol in the basic 7.65mm Browning (.32 Auto)caliber which could be simply modified to 9mm Makarovor 9mm Browning Short (.380 Auto) as well as the per-spective 9mm Police caliber. The development was en-trusted to the above mentioned Mr. Augustin Nečaswho received the specification from the Czechoslovak Min-istry of National Defence already in 1977.

After several years of hesitation, the Ministry finallydecided to introduce the 9mm Makarov cartridges in

the army and replace the unsuitable vz. 52 pistols incaliber 7.62x25mm. Among other things, the soldiersrequired ambidextrous controls, commodious triggerguard facilitating shooting in gloved hands, minimummagazine capacity of 12 cartridges and a holster en-abling to insert the pistol from both right and left side.

Therefore, the development of the new pistol was ru-nning in two different lines: one version was being de-veloped for civilian market another for the service sec-tor, but their basic construction was identical. Both ver-sions were typical for blow back breech, fixed barrel,SA/DA trigger and firing mechanism with external ham-mer, original drop safety and a high capacity double-column magazine with a single feed position. The hand-gun was developed in cooperation with a pleiad of ex-perienced designers from Uherský Brod and particularstructure designs were covered by 6 patents.

As we have already indicated, the Czechoslovak Fe-deral Ministry of Interior promptly showed interest inthe 9mm Makarov service model and additionally re-quired to include decocking – the possibility to releasethe cocked hammer by means of the safety lever. Thisadjustment was not carried out, however, because itwould require a serious intervention into the existing con-struction. On the other hand, the polygonal barrel borewas successfully integrated into the development in 1981.

In 1982, the final model passed through all the de-manding tests, including the military tests, and in 1983it was introduced into the equipment of the Czechoslo-vak National Army under the designation 9mmvz. 82 pistol. Under this name the pistol appeared alsoin the Czechoslovak security units.

The Czechoslovak National Army planned to orderalmost 180 000 pieces of the vz. 82 pistol until 1992and at the same time, the Federal Ministry of Interi-or required their allotment. Česká zbrojovka managedto manufacture almost 190 000 pieces of the vz. 82between 1983 and 1992, and over 100 000 pieces ofthe related civilian model called CZ 83 in caliber7.65mm Browning and 9mm Browning Short.

In the end, the quantity was not sufficient for the com-plete rearmament of the Czech Army; nevertheless af-ter 1989, under new political and economic conditions,there were not funds available for new orders and thisproduction program had to be prematurely disconti-nued. Though, the service guns in 9mm Makarov cal-iber were not replaced from the production programof Česká zbrojovka for all; the company started to of-fer this version as one of the CZ 83 model variants.

The vz. 82 pistol – as well as the CZ 83 model – rep-resented a successful, accurate, reliable and user-friend-ly service handgun ranking by its size with the catego-ry which was later on designated as compact. Its strongpoints consist in the excellent ergonomics convenient forsmaller hands, and the ambidextrous controls (with theexception of slide release). The design of drop safety issometimes considered controversial, however, despitethe unusual system of hammer block, it is very reliablein practice. Major drawback of the pistols is consideredto be their lower efficiency and, as a result of this, lowstopping power of the 9mm Makarov cartridges (whichapplies also to the more powerful cartridge of the vz. 82pistol featuring sintered bullets), on the other hand, the

The vz. 82 army pistol accommodated ina leather patent-protected holster designedby Ing. Karel Strouhal which enables to in-sert the pistol and a spare magazine in twodifferent positions satisfying both left andright-handed shooters (photo by D. Brown)

ČZ vz.70 from 1975 (an exhibition piece fromthe Czech Police Museum)



From the beginning of 1990s, the pistols of the CZ 75line, the CZ 85 respectively (which is a derived model fea-turing ambidextrous slide release and manual safety) con-tinuously succeeded in service sector. The present re-ference list of Česká zbrojovka contains 26 different coun-tries where the CZ 75 and its subsequent versions havebeen introduced; this number is still growing with the on-set of the models of the new generation. Furthermore,the CZ 75 pistols finally gained reputation also in theirhome country whose armed and security forces had beensurprisingly negligent about the pistols.

LANDMARK: THE NEW POLICE PISTOLAttitudes towards the quality of a weapon sometimes

change remarkably quickly. While in the Czechoslovakiaof the late “normalization” era of the 1980s the vz. 82pistols were considered very modern guns suitable forsecurity service, only ten years later, in the beginning

less efficient caliber enabledto employ blow back ac-tion which is simpler fromboth construction and pro-duction point of view.

CZ 75: THE BELATEDTRIUMPH

We have not mentioned onefatal imperfection of the vz. 82pistol – it was introduced se-veral years after the CZ 75model, which is, without ex-aggerating, a masterpiece. Itwas born between 1969 and1975 as a mature work of anexcellent designer,Mr. Fran-tišek Koucký, and it com-bined all the qualities of a pre-sent day service pistol: it firedpowerful cartridges in caliber9x19 (9mm Luger), its slide was provided withinternal rails and it was locked by the well proven Brow-ning pattern, its high capacity double column magazinewas able to accommodate 15 cartridges and it excelledin the original SA/DA trigger mechanism with the un-beatable smooth trigger operation in DA mode of fire.

The new pistol's qualities were emphasized by itsexcellent ergonomics and the perfectly elaborated de-sign which was developed in cooperation with theabove mentioned architect, Ing. Crhák.

The reason why we mention the CZ 75 pistol after theyounger vz. 82 model is plain and simple: the CZ 75 wasan excellent service pistol from the very beginning, butfor quite a long time it was successful only in the civi-lian sphere as a highly demanded export product. TheCzechoslovak National Army showed certain interest inthe CZ 75 pistols, having carried out tests with one sam-ple in 1977 in the research and development center inBrno while the Ministry of Interior purchased 10 piecesof this pistol in 1978. This was the only demand from partof the national armed and service forces. It was obviouslybecause of the “capitalistic” caliber of the pistol whicha submissive state of the Warsaw Pact could not accept.Unfortunately, this attitude had fatal consequences – theephemeral interest of the Army allegedly resulted in theclassification of the authorship certificates of the CZ 75pistol to the secret category, and as a consequence, thepistol was introduced into the world market without anyinternational patent protection.

Nevertheless, it took some time to establish the po-tential of the 75 in the service sectors abroad. Theturning point came in the second half of 1980s whenthe Turkish police put up a series of tenders in whichthe Czechoslovak pistol competed with products fromvirtually all over the world.

The demanding conditions of these tenders led toa substantial improvement of the basic CZ 75 model andČeská zbrojovka gained a lot of valuable experiencethanks to this occasion. Another important fact was thatthe company penetrated into the huge market inTurkey: in the following years Česká zbrojovka gra-dually supplied to this country around 140 000 pistols.

The vz. 82 pistol still belongs to the stan-dard equipment of the current armedforces of the Czech Republic (photo by theCzech Ministry of Defence)

TheCZ75BD(featuring the left-sidede-cocking lever for releasing the cocked

hammer) from the supply for the CzechArmed Forces, namely the Military Police



era of free market economy in the Czech Republic andinclination to Western values, the pistols′ performancesuddenly appeared insufficient.

We should mention, however, that this skeptical viewdoes not apply in general. The vz. 82 in its current ver-sion still enjoys a considerable interest in the world, bi-gger quantities of this model in caliber 9mm Makarovand 9mm Browning Short were quite recently orderedby the Ministry of Interior of two Eastern countries.

On the other hand, in the1990s The Czech Repub-lic decided to rearm the Czech Police with a new pis-tol in 9mm Luger (9x19) caliber. Two tenders were con-ducted in the second half of the 1990s but after their

unsuccessful outcome the Czech Government en-trusted this order directly to Česká zbrojovka in 2000in accordance with the law.

The subsequent development of the new Czech Po-lice pistol was based on the demanding requirementsdefined by the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic.The design was based on the CZ 75 D Compact mo-del with 14 cartridges magazine capacity and a framemade from aircraft grade aluminum alloy (developedfor aviation industry). Naturally, the pistol was designedwith an automatic firing pin block which belongs tostandard features of the CZ 75 pistols from Uherský Brodsince the beginning of the 1990s. Instead of the ori-ginal manual safety, the new compact pistol wasoutfitted with a lever for a safe release of the cockedhammer (by the way, decocking was required by theCzech police already in the vz. 82 model).

Among other differences we should mention the ex-tended front part of the frame which reaches the slidefront and is provided with rails for accessories attach-ment – tactical lights or laser pointers. This was a nov-elty in the portfolio of Česká zbrojovka, however itquickly took in all the pistols designed for the servicepurposes. Another novelty of the pistol consisted in the100% interchangeability of all the parts (until that timethe barrel of the CZ 75/85 pistols was match-fitted withthe frame within the course of the production process),improved quality of production materials and the pos-sibility to shoot all kinds of 9mm Luger cartridges in-cluding powerful military versions.

Another difference, which is not perceived at firstsight but the user could feel it when holding the pis-

The development of the CZ 75 Compact mo-del designed for the Czech Police culminatedwhen the pistol successfully passed throughthe extremely demanding tests in Slavičín.



the recoil spring madefrom a wire of a rectan-gular cross-section whichwas designed to make re-tracting the slide less hardwhile preserving the func-tional reliability of the weapon.

Once the development wasfinished, the pistols success-fully went through extremelydemanding tests carried out bythe Military Technological In-stitute for Arms and Am-munition in the town ofSlavičín after which, in theend of 2001, the governmentfinally decided to purchase 46 000 pieces of pistols whichwere continuously supplied to the Czech Police until2005. The basic version of the new compact pistol is out-fitted with left-sided controls only (with the option toinstall the magazine catch on the right side), however,the Czech Police was provided with the required quan-tity of sets for the conversion of some of the suppliedCZ 75 D Compact pistols for left-handed shooters (theset consisted of a new right and left decocking controllevers). We can say that it was a CZ 85 D Compact mo-del with ambidextrous controls.

Moreover, Česká zbrojovka offers the Simunitionconversion kit for the CZ 75/85 D Compact pistols incaliber 9mm FX&CQT (Securi Blank) for the use ofmarking paint cartridges which serve for practical train-ing. The new compact pistol supplied to the Czech Po-lice which was soon adopted by several security andarmed forces in many other countries, represent animportant turning point not only for Česká zbrojov-ka but also for the CZ 75 pistol as such. Besidesother things, it proved that the “seventy-five” is a time-less construction whose potential has not been ex-hausted. This was to be verified by the new family oftactical and sports pistols, the CZ 75 SP-01.

THE PHENOMENAL SP-01Designed under the direction of Ing. Jiří Kafka, the

CZ 75 SP-01 pistols represent the latest generation ofthe standard size of the legendary CZ 75 model. Thebasic all-steel models were manufactured between2002 and 2004 in close cooperation with top profe-

tol, was the fine-tuned ergonomics. The ba-sic CZ 75 model comfortably fits into thehands of most shooters; nevertheless, thenew police compact pistol by Česká zbro-jovka was even more comfortable to holdthanks to relatively small but sophisticatedchanges to the frame (as well as thanks to the rub-ber grips) which contributed not only to a convenienthold but also to better accessibility of the controls andhigher accuracy of shooting. The ergonomic designof the new police pistol was reflected also into thedevelopment of other CZ models, namely the CZ 75SP-01 line which will be tackled later in the article.The new compact is distinguished also by its smoothtrigger operation, excellent controllability duringthe fire and, as a matter of course, high accuracy.

In other aspects the new pistol named CZ 75 D Com-pact or the P-01 (this designation is used for exportto the US referring to the last two digits of the yearwhen its final version was completed – 2001) retainsthe best qualities of the classic CZ 75. One of the slightdifferences between the new pistol and the CZ 75 is thela-nyard ring located at the firing spring plug, the rub-ber magazine pad, the austempering of the barrel or

Česká zbrojovka offers the Simunition con-version kit for the purpose of effective tacti-cal training with the CZ 75/85 D Compact pis-tols with the use of harmless marking bullets.

CZ 75 SP-01 PHANTOM



ssionals from security units. The primary purpose ofthe pistols was to serve as rescue and tactical guns forspecial police and military units because this kind ofguns was not available in the market at that time. Im-mediately after it was launched in the market, how-ever, the SP-01 scored in the Production Division of thesports shooting according to the IPSC rules and at pre-sent, it is definitely the most successful model used inthis demanding shooting discipline. The two WorldChampion titles won by Adam Tyc who belonged tothe Team CZ Shooting represent the most importantsports triumph of the SP-01 pistols.

In terms of construction, the SP-01 pistols continuein the well-proven and popular design of the classicCZ 75 pistol. The SPs differ especially by improved er-gonomics enriched by the experience acquired duringthe development of the compact pistol for the CzechPolice, extended frame featuring a MIL-STD-1913 rail,thickened slide outfitted with additional grip serrationsin its first third, thickened and more resistant barreland higher magazine capacity (18 cartridges in cal 9mmLuger, 12 cartridges in caliber .40S&W respectively). Thefinal pistol is not only extremely durable and accuratebut thanks to relatively high weight and excellent ba-lancing it enables to achieve outstanding resultseven in quickly repeated fire. The all-steel SP-01 pis-tols currently exist in three basic versions.

The CZ SP-01 features an ambidextrous manual safe-ty and it is supplied only in caliber 9mm Luger. The CZSP-01 TACTICAL pistol is provided with an ambidextrousdecocking lever and is manufactured in calibers 9mmLuger and in .40S&W. Both these versions feature a fi-ring pin block. The line culminates in the CZ 75 SP-01SHADOW model in caliber 9mm Luger which was de-veloped between 2005 and 2006 and which reflects theexperience of the top world shooters, Angus Hobdell

and Adam Tyc, among others. Thanks to these two shoot-ers, the already excellent ergonomics of the pistol wasfurther improved. The new shape of the SHADOW framehas consequently been adopted to the remaining all-steelSP-01 models. One substantial difference of the SHADOWis that it does not feature the automatic firing pin blockin order to minimize the trigger pull weight.

For us it is important to know that the SPs do notgain acclaim only in sports fields but they have su-cceeded also in their original field of purpose, i. e. inthe service sector. The truth is that the security andarmed forces are apparently more interested in thenew CZ 75 SP-01 pistol with polymer frame.

THE SUCCESSFUL PHANTOMResponses from the market showed that the concept

of a rather heavy tactical pistol has only limited use inthe service sector. On the other hand, the excellent cha-racteristics of the SPs impressed the police and army. Thisresulted into the development of a new CZ 75 SP-01model with a lighter frame. Česká zbrojovka did not riskanything and the company's designers, led by Ing. JiříKafka, prepared two versions: one with a frame fromaluminum alloy, the other with a frame made from thehighly durable polymer. In 2006 the company decidedto go for the polymer version which was launched inthe market under the name CZ 75 SP-01 PHANTOMin 2008, after further debugging had been completed.Thanks to the material of the frame, the weight of theunloaded pistol was reduced to mere 800g (comparedto 1180g of the all-steel versions). The pistol is an ex-cellent service and defence weapon in caliber 9mm Lugerfeaturing the appraised parameters of the SP pistols butmuch more suitable for all-day carry. With regard to theservice purpose of the PHANTOM, the pistol is suppliedonly with the left-side decocking lever. The pistol is dis-



tridges while retaining low height, locking of the slideinto the ejection port, the MIL-STD-1913 mounting raillocated in the front part of the slide, generous triggerguard allowing shooting in gloved hands and nitridedbarrel and slide. The safeties and decocking levers areambidextrous, the magazine catch can be installed onboth left and right side. Thanks to perfect ergonomicsand favourable qualities of the OMEGA trigger mech-anism, the handgun achieves high accuracy and is eas-ily handled even when shots are repeated quickly oneafter another. Moreover, the DUTY excels in reliabilityand durability which showed in the course of the ex-tremely demanding tests carried out in the specializedresearch center in Slavičín in autumn 2008.

By introducing the CZ 75 P-07 DUTY in caliber 9mmLuger, Česká zbrojovka hit the bullseye: the pistol be-came a bestseller immediately after it was launched inthe market. Many security and armed units all over theworld have included it into their armament and moreunits follow them. At the same time, new versions ofthe pistol are being introduced: the compact model isavailable also in calibers .40S&W (with the magazine ca-pacity of 12 cartridges), 9x21 (16 cartridges capacity) and9mm Browning Short (16 cartridges capacity). With re-spect to the less power of the 9mm Browning cartridges,the model in this caliber is provided with a blow backbreech; Česká zbrojovka intends to substitute the CZ 83model by the new CZ 75 P-07 in 9mm Browning.

The most current model of the new generation ofservice and defence pistols by Česká zbrojovka is the stan-dard size CZ P-08 DUTY pistol; however at the timewhen this special issue was being prepared we did nothave any detailed information about this model. Twothings are indisputable: firstly, it will certainly bea high quality and attractive handgun, and secondly, wecan look forward that Česká zbrojovka will sooner orlater introduce a perspective and interesting innovationin the field of handguns for service sector. �

tinguished by the original design of its polymer frameprovided with a MIL-STD-1913 mounting rail in the frontpart and outfitted with a very flat grip. Furthermore,the PHANTOM is the first pistol by Česká zbrojovka whichfeatures the interchangeable back straps of the grip –it is supplied with straps in two sizes. Another typicalfeature of this model is the new shape of the slide out-fitted with a notable “step” at the back which facilitatescomfortable charging of the pistol.

The CZ 75 SP-01 PHANTOM pistol gained a veryfavourable acceptance both in service and civilian mar-ket. Besides others, the Czech Ministry of Defence or-dered this model in 2010 as a new handgun for theCzech Armed Forces which currently own only a fewpieces of the CZ 75 B and CZ 75 BD models for the pur-pose of Military Police. However, the successful routeof the CZ pistols through service sector is not over.

THE NEW GENERATIONIn 2008, Česká zbrojovka surprised the specialists and

shooting community by introducing the new OMEGAtrigger mechanism which can be without any exa-ggeration designated as a revolutionary improvementof the original CZ 75 system. Designed by three em-ployees of Česká zbrojovka – Rostislav Hruboš,Jaroslav Rezek and Ing. Ivan Filko – the OMEGAsystem brings not only a substantial construction andtechnological simplification of the original system cre-ated by František Koucký but it also improves the al-ready excellent trigger travel of the CZ 75 models. Theoption to install the manual safety or decocking leveris unique; moreover, the reinstallation can be carriedout by the user himself within a few seconds.

On one hand, the OMEGA trigger mechanism is nowgradually being introduced into practically all the cu-rrent CZ 75 models, on the other hand it became thefounding stone of the new generation of service de-fence guns which Česká zbrojovka develops in reactionto modern requirements of armedand security forces. It is no coincidencethat the first model of this line, de-signated CZ 75 P-07 DUTY in caliber9mm Luger, was launched in themarket in 2009 and thanks to itsproperties it currently ranks to thepopular category of modern servicecompact pistols which can be aptly de-scribed as a bit smaller and noticeablylighter standard pistols. As a matterof fact, they are supplied with high ca-pacity magazines, they retain thesame le-vel of accuracy as the standard sizemodels and, last but not least, theyfeature excellent ergonomics.

This applies also to the originallyshaped DUTY pistol with polymerframe which was created by the de-signers of the of the OMEGA mech-anism – R. Hruboš, J. Rezek andIng. I. Filko. The most characteristicfeatures of this model include themagazine capacity – it holds 16 car- CZ 75 P-07 DUTY ráže 9 mm Luger


Česká zbrojovka is currently going through bigchanges which are to great extent related to theintroduction of the new CZ service weapons intoserial production. Within this context, we haveheard for example of the implementation ofnew production processes, installation of new ma-chines and modernization of some of the existingproduction facilities. Could you describe thistechnological leap more in detail?

Our new service weapons comprise technologies andmaterials which we have not used so extensively be-fore. Three different materials are merged in the newweapons: steel, aluminum and polymer. As far as tech-nology is concerned, we use cutting operations,chipless working, casting, injection moulding andothers. Each material and technology serves a differentpurpose. We have subjected particular materials tostrict and prioritized selection depending on their me-chanical strength, physical and chemical properties,fatigue calculations etc. The main criteria were to gua-rantee reliable function while retaining low weight.Česká zbrojovka purchased new four- and five-axis ma-

chining centres, a manganese phosphate line whichimproves anti-corrosion and slide properties; fur-thermore, the company has solved the issue ofchroming of long holes with small diameter.

Another change worth mentioning in regards ofservice weapons is the overall transition to theOMEGA trigger mechanism in the CZ 75 pistols.What is the current status of this project and whatis the schedule? Is it true, that the transition to theOMEGA will partially “clear off “ the models Českázbrojovka currently offers by reducing the num-ber of compact pistols versions?

The new OMEGA trigger mechanism has been inte-grated into all the CZ 75 compact pistols. In 2011 we wouldlike to implement it into the standard size CZ 75 pistols.

The new trigger mechanism will definitely simplify ourportfolio. The pistols will be supplied with ambidextrouscontrols – either manual safety or decocking lever – orthey will be provided with an exchangeable rear controlmember while the package will include both manual safe-ty and decocking lever for releasing the cocked hammer.Consequently, there will be no need to manufacture bothone-sided and ambidextrous versions of the pistols. Thesimplification of the pistol portfolio will facilitate our cus-tomers a better overview of our products.

Can we presume that the introduction of theOMEGA trigger mechanism will not affect the wa-rranty and after-warranty service provided tothose customers who bought the CZ 75 pistols withthe original mechanism? And is it true that in caseČeská zbrojovka receives a firm order from a cu-stomer, the factory will be able to manufacturethe pistols in the former configuration, too?

We will keep manufacturing the CZ 75 pistol with theclassic trigger mechanism. It is an original which servedas a base and master model to many other handguns and,in the view of its genius, it would be quite a sin to replaceit at once. Warranty and after-warranty service includ-ing the production of spare parts will be ensured.

Let’s stay with the pistols. Česká zbrojovka cu-rrent-ly focuses its attention to the commercially suc-cessful product line of the P-07 DUTY. The basicmodel of the CZ 75 P-07 DUTY is available in seve-ral calibers, the most recent one is its modified ver-

Interview


Ing. Radek Hauerland

I feel closestto the assault rifle

Talking with Ing. Radek Hauerland,the Technical Director of Česká zbrojovka,

about the new service weapons made by CZ


51

sion in caliber 9mm Browning Short. What was theacceptance of this model in the market and is it realto presume that this model will replace in the cur-rent portfolio of Česká zbrojovka will replace theCZ 83, which is technically slightly out of date, inthe current portfolio of Česká zbrojovka.

The P-07 DUTY turned out to be an excellent pro-duct which makes us happy both from the point ofsales and the point of quantity of sold pistols. The ba-sic model in caliber 9x19 was accompanied by the mo-dels in caliber .40S&W and 9mm Browning Short. Wehave just started to sell the 9mm Browning Short ca-liber so we can only anticipate that, based on the in-terest of customers, the P-07 DUTY in 9mm Browningcaliber will be at least as successful as the 9x19 caliber.

The CZ 83 in caliber 9mm Browning Short still hasits favourers and it sells good. As soon as its annualsales drop below economical limits it will be replacedby the P-07 DUTY. But for the time being, we will ma-nufacture both products.

And what is the status of the full-size DUTY or theP-08 model in standard size? When shall it belaunched into serial production?

The standard size P-08 DUTY has been designed intwo calibers, 9x19 and .40S&W. It successfully passedthrough all the company’s tests and trials including thetests conducted under adverse conditions. Furthermore,the pistol was tested also by the CZ-USA. Serial pro-duction will be commenced within this year – the firstproduction lot could be completed in the last quarter.

By the way, is it true that the full-size DUTY willbe tested by the members of the CZ Shooting teamof Česká zbrojovka?

Yes, it is true: the full-size DUTY shall be tested bytwo members of our shooting team. However, we haveso far not specified assignment to particular competi-tion. The SHADOW is a damned good pistol and it willnot be easy to beat it down – it is rather impossible…

Has the potential of this pistol been fully exploi-ted by the standard size P-07 DUTY or do you seesome other options of further development or ad-justments?

The potential contained in this model is far from be-ing exploited, not in the least. We are planning to de-velop the subcompact version (as a substitute for RAMI),Simunition 9mm FX and CQT, 22LR conversion kit witha blow back breech, a “red” coloured pistol designedfor training purposes, a model with exchangeable backstraps, non-lethal Rubber model and so on.

The success of the P-07 DUTY models inevitablyraises questions about further strategy of the ori-ginal CZ 75 family. Does Česká zbrojovka prepareany specific projects in this regard or are you stillwaiting for the reaction of the market?

Naturally, we do have specific plans. We will furtherstrengthen the DUTY family of handguns and integratethe OMEGA trigger mechanism to more and more mo-dels of the CZ 75 pistols, nevertheless we shall retain theclassical CZ 75 with the original trigger mechanism. The

DUTY in subcompact size shall substitute the RAMI inthe future and the DUTY pistol in caliber 9mm Brow-ning Short shall replace the CZ 83 from our portfolio.

As far as long guns for service sector are concer-ned, Česká zbrojovka managed to establish se-veral completely new products. The successful de-velopment and start of serial production of thenew submachine gun, modular assault rifle andgrenade launcher is a respectable performanceand Česká zbrojovka can be really proud of it.What do you think?

One hundred percent sure! Česká zbrojovka has ta-ken a substantial step into the service sector market.We can now start to participate in tenders in whichwe had nothing to offer earlier because we did notmanufacture the corresponding products. The possi-bility to address more customers has substantially in-creased. I must agree without any hesitation that Českázbrojovka can be justly proud of its achievements andthat the company has done a tremendous work…

Did you personally influence the construction ofthe new CZ service weapons?

Yes I did. After I became the Technical Director ofthe company I created a team of people which has



been meeting regularly every day at 6.45 until today,which has been more than 2 years now, in order tosolve problems around the service weapons. The teamconsists of 11 people which represent the whole com-pany throughout. We had to learn how to work to-gether, understand and help each other.

Within the whole period of our cooperation, we havebeen solving hundreds of problems. Since I have beenleading these sessions for more than 2 years there isa piece of myself in all the products.

With respect to the team, I would like to express myadmiration to all the members and, in the course oftime, I can say that all of them have gone througha long journey and incredibly improved their technicalas well as professional skills.

Is any of the new models really close to you? Ifthere is one, why is it close to you?

I like the assault rifle the most - its development wasthe most difficult. And as it is common for people, weusually like those “kids” which make us most angryat the beginning…

The CZ 805 BREN rifles and carbines have gonethrough all tests, most recently the military tests.Have these tests lead to some interesting changesor modifications to the construction?

The controlling and military tests have verified thatthe task specifications and the construction of the ri-fle are correct. As far as the adjustments required bythe Czech Army are concerned, we will definitely doour best to satisfy them. These adjustments are nottoo fundamental and do not change the technical pa-rameters of our weapon.

The CZ 805 BREN is a multi-caliber weapon – its ba-sic version in caliber 5.56x45mm NATO can be eas-ily adjusted to caliber 7.62x39mm. What is theprobability that this feature will persuade somecustomers from abroad to purchase the 805?

The possibility to easily adopt the weapon to ca-liber 7.62x39mm is an advantage against our compe-tition and we have already received enquiries on thiscaliber from several different regions. Both calibershave their advantages and disadvantages – gunsmiths

as well as soldiers argue which ofthe calibers is better. We are ableto satisfy both these groups – andthis is what really matters.

What is the status of the modifi-cation of the CZ 805 BREN to oth-er calibers? We have heard of the6.8x43mm SPC Rem caliber, whichseemed very promising at onetime but its potential of per-spective ammunition has blownout in the mean time. Reputedly,there was a study on a version incaliber 7.62x51mm NATO…

The 6.8x43 SPC caliber was su-pposed to work as a compromisebetween the 5.56x45 and 7.62x39.

However, its development has been connected withproblems and its anticipated advantages were notproved. This was supposed to be the caliber of the fu-ture assault rifle. The time has shown, however, thatit was a wrong path. Nevertheless, in case there willbe a demand for this caliber in the market, it will notbe difficult to implement this caliber into the CZ 805BREN assault rifle.

In regards of the 7.62x51mm NATO caliber, or an as-sault rifle designed for shooting at longer distancesrespectively, we are seriously considering this issue.

And how about other versions – the A3 version orthe light sniper automatic rifle with a longer ba-rrel, or the light, hand machine gun?

Yes, I can confirm that we count with three diffe-rent sizes in which we will offer the assault rifle in thefuture: the A1 or the standard size, the A2 – the shortcarbine - and the A3 or the light machine gun.

The CZ 805 weapon family includes also the mul-ti-purpose CZ 805 G1 grenade launcher. Origina-lly, you planned to develop this weapon not onlyin caliber 40x46mm NATO but also in caliber40x53mm. Will this intention be implemented?

Indeed, we planned to use other lengths ofgrenades than just the 46mm length. That is why wechose the construction principle which enables side-opening of the grenade launcher barrel. This solutiondoes not limit the length of the inserted grenade andenables to accomplish various adjustments in case itis needed. However, we do not plan to introduce the40x53 caliber in the nearest future.

The grenade launcher is a kind of weapon whichČeská zbrojovka has tackled only in theoreticalstudies. Did the development of the weaponbring any kind of unexpected troubles which sur-prised you or did everything go more or lesssmoothly, without any surprises?

I do not like surprises in the course of weapon de-velopment because they usually do not bring goodnews. Despite the relative simplicity of the grenadelauncher we used modern designing methods in thecourse of its development, such as Rapid Prototyping,



53

cinematic calculations, fatigue calculations, the finalelement method etc. Therefore, we managed the de-velopment quite smoothly.

Let’s have a look at the new CZ SCORPION EVO 3A1 submachine gun. In its case it is interesting, thatafter the development of the CZ SCORPION 9x19compact model had been finished, Česká zbrojovkadecided to bet on the prototype designed by threeSlovak enthusiasts. What captivated you abouttheir design?

What captivated us? First of all, it was the simplicity oftheir construction, easy handling of the rifle and exce-llent ergonomics. The three Slovak “enthusiasts” – as youput it – had been working on the weapon for several yearsand they had modified it several times. This saved us a lotof time, in fact. Nevertheless, the finalization of theweapon in terms of technical issues as well as tolerancecalculations took place in Česká zbrojovka.

By the way, the original prototype was outfittedwith a slightly off-centred barrel which facilita-ted better control of the inherent recoil forces.Didn't you implement this solution at all?

No, we didn’t. It was a very interesting solution butit complicated the weapon’s construction a little bit.The measurements showed that its efficiency was toolow. We considered all pros and contras and in the endwe returned to the basic concept – i. e. the maximumsimplicity of the weapon.

How would you personally evaluate the contri-bution of Česká zbrojovka in the elaboration of theoriginal Slovak prototype?

The Slovak prototype was based on an excellent idea,it could be manufactured impromptu by a gunsmith butit was not made to be manufactured in serial produ-ction, in large quantities. Česká zbrojovka contributedto finalize the excellent idea and launch it into serialproduction. If there was not Česká zbrojovka, theidea would have remained in a drawer, on the otherhand, if there were not the Slovak enthusiasts, Českázbrojovka would not have such a good weapon.

The new Scorpions have alsopassed through the militarytests. Have the tests lead to anymodifications or adjustments?

The adjustments were not sub-stantial and they did not changethe technical specifications ofthe Scorpion.

What is the current status ofthe preparation of other ver-sions of the new Scorpions andthe self-loading version forcivilian market?

The self-loading version haspassed through verificationseries and its serial production isabout to be commenced. Fur-thermore, we are now consi-

dering the implementation of the .40SW version,the fixed stock version, different versions of triggermechanism etc.

Unbelievable as it may sound, bearing in mind theworkload, Česká zbrojovka has been systemati-cally improving several other product lines aswell. With respect to weapons for service sectorwe should mention the sniper products above all.According to available information, Česká zbro-jovka started to use broached barrels in itssniper rifles some time ago. Does this solution af-fect the results in shooting?

As far as sniper rifles are concerned, we have test-ed both broached and hammer forged barrels whichare manufactured in our factory. Both types of ba-rrels achieve equivalent results in terms of dispersionwhen shooting at longer distances. The hammerforged barrels, owing to the compaction of the ma-terial, ensure higher durability.

One more question regarding the sniper rifles: howwas the new duralumin stock of the CZ 755 S3 M1developed? Is it a reaction to a specific demandof some of your customers?

As for the CZ 755 S3 M1 − we can say that it is anexperimental piece, in fact, in which we verified newconstruction solutions for modernized rifles which weare now preparing. The duralumin stock was a partof this project.

A more or less traditional pair of questions to con-clude our interview: What are the priorities ofČeská zbrojovka in the development and pro-duction of service weapons in the nearest future?Do you prepare a sort of surprise for professio-nal users and experts in this field?

As I have already outlined in some of my comments,the main priority in the development and productionof duty weapons consists in further evolution of ourproduct lines. And a surprise for professional shoo-ters and experts in the field? If I revealed it, it wouldbe no surprise… (laughing) �



The story behind the development of Skorpion star-ted when the Czechoslovak Ministry of Interiorshowed interest into a ‘special submachine gun for

duty purposes´ in cal. 7.65 Browning (.32 ACP) that couldbe used both within special security activities and forrearmament of law enforcement and security forces.What weapon could best serve such diverse needs? In1958, surprisingly, the Ministry of Interior came up witha very clear idea drafted as a list of requirements:� 7.65 Browning Calibre;� Weight 1 to 1.2 kg;

� Overall length with folded stock 250 mm;� Overall length with unfolded stock 440 mm;� Height with grip 150 mm;� Effective range 100m;� Two types of magazines – an 8- to 10-round and

a 20- to 25-round magazine;� Fire to be conducted either in bursts or in single

shots, so that the gun could also serve as a pistol.Such clear, pioneering ideas must have been the re-

sult of thorough research and analysis, of which norelevant records are available. The caliber selected

History

One of the most innovative products of the Czech arms production industryis the ‘special submachine gun’ named Skorpion. The gun successfullybridged the gap between duty pistols and submachine guns operating withpistol cartridges. Skorpion in its original, underperforming 7.65 mm Brown-ing has long been insufficient for the purposes of security and armed ser-vices. Nevertheless, it still enjoys its world-wide reputation of a well-respectedlegend. It comes as no surprise that Česká zbrojovka had the Skorpion re-gistered as a trademark in late 1990s and the brand name is now used againin the designation of the third generation of compact automatic handguns.

A legend

SKORPIONnamed



trigued by the plans of the Ministry of Interior to pro-duce such an arm, and immediately decided to ap-prove of the request. Moreover, MND decided that theSkorpions would be used also by the Czechoslovak na-tional army. Initially, the Army ordered just a fewpieces for their intelligence units but at the very be-ginning, they came with substantial observations andrecommendations, which had a significant impact onthe final version of the Skorpion.

The requirement of the Ministry of National Defenceto produce a ‘special submachine gun’ (also known as‘multi-purpose’ among soldiers) was sent to the Brnofirearms research and development center at a timewhen the engineers on the site were swamped withwork. All the senior engineers were busy completingother projects, such as the UK vz. 59 multi-purpose ma-chine gun or the vz. 58 submachine gun. Due to theiroverload, the task to develop a new special submachinegun was assigned to Ing. Miroslav Rybář (1924-1970)who worked at the small-bore arms construction depart-ment. It turned out to be an extremely fortunate decision.

Ing. Rybář was a talented engineer with exceptio-nally deep technical skills and credentials from civil andmilitary area. He had been involved in firearms con-struction since 1948, but had until then served only asa team member, supervised by senior engineers. The Sko-rpion was to be his first individual project, the pinna-

was, in fact, very untypical for an automatic gun;moreover, it was very unsuitable either, since it fea-tured relatively low performance and a cartridge casewith a salient bottom. Today it is generally admittedthat the 7.65 Browning was the Skorpion’s biggestflaw. The Ministry of Interior, however, chose it fora specific reason. The caliber was a typical pistol car-tridge that was routinely used by the Czechoslovaksecurity forces, and it had a wide range of qualitiesideal for ‘special security activities’. That is why theCzechoslovak army did not object to its implemen-tation – we will get back to this point later.

A TASK FOR RYBÁŘ AND HIS TEAMIn the first half of the 1950s, the famous era of the

independent construction design studios operating atCzechoslovak arms factories was concluded, follow-ing the centralization processes in the newly na-tionalized industry. In order to replace them, theCzechoslovak Communist Party decided to builda large, specialized research and development centerthat would satisfy the needs of the country’s armedand security forces. The center, originally named Kons-trukta Brno (after the City of Brno where it was sit-uated), recruited the best Czechoslovak engineers spe-cialized in anti-tank recoilless weapons and in firearmsand ammunition up to 30mm calibers.

Requests on development of firearms was subjectedto new, strict-confidentiality rules. For example, theMinistry of Interior was not allowed to place an or-der directly to the construction center. The request hadto be first submitted to the Ministry of National De-fence (MND), which, in case of the Skorpion, happenedin autumn 1958. Experts from MND were deeply in-

Although the vz. 61 Skorpions used under-performing cartridges, together with thevz. 58Assault Rifles they represented, start-ing in the early 1960s, the backbone of rear-mament of the Czechoslovak paratroopers.The picture, taken in spring 1974 by OldřichEgem, features the 22nd parachute regiment.(photo: Czech Military Archives)

�

The standard vz. 61Skorpion submachine gunin cal. 7.65 from the first phaseof serial production

Cross-section of the Skorpion developmentprototype (S-59). It differs from the S-61 se-rial model by its fixed rear sight and non-removable shoulder stock.



cle of his career that, unfortunately, ended prematurely.Unlike previous generations of firearms engineers

who considered mathematical calculations a dull partof their work delegating them gladly to others, Ry-bář started with a comprehensive theoretical analy-sis. In fact, he wrote his doctoral thesis on the Skor-pion, and presented it successfully at the Military Tech-nical Academy in Brno in 1958.

With such a sound background, the developmentof the new type of special submachine gun, aptlynamed Skorpion, proceeded really fast, lasting onlyfrom February 1959 to summer 1961.

It is worth mentioning that although Rybář was themain architect of the new handgun, he did not work

alone on this project. The team counted as many as13 engineers, among them Otakar Galaš (1904–1968), known for designing hunting and sniper ri-fles (the most famous worldwide being the ZG 47 Ri-fle). Galaš contributed substantially to the deve-lopment of the Skorpion: not only he was in chargeof the elaboration of sound suppressors and thefirearm's accessories but having enlarged the threadof the barrel bore he also satisfactorily solved the ac-curacy issue of the 7.65 Browning caliber when fir-ing at distances between 25 and 150 meters. More-over, he became an excellent advocate of the newhandgun. Galaš found a very original way of demon-strating that the Skorpion could be carried covert-

The vz. 91 S Pistol, or the Skorpi-on submachine gun, without theability to fire in bursts. Basic dis-assembly shows that the gun wasnot issued with a rate reducer.

The developmentmodel of the fu-ture CZ SKORPI-ON 9x19 outfit-ted with a sight-through collimator, soundsuppressor and a front vertical handle anda flashlight. The butt plate was designedin such a way that it could be folded whenthe collimator was mounted.



rious rate-reducing mechanisms had been known evenbefore the Skorpion, but Rybář’s patent belongs tothe most performing ones – both simple from thepoint of design and construction, and extremely re-liable at the same time.

Five different Rybář’s patents applied to the basicdevelopment of the Skorpion. Another four were re-gistered for the following variants in other calibers, oneof which was used additionally in serial production ofthe firearm. Apart from the rate reducer, the patentsconcerned the shoulder stock, the trigger mechanism,the spring-loaded bolt release and the so called de-tent plate of the trigger case that prevented the ham-mer pin from falling out (co-authored by Mr. Čermák).

Furthermore, wire shoulder stock was also designedin an original way. Made from aluminum alloy andfolded along the rear of the trigger case, the stockcould be removed when necessary. The length and so-lidity of the stock, given the compact design, are onthe extreme edge of the practicability of the weaponbut the fixation and release in both utmost positionsmade for a wonderfully simple solution. The stock fold-ed using an amazing, and yet simple mechanism: theshooter would use the palm of his non-shooting handand strike the bottom of the butt-plate. The springof the stock pin would then do the rest – you wouldhardly find a comparable solution.

ly underneath one's clothing: hecame to a meeting bringing the sub-machine gun stuck in the shoulderholster underneath his jacket withoutanyone noticing it. During the meet-ing, when he suddenly opened hisjacket and took out the gun, therewas no doubt that the Skorpion wassuitable for concealed carry.

Jiří Čermák (1926 – 2006), ano-ther engineer-genius, who had be-come known for the development ofthe vz. 58 submachine gun, also helpedRybář in his project. Although Čermákdidn’t work on Skorpion directly, he wasthe co-author of one small but verysmart structural element and he pro-fessed to the key idea of implementingthe rate-reducing mechanism. Thisconcept was taken over by Rybář whoimplemented it into the weapon.

BETWEEN PISTOLAND SUBMACHINE GUN

Rybář and his team created a gunthat combined, in a unique way, thefeatures of both submachine gun andpistol. The Skorpion was similar to sub-machine guns because it featureda dynamic (unlocked) bolt, a magazineplaced in front of the trigger guard,and a folding stock that enabledshooting from the shoulder. At thesame time, it used the same car-tridges as pistols and, to certain extent,it was provided with a similar hammer-striking mechanism and the option to fire with the boltin front position, which rendered the shooting muchmore accurate when shooting single shots.

For shooting in bursts, the rate of fire and the muz-zle lift were managed by a vertical fire-rate reducer,which provided full control of the arm also in the au-tomatic mode. (The arm was slightly heavier than theMinistry of Interior had requested but still, it enabledto be held effectively, with some effort, in one handand move the center of gravity more to the front.) Va-


The Skorpions traditionally attracted a lot of attentionon the part of armies and security forces in ‘friendly com-munist countries’, including the Soviet Union. Theywere often offered as presents to high-ranking civilianand army officials. The picture taken in 1974, featuresStanislav Růžák, managing director of the Arms Facto-ry from Uherský Brod, demonstrating the Skorpion to thedelegation of the Lieutenant General Peter KlimentovičVorošilov (first from the left). On the table, we can alsosee the version in 9 mm Luger.


Most of the parameters requested originally by theMinistry of Interior were, in the end, slightly exceeded.Basic technical data of the standard Skorpion can befound in a table at the end of the article. Just to sum-marize, the maximum requested weight was satisfied(the limit was exceeded only by less than ten grams),as well as the overall length with folded stock (the di-fference being only 20mm) and the height (exceed-ed by mere 17mm). With the stock unfolded, the fi-nal model measured 522mm instead of the required440mm – a measure which was too unrealistic, in fact.Still, many users of the vz. 61 consider the weapon tooshort, supporting the butt-plate against their face inorder to achieve a better sight picture. Thanks to thewell-chosen bore, the effective range of the weaponwas extended up to 150m when shooting from one'sshoulder, of course. The required magazine capacity

for the 7.65 caliber Skorpion was complied with – thestandard version of the Skorpion in 7.65mm Brown-ing includes one ten-round curved magazine and fourpieces of twenty-round magazines.

Although the Skorpion may seem subtle, it was de-veloped and tested according to the strictest militarymethods, corresponding to an extremely resistant andreliable firearm. It can also be easily and quickly dis-assembled, a mark left by the Czechoslovak engineer-ing school. Rybář, however, made a few civilian mistakeswhen designing the weapon because it is necessary tomanipulate the gun carefully – small cocking knobs couldget lost and the hammer stop pin tends to fall out.

DESIGNED NOT ONLYFOR INTELLIGENCE SERVICES

The Skorpion gradually developed into a compactautomatic handgun suitable for the police and thearmy. Nevertheless, it still kept its ‘special’ features, suchas rounded cocking knobs on the sides of the recei-ver. Thanks to this feature the weapon was a very com-pact one and allowed shooting close to the body, fromunder the clothing or even from a luggage, which wasthe explicit requirement from the Ministry of Inte-rior. Intelligence units were also taken into accountwhen the Ministry requested reliable functions withcommercial versions of 7.65 Browning cartridges. It wasoften said that ‘the 7.65 cartridge is routinely producedin both socialist and /so called/ capitalist countries andcan be bought in any shop carrying sports and hunt-ing guns.’ The special edition of the weapon includ-ed the already mentioned shoulder holster (for carryingthe weapon overtly, a belt holster was used) and a new-ly designed sound suppressor.

The Skorpion was unique also because its introduc-tion into the armament of the forces of the Ministry ofInterior as ‘the 7.65 mm vz. 61 Skorpion submachine gun’,was approved in 1961 by the Central Committee of theCzechoslovak Communist Party. Skorpions were primarilyused for ‘special units’ of the State Police but gradua-lly became standard equipment of all law enforcementunits that fell under the authority of the Ministry of In-terior. Skorpions continue to be used by Czech and Slo-vak police forces, though to a lesser extent than before.

The Czechoslovak Army was supplied by the Skor-pions in a relatively large quantity in the end, since

The 61 E submachine gun from the smallproduction series originating in 1992from aside: the user can hold the butt ofthe folded stock with the non-shootinghand to support the gun.

The XCZ 868 prototype



the weapon was assigned to ‘specialists’, i. e. select-ed reconnaissance, guard and special forces. It did not,however, make their use official by issuing a relevantdecree. Nevertheless, the Czech and Slovak armies stilllist the vz. 61 Skorpion in cal. 7.65 as their standardequipment. The Penal Institution Units, restructuredto the Prison Guard in 1993, which under the ad-ministrative authority of the Ministry of Justice havealso been an important customer, though not in termsof quantity, using the Skorpion even today.

SERIAL PRODUCTIONThe serial production of the vz. 61 Skorpion sub-

machine gun in caliber 7.65mm was assigned to thecurrent Česká zbrojovka a.s., Uherský Brod which wasnot excited by this project at all. It was no easy un-dertaking since the new arm was technologically muchmore challenging than the vz. 58 submachine gun ma-nufactured in the factory. Moreover, the Ministry ofInterior originally ordered only 12 000 pieces, whichcould – even in a centrally planned economy of thetime – negatively affect the profitability of the eco-nomic balance of the factory. However, before the fac-

tory management could come with any objections andconcerns, the commission was increased to 70 000pieces and further business negotiations continued.

Serial production of the Skorpion began in early1963. Thanks to the fact that besides the Czechoslo-vak Ministry of National Defense, the weapon wasordered also by the Ministry of Foreign Trade,which would export the gun, the factory producedaround 100 000 pieces of the Skorpions by 1966, fo-llowed by a few years of downtime.

Skorpions returned into the production programof the factory in 1973 after they had gone througha series of less important technological adjust-ments. The Skorpion from the later productionbatches are easily recognizable since their surface isprotected by a gray baking enamel. Overall, almost55 000 pieces were produced during the second phaseof the serial production between 1973 and 1976 andthey were primarily manufactured for the Ministryof Interior and largely also for export.

The third, last phase of their serial production, last-ed from 1978 to 1979 when the factory dispatchedover 45 000 pieces of Skorpions. Almost 30 000

59

Three generationsof the Skorpion:vz. 61 E,CZ SKORPION 9x19,CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1



pieces were delivered to former Yugoslavia, which alsonegotiated a license to manufacture the submachinegun. Most of the remaining pieces of Skorpions weredestined for export, too.

After the fall of communism in 1989, the newly pri-vatized Česká zbrojovka made a lot of effort to in-troduce the 7.65mm Browning Skorpions in thenewly opened markets, presenting the weapon inmany venues. Between 1992 and 1994, the factorymanufactured a small series of Skorpions which rep-resented the swan song of the weapon, however. Thesophisticated technical solution of the Skorpion(known as the vz. 61 E after 1989) was still admiredbut an automatic weapon in 7.65 Browning caliber wasalready a matter of past.

OTHER VERSIONSScorpion’s biggest flaw was its low-power cartridge.

Mr. Rybář knew it very well and started, immediatelyafter the basic vz. 61 version had been accomplished,to design its new, more performing versions. By 1968,he introduced the vz. 64 Skorpion in cal. 9 mm Brown-ing, the vz. 65 in cal. 9 mm Makarov and, finally, themore robust vz. 68 in cal. 9 mm Luger. The first and thethird version were manufactured for a potential export(not on a particular demand – it was how the researchand development center in Brno kept its engineers’know-how up to date). The vz. 65 represented the first

attempt to equip the Czechoslovak national armywith a compact, automatic firearm using new, standardSoviet pistol cartridges. Nevertheless, none of theabove mentioned projects continued after proto-types had been developed.

Mr. Rybář suddenly died in December 1970 in the ageof 46, succumbing to a heart failure. His concept of anoriginal, compact automatic handgun was still embracedby others: In late 70s and early 80s, Rybář’s colleaguesfrom the research and development center in Brno, su-pervised by Mr. Čermák, elaborated his concept intowhat was later known as the vz. 82 submachine gunin caliber 9 mm Makarov – a sort of counterpart to thenew vz. 82 duty pistol – with several more or less sub-stantial technological adjustments and improvementswhich eliminated practically all the flaws of the Rybář’soriginal solution. The most interesting element of thenew Skorpion consisted in its telescoping shoulder stockthat could be unfolded into an open position. However,not even such modernization helped the Skorpion tobe introduced into mass production and its develop-ment ended up in the phase of samples.

After 1989, Česká zbrojovka returned to the con-cept of the Skorpion in other calibers and developedthe vz. 82 in cal. 9 mm Makarov and vz. 83 in caliber9mm Browning Short (.380 Auto) , which were con-ceptually similar to the vz. 65 and vz. 64, but, unfor-tunately, did not turn out to be attractive for the mar-ket. The company also tried its chance by developingthe self-loading Skorpion or the pistol for civilian use,also designated the CZ vz. 91 S. To make the Skorpi-on available to civilians by eliminating its ability to firein bursts represented a groundbreaking idea in for-mer Czechoslovakia which, unfortunately, did not gainenough support. Firstly, relevant authorities refusedto license the weapon, later on, in 1995, the legisla-tion made such attempts impossible for introductionin the civilian market. Nevertheless, Česká zbrojovka,or its American subsidiary, the CZ-USA, respectively,has recently begun to offer the CZ vz. 61 SkorpionPistol, as semi-automatic firearm in caliber 7.65mmBrowning without the folding stock.

SECOND GENERATIONThe Skorpion in caliber 9mm Luger was not forgot-

ten either – quite the opposite. In late 1990s, after se-veral other concepts of compact, automatic handguns hadbeen tested, Česká zbrojovka decided to start up a sub-stantial modernization of the original vz. 68 model.

The final product, CZ SKORPION in caliber 9x19,differed from the vz. 86, designed by Mr.Rybář, only insmall details, the most important being that its pistolgrip and stock were made from polymer instead ofwood. Further improvements of the Skorpion ensued:a small production series, introduced in the market in2003 was even more sophisticated and includeda mounting rail under the front part of the receiver.This was a major improvement since it enabled tomount the front vertical pistol grip, among other things.The absence of grip elements for the non-shooting handwas not perceived a major issue in the Skorpions in low-power calibers; the most important aspect of theweapon was its measures and compact design. Its low



weight and the effective rate reducer facilitated to holdthe weapon by its magazine or somewhere next to it,or by its wire butt which was protruding under the bar-rel when the stock was folded. However, this was notthe case of the 9mm Luger model. When shootingbursts, the Luger caliber is livelier, noisier and heavierthan its predecessors, but still perfectly controllablethanks to overall higher weight and the spring-loadedinsert in the rear part of a somewhat heavy breech blockwhich slows down the bolt's opening and reduces therecoil felt in the front and the rear part of the stock.When grasped tight by the non-shooting hand the con-trol of the weapon is even increased, thus facilitatingsmooth handling in combats.

The development of the CZ SKORPION in caliber 9x19finally resulted in the ‘embellished’ XCZ 868 prototypein 2005 (designed by Vítězslav Guryča and producedin two samples) and represents the biggest achievementin the development of the second generation of Skor-pions. The weapon successfully combined Rybář’s orig-inal concept with the state-of-the-art ergonomic fea-tures, such as the new, telescoping shoulder stock,the polymer pistol grip at the angle of 18° and the re-movable front vertical grip. The most important no-velty included the removable cocking handle that didnot move with the bolt but it remained in the front po-sition during the fire and did not endanger or disad-vantage the shooter in any way. The operating handlecould be mounted on either right or left side of theweapon. Following the current trends, the receiver wasequipped with mounting rails in two levels, accordingto MIL-STD-1913. Standard accessories included a reflexsight, a tactical light, an efficient sound suppressor anda three-point sling. Its unique elements feature a tac-tical adapter with an assault knife (originally designedby J. Kafka for CZ 75 pistols). There were even some dis-cussions to develop the weapon also in .40 S&W caliber.

EVO 3Although Česká zbrojovka dedicated a lot of time

to the modernization of the Skorpion in caliber 9 mmLuger and invested substantial funds in its develop-ment, the company took a completely differentpath after the XCZ 868 prototype had been accom-plished. It was the result of the overall modernizationof the company’s duty program leading to the de-velopment of the new CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1 in cal-iber 9 mm Luger. Based on the Slovak prototype calledLAUGO, the new Scorpion was officially presented inMay 2009 at the IDET exhibition in Brno after a sub-

stantial re-development and improvements had beenconducted. It represents the third generation ofcompact, automatic Scorpions – that is why it is calledEVO 3. You can read the remarkable story of this brandnew weapon on page 24 of this special issue. �

vvzz.. 6611 CCZZ SSKKOORRPPIIOONN 99xx1199Caliber 7.65 Browning 9mm LugerOverall length with folded stock (mm) 270 305Overall length with unfolded stock (mm) 522 595Barrel length (mm) 115 130Weight without magazine (kg) 1,3 2,1Magazine capacity (cartridges) 10; 20 20; 30Rate of fire (shots/min) 750 850

SKORPION SUBMACHINE GUNS

61

The trigger and firing mechanisms and therate-reducer of the CZ SKORPION 9x19

Comparison of the Skorpion muzzles in calibers 9 mm Luger and 7.65 Browning. The CZ SCORPION 9x19 dated from 2001 onthe left; vz. 61 E from 1992 on the right.



The Czech designers caught this wind of change re-markably early, and a few years before the WorldWar II they started tests with a new type of am-

munition for automatic weapon of an individual,shooting in bursts but having a longer range of fire andmore power than a submachine gun using pistol car-tridges. During the German occupation, this develop-ment in Zbrojovka Brno produced an interesting car-

tridge of mean ballistic power, i. e. 8 mm Rapid, for whichthe ZK 412 “machine carbine” and ZK 423 “small ma-chine gun” by the Koucký brothers were designed.

Worthy of notice is also the Czech development af-ter 1945, which already reflected the renowned Ger-man Sturmgewehr. Naturally, the concept of this re-volutionary weapon and its cartridge 7.92x33 cal. in-fluenced significantly all the post-war designing

History

In the time of the World War I, some far-thinking designers and army offi-cers were becoming more and more aware of the fact that the epoch ruledby powerful long range repeating rifles with low capacity feeding device wascoming to its end. These considerations brought, among others, the con-ventional submachine gun, a fully automatic weapon using pistol cartridges.The course of the further development was definitely set up by the WorldWar II. The starting point were the cartridges of so called mean power, whichenabled creation of a brand new type of personal weapon – the assault ri-fle. This category includes, despite its misleading title, also the Czech vz. 58submachine gun, designed in Brno and manufactured in Uherský Brod.

The Good Old

“BROOM”the vz. 58 SUBMACHINE GUN

alias



work; the impact was crucial, however, on the de-velopment in the Soviet Union, and subsequently inits sphere of influence. Although Czechoslovakia sawsome attempts to develop its own assault rifle with-in the ample development of lightweight machineguns in the second half of the 1940’s, the originalCzechoslovak 4.5x45 mm cal. cartridge of mean ba-llistic power of was a major obstacle for full-valuedfollow-through of this branch. This cartridge showedinteresting performance in self-loading rifles or light-weight machine guns, but it was not very suitable forthe assault rifle due to its dimensions and relativelyhigh power. The same held true (perhaps even toa slightly bigger extent) for the following cartridge7.62x45 mm (future vz. 52), which emerged in 1950as a result of the redesign of the 7.5 mm ammunition.The redesign was based on the decision of the newcommand of the Czechoslovak Army to carry out atleast nominal unification with the equipment of theSoviet Union. However, the situation did not dis-courage the Czech designers from commencing thesystematic development of assault rifles (called “sub-machine guns” at that time) from the very early 1950’s.

ALL-ROUND LIGHT SMALL ARMOF THE INFANTRY

It should be remarked that from the very beginningthe Czech language had problems with designationof this new type of weapon. The technical nomen-clature did not offer too many options: a personalweapon was simply either a rifle (or carbine) or a sub-machine gun (the latter being a new term in use af-ter 1945; in the pre-war Czechoslovakia it was calleda machine gun pistol). The primary distinguishing cri-terion was simply the ability or inability to fire in bursts.The term heavy submachine gun was sometimes usedduring the World War II to designate what we nowcall an assault rifle. Obviously, a similar type of di-fferentiation applied here as in the case of light andheavy machine guns – also, the heavy submachine gunswere expected to shoot further and with higher ac-curacy than the conventional submachine guns usingpistol cartridges. During the early part of the 1950’s,the official but in practice very cumbersome desi-gnation “universal lightweight small arm for in-fantry” was introduced. And as we are going to see,this was still not the end of the story.

The development of the new universal vz. 52 in-fantry weapon utilising the 7.62 x45 mm cartridge,which was to replace the existing rifles and subma-chine guns in the equipment, took place from 1950to1955. At first, the famous brothers Josef (1904-1989)and František (1907-1994) Koucký from Konstrukta Pra-ha and a talented freshman Jiří Čermák (1926-2006)from Česká zbrojovka in Strakonice were engaged. Lat-er on, the legendary Václav Holek (1886-1954) joinedthem. Although the prototypes of all the designerswere very interesting, the Czechoslovak military ad-ministration as well as the designers themselves didnot know exactly what to expect from the new typeof weapon and which way to take to achieve it. Andthis predestined the result.

ČERMÁK'S SECOND CHANCEThe involvement of Jiří Čermák became essential for

the further course of events. He entered the compe-tition with the ČZ 515 and ČZ 522 prototypes, wherecertain signs of the future vz. 58 submachine gun canbe discerned. However, the Čermák's heavy ČZ 522 sub-machine gun was subject to repeated criticism (whichwas not quite fair, in fact) during testing and even-tually it was totally eliminated, although some of itselements were to be utilised in the subsequent de-velopment of the competing prototypes.

The prototype of the "submachine-rifle using thevz. 43 cartridge" which, in May 1958, passed armytesting together with the fixed stock version. Thenames automatic rifle, machine rifle, short rifle andrapid-fire rifle were suggested at that time todesignate the new type of weapon. (The photoarchive of the Central Military Archive)

The Prototype of "the universal lightweightsmall arm for infantry" ČZ 522, designed byJiří Čermák, during military testing in 1954:still a long way to go to the future vz.58 sub-machine gun (the photo archive of the Cen-tral Military Archive)



Čermák found himself in a bizarre situation. Asa result of centralisation of the Czechoslovakweapons development, in the autumn of 1954, hemoved from Česká zbrojovka in Strakonice to thenewly established Konstrukta Brno, where he beganworking with the veteran Václav Holek on comple-tion of the development of his ZB 530 heavy sub-machine gun. And to make matters worse, VáclavHolek died shortly afterwards and the finalisation ofhis design was left solely in the hands of Čermák.

Although this did not induce great enthusiasm inthe young designer, he fulfilled his task in a disci-plined manner. However, by the time the final test-ing of the redesigned weapon (whose introductionwas no longer considered) took place with a moreor less satisfactory result during the summer of 1955,a new cartridge and a new concept appeared on thescene. Čermák was very happy about the situationas it enabled him to return to his earlier concepts andto finally bring them to perfection.

A SUBMACHINE-RIFLEIndeed, big things happened in 1955. The Warsaw

Pact was established in the middle of May and af-ter that the Czechoslovak communist leaders im-mediately decided to introduce a complete set of So-viet infantry weapons into the weaponry of theCzechoslovak National Army (CSLA). In addition tothe semi-automatic Simonov carbine and the RPD ma-chine gun also discussed was the Kalashnikov auto-matic rifle, naturally known as the "submachine gun"in Czechoslovakia. In Czechoslovakia of that time,there was hardly anyone thoroughly familiar withthis weapon, which later became a legend; how-ever army heads did not particularly care – all thatmattered was that it was a Soviet product.

It almost appeared that the deal had been madewhen a sudden turn-around occurred. We still do notknow much about the circumstances but the eco-nomic reasons probably gave rise to the change asthe previous era of intense militarisation of domesticindustry had severely exhausted Czechoslovakia. Inany event, Alexej Čepička, the Minister of NationalDefence, suggested that transition to the Sovietrange of small arms should be postponed until theturn of the 1950's and 1960’s.

As a result, the order for the Soviet documenta-tion for the manufacture of the AK (this is the co-rrect abbreviation; the widespread designation“AK-47” is a fabrication of Western journalists) wascountermanded, among others, and an opportuni-ty emerged to develop a new type of the “subma-chine gun” using the relatively new, high-quality So-viet cartridge 7.62x39 mm (cartridge vz. 43), whichwas still rather unknown in Czechoslovakia (this de-finitely changed in 1956).

Owing to this sequence of events, the developmentof a brand new Czechoslovak assault rifle, tem-porarily called a submachine-rifle in the existingnomenclature, was given the green light at the endof 1955. Impressed by the Soviet experience, theCzechoslovak National Army had more than modestexpectations from the weapon: the weight of 2.7 kgwithout the magazine, both a fixed stock anda folding stock version, overall length of 850 mm,magazine capacity of 30 rounds, service life of themajor components of 15,000 rounds. Fortunately, thecompetent army officials showed good judgment and

The 7.62 mm submachinegun vz. 58 P with a stock madeof shredded wood material

Soon after its introduction into service in1959,the vz.58 submachine gun became a fa-vourite motif of the "action" photographsof members of the Czechoslovak NationalArmy – the photo by Oldřich Egem fromspring 1974 is particularly impressive (thephoto archive of the Central MilitaryArchive)



they approved employment of alloy steels for the fu-ture vz. 58 submachine gun, compared to their re-cent requirements.

A NEW BROOMThis development task having a witty name Koště

(Broom) was assigned to Jiří Čermák, who invited someother top designers from Konstrukta Brno to joinhis team specifically Ing. Bohuslav Novotný, KarelVystrčil and Jindřich Jakubec. Jiří Čermák was thusgiven a unique opportunity to fully make up for his dis-appointment about the heavy submachine guns com-petition and he made the best of it. It was evident asearly as from the first drafts that these efforts gave birthto a genuinely modern universal personal weapon fea-turing a highly advanced concept and design.

This was well demonstrated as early as in 1956 bythe application of the first of the three patents for thevz. 58 submachine gun, which protected the originalsolution of the action mechanism with a bolt carrierwhich carries tilting breech locking piece wheresymmetrical locking lugs descend into and engagelocking shoulders in the receiver´s internal guide rails.The advantages of Čermák´s solution included posi-tioning of the locking close to the cartridge chamber(so that the locking is rigid, with minimal springing),the overall simplicity of the action mechanism (it onlyconsisted of the breech block carrier, breech block andlocking piece), the symmetrical locking surfaces of thebreech lock (which had a very favourable effect on theweapon accuracy, which literally shocked the Sovietsduring the first tests of the future vz. 58 in the USSRin the autumn of 1956), the general design of the lock-ing piece, in which, amongst other things, no inter-ference could take place, and the bulk of which wasrelatively small compared to the locking elements ofother systems, and finally its simple manufacture with-out any demanding machining operations.

USEFUL CO-OPERATIONNumerous consultations held with Soviet experts

were also important for the development of theweapon. We like boasting today that the Czechs hadenough courage to put their foot down and, unlikeall the other Warsaw Pact countries, they did not in-troduce Soviet weapons. In fact, the Soviets never re-ally pushed us into this, more often it was rather theopposite – which evokes a suspicion that it was of in-terest and useful for them to monitor the results ofthe work of the Czechoslovak engineers.

Anyway, the fact is that all the weapons developedin Czechoslovakia were sent for evaluation to the So-

viet Union and that the opinion of Soviet experts wasalways respected. This was also the case of the futurevz. 58 submachine gun, the first sample of which ar-rived in the Soviet Union as early as in autumn 1956and was amicably received there. No wonder. At thattime, the Soviets were working on a lightweight mo-del of the AK (the future AKM) and knowledge froma similar development in Czechoslovakia was certainlyvery interesting for them...

RESTORED REPUTATIONAs early as in 1957, it was apparent that the task

“Koště” (“Broom”) was quickly moving to its su-ccessful ending. The time had come to start prepa-rations for production. It was clear from the very be-ginning of its development that the submachine-rifle would be manufactured by the armaments fa-ctory in Uherský Brod. Another question, however,was how the factory would cope with this task. Interms of technology, the vz. 58 submachine gun wasa great challenge. To start its planned mass-pro-duction, it was necessary, for example, to expedi-tiously implement the lost wax investment castingmethod, which was not used in our armaments pro-duction at that time, or the hard chrome plating oflong bores. In the longer term, replacement of thewooden parts of the infantry model stock with analternative material was also addressed.

The armaments factory in Uherský Brod approachedthe challenge with a remarkable commitment, whichis not too surprising − the successful and quick ma-


The prototype of the ”export”AP Z 67 automatic rifle ofthe 7.62x51 mm NATO calibre


stering of the production of this top modern automaticweapon, regarded as genial by the factory itself, wasthe best way to restore its reputation and self-confi-dence, which undeservedly suffered a short time be-fore, during the lengthy manufacture of the vz. 52 self--loading rifle (see p. 80), which was imperfect bothin terms of design and technology.

In the summer of 1958, the production of five fac-tory prototypes started, with the aim to verify the ac-curacy and alignment of the dimensions as well as thesuitability of the materials determined for the pro-duction. This step was followed in autumn by the ma-nufacture of a 200 pcs test series, while the ongoingdesign improvement of a number of details conti-nued. This brought an extreme stress to the factory,since full-scale mass production was due to commencein early 1959 and the military administration insistedon this deadline uncompromisingly. Zbrojovka finallyreceived a permission to launch serial production on29th January 1959, prior to the completion of the pro-duction and tests of the test series. A bit risky step butworthwhile on this occasion. As of summer 1959,acceptance of the first production parts could takeplace and by the end of the first year the productionsuccessfully managed to meet the challenging stateplan and, to the total satisfaction of its customers, thefactory continued the trend in the subsequent yearsas well. The armaments factory in Uherský Brod couldbe satisfied, for it won the highest respect of its cu-stomers thanks to this weapon and the embarrassing

episode with the vz. 52 riflefinally fell into oblivion.

For the sake of comple-teness, let us remind thatalthough Čermák’s subma-chine gun bears the year58 in its model designation,it was not actually intro-duced into the equipmentof the Czechoslovak Na-tional Army until 10 Febru-ary 1959. In fact, its first runin the public took place atthe traditional army paradeon 1 May 1960.

TWO STAGESOF PRODUCTION

The vz. 58 submachineguns were manufactured intwo stages. In the first phase,lasting from 1959 to 1964, al-most 400,000 pieces wereproduced, of which the in-fantry version with a fixedstock (vz. 58 P) took upa slightly higher proportion,while the rest was the air-borne version with a foldingstock (vz. 58 V) − plus a smallnumber of weapons havinga fixed stock, modified to thevz. 58 Pi for firing with an in-

frared sight. The submachine guns manufactured inthe first production stage were designed primarilyfor the domestic armed forces. From the end of thisphase, a shredded wood material developed in co-operation with the State Timber Research Institutein Bratislava and produced in Bučina Zvolen plant wasused for the stocks instead of the original beechwood, and therefore the Model 58 became a fullyCzechoslovak weapon. In addition, the vz. 58 sub-machine gun underwent partial modifications andminor changes that improved its function and sim-plified its production.

The second production phase of the vz. 58 sub-machine gun falls between the years 1968-1984, dur-ing which over a half a million units of both types weremade (again plus a small number of the Pi versionunits). This time, more weapons travelled abroad, in-cluding some really hot spots. The customers are noteasy to identify, with the exception of Yugoslavia, sincethe partners of the factory were the export organi-sations, and not the destination countries.

Furthermore, the versions of the vz. 58 subma-chine gun in the calibres of 7.62x51 mm NATO and.223 Remington (5.56 mm NATO) were created forexport purposes; however these did not get into se-rial production. The possibility of selling the licencefor the basic design of the vz. 58 submachine gunabroad was considered several times but it never ma-terialised, for various reasons, and Česká Zbrojovka,hidden under the well-known military code she, re-

Both the experts and users agree that the submachine gunsvz. 58 are high-quality weapons, which have not really becomeobsolete since the 1960's. Therefore, the Czech soldiers werenot too sad when the domestic Army was not able to introducethe new LADA weapons system in the early 1990's due toa shortage of funds. The submachine gun vz. 58 therefore ful-fils with honour the role of the main personal weapon of theCR's armed forces and its complete replacement is not expectedeven after the introduction of the new automatic rifles and theCZ 805 BREN carbines, cal. 5.56x45 mm. (a photo of the Min-istry of Defence of the Czech Republic)



mained the only manufacturer of the vz. 58 sub-machine gun throughout the time.

Although the total production volume of theseweapons is lower than the number of Kalashni-kovs and of some other renowned foreign assaultrifles, approximately 920,000 vz. 58 submachine guns(plus a huge quantity of spare parts) is undoubted-ly a very impressive figure and a great success for thedesigner and the producer.

A RESPECTED VETERANAlthough hardly anyone would have believed it in

the time of the birth of the vz. 58 submachine gun,this assault rifle is still in active service in both the Czechand Slovak armies but also in many other countries.Just to the contrary, it can be said that the rifle hasbeen enjoying increased respect in the recent years.In the time of the Warsaw Pact, the vz. 58 submachinegun was often considered only as a Czech variationon the Kalashnikov (which is correct insofar as it isa weapon based on a similar concept and specifica-tion, however the two assault rifles are substantia-lly different in terms of their design and manufacture),beside which the vz. 58 submachine gun might appearto be less robust and less resistant to pollution.

Only step by step did the world begin to discover toits surprise that the vz. 58 submachine gun was an orig-inal, high-quality and high-end weapon featuringunique user parameters. No other assault rifle was ableto offer a similarly advantageous combination of smallsize, low weight, high accuracy, large firing capacity andconsiderable performance. We, the Czechs, have natu-rally known it for a long time and now this global reco-gnition offers us a considerable satisfaction. We read-ily admit that the vz. 58 submachine gun is not entire-ly flawless, however its minor flaws are abundantly out-numbered by a wide range of its significant advantages.And when the vz. 58 submachine gun is equipped withvarious advanced accessories, such as the reflex sight,auxiliary handle, camouflage or grenade launcher,a weapon comes into being that does not lag behindthe youngest members of the family of assault rifles.

STILL IN THE GAMEIt is worth noting that although the production of

the vz. 58 submachine gun ended a long time ago, thisweapon has remained in the portfolio of Česká zbro-jovka in Uherský Brod until today. This is due to the pro-fessionalisation of the Czech armed forces, from

which the company bought back large, now unneed-ed military stocks. From these sources came, for ex-ample, the supplies for the government forces inAfghanistan, where the vz. 58 submachine gun gainedhigh popularity, after an initial reserved attitude(they were simply used to Kalashnikovs).

For the purposes of foreign tenders, Česká zbrojov-ka has prepared an interesting programme for up-grading the vz. 58 submachine gun according to the cus-tomer needs and requirements – as a part of overall ren-ovation, the weapon can be equipped with a polymerstock and of course with standardised mounting rails,expansion joints or shortened magazines.

For the sake of completeness, let us briefly remindthe second life of the vz. 58 submachine gun in its civi-lian form comprising exclusively semi-automatic versionsdesigned for sport and possibly for hunting. For this mar-ket segment, Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod offersa weapon bearing the name CZ 858, which alreadyexists in several versions and is offered with anincreasingly wider range of accessories. �

A large number of the vz. 58 submachineguns has recently been officially exportedto Afghanistan, where they soon gainedgreat popularity amongst the members ofthe local military and security forces

Upgraded vz. 58 submachine gun from the portfolioof Česká zbrojovkain Uherský Brod



The two submachine guns, which were the sub-ject of decisions made in the summer of 1948,were the prototypes ZK 476 of the Koucký

brothers from Zbrojovka Brno and the ČZ 447 fromthe team of designers of Česká zbrojovka in Strako-nice. Both used 9 mm Parabellum (9x19 mm) calibre,which was chosen by the Czechoslovak army as themost advantageous in terms of parameters despitethe original plans to introduce the Soviet cartridge7.62 mm Tokarev, and both used the concept of blow

back breech with hollow bolt, which telescopes therear of the barrel, allowing for extension of the bar-rel, while keeping the smaller overall length of thegun. Moreover, such an arrangement allowed forplacing the magazine into the pistol handgrip, andtherefore the submachine gun centre of gravi-ty was located in an advantageous positionabove the shooter's hand and did notchange irrespective of the quantity of car-tridges in the magazine.

68

History

When, during the early part of 1946, the Czechoslovak military administra-tion invited the leading domestic armaments factories to develop new sub-machine guns in order to arm the renewed army (as unbelievable as it maysound, it would have not occurred to anyone then to approach foreigncompanies with such a requirement), they certainly had no idea that theystarted one of the most interesting weapons tenders of all times. It produ-ced several extraordinary designs and in the end the Czechoslovak soldierscould choose from two progressive models, which brought Czechoslovakiato the very top of world development.

The PioneerThe story of the 23/25 and 24/26 submachine guns

“PUMPS”



69

HOLEČEK & CO.This progressive solution, which was introduced into

the weapon design for the first time during the WorldWar II, was first implemented in Czechoslovakia bya young and talented, albeit somewhat controversialdesigner Jaroslav Holeček (1923 – 1977).

Since 1946, Jaroslav Holeček worked in Česká zbro-jovka in Strakonice. Well, he did not make many friendsthere, but he had a significant influence on post-wardevelopment of Czechoslovak submachine guns – and,submachine guns as such, actually. Time has shownwhat a piece of luck it was that the Czechoslovak mi-litary administration had arranged a job for Holečekin Strakonice, and not in any of the several engineeringoffices of Zbrojovka Brno. The relatively large Českázbrojovka team excelled in its capacity for very effectiveteamwork irrespective of personal relations. Thishelped Holeček’s “H/parachute” prototype (a specialshort submachine gun for airborne troops) to quick-ly mature into a sophisticated weapon of top features,following a thrilling fight with its quality competitor.

The contribution of other Strakonice designers wasessential. In this connection, in particular FrantišekMyška, Jiří Čermák, J. Keliš, Václav Zíbar, Jan Kra-tochvíl or František Brejcha are usually mentioned;it should be added in the same breath, though, thata lot more workers of Česká zbrojovka Strakonice andUherský Brod factories participated in the developmentto a greater or lesser extent and that the resulting sub-machine gun can be rightly considered a collective work.

One of the significant changes compared to the firstof Holeček's designs was switching from the square sec-tion of the receiver (and thus of the bolt itself) toa round section. This was an idea of J. Čermák, an au-

thor-to-be of an excellent assault rifle “vz. 58 subma-chine gun”. Such a modification of shape brought aboutseveral design advantages for the given concept of theweapon but, in addition, it largely simplified its ma-nufacture. As Čermák himself commented on this factin his memoirs later on: “Any considerations about sup-plies of a special square section of the required accu-racy directly from rolling mills were illusory at that time”.

And it was this thought that eventually proved tobe one of the crucial factors in the final decision-mak-ing of the military administration.

VERDICT OF THE MILITARYTECHNICAL INSTITUTE

In its final report, providing the basis for ultimate de-cision-making of the armaments committee, the Mi-litary Technical Institute, which was in charge of the de-velopment of the submachine guns, commented on thetwo finalists of the submachine gun competition, i. e. the

The final development version of the 9 mmParabellum“pump”,designated as the sub-machine gun“she”by the factory,accordingto the new cover code allocated to the ar-maments factory in Uherský Brod in August1948. The weapon still has a wooden fore-stock,one-piece grip panels of the pistol hand-grip and rectangular section magazine (thephoto archive of the Central MilitaryArchive)

The 25 submachine gun with a 40-roundmagazine (a specimen from the co-

llections of the East BohemianMuseum in Pardubice).



prototypes ZK 476 (referred to as ZB in the report) andČZ 447 (referred to as ČZ in the report), as follows:

The design of both submachine guns rests upona similar basic principle, i.e. the bolt around the bar-rel, and both did very well in endurance tests.

However, significant differences can be found in thedesign of auxiliary details. From the technical point of view,the individual design elements can be assessed as follows:

The advantages of the submachine gun ZB include:� Rugged safety securing both the trigger and bolt

mechanism;� Rugged trigger mechanism;� Automatic safety in the grip panel locking the

weapon in case of accidental trigger catch;� Less articulate and less vulnerable rear sight;� Windage and elevation adjustment provided by drift-

ing the front-sight;

� The advantages of the submachine gun ČZ include:� Lower weight;� Simpler design;� Easier handling;� Very simple filler;� Closed ejection port protecting the mechanism

against contamination.In summary, it can be roughly stated that the ZB sub-

machine gun is more robust and durable to a certainextent, however at the expense of higher weight andcomplexity; to the contrary, the ČZ submachine gunis simpler and lighter.

As submachine gun is a weapon intended for ty-pical mass production, production simplicity, and thusprice will be one of the crucial aspects. Because noneof the both tested submachine gun types showed a sig-nificant technical superiority over the other design, theMilitary Technical Institute suggests that the more cost-effective submachine gun should be introduced.

Let us note in this connection that although two al-most equal weapons were subject to evaluation, in theend, the Strakonice submachine gun was continuouslyahead of the Brno design throughout the assessment.When, in the spring of 1948, the Military Technical In-stitute made versatility – the easy exchange of thefixed stock for the folding stock – a mandatory re-quirement, the designers of Česká zbrojovka managedto respond faster. František Brejcha, the director of theUherský Brod factory, perfected their solution by de-signing a method of uniform attachment of fixed stockand folding stock. And it was J. Čermák who managed,in the short term, to resolve an additional requirementof the Ministry of National Defence concerning ex-change of the barrel for shooting blank cartridges: thebarrel was attached in the receiver using a nut withfront bosses, which was released by the bolt face. High-

ly appreciated was also the above-mentioned integrated filler of ma-gazine from cartridge belts situat-ed on the right side of the fore-stock, a design of Václav Zíbar, oc-curring for the first time as early asin the ČZ 247 model (described inmore detail at page 76).

Other quality and progressivedesign elements of the Strakonicemodel include: original, dish-shaped,obliquely mounted square rearsight, adjustable from 100 to 400metres, whose notches were late-rally displaced so that they alwayseliminate, at the respective dis-tance, the bullet derivation, i. e. itsside deviation in the rotation di-rection (again, a design of V. Zíbar);a sophisticated anti-recoil safetyby F. Myška of a similar design tothat previously employed in the ČZ247 submachine gun, perfected byJ. Kratochvíl in such manner that thegroove for the cocking handle didnot have to pass through up to thereceiver end; a simple trigger me-

70

The 23 submachine gun in service during training of theCzechoslovak army in 1951 (the photo archive of the Cen-tral Military Archive)



71

chanism allowing for a selection of either singleround firing or burst firing by naturally raising fingerpressure onto the trigger (again, it was a variation ofthe solution well-proved in the ČZ 247 submachinegun); a successful folding stock with one arm designedby J. Holeček, which folded in the horizontal plane andwhich was fixed in the folded position by a revolvingbuttplate, which in such a case could serve as a han-dle, or it could be folded into horizontal position tofacilitate transport.

NAMING ISSUESOn 10 August 1948, the armaments committee de-

cided upon introducing the ČZ 447 submachine gun intothe equipment of the Czechoslovak army. After approvalby the General Staff, the new weapon received a de-signation “9mm submachine gun vz. 48a (infantry)” and“9mm submachine gun vz. 48 b (airborne)”. A formaldifferentiation, in a way, as the only difference betweenthe infantry and airborne version was that the formerhad a fixed beech stock, while the latter used a fold-ing stock. Both parts were easily interchangeable (to re-lease one screw was all that was needed).

In any case, Czechoslovakia became the firstcountry to introduce into its equipment a subma-chine gun having a bolt around its barrel. And thefact that the somewhat younger Israeli model UZIgained more fame does not change anything aboutit (there are speculations about the extent of in-spiration by the Czech version).

It should be noted that the vz. 48 submachine gundid not gain its final appearance until early 1949, theweapon modifications having taken place accordingto the requirements raised by the armaments com-mittee in August 1948. Switching to the trapezoidalshaped magazine was one of the most strikingchanges. This innovative, originally Swedish design ele-ment, improving guidance of cartridges into thechamber, was first applied in Czechoslovakia in theZK 476 submachine gun in connection with an enquiryof the Swedish army. It was additionally requested onthe competing model ČZ 447 in autumn 1948 by Ma-jor František Hrubeš, a worker of the Military Techni-cal Institute. Switching to the trapezoidal shaped mag-azine was the last major intervention in the design ofthe new submachine gun. Although certain changesto the weapon and its accessories were made in thecourse of the series production, these only representedminor adjustments of technological nature.

Still more dramatic was the change in the name,which occurred in the spring of 1950. Within theframework of transition – which eventually provedto be only temporary – to a new system of cover de-signation of military material, the weapon was re-named “23 submachine gun” (fixed stock version) and“25 submachine gun” (folding stock version). Thenumber in the name was not meant as a traditio-nal pattern referring to the year; therefore writinge. g. vz. 25 submachine gun is not correct. On the oth-er hand, however, the army and the manufacturingplant themselves had difficulties with this at that time.

In any case, the new submachine gun soon becamepopular among the Czechoslovak soldiers and subse-quently among those interested in domestic weaponsunder the fitting name “pump”, which was alsoused in the title of our article.

SERIES PRODUCTIONAs early as during the development of the new sub-

machine gun it was obvious that the branch plant ofČeská zbrojovka in Uherský Brod would be designa-ted for the weapon production, thanks to its strate-

The barrel of the “pumps” was machined usinga metal-cutting operation, the bore was pull-but-toned and quenched – its service life in the 9 mmParabellum version was officially declared to be50,000 shots. The receiver was made of a steel tube.A threaded barrel bushing was pressed in and weld-ed in the front part. Four rows of claws (four teetheach) of the closing nut were milled out in the re-ceiver rear part. The total of 16 claws is absolutelysufficient to sustain the receiver striking the rear deadcentre. Other parts were welded to the receiverusing resistance welding. The handgrip, serving alsoas the magazine well, was pressed from steelplates – only from three parts in total. To a largerextent, the parts were riveted (rear sight, safety, etc.)and pinned (trigger mechanism, cocking lever,magazine catch). The surface of the parts is main-ly perkerized (greyed), some small parts are blue fi-nished. The final surface finish is grey. The stock andrear grip panels of the pistol handgrip were pressedfrom plastic (subcontractor Sigma Lutín).

PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY


The 23 submachine gun witha 24-round magazine (a specimen

from the collections of the MilitaryHistorical Institute in Prague)


gic location far from the western border of Czecho-slovakia and its good machinery and experience − re-cently with production of the ČZ 247 export subma-chine gun. The parent company in Strakonice con-tented itself with the role of a subcontractor of somesmall parts, whose manufacture could be, if needed,readily moved to some other metal processing plant.

Approval to commence the series production of thevz. 48 submachine guns was granted to the armamentsfactory in Uherský Brod in February 1949. The first 200pieces were manufactured in June of the same year.Subsequently, the production, in which almost 800workers (including a significant number of women)took part, rapidly built up high speed. By the end of1949, the plant produced the total of 26,770 infantryand 10,000 airborne submachine guns. In 1950, whenthe production of 9mm “pumps” culminated and whena decision was taken to reconstruct them to 7.62 mmTokarev cartridge, 60,458 infantry and 70,820 airbornesubmachine guns were manufactured. The year 1951only saw a run-down of production, which definite-ly ended in mid March (when only some manual fin-ishing and assembly operations were completed) af-ter manufacturing the total of 6,346 23 submachineguns and 25,611 25 submachine guns. The plantsmoothly switched to production of new models the24/26. Thus the total production volume reached200,005 pieces, out of which a slightly higher pro-portion were of the folding stock version.

To this figure, you need to add many hundreds ofthousands of magazines (of which 40-round units forthe infantry version made a vast majority; significantlyless shortened magazines for 24 cartridges weremade), almost 80,000 dummy barrels, a large numberof cleaning rods and, naturally, spare parts.

The 23/25 submachine guns were primarily designedfor the Czechoslovak army; however, the National Se-curity Corps started to buy them as well from the verystart of production. Although the 9 mm “pumps” inthe hands of soldiers were soon replaced by a newmodel using 7.62 mm calibre, the forces of the Mi-nistry of Interior used them until the rearmament withthe vz. 61 Škorpion submachine gun in 7.65 mm. Thediscarded 23/25 submachine guns subsequently becamea successful export article of the communist Czecho-slovakia to support befriended third world countries.And again, rework of the “pumps” for this purposewas carried out by the armaments factory in UherskýBrod from the second half of 1950's.

REDESIGNING FOR TOKAREVIn 1950, the Czechoslovak communist government

ultimately resolved the issue of the so called unifica-tion with the equipment of the Soviet army – an ob-ligation assumed by the Czechoslovak political re-presentation in exile during the war and long neglectedby the post-war army command. Regarding the sub-machine guns, an order was now issued to immediately

convert to the Soviet pistolcartridge 7.62x25 mm, nick-named Tokarev today, afterthe name of a designer of theSoviet army pistol from 1930, or1933respectively. It was the ironyof fate that the Czechoslovaksdecided to take this servilestep at the time when the So-viet army itself was abandon-ing this ammunition, whoseparameters were not too ad-vantageous, in favour of a mo-re promising calibre 9 mmMakarov – indeed, the Sovietconsultants in Czechoslovakiasomehow forgot to mention it.

Redesign of the “pumps” toaccommodate the Soviet car-tridge was carried out basedon the ordinance of theGeneral Chief of Staff from30 June 1950, requiring thatthe hitherto design of thesubmachine gun should beretained to facilitate as muchas possible the start of seriesproduction. The assignmentalso called for the possibility toeasily reconstruct the weaponfor firing the original 9 mmcartridges. The task was set tothe Military Technical Insti-tute, which entrusted the fac-


The changing of the guard in 1953.The vz. 25 submachine guns in9mmcal.,featuringafoldingstockweregradually intheCzechArmyreplaced with vz. 26 submachine guns in 7.62 cal., the armamentsfactoryinUherskýBrodmadefrom1951to1953intotal224,945piecesof these weapons (the photo archive of Central MilitaryArchive).


73

tory in Uherský Brod (now an independent produc-tion plant) with its implementation.

It soon became obvious that conversion to the newammunition would not be an easy task, consideringthe significantly higher pressures developed by the car-tridge, its length and the disadvantage of a bottleshaped cartridge case. One of the main issues was thereduced service life and endurance of the receiver. Asalloyed material did not come into question, tube withthicker walls had to be used. As a result of this andsome other modifications, the total weight increasedby non-negligible 330 g. However, this measure con-siderably extended the service life of the new weapon'sreceiver compared to the same part in the 9 mm ver-sion. What was worse was that the barrel service lifewas 20,000 rounds short of the 9 mm version. But theCzechoslovak military administration accepted this, forthe only remedy would be employment of highly al-loyed material. Similarly, the soldiers tolerated the com-paratively shorter service life of the recoil spring.

Indeed, the Czechoslovak army was willing to winkat the surprisingly low penetration of the Soviet car-tridge, for the sake of the brotherhood with the So-viet Union. The 7.62 mm bullet with a lead core ma-naged to penetrate the Czechoslovak vz. 32 helmet,which was made of relatively brittle metal-sheet,only up to the distance of about 120 metres, whilethe bullet of the vz. 48 cartridge (a domestic alter-native of the German cartridge 9 mm Parabellumwith a steel core bullet) could penetrate the helmetas far as at the boundary of 400 metres. Slightly be-tter results were achieved after the introduction of7.62 mm bullet with a steel core.

After of the main weaknesses had been identified,the redesign went swiftly. As early as on 13 October1950, the 7.62 mm submachine gun was presentedto a committee in Uherský Brod. The committee su-ggested only several supplementary changes and re-commended that approval to commence prepara-tions for series production should be granted. Loadtests in units as well as prototype testing in the USSRtook place in September and October 1950. Minordefects and deficiencies were eliminated by the endof the year. On 10 January 1951, the upgraded sub-machine gun with the reinforced receiver went

through fire trials, drop tests and fire trials underworsened weather conditions. The weapon satisfiedthe tests; all that was required was to adjust the rearsight to eliminate the bullet derivation, similarly asin the 23/25 submachine gun. The adjustment wascarried out by the Military Technical Institute and itwas tested in March 1951. The new model was alsoapproved by the Soviet consultants operating in theMilitary Technical Institute and in the General Staff,who only had one comment concerning the receiv-er cover in the meeting on 7 February 1951; the partwas immediately modified.

When evaluating the result of this purely politica-lly motivated redesign, we must agree with Jiří Čer-mák, who said that “it brought degradation of mostparameters and properties of the original weapon.”It is true, on the other hand, that ZPS Uherský Brod dida very good and, moreover, a remarkably quick jobwithin the framework of the very limiting assignment.Thanks to their efforts, the 7.62x25 mm calibre“pump” is still a good quality, accurate and user friend-


24 submachine gun

A large number of 9 mm “pumps” was ex-ported to befriended Cuba (the photo archiveof the Central Military Archive)


ly weapon of which the armament factory in UherskýBrod certainly did not have to be ashamed andwhich has been highly appreciated by experts to date.

WHAT WAS CHANGEDThe same material was used for the 7.62 calibre bar-

rel as for the 9 mm calibre barrel but it had to be re-fined to achieve higher strength. The bore and cham-ber were designed according to Soviet submachineguns of World War II. Instead of 6 grooves and 6 landstypical for the right-hand twist bore of the 9 mm“pump” barrel, the 7.62 mm version had a right-handtwist bore with 4 grooves and 4 lands.

The receiver had to be produced of unalloyed ma-terial featuring higher ductility. The tube walls werereinforced by 0.5 mm to get 2.5 mm. The rear end ofthe receiver was reinforced in the location intendedfor the cover claws and the bayonet joint claws weremodified. The total length of the receiver was increasedby 10 mm. Instead of a one-piece receiver bushing inthe 9 mm calibre submachine gun, the 7.62 mm ver-sion had a separate rear sight bed, while the mount-ing of the fixed or folding stock holder was welded tothe bottom section. The rear sling swivel moved to theleft side of the mounting; in the 25 submachine gun,

the rear sling swivel was weldedin the front part on the right sideof the arm of the folding stock.

The receiver cover was rein-forced in 7.62 mm submachinegun, it had no recess around theport for the spring-loaded push-button of the return mecha-nism connecting plate and thepushbutton itself was lower– the aim of the latter twochanges was to prevent spon-taneous release of the cover.

The well-proven trapezoidalsection of the magazine wasretained but its size was in-creased to accommodate thelonger 7.62 mm cartridge. Thefollower spring had rectangularcoiling (9mm version magazineshad round coiling). Only onemagazine type was intendedfor the 7.62 mm submachinegun – the one with the capaci-ty of 32 cartridges.

The magazine well and the handgrip were adapt-ed to the new shape of the magazine. The magazineswung markedly forward in respect of the barrel axis,with regard to the 7.62 mm cartridge shape and theirreliable guidance into the chamber.

Apart from the overall weight increase, particu-larly the extractor was modified in the bolt: whileit was swinging via its own flexibility in the 9 mmsubmachine gun, the extractor of the 7.62 mm ver-sion was swinging around the journal and spring-loaded by a separate spring.

In the return mechanism, the extractor was short-ened by 3 mm and the recoil spring was reinforced toreduce impacts on the receiver cover.

The sights were modified as well: the rear sightnotches were rectangularly shaped (unlike V-shape inthe 9mm version) and the front sight was now prism(originally trapezoidal).

24/26 SUBMACHINE GUNSeries production of the new submachine guns start-

ed in ZPS Uherský Brod in February 1951, when the lastdetails were fine-tuned on the weapons and when itstill was not clear what name they would actually begiven. The factory did not break its head over it: for

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2233 2255 2244 2266

Calibre (mm) 9x19 9x19 7.62x25 7.62x25Overall length (mm) 680 444* 690 454*Barrel length (mm) 285 285 285 285Sight radius (mm) 270 270 276 276Weight (kg) 3.13** 2.96† 3.26** 3.11†Magazine capacity (cartridges) 40 40/24 32 32

* With folded stock; ** With fixed stock; † With folding stock

SUBMACHINE GUNS 23/25 AND 24/26


The method of loading the magazine of the 7.62x25 mm calibre 24 submachine gun by means of an integrated filler


75

them, it was an object 003 A (the fixed stock version)or B (the folding stock version).

Originally, the soldiers intended to name the new“pump” within the framework of introducing thewhole family of new 7.62 mm weapons. However, itbecame apparent in the early 1951 that the deve-lopment of a rifle and machine gun would bea longer distance running. Therefore, the technicalteam of the Deputy Minister of National Defence forMaterial Affairs decided not to wait any longer andprepared a proposal for introducing the new sub-machine guns into the equipment. In the secrecy ma-nia dominating at that time, someone figured out thename “7.62 mm submachine gun A” for the infantryversion and the same with the letter B for the fold-ing stock version. However, the artillery comman-der, who was in charge of the infantry equipmentmanagement, apparently regarded this as a uselessextension of the types of cover names and suggest-ed use of cover numbers 24 and 26.

Therefore, on 11 June 1951, GA Jaroslav Procház-ka, the General Chief of Staff, introduced 7.62 mmsubmachine gun into the army equipment, using thename “Submachine Gun 24” with a fixed woodenstock for submachine gunners of the foot and sub-machine gunning troops of the infantry and armourand “Submachine Gun 26” with steel folding stockfor operators of heavy weapons and other combatmeans and for parachute troops.

345,000The start of series production of the 24/26 submachine

guns in ZPS Uherský Brod was smooth thanks to the fact,among other things, that the manufacturing equipmentas well as jigs and fixtures of the production line for23/25 submachine guns were employed to the maxi-mum extent. Naturally, this brought about significantcost savings. By the end of 1951, the total of 49,500

“pumps” in the infantry version and 100,500 subma-chine guns with a folding stock were manufactured.

Production of the 24/26 submachine guns culmi-nated in 1952, when 70,555 infantry models and113,350 models with folding stock were produced.Out of these weapons, 10,200 24 submachine gunsand 20,000 26 submachine guns were exported to Romania together with other Czechoslovak equip-ment in the early 1953.

Originally, ending of production of 7.62 mm“pumps” was planned for 1952. However, as the fac-tory was starting a new main production program –vz. 52 self-loading rifles – the schedule of supplies ofthe version with folding stock was deliberately not ful-filled. Thus the last 11,095 26 submachine guns weremanufactured and handed over to the military ad-ministration in January and February 1953.

The overall production volume of 24/26 submachineguns reached respectable 345,000 pieces, with a si-gnificant prevalence of the folding stock version. A vastmajority of these weapons ended up in the equipmentof the Czechoslovak army and only 19,000 pieces weredelivered to the forces of the Ministry of Interior.

Parallely with the submachine guns, ZPS UherskýBrod produced an immense number of magazines(5 plus a reserve for each weapon), hundreds ofthousands of cleaning rods and a lot over 100,000dummy barrels with their own cleaning rods from1952 to 1955.

The golden era of the 7.62 mm “pumps” ended inCzechoslovakia by introducing the vz. 58 submachinegun, nevertheless, the Czechoslovak National Army ne-ver quite abandoned these weapons, unlike the 9 mmmodels. The ultimate discarding of the 24/26 subma-chine guns from the inventory of the Czech armed forcesobviously did not take place until after 1989. At the pres-ent time, these weapons are popular collector’s pieceseither in their live or more often degraded form. �

In the 1950's, the “pumps” became one of the symbols of up-to-dateness of the Czechoslo-vak army – the photo by Josef Huka shows 24 submachine guns in the troop review on Letnáin Prague on 9 May 1956 (the photo archive of the Central Military Archive)



Soon after announcing a competition for a newsubmachine gun for the renewed Czechoslovakarmy in 1946, the Military Technical Institute, be-

ing the authority in charge of weapon development,raised a series of requirements, which significantly in-fluenced the design of the first prototypes as well asthe direction of the whole tender.

First of all, the Military Technical Institute reco-mmended, for the sake of simplicity, that the devel-opment should be primarily carried out for the calibre9 mm Parabellum (9x19 mm). If needed, additional re-design for a Soviet cartridge 7.62x25 mm was to takeplace for the respective model, within the framework

of unification with the Soviet equipment. Further, theMilitary Technical Institute specified the following re-quirements for both participants, i. e. national enter-prises Zbrojovka Brno and Česká zbrojovka Strakonice:� Requirement to reduce the shooter's target ran-

ge when firing in a forest, behind a terrain ob-stacle, etc.;

� Weapon safety requirement, i. e. to prevent a car-tridge loading and firing in case of an accidentalweapon impact e. g. in a jump of any kind (fromthe vehicle, etc.), when leaping over a terrain ob-stacle, in case of dropping the weapon or using theweapon to hit with its stock;

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History

A mere episode as well as the first step into a new era – this briefly characterisesthe importance of producing the ČZ 247 submachine gun for Česká zbrojovkaUherský Brod. The traditional concept combines in an interesting way severaloriginal design features to produce a weapon whose destiny was fatallyaffected by the unexpected turn of the post-war Czechoslovak diplomacy.

GUN

ČZ 247

Submachine

The


THE AUTOMATIC WEAPON whose receiverWITH THE magazine well CAN BE ROTATED


77

� If possible, the submachine gun shape should beadapted to movement in the terrain, it should al-low for smooth movement, i. e. smooth and, if pos-sible, noiseless crawling with the submachine gun,without the weapon getting stuck in vegetation;

� Simplicity of the machine gun in terms of quantity ofcomponents, so that the least possible number of work-ing hours is required for its mass production in war. Itmust be also possible to produce the weapon using themosaic method in every better fitter's workshop;

� Unalloyed, i. e. carbonaceous material should be usedfor manufacture if possible, so that it can be producedfrom raw materials available in our territory;

� Easy weapon handling, prompt fire readiness bothfor individual rounds and for bursts even at suddenlyemerged targets;

� A low weight of the submachine gun, if possible,not exceeding 3 kg.

� In the first phase of the competition, Česká zbro-jovka presented two models of infantry submachineguns with a fixed wooden stock. The first one, de-signated as 47/I (later renamed to ČZ 147), was ac-tually a carbine pistol pattern 38 from the periodbefore World War II, redesigned for the cartridge9 mm Parabellum and partially upgraded by ap-plication of an anti-recoil safety. The Czechoslovakmilitary administration was much more impressedby the other prototype 47/II, whose main novel fea-ture was best described by the attribute “rotation”.

HOLEČEK'S PATENTThemodel47/II, designatedalsoasvz.47,wasalsobased

on the carbine pistol vz. 38. Although Rudolf Lacina wasits chiefdesigner, theconceptofJaroslavHoleček, ayoungdesigner from Strakonice, brought the crucial change.

In response to the first and third requirement of theMilitary Technical Institute, Jaroslav Holeček was inspiredby the English submachine gun Sten Mk. II from the timeof World War II. To protect the inside of the weapon’sreceiver, e. g. during transportation, the receiver alongwith the magazine well could be rotated by 90° down-ward (with no magazine inserted and with no capacityto fire). Holeček brought in a variation of this solution:the whole weapon receiver along with the magazine wellrotated by 90°. At the front section, the weapon receiverwas attached with a fixed bushing situated on the stock,and at the back it was fixed with the rear end of the guiderod, projecting from the guide rod support plate and pass-ing through the opening in the vertical bed, which wasa part of the trigger mechanism frame. The weapon re-ceiver was fixed in the end positions only using a catchsituated at the bushing bottom. However, the weaponcould fire in any not arrested interposition.

The benefits of such arrangement were chara-cterised by the respective Czechoslovak patent No.80 699, applied for on 5 September 1947:

In the known firearms, particularly in submachine guns,the magazine is inserted into the weapon either frombelow or from aside, which has its pros and cons. Themagazine inserted from below can provide an advan-tageous weapon support to the shooter on evenground and facilitates comfortable carry unlike the ma-gazine inserted into the weapon from aside.

A disadvantage of this design is, however, that the ma-gazine inserted from below hinders the shooter from us-ing cover from fire, as he needs to rise in order to sight,thus providing a larger target to his enemy. The maga-zine inserted from aside does not show this handicap. Insome cases, however, the weight thereof, swung muchsideways, has a highly adverse effect on fire. In addition,carrying such a weapon is uncomfortable.

The submitted invention of the firearm with an ad-justable magazine position eliminates all the dis-advantages described in both previous designs...

In tests later on, the Czechoslovak soldiers discoveredone more interesting advantage of the magazine ro-tation: “If any unforeseen defects in feeding occur, re-sulting either from the spring fatigue or from dirty ma-gazine, the follower spring can be relieved by placingthe magazine into the horizontal position so that theweight of cartridges does not rest on the follower spring”.

The Holeček's concept was simple both in terms of de-sign and production and it was handy and ready-to-usefor the shooter. One of the few cons was the small lengthof the sight radius (only 215 mm) and the small eye re-lief. This was an inevitable consequence of locating thesights on the stationary parts – the rear sight was placedat the top of the recoil spring housing and the front sightwas placed at the top of the receiver bushing.

However, the pros of the “rotation” clearly prevailedand several other substantial improvements increasedthe weapon quality:� An anti-recoil safety by František Myška (the

Czechoslovak patent 80 873) using a spring-loadedcocking handle and protrusion of the cartridge headfrom the cartridge chamber, which efficiently pre-vented from automatic cocking, i. e. accidental firein case of the weapon impact or shock.

� An integrated loader by Václav Zíbar (the Czechoslo-vak patent 81 279), situated on the left fore-stock inthe first prototypes, and then on the buttstock rightside, enabling – after appropriate training – fast andcomfortable loading of double-column housingmagazines by means of cartridge belts;

� A simple trigger mechanism allowing for single-round firing or burst firing by applying a smaller orbigger finger pressure on the trigger.Subsequently, all these features were successfully em-

ployed also in other prototypes of Česká zbrojovka, andeventually they went into series production for thevz. 48, or 23/25 and 24/26 submachine guns (see p. 68).

Concerning other modifications of the original designof the carbine pistol vz. 38, let us mention the use of therecoil spring support plate with the arm protruding fromthe groove for the cocking handle. As a result, no tool was

Calibre 9 mm Parabellum (9x19 mm)Overall length 785 mmBarrel length 200 mmSight radius 216 mmWeight with empty magazine 2.90 kgMagazine capacity 40 cartridges

SUBMACHINE GUN ČZ 247



necessary to start the disassembly; all that was needed wasto push the protruding arm forward against the recoilspring pressure and, after releasing the receiver rear end,tilt the receiver upward around the hinge in the front partof the fore-stock. In its rear end, the receiver was closedwith a receiver cover on the “bayonet joint”, i. e. again ina method that later on proved well for the serial “pumps”.

END OF ONE ERAThe rotable submachine gun of Česká zbrojovka, re-

named to ČZ 247 in the early part of 1948 due to thenew prototype designation system, actually satisfiedall the requirements of the Military Technical Institute.In addition to the above-mentioned design fea-tures, it also excelled by simple production with a mi-nimum use of metal cutting.

Actually, Jaroslav Holeček made just one “mistake”− he also prepared for the tender a revolutionary pro-totype having a bolt telescoping the barrel anda magazine in the pistol handgrip in the weapon cen-tre of gravity, which was the design principle of thefuture “pumps”. When compared to this concept,ČZ 247 inevitably appeared to be a model of the end-ing era, despite all its indisputable qualities.

Nevertheless, the weapon was subject to thoroughtesting by the Czechoslovak army from 1947 to 1948.Among others, the submachine gun proved to functionwell even when the temperature was lowered to -45 °Cand it successfully fired 80,000 rounds in the en-durance test. Moreover, several markedly different vari-ants evolved during the development: two proto-types of the calibre 9 mm Parabellum with a magazinewell enabling use of an 80-round drum magazine, tenpieces adapted for original cylindrical 9 mm cartridgefrom Zbrojovka Brno, and finally two pieces of the7.62x25 mm calibre model designated as ČZ 347, but alsovz. 48 or ČZ 48 according to the year of origin.

The submachine gun ČZ 247 was generally positivelyevaluated by the Czechoslovak soldiers. Some even pre-ferred the Strakonice model to its direct competitor, theprototype ZB 47 from Brno, having a horizontally, orobliquely placed magazine, but also to a new generationof submachine guns with their bolt around the barrel.

However, the military experts did not get confused bythis and, as early as from the autumn 1947, they regard-ed the rotating submachine gun from Strakonice only asa quality comparative model, whose introduction into theequipmentoftheCzechoslovakarmywasnotseriouslycon-sidered.Atthesametime,however, theMinistryofNationalDefenceshowedunderstandingforthesituationofthepar-ticipatingarmamentsfactoriesandon11October1947con-sented to offering the new submachine gun prototypesabroad. Both the companies instantly took advantage ofthe offer and joined in a severe battle in the North Africa.

PRODUCTION FOR EGYPTIn 1947, Egypt, which was preparing for a war

against the originating Jewish state, started to showa strong interest in Czechoslovak weapons and am-munition. Although Czechoslovakia might have beenthreatened by a serious collision of interests as it offi-cially supported the establishment of Israel, surprisinglyno one really bothered their head about it at first.

The Egyptians got first acquainted with the new pro-totypes of the Czechoslovak submachine guns in No-vember 1947, when their three-membered military mis-sion visited the Czechoslovak Republic. At the end ofthe year, presentation teams from Strakonice andBrno went to Cairo (and to Ethiopia, at a blow). As faras the submachine guns are concerned (other types ofweapons were presented as well), the rotable modelfrom Strakonice was better received in both countries.

A four-membered Egyptian military mission toCzechoslovakia followed. It was the irony of fate thatthe Egyptians, who were strongly anti-communist,stayed in the Czechoslovak Republic from 9 Februaryto 12 March 1948, that is just in the time of thecommunist coup d’état. In addition to getting tho-roughly acquainted with the Czechoslovak military in-dustry, they focused on the submachine gun fromStrakonice and requested several changes to theweapon. They visited the factory in Uherský Brod on26 February, a day after the “victorious February”. Onthis occasion, they took interest in introduction of “lineproduction” of the ČZ 247 submachine guns in Egypt,however without receiving a positive reply.

For some time, Czechoslovakia successfully played a dou-ble game: secret supplies of weapons to Palestine com-menced in March 1948 (no charity but a highly profitablebusiness – a fact that is often forgotten). At the same time,however, details of the contract with Egypt were beingfinalised. In April 1948, Egypt showed interest in 10,600ČZ 247 submachine guns, having 4 magazines eachand accessories comprising of 1 recoil spring, 1 firing pinand 1 cleaning rod. Therefore, Česká zbrojovka in Uher-ský Brod started to prepare series production of theweapon, named 015 in the plant nomenclature system.

On 14 May 1948, Ahmed Hakki, the Egyptian plenipo-tentiary in Prague, informed Česká zbrojovka that hehad received a telegraphic acknowledgment of signingan official order for 7.250 pieces of the ČZ 247 subma-chine guns. This happened on the date of announcingthe independent state of Israel, which was immediatelyattacked by the neighbouring Arab states includingEgypt. The contract was signed for Česká zbrojovka byRudolf Czakrt, the local commercial representative inEgypt. As the situation in the Middle East was acute, theEgyptians demanded an immediate air supply of 600 sub-machine guns and “some ammunition”. However, only100 submachine guns were ready in Česká zbrojovka andanother 100 pieces were to be accomplished by the fo-llowing week. Mr Brejcha, the plant manager, assumedthat with a bit of luck the requested 600 weapons couldbe ready for dispatch by the end of May. After exa-mining transportation possibilities, Cairo was notifiedon the same day via the Prague's legation that an air-craft carrying a secret delivery of the first 200 subma-chine guns and a million of cartridges would depart fromPrague to Egypt on 22 May. To maximise inconspi-cuousness, it was to be a civil aircraft with seats removed.

On 21 May, 200 submachine guns were despatchedfrom Uherský Brod to Prague; but less cartridgesthan the Egyptians had hoped were obtained: only150,000 pcs from Povážské strojírny. More ammuni-tion was promised to be available soon. In the mean-time, however, the situation got complicated.



79

JUST BOLIVIA ...While Czechoslovak businessmen and arms factories

tried hard to make a profit on the Middle East war whichhad just begun, the Czechoslovak post-February diplo-macy decided, at last, to end its parallel support of bothArabs and Jews and to satisfy the wish of the Soviet Unionto continue weapons supplies to Israel only. This resultedin sudden withdrawal of the granted weapons exportlicences to Egypt, detention of the aircraft with the sub-machine guns aboard and returning the weapons toUherský Brod. To make matters worse, the respectivecontract signed with the Egyptian government “got mys-teriously lost” and it never arrived in Prague – this wasalso the case of Mr. Czakrt, the commercial representativein Egypt, who did not intend to collaborate with the newCzechoslovak power holders.

A freezing cold shower, indeed, in the first place for thefactory in Uherský Brod: instead of the announced “per-fect deal”, they produced the ČZ 247 submachine gunsfor stock. It was 625pieces in1948,productionbeingquick-ly accelerated for the greater part in the spring in responseto the urgent Egyptian demand. 10,188 submachine gunsfollowed in the year 1949 in an effort to load the plantin Uherský Brod and in the hope that the turnover of theCzechoslovak foreign policy course was only temporaryand that there would be some other prospects.

Česká zbrojovka as well as its parent companyČeskoslovenské závody kovodělné a strojírenské(Czechoslovak Metal Working and Engineering Plants)made repeated efforts to finalise the deal until mid1950, when it was definitely declined by the Ministryof National Defence. Good relations with Egypt werenot restored until 1955. By then, however, the ČZ 247submachine guns lost their attractiveness and moremodern weapons were ordered.

As far as the interest of other countries is concerned, itwas not small. But closing deals became a more compli-cated issue – apart from solvency of prospects, their poli-

tical establishment and rela-tionshipwith theSovietUnion

started to play a signifi-cant role. Eventually,

theonlydeliverycar-ried out directly

was a sale

of 250 subma-chine guns forUSD 24,673.50 to the BolivianMinistry of Interior, Justice and Immi-gration at the end of 1949. It is of interestthat these weapons – having the national em-blem of Bolivia and the inscription Carabineros de Bo-livia on their receiver – were numbered from 0001 to 0300but someof thenumbersweremissing in thedelivery.This

was because the original order had been placed for 300pieces. Theshipment,despatchedtoSouthAmericaviaZbro-jovka Brno, also included 250 cleaning rods, 1,000 maga-zinesand3sparepartkits (eachfor100submachineguns).

...AND NIGERIAThe demand for the ČZ rotable submachine guns per-

sisted for a while but the fact that they were ready forimmediate despatch started to be more important thantheir qualities. The competent Czechoslovak authoritiesdid not readily enter into making new deals in the ear-ly part of 1950's and they took their time evaluating eachcase. In October 1950, there was on information that10,387 “submachine guns vz. 015, calibre 9 mm” remainon stock (which would mean that 176 pieces had beenused for presentations, design modifications and otherpurposes). Some unspecified Arab countries continuedto show interest in these weapons; other potential buy-ers included the states of South America – namely Peru,to which the Czechoslovak Republic had an ambiguousrelationship at that time, and Bolivia, which had becomea “persona non grata” for Czechoslovak authorities. Theinspection of exportable military material in May 1951stated there were only 1,300 CZ 247 submachine gunson stock. Bolivia (300 pcs), Paraguay (200-300 pcs), Peru(500 pcs), Indonesia (9,000 pcs) and Ethiopia (1,000 pcs)took interest in these weapons. According to the dataavailable, no sale to any of these countries materialised.

As a result, the ČZ 247 submachine gun under the fac-tory designation 015 remained in the offer of theCzechoslovak foreign trade enterprise Omnipol at leastuntil the 1960’s. The contemporary photos show that atleast a part of them along with some other olderCzechoslovak weapons eventually ended in Nigeria, wherea civil war raged in the years 1967-1970; however, moreaccurate details are missing. It is similar with mappingthe role which the ČZ 247 submachine guns allegedlyplayed, for a short term, in the equipment of the domesticPeople's Militia. All that is certain is that Česká zbrojov-ka Uherský Brod had nothing to do with these activities.

From the company's point of view, the productionof the rotable ČZ 247 submachine guns was a short-time,one-off matter, which did not meet business expecta-tions but, beyond any doubt, there were some ad-vantages as well. Thanks to this programme, the fac-

tory in Uherský Brod gained extremely valu-able experience with production of mo-

dern automatic weapons, which sig-nificantly facilitated the start of pro-

duction of the new submachineguns of the revolutionary

design – the legendary“pumps” in the sum-

mer of 1949. �



However, not to do injustice to the Strakonice designs– in particular to Jan Kratochvíl, who worked onthis task closely with his younger brother Jaroslav

– it should be noted that the Czechoslovak post-war self-loading rifles had initially been developed from 1947 un-til the spring 1950 in the original Czechoslovak calibre7.5x45mm. AndthefinalČZ493Strakoniceprototypede-signed to fire this cartridge did not do too bad, althoughit only excelled against the competing models, i. e. ZJ 481andZK472fromZbrojovkaBrno,by its functional reliability.

Matters got complicated in the spring 1950, when,all of a sudden, the Minister of National Defence Lud-vík Svoboda was withdrawn and his successor AlexejČepička commenced severe sovietisation of theCzechoslovak army. In case of infantry weapons, an or-der was issued to carry out an immediate unification withthe equipment of the Soviet army. This obligation wasofficially assumed by Czechoslovakia in the GovernmentProgramme of Košice of April 1945 but Czechoslovakexperts resigned it after the war. They had a good rea-

History

80

Present collectors and sporting shooters appreciate the vz. 52 and vz. 52/57 self-loading rifles as successful and good-quality weapons – and they usually do notrealise what tribute they actually pay to workers of the armaments factory inUherský Brod. It was particularly their extraordinary efforts over several yearsthat helped to transform the original problematic prototype from Strakoniceinto a rifle, which veterans recall with kind nostalgia and which successfully ful-fils parade and ceremonial tasks in its last incarnation until today.

The Storyof Self-Loading

RIFLES

vz.52and vz.52/57



81

son for it: at that time, no one had an idea in theCzechoslovak Republic what weapons were actually usedor planned to be introduced by the Soviets. Indeed, theexcellent 7.62x39 mm cartridge, SKS carbine and es-pecially Kalashnikov assault rifle were subject to strictsecrecy until mid 1950’s.

The new Czechoslovak army command did nottrouble their heads about such details and in May 1950they stopped, without any prick of conscience, the de-velopment and production preparation of all non-uni-fied weapons, irrespective of the fact that the decisionwasted a huge amount of work of Czechoslovak de-signers and brought extensive financial losses and dropin employment rate to the domestic ammunitionplants. In August 1950, the Ministry of National Defencetried to order in the USSR production licenses for a re-peating rifle, self-loading rifle and 7.62 mm calibrehand-held machine gun of the “most recent type”.However, they met with a refusal. The Soviets did notbother with giving any reasons, but it is clear today that,apart from secrecy, the reasons included extremeproblems encountered by the Soviet military industrywhen starting the production of the new generationinfantry weapons at the turn of 1940’s and 1950’s.

RUSHED REDESIGNINGThen the rebuffed Ministry of National Defence had

to humbly approach the domestic armaments factorieswith a new task: to promptly redesign the existingweapons to fire the new unified cartridges. The 7.62 mmTokarev cartridge was determined as the best choice forthe 23/25 submachine guns and for the army pistol; andthe Czechoslovak Z-50 cartridge in calibre 7.62x45 mmwas designed for the self-loading rifle and for the lightmachine gun. Particularly the latter was an example ofa senseless political correctness – the new cartridge wascreated by modification of the original 7.5 mm am-munition so that its bullet diameter conformed at leastnominally to the parameters of Soviet projectiles. It wasbizarre that not even the omnipresent Soviet consult-ants objected to such absurd measure...

The far-sighted development of the Z-50 cartridgecommenced before sending the unsuccessful petitionto the Soviet Union. Modifications of self-loading ri-fles were initiated after the last tests of the 7.5 mmprototypes, carried out in the early part of Septem-ber 1950. To speed up things, the Military TechnicalInstitute selected only one model for redesigning –ČZ 493 from Strakonice. It was characterized by thebolt locked by the camming down breechblock withtwo locking lugs on its face, which engaged in the in-

sert housed in the receiver, and by the automatic me-chanism driven by the pressure of combustion gasesfrom the bore on the ring piston annulus; an impulsewas transmitted to the spring-loaded bolt operatingmechanism by means of the stamped plate piston rod.

The victory of the ČZ 493 prototype was far from be-ing unambiguous but it was not a bad choice either: theweapon distinguished by an interesting and to a greatextent original design and it showed satisfactory pa-rameters and performance in calibre 7.5 mm.

But the rushed redesigning did a lot of harm to theStrakonice rifle. Indeed, the new ammunition was con-siderably more effective, the army and Soviet con-sultants raised a number of additional requirements(the Soviet consultants also demanded a controver-sial employment of the folding bayonet permanent-ly attached to the weapon) and, on the top of that,preparations for series production were, in anticipa-tion of a new world war, commenced long before com-pletion of the development.

In this phase, the consequences of the haste and newmodifications showed themselves “merely” by worsenedparameters of the new ČZ 502 prototype, which the de-signers tried to improve since autumn 1951 by a para-llel development of a lightweight model. At the turn of1951/1952, they managed, after exerting big efforts, toreduce the weapon weight to 3.95 kg excluding the ma-gazine. On 20 March 1952, this version of the rifle wasintroduced into the equipment of the Czechoslovak armyunder the designation “vz. 52”. This, however, was stillfar from being a happy ending of the story.

FROM SLOVAKIA TO UHERSKÝ BRODAccording to the original plans, the vz. 52 self-loading

rifle was to be manufactured by the national enterprisePovažské strojárne in Považská Bystrica, which was an am-munition plant in the first place, whose main advantagewas its strategic position far from the western border ofCzechoslovakia. However, as early as during the first halfof 1952, it became apparent that the Slovak ammunitionplant was not able to supply the scheduled quantity ofrifles, which was indulgently explained by a lack of qua-lified workforce, tools and gauges.

The Ministry of General Engineering as the superi-or authority resolved the situation quite simply: in July1952, they engaged the well-proven Závody přesnéhostrojírenství – ZPS (Precision Engineering Plants) in Uher-ský Brod in the weapon production irrespective of thefact that preparations of the previously assigned pro-duction of DŠKM aeroguns had to be immediately in-terrupted in the plant. Then the situation calmed down

vz. 52 vz. 52/57Calibre 7.62x45 mm 7.62x39 mmOverall length with the bayonet folded (mm) 1.005 1.005Overall length with the bayonet extended (mm) 1.205 1.205Barrel length (mm) 525 525Weight with the empty magazine (kg) 4.15 4.2Magazine capacity (cartridges) 10 10

RIFLES vz. 52 AND vz. 52/57



for some time. At first, the factory in Uherský Brod fo-cused on provision of the manufacturing material andforged parts, which was a tough nut in the situationof the Czechoslovak industry at that time. A storm brokein 1953, when the plant in Uherský Brod found out, totheir horror, that the existing form of the vz. 52 riflewas not ready for serial production and that the pro-duction documentation from Považské strojárne servedmore or less for information only.

A big shock, indeed, for the plant in Uherský Brod,which had not previously encountered any major prob-lems in its supplies for the army. A shock still biggerthat the factory employed a lot over 2,000 people atthat time and there was no other programme to in-stantly replace the self-loading rifles. So, its workerscould not but clench their teeth and, instead of seri-al production, start eliminating the design and tech-nological faults to ensure functional reliability and re-quired service life of the weapon.

HUNDREDS OF CHANGESIn the end, these works lasted until 1955. Apart from

the workers of ZPS Uherský Brod and the military ad-ministration, Jan Kratochvíl also made some additionalchanges to the weapon design; indeed, due to someproduction issues, he even had to face attention of se-curity authorities. The efforts brought hundreds ofchanges in production drawings, a total change in theshape of a minor component and employment ofa number of new operations in the production process.In a certain time, the situation got dramatised by oc-casional occurrence of vz. 52 cartridges (manufacturedby Považské strojárne) generating higher pressures,which reliably destroyed the weapon when fired. Asa result, isothermal quenching of the cartridge cham-ber had to be introduced into the production process.To make matters worse, fulfilling the productionschedule started to be endangered by a total lack ofgood quality walnut wood for stocks. In the end, birchhad to be used, which was imported from the USSR from1955. However, this required another productionchange due to excessive swelling of this material.

The gradual improvement of the weapon is clear-ly illustrated by production volumes of the armamentsfactory in Uherský Brod: only 360 rifles were suppliedto the military administration in 1953. In 1954, it was11,314 rifles, also coming from “selective assembly”,and not from serial production. As late as in 1955, thenumber of delivered weapons rose to 48,435. In 1956,the military administration received 58,318 pcs,precisely according to the schedule. In order to keepthe employment of the factory, it was originally as-sumed that this production programme would be ex-tended until 1958, when a licence production of theSoviet SKS carbines was to take over. This intentionceased to be current in the spring of 1957, whenthe decision was made to introduce the vz. 52/57rifle. Therefore, the production of the vz. 52 self-load-ing rifle in ZPS Uherský Brod ended in September 1957.Only some token volumes were accomplished in thefollowing three months, thus reaching the annualquantity of 35,058 pieces. From 1953 to 1957, the plantin Uherský Brod manufactured the total of 153,485

vz. 52 self-loading rifles, whose final serial version hasenjoyed the respect of experts until today.

THIRD CALIBREAfter the Warsaw Treaty was established in 1955,

Czechoslovakia decided to introduce the Soviet SKS-45semi-automatic carbine using the cartridge 7.62x39 mmvz. 43 into its equipment. After ending the productionof the vz. 52 rifles, its license production was to take placein the armaments factory in Uherský Brod, which start-ed extensive preparations for the task in 1956.

However, in mid January 1957 the CzechoslovakCommunist Party leaders decided to leave out the Sovietweapon from the equipment of the Czechoslovak Na-tional Army for cost saving reasons and to replace it bythe vz. 52 rifle redesigned to fire the vz. 43 cartridge, serv-ing for partial and temporary rearmament until finish-ing the development of the future vz. 58 submachine gun.The task to adapt, at a minimum cost and with minimumchanges, the vz. 52 self-loading rifle to fire the cartridge7.62x39 mm was assigned in mid January 1957 to the na-tional enterprise Konstrukta Brno, where Ing. Bo-huslav Novotný was put in charge of the job. Duringthe course of the redesigning, two major faults typicalof the vz. 52 rifle were suppressed – a lower functionalreliability under adverse conditions and abnormal devi-ation when firing the first cartridge from the magazine.The function was improved by increasing the gas tubediameter. What was interesting was the cause of the oth-er fault. The fault consisted in higher hit of the first roundfrom the weapon, which deflected as much as by 20 cmfrom the medium point of impact. Konstrukta Brno foundout that this was because the first cartridge was loadedinto the chamber by action of the recoil spring only, whileenergy of the previous shot played a certain role whenloading the next cartridges. Ing. Novotný achieved dis-persion of fire conforming to the permitted grouping bymodifying the extractor and magazine and by reducingthe tolerances which determined the clearance be-tween the breechblock face and chamber face.

The weapon modifications were tested in April 1957and the production documentation was approved inMay. Production of 10,000 rifles, which were addi-tionally designated vz. 52/57, was approved on 7 May1957 by resolution of the political bureau of the Cen-tral Committee of the Communist Party.

The production started in October 1957 without anysignificant difficulties and 10,000 pieces were manu-factured by the end of the year, precisely accordingto the schedule. Further course of production wassmooth as well. 55,000 pieces were supplied in 1958and the remaining 35,000 rifles were supplied in 1959.The production of the vz. 52/57 rifles was ultimatelyended in August 1959.

Nevertheless, these good quality and user friend-ly weapons started to return to Uherský Brod from1970's as the plant started their adjustments for theparade purposes, based on the order of the Ministryof National Defence. This is how the variant of the vz.52/57 rifle that is unable to fire and that has been usedby the Castle Guard of the Prague Castle until today,came into existence. For more details about theweapon, read the article on p. 38. �



Aparticular designer Otakar Galaš (1904 – 1968),born in Syrovice in Moravia, was in charge of thedevelopment of a rifle for snipers in the post-war

Czechoslovakia. Although originally educated in elec-trical engineering, he started to work in Zbrojovka Brnoin 1933 as a mechanic in the prototype production and

simultaneously was in charge of shooting presentationsof weapons both in Czechoslovakia and abroad. He wasa keen hunter and regarded himself as an elite shoot-er. Among other things, he excelled by special languageskills: he could speak German, English but also Turkish.World War II became a milestone in Galaš's life. He spent

History

Czechoslovakia saw the first attempts to equip a military rifle with a scopeas early as between the Wars, when such modification was applied on thevz. 24 army repeating rifles and the use of optics was envisaged also for thedevelopment of the new self-loading models. After World War II, whichproved the extraordinary importance of “snipers” in modern combat,Czechoslovak experts tried to bring their own original solution.

Galas'sMOSIN

ˇ

A Special Story of the vz. 54Sniper Rifle



the time in emigration in England by hard work in thelocal military industry as well as by gaining valuableknowledge of high-precision rifles.

GALAŠ'S SPECIAL RIFLEOtakar Galaš is believed to have started designing sniper

rifles as early as during the war, however, only his post-war projects are documented in some detail. He partiallycarried out these projects in parallel with his hunting ri-fles, at first as an employee of Zbrojovka Brno and lat-er on as a worker of the newly established enterprise Pro-totypa, renamed to Konstrukta Brno in 1954.

In 1949, Otakar Galaš elaborated a detailed analysisof use and development of sniper weapons during thecourse of World War II. Based on this analysis, he de-veloped a design of his own ZG 49Sn “special sniper ri-fle” using the Mauser-type action for the cartridge7.92x64 mm, which originated by loading the vz. 23 bu-llet into the standardly manufactured case 8x64.

Although the concept of a special cartridge was in-teresting, it did not last for too long: since the springof 1950, after Alexej Čepička assumed the office of theMinister of National Defence, uncompromising unifi-cation with the Soviet equipment started to be enforcedin the Czechoslovak army. At first, the new army com-mand attempted to gain the required new weapons sim-ply by means of licences from the Soviet Union. To theirgreat disappointment, they were not too successful incase of infantry weapons. Among others, they did notmanage to procure more vz. 91/30 sniper rifles using theMosin system, which were originally intended as the newstandard weapons of Czechoslovak snipers. The situa-tion was thus resolved in the summer of 1951 by as-signing development of a new sniper rifle using the So-viet cartridge 7.62 mmx54 R with a heavy vz. 30 bullethaving lead core – actually, this was a serial cartridgedesigned for the heavy vz. 43 machine gun Gorjunovand the Soviet consultants did not object to its licensedproduction in Czechoslovakia.

THE ARMY CHOOSES THE MOSINThe task was again taken up by Otakar Galaš, who pre-

pared two prototypes designated ZG 51 Sn in a fewmonths' time – one of the prototypes used the actionof the Soviet repeating rifle Mosin vz. 91/30, while theother used the M98 Mauser-type action. Galaš himselfapparently (and rightly) regarded the Mauser design asthe better quality and more promising solution; how-ever politics intervened once again and, after tests in1952, the Czechoslovak military administration gave pre-ference to the Soviet system. Therefore, the developmentcontinued only for the rifle based on the vz. 91/30 re-peating rifle. However, it was not a development ofa brand new weapon, for the army demanded that itsproduction should utilise the maximum quantity of com-ponents of the Soviet vz. 91/30 repeating rifles, whichwere available in the Czechoslovak military stores.

The Galaš's weapon differed from the vz. 91/30 sniperrifle by its smaller length and lower weight, and par-ticularly by its more ergonomic stock and a relativelygood scope 2.5x6° from the national enterprise Meop-ta Košíře and its installation. The installation allowedfor easy removal and mounting of the scope withoutthe necessity of repeated zeroing and it was lower whilestill retaining the option of sighting with the mecha-nical sights. It was necessary to redesign the barrel as theCzechoslovak sniper rifle was expected to hit a squareof 50x50 cm with ten rounds at the range of 800 me-tres. The barrel designed by Galaš was shorter by 30 mmbut somewhat thicker than the Soviet weapon. This so-lution not only improved ballistic performance but alsomade serial production easier. It was also necessary to“fine tune” the original action and trigger mechanism.

Since the summer of 1953, the ZG 51 Sn prototypesachievedgoodresults in testsandfurtheradjustmentswereonly made based on partial comments. The rifle was in-troducedintotheequipment inJuly1954asthevz.54sniperrifle and it was positively evaluated in December 1954 inthe conclusion of the test report from the USSR.

PROBLEMS WITH THE ORIGINALSThe armaments factory in Uherský Brod, at that time

called Závody přesného strojírenství − ZPS (Precision En-gineering Plants) Uherský Brodwas designated for the pro-duction, or more accurately, for the assembly of vz. 54sniper rifles. A number of subcontractors were to assistin the project. The preparation of this production pro-gramme commenced as early as in 1954, with the as-sumption that the test series of 100 pieces would be man-ufactured in 1955. But, not for the first time within theCzechoslovak military industry of that time, the plant didnot succeed in meeting the plan and the test series of 75rifles did not get into production until the December of1955; a continuing supply of the components necessaryfor adaptation remained an open issue. Indeed, in the ear-ly part of 1956, during the course of building up the testseries, serious problems arouse with using the componentsof the repeating rifles vz. 91/30 from the military stores.Biggest complications were caused by different tolerancesof the diameter of the receiver threads serving forscrewing on the barrel. In the end, the plant had to in-crease the thread diameter by 0.5 mm, otherwise mostreceivers would not be applicable for the given purpose.

The ZG 51 Sn prototype (sometimes desig-nated also ZG Sn 51) using the Mosin actionduring the tests in 1953 (the photo archiveof the Central Military Archive)



After resolving this issue, the test series was success-fully accomplished and the competent Ministry of Pre-cision Engineering could grant the respective “pro-duction capacity” to the plant. On 24 September 1956the Ministry of National Defence granted its permissionto acceptance of the finished weapons, however, sub-ject to elimination of some minor shortcomings and ap-plication of the tested improvements.

ZPS Uherský Brod plant had just had an embarrass-ing experience with production of the vz. 52 self-load-ing rifles, which were immature in terms of design andtechnology, and therefore the factory workers were de-termined to restore their unjustly injured reputation.Despite all their efforts, however, the production of thevz. 54 sniper rifles was not smooth in the second halfof 1956 either. The main complication was the desperateshortage of usable components from the vz. 91/30 ri-fles. Although 16,000 rifles were examined, only 4,500pieces arrived in Uherský Brod by mid December 1956,out of which merely 2,500 pieces got into productionafter another thorough inspection.

Zeroing finished rifles with a scope for the range of300 metres was not easy either. To this end, ZPS Uher-ský Brod used a garrison shooting range in Popovice,which however was available only on certain days. Andthey did not shoot if the weather was bad. Moreover,the company had to obtain capable shooters from var-ious plants. As accuracy was unsatisfactory at first, whenusing the original assessment method, it was necessary

to develop a new sighting-in verification procedure.On the top of that, subcontractors also faced con-

siderable difficulties: Považské strojírny in Považská Bystri-ca had to interrupt production of stocks for some timedue to poor drawings from Konstrukta Brno, the na-tional enterprise Kozak Klatovy had to modify the scopecover at the last minute and the company Meopta hadto develop a changed scope model to respond to ad-ditional requirements of the military administration re-sulting from underwater tests.

No wonder that in this situation the armaments fac-tory in Uherský Brod was able to finish and hand overonly 108 vz. 54 sniper rifles from September 1956 to theend of the year, although the production schedule calledfor supplies of 4,000 pcs.

ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELLThe company did much better in the following year

when it apparently found a source of other usable com-ponents and provided zeroing service in Považská Bystri-ca, Vlašim and Brno (however, ZPS Uherský Brod had to

do the necessary modifications in each of the shootingranges, which made this production program even moreexpensive). Despite the defects of the scopes, which werereturned to the manufacturer for repair, the plant in Uher-ský Brod finished and handed over the total of 5,410vz. 54 sniper rifles during the course of 1957. After addingthe last three pieces in January 1958, this production pro-gram was ended, most probably due to the lack of oth-er usable components of the original Mosin rifles.

To avoid any confusion: The vz. 54 sniper rifles wereby no means bad weapons although this cannot be stat-ed with certainty about all the pieces, owing to the pro-duction complications. Generally, the people of the ar-maments factory in Uherský Brod invested a hugeamount of work in this programme and they managedto produce, using components of different quality (anddifferent size), ergonomically friendly, accurate and re-liable rifles, which in the hands of experienced shoot-ers and with the appropriate ammunition actuallyachieved the required dispersion of ten hits in the squareof 50x50 cm at the distance of 800 metres. This was a verygood result, in view of the fact the weapon was by nomeans a special sniper rifle as originally designed byOtakar Galaš, despite partial tuning of its mechanism,and considering its low-performance scope.

In the end, the vz. 54 sniper rifles were used in theequipment of the Czechoslovak National Army until the1970's, when they were replaced by imported Sovietself-loading sniper rifles Dragunov (SVD). Afterwards,

they served for some time in the domestic police forces.A part of them was even upgraded later on to the pat-tern 54/90 (in addition to a new stock with an adjustablecheekpiece and a rail for mounting a bipod, themodel featured a typical side rail allowing for mount-ing a higher-performance scope PSO-1 from the SVDrifle). Considering the small number of manufacturedpieces and their interesting history, the original unal-tered vz. 54 rifles are rightly considered today as in-creasingly desirable collectors' pieces. �

Calibre 7.62x54 R (NT 14 cartridge)Overall length 1.190 mmBarrel length 700 mmThe weapon weight excluding the scope 4.15 kgThe weapon weight including the scope 4.55 kgBlind box magazine capacity 4 cartridges (+ 1 in the chamber)

SNIPER RIFLE vz. 54

The final appearanceof the vz. 54 sniper rifle (a specimen from

the collections of the Military Historical Institute in Prague)



Česká zbrojovka of that time, a joint-stock com-pany based in Prague, with a plant in Strako-nice, South Bohemia, did not belong to the

largest Czechoslovak arms manufacturers in the pe-riod between the two world wars, however, itsstrength points included the top quality level of ma-nufacturing and the team of highly qualified designengineers in addition to the ability to promptly re-spond to the specific demands of diverse customers.

This fact is apparent when taking as an exampletheir production of aircraft machine guns. The factoryin Strakonice started focusing on this product at thebeginning of the 1920s, in the moment when its ri-val, the company Zbrojovka Brno, refused to adapt 100pieces of Lewis infantry machine guns to aircraftweapons due to the very short delivery time required.This particular task provoked the continuing interest

of Česká zbrojovka in aircraft armaments which ac-tually turned the small plant in Strakonice into the ex-clusive supplier of machine guns for Czechoslovak mi-litary aircrafts, of course to the disadvantage of themuch stronger semi-public arms manufacturer fromBrno, and finally resulted in the construction of a newsubsidiary factory in Uherský Brod.

MULTI-PURPOSE AIRCRAFT WEAPONApart from the already mentioned Lewis machine

gun, which was suitable for reconnaissance aircraftsthanks to its top-mounted disk magazine, the Czechoslo-vak Air Force used the British machine gun Vickers pro-vided with an ammunition belt. By the mid 1920s, Českázbrojovka had succeeded in refurbishing both types ofweapons, altering the original British .303 calibre intothe 7.92 mm Mauser cartridges (creating the Czechoslo-

86

History

Today's Česká zbrojovka a.s. was founded in 1936 as a “green fields” ma-chine gun factory – i. e. as a brand new enterprise focusing primarily onproduction of the highest quality 30mm aircraft cannons. It was exactlythis type of machine gun that, for almost a decade, best represented theproduct range of the factory situated in the town of Uherský Brod.

Machine guns

from Ceská zbrojovkaˇ



87

vak L/28 observer machine gun and the 28 pilot machinegun); this opportunity inspired the engineers inStrakonice with the idea of employing their experiencewith both the systems in the development a new mul-ti-purpose aircraft weapon whose principal designwould be based on the Vickers system.

The initial component, developed as early as in 1927,comprised of the exchangeable ammunition loadingmechanism, permitting the user to employ either diskmagazine or ammunition belts as needed. A furtherinnovation, implemented in 1930, enabled to guidethe ammunition belt to the machine gun from eitherleft or right side by means of simple shifting of a cranklever inside the following mechanism. Other signifi-cant improvements were carried out to the cockinglever enabling to cock the weapon in two differentmodes. Moreover, unloading the chamber of the ma-chine gun manufactured in Strakonice no longer re-quired firing a round, ejecting the ammunition beltor removing the magazine. Finally, the engineers atthe Strakonice plant focused on the breech block ofthe Vickers machine gun by replacing the original flatsprings, which were difficult to manufacture and pro-vided an indeterminable service life, by the spiralsprings ensuring substantially improved service life.

As the intention was to make the weapon truly mul-ti-purpose, it was progressively fitted with numerouscarriers and gun mounts which facilitated its insta-llation on a variety of different aircrafts. As far as theobserver machine gun was concerned, it could bemounted individually or coupled on the mount withanother machine gun. The modern modular systempermitted to equip the observer machine guns withfixed stocks, handlebars or even pistol grips with a tri-gger. The armourers were given the opportunity tomount the machine gun cocking lever on either leftor right side, as required by a particular type of air-craft. Apart from the above, the new machine gun wasprovided with a wide range of newly developed ac-cessories: synchroniser gears, pneumatic control sys-tem for pilot machine guns, original catchers of firedcartridges and aircraft aiming devices.

As a result, the new multi-purpose aircraft machineguns of Česká zbrojovka could be mounted on anytype of aircraft available in the market at that timeand complied with any requirements on ammunitionsupply and manipulation.

DESIGNED FOR THE CZECHOSLOVAKARMY AS WELL AS FOR EXPORT

The development of the new aircraft machine gunand its accessories actually created a boom at theStrakonice plant that continued till the beginning ofthe 1930s and involved, to a lesser or greater extent,numerous engineering personnel from Česká zbro-jovka. Let us at least recall the names of the most im-portant ones: Ing. František Sikyta, FrantišekBrejcha (who was about to become the first directorof the new machine gun manufacturing plant in Uher-ský Brod), Václav Zíbar, Ing. Jaroslav Malina, KarelŽeníšek, Adolf Sýkora, Jaroslav Koska, Jan Šula,Rudolf Lacina and, naturally, František Myška − thehead designing engineer at the Strakonice plant.

The above mentioned individuals, as well as manyother employees whose names passed into history, con-tributed to the “transformation” of the original Vick-ers machine gun design into an improved model, re-sulting in a truly unrivalled multi-purpose aircraftweapon which did not have competition until a newgeneration of more powerful aircraft weaponry ap-peared. The reverse side of the top parameters of thenew machine gun, initially called vz. 30 (or simplyLK 30), consists in the exigency of its production as wellas the corresponding high price, which the users of thatperiod, however, did not consider a serious issue.

The production of the vz. 30 aircraft machine gunsand associated accessories in Strakonice was launchedupon orders submitted by the Czechoslovak Ministryof National Defence (MND) in spring 1932; first 300pieces were handed over to the Military Technical Of-fice in Strakonice at the end of January 1933. A lessfamiliar detail is that the Czechoslovak Army intro-duced the vz. 30 machine gun into the armament ofits units as late as on May 16th 1935. The Czechoslo-vak Air Force officially adopted the pilot and observermachine guns, however Česká zbrojovka actually sup-plied them with four different versions: wing, tow-er, pilot and observer machine guns.

The weapon soon attracted attention of manyother countries and it was adopted by the armies ofEstonia, Greece and Iran (in the last case the vz. 30 ma-chine gun was put into service in the year corre-sponding to the local calendar, which was com-menced in 622 A. D.).

FROM STRAKONICETO UHERSKÝ BROD

The rising demand for the vz. 30 aircraft machineguns by the domestic armed forces (who ordered fur-ther 1,350 units in July 1936 which were to be de-livered by the end of 1937), as well as by foreign gov-ernments, became one of the principal argumentsin favour of the construction of a new subsidiary ofthe Česká zbrojovka factory in Uherský Brod in mid1930s. The original plans of the MND indicated thatthe plant in Uherský Brod would gradually incor-porate all the strategic production from the exposedtown of Strakonice; however, following hard-foughtnegotiations, Česká zbrojovka succeeded in winningwith their proposal to establish a “machine gunplant” in Uherský Brod including the associated pro-duction of vz. 30 rocket pistols (see p. 90), while theparent company in Strakonice would continue ma-nufacturing pistols for the army.

The construction of the plant in Uherský Brod start-ed on July 28th 1936 and it was completed in No-

Calibre 7.92 MauserOverall basic length 1,027 mmBarrel length

including the recoil booster 740 mmRate of fire 900 rounds per minute

vz.30AIRCRAFTMACHINEGUN



vember of the same year. In December 1936 the new-ly purchased machinery, materials, equipment, tool-ing and gauges for machine gun production weretransferred from Strakonice and installed in UherskýBrod. The plant in Uherský Brod was also staffed by136 employees transferred from the parent compa-ny since they possessed the required knowledge per-taining to this production range.

The launch of the production of the vz. 30 machinegun was scheduled for January 1937 but it finally start-ed at the beginning of February. The factory succeededin making up for one month of delay and the first de-livery of 350 units, including spare parts, was com-pleted in May 1937. Since the adoption process didnot encounter any problems the production was ableto proceed according to the schedule and the deli-very time of the whole project was satisfied.

BEFORE AND AFTER MUNICHThe production of the vz. 30 aircraft machine guns

continued even during the critical year of 1938, thoughit was initially carried out on the basis of preliminarynotifications of planned purchases without advancepayments. Speaking realistically – the army needed theweapons urgently but obtaining sufficient fundsfrom the tight budget, stretched by modernising ofarmed forces, occurred somewhat more slowly.

The first firm purchase order by the Czechoslovak Mi-litary Authority was submitted to Česká zbrojovka on 8thApril 1938 and concerned a total of 710 pieces of machineguns. The second purchase order, of 18th August 1938,concerned230wing,1,100tower,660pilotand30observermachine guns,onemillionammunitionbelt links and spareparts. These items were to be manufactured apart fromthe production of aircraft machine guns for export.

Later on, the fatal Munich Conference took placein September 1939, followed by the suspension of pro-duction for the domestic army which was now aboutto be demobilised and reduced. The plant in UherskýBrod had managed to deliver and invoice a total of1,510 machine guns by then; the issue of the remaining

620 pieces still remained open and, in the meantime,the factory proceeded with small production series forthe purpose of export only. This downtime in the mainproduction program obviously affected the numberof employees at the factory; while the number ofworkers at the plant in Uherský Brod amounted tomore than 700 people in the end of September, by No-vember it dropped down to mere 372 people.

The plant started to manufacture on orders fromCzechoslovak Army in January 1939 again, witha monthly volume of approximately 100 machine guns.By the end of March, i. e. when Bohemia and Moraviawere already under German occupation, the factorycompleted 1,810 machine guns manufactured on de-mand of the Czechoslovak MND. Until the second halfof June 1939, and with the permission of the GermanMilitary Administration, the plant managed to completeall the unfinished pieces, originally intended for theMND. Since the German occupation forces initially sup-ported the export of Czechoslovak weapons, the fac-tory completed 35 pieces of observer machine guns forIran in July 1939 and managed to export them prior tothe outbreak of World War II. Based on orders from1938, the factory in Uherský Brod manufactured a to-tal of 2,600 of the vz. 30 aircraft machine guns, out ofwhich 470 items were destined for export.

THE FINAL STAGEFollowing their completion and acceptance by the Mi-

litary Technical Office, not all the vz. 30 machine guns leftthe plant immediately. Despite their top quality, they wereno longer suitable for modern German aircrafts. The war,however, found an employment for them. This meant that400 pieces of the vz. 30 machine guns, together with 532pieces of spare barrels, were accepted by the Reich's Mi-nistry of Air Transport (Reichsluftfahrtministerium – RLM),which controlled the German Air Forces – the Luftwaffe.Half of the weapons were to be fitted with a short shoul-der pad, while 200 items were designated for the anti-aircraft protection of airfields. During 1940, the GermanAir Force purchased also 1,900 stands, 200 ammunitionbelt loaders and 1,900,000 ammunition belt links for thevz. 30 machine gun (while 300,000 pieces of the latter hadoriginally been produced for Iran).

The history of the production of the vz. 30 aircraft ma-chine gun in Uherský Brod was concluded with two Iran-ian purchase orders: the first, from October 1939, con-tained 15 pieces, the second, from April 1940, contained30 pieces of observer machine guns. The dispatch of thisconsignment containing 45 items in total in November1940 represented the final full stop to the story of theproduction program for the purpose of which Česká zbro-jovka in Uherský Brod was originally established.

DESTINED FOR THE LUFTWAFFEThe decision that was made as early as in the end

of March 1939 stated that the main new product tobe manufactured in Uherský Brod would be the Ger-man on-board MG 17 machine gun in caliber 7.92 mmMauser. However, the launch of series production wasprotracted due to the exigencies of the productionsince it required a comprehensive replacement of themachinery and adoption of new and more prospec-

88

LK 30 observer machine gun mountedon a Šu-31



89

tive technologies. In the meantime, prior to mid 1940,the factory was involved with the supply of large num-bers of machine gun barrels, not only for the MG 17aircraft model but also for the MG 34 infantry mo-del. Additional orders sent to Uherský Brod in Decem-ber 1942 prompted the production of barrels with lock-ing receivers for the MG 81 in caliber 7.92 which over-ruled its predecessors with higher rate of fire and low-er weight. In the second half of the war, the plant inUherský Brod was partially involved in production ofthe MG 131 aircraft machine gun in caliber 13mm, (theinitial plans dating back to 1934 even concerned theassembly, sighting and acceptance of these weapons,which, for a reason that is not clear, never occurred).

The first lot of 200 items of MG 17 machine guns finallyleft the plant in Uherský Brod in February 1941. Accord-ing to the RLM schedule, the factory should have suppliedbetween600and700piecespermonthuntilOctober1945.Even though this quantity was never achieved, the pro-duction of the MG 17 model machine guns continued inthe factory till the end of WW II, becoming the main pro-ductionprogramin1943andfinallyachievingarespectabletotal of 24,640 manufactured pieces.

Although the factory in Uherský Brod still had1,000 pieces of unaccomplished MG 17 machine gunsafter WW II, their production was abandoned prior to

the liberation of the country and was never re-esta-blished after the war because the restored Czechoslo-vak Air Force had no employment for these weapons.The final trace of this “machine gun” era is representedby the quite extensive production of ammunition beltlinks for the MG 131 machine guns that continued un-til 1951. During 1950 and 1951, the plant in UherskýBrod supplied the Czechoslovak Army, among otherthings, with ammunition belt links for the German MG151 aircraft machine guns (or cannons) in caliber 20mm.

That was the final conclusion of the production ofaircraft machine guns in Uherský Brod. However, Českázbrojovka a.s. currently does not hide its ambition toextend its portfolio by a support (manual) machinegun based on the design of the new CZ 805 BREN as-sault rifle. Thereby the glory of the famous “machinegun tradition” may be restored in the future. �

German aircraft machine gun, model MG 17

Calibre 7.92 mm MauserOverall length 1,078 mmWeight 10.2 kgTheoretical rate of fire 1,200 rounds per minute

MG17AIRCRAFTMACHINEGUN



vz. 30From the historical point of view, the signal pistol, called

flare pistol at that time according to the type of am-munition used (flares), became the second weapon com-pletely produced in Uherský Brod. Designated as the mod-el (vz.) 30, it was a good quality, although somewhat tech-nologically demanding work of František Myška, an ex-cellent designer of Česká zbrojovka in Strakonice and oneof the legends of the Czechoslovak military equipment.

This single-barrelled weapon of 26.5 mm calibre witha simple lift breech block was designed in such mannerthat it could be disassembled without the use of tools.It was introduced into the equipment of the groundforces of the Czechoslovak army in 1931 under the de-signation vz. 30 flare pistol. In the same year, the seri-al production of this firearm began in Strakonice. Whenthe factory in Uherský Brod was built, this program wastransferred there along with the production of aircraftmachine guns. The first order placed with the new fac-tory dated July 1936 and called for 3,000 pieces to bedelivered by the end of 1937. However, it was slightly

increased by the Ministry of National Defence to 3,024pistols, by the letter of 1 July 1937. The plant in Uher-ský Brod was already producing pistols having new gripplates of Textoplast (i. e. phenolic resin with fabric filler),applied also in the vz. 24 army pistols.

Morevz.30 flarepistolswereordered by the MinistryofNational Defence from Česká zbrojovka in the critical yearof 1938: 10,050 pieces in July and subsequently addition-al 588 pieces. Although the factory began production ofthis order, a big question mark was hanging over the fateof the parts in progress after the Munich Agreement hadbeen signed and there was no rush with finishing thefirearms. However, when an order for 700 flare pistols fortheCzechoslovakgendarmeryplacedbytheMinistryof In-terior arrived in Uherský Brod, the plant showed disciplineandincreasedthequantityoftheparts inprogress.Thecom-plete order for the gendarmery was accomplished by theend of 1938 (all of the 700 pistols were received anddespatchedtotheProvincialGendarmery CommandinBrnoon 31 December) and 588 pieces from the supplementaryorder of the Ministry of National Defence were delivered.


History

Signal pistols, i. e.firearms designed forlaunching light or signalcartridges, have traditionally beenan interesting supplementary pro-duct of Česká zbrojovka UherskýBrod in the family of service wea-pons. Over the 75 years of the company'sexistence, its portfolio has seen three types of “flarepistol”, of which the last still remains – and is mostlikely to remain for a long time – a part of the equip-ment of the armed forces of both the Czech Re-public and the neighbouring Slovakia.

Signal pistolsfrom Uhersk˘ Brod

Flare pistol vz. 30 from1939 (a specimen from

the collections ofthe Museum of

the Police ofthe CzechRepublic)


91

The factory started to work on the remaining10,050 vz. 30 flare pistols in February 1939. A bill for3,000 pieces was rendered by the end of March 1939,when it became clear that the German military ad-ministration would be the buyer instead of theCzechoslovak military administration. The whole or-der was fulfilled in September 1939. The acceptanceof these firearms for the occupying forces belongedamong the last sad duties of the original Czechoslo-vak armaments authority prior to its dissolution.

The German armed forces were apparently satisfiedwith the flare pistols from Uherský Brod as Oberkom-mando des Heeres ordered additional 1,000 pieces on26 January 1940. The factory manufactured the partsand handed them over by May of that year. And thiswas the end of the first act of production of signal pis-tols in Uherský Brod.

vz. 44/67After World War II, the renewed Czechoslovak army

at first used a diverse mix of salvage, First Republic (re-ferring to the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918 - 1938) andSoviet signal pistols (the Ministry of National Defencedecided in August 1946 that this term would officiallyreplace the previous designation “flare pistols”). In theearly part of 1950’s, within the framework of unifica-tion with the equipment of the Soviet army, theCzechoslovak army introduced the standard modelSPŠ-44 of the calibre 26.5 mm by the well-known de-signer G. S. Shpagin. Since 1952, the licensed produc-tion of the vz. 44 signal pistol was commenced in Zbro-jovka Brno according to the original Soviet documen-tation. As the experience revealed some serious short-comings of the original design and production tech-nology, Zbrojovka Brno modified the technical docu-mentation for the final series of 6,000 pieces.

Nevertheless, most vz. 44 signals pistols manufac-tured in Brno showed very short service life (only about1,000 rounds), uncomfortable use and a danger ofspontaneous opening when fired. That is why theCzechoslovak military administration ordered in mid1960's the production of new pistols of the same mo-del but free from the stated faults.

Redesigning, or actually upgrading of the vz. 44 signalpistol was carried out in the Research and DevelopmentInstitute of Závody všeobecného strojírenství (the GeneralEngineering Works) in Brno (previously Konstrukta Brno)by Ing. Jaroslav Myslík under the cover name “Fire-Crack-er” (in Czech, “Prskavka”). The resulting 26.5 mm vz. 44/67signal pistol differed from the original design by thesmooth chrome-plated barrel bore and by the surfacefinish using a higher-resistance baking reso-lenamel. Thegrip plates of the vz. 44/67 pistol were ma-nufactured fromthe polymer material Fenoplast (Phenoplast) T1. The newhandgrip shape reduced the perception of the recoil ef-fect. Another improvement involved the impossibility toopen the barrel if the firearm was cocked, which con-siderably enhanced user safety. Moreover, the redesignedweapon showed a higher service life of 3,500 rounds, andit was still capable of further reliable operation at the endof the tests. This improvement was achieved, among oth-er things, thanks to the fact that use of alloyed steels wasno longer subject to such severe restrictions as in the 1950’s.

Also, a pistol holster, signal cartridges and cleaning kitswere newly introduced.

As the military weapons production was definitely end-ed in Brno, the armaments factory in Uherský Brod, be-ing the key supplier of firearms to the Czechoslovak armedand security forces, was designated for the manufactureof new signal pistols. The appropriate tools and originaldocumentation for this programme were obtainedfrom the Brno plant. Initially, the Czechoslovak Nation-al Army planned to order only 10,000 pieces; in 1967, how-ever, the army's demand increased significantly. And assome other Czechoslovak armed forces as well as somecivilian organizations (pyrotechnic groups of constructioncompanies or dock-yards) also took interest in the newsignal pistols, the demand totalled 20,000 pcs. In the end,the order exceeded 24,000 pieces.

The test series was commenced in Uherský Brod asearly as in 1967. The serial production started in 1968,when 9,000 pieces were manufactured. In 1969, theproduction reached 15,805 pistols. An additional as-sembly of 207 vz. 44/67 pistols from ready-made com-ponents for the Ministry of National Defence put anend to this production programme in 1970.

vz. 44/81The armaments factory in Uherský Brod returned to

production of signal pistols once again (and for the lasttime, for the time being) in the early part of 1980's.The reason was the decreased number of the vz. 44/67pistols in the equipment of the Czechoslovak army dueto wear after ten years of service. Therefore, in 1981,the federal Ministry of National Defence concludeda contract with the plant in Uherský Brod for pro-duction of additional 28,000 signal pistols. During thecourse of the tests of a 250 pcs test series, which wentinto production at the end of February 1981, the cus-tomer required modification of the grip plates. Theirside faces were to be provided with dovetail roughen-ing to prevent the pistol from slipping in a sweaty ordirty hand (this required die adjustment at the sub-contractor’s site). As the weapon went through someadditional changes, it finally received a new official de-signation 26.5 mm vz. 44/81 signal pistol.

Its serial production took place from September 1981to March 1983. In the autumn of the first year, the fac-tory managed to fabricate 2,000 pistols, continuing with28,000 pistols in 1982 and eventually with the last 10,002pistols during the first three months of 1983.

The vz. 44/81 signal pistol has so far reliably servedin the Czech and Slovak armed forces and there is nocurrent information that anything should be changedabout it in the near future. �


vz. 30 vz. 44/67 vz. 44/81Calibre (mm) 26.5 26.5 26.5Overall length (mm) 225 220 220Barrel length (mm) 124.2 150 150Weight (g) 10,000* 930 930* with grip plates made of textoplast material

SIGNAL PISTOLS FROM UHERSKÝ BROD


Superb compact with a polymer frame and revolutionary OMEGA trigger mechanism in SA/DA mode of fi re.

CZ 75 P-07DUTYFor its new CZ 75 P-07 DUTY pistol intended for service and defence Česká zbrojovka a.s. successfully combined its wealth of experience from design and manufacture of the CZ 75 handguns with the state-of-the-art development and technological proces-ses. The result is a compact handgun of original styling having revolutionary trigger mechanism named OMEGA characterized by a small number of parts. This model is also easy to disassemble for thorough cleaning without any tools, and at the same time transfers outstanding qualities of the CZ 75 trigger mechanism to the higher class. An entirely unique feature is an option of simple conversion from the manual safety version to the decocking lever and vice versa, which can be carried out by any user himself. The safety and decocking lever controls are ambidextrous and magazine catch is reversible from left side to the right. These advantages of the DUTY model are further augmented by high magazine capa-city (16 cartridges) while still having a low

Specially

designed slide

shape facilitates

quick draw of the

handgun out of

any holster

structural height, locking of unribbed slide into ejection port, MIL-STD-1913 accessory rail at the front portion of the frame, generous trigger guard allowing trouble-free operation in gloved hands, and nitrided barrel and slide. This model incorporates the automatic fi ring pin block as a standard feature.The basic version of the CZ 75 P-07 DUTY is chambered in 9 mm Luger, further this hand-gun comes in calibres .40S&W (mag. capaci-ty 12 cartridges), 9x21 mm (16 cartridges) and 9 mm Browning Short (.380 Auto – 16 cartridges; this version incorporates blow back breech). All versions of the CZ 75 P-07 DUTY excel in perfect ergonomics which, together with the OMEGA trigger mechanism contributes to the exceptional accuracy of this model. The low positioning of the barrel axis together with the rear stop of the slide against the frame material enable to maintain a perfect control of the handgun even when shooting in a quick fi re. Additionally, the practical tests demonstrated outstanding durability and service life of all parts and components of this handgun. The CZ 75 P-07 DUTY model ranked Česká zbrojovka among top leaders in design and production of modern service pistols in the World.

Accessory rail made

in accordance with MIL-STD – 1913

for laser pointer or fl ashlight

attachment

The new trigger mechanism

allows easy conversion from decocking

lever version to the version with

manual safety (in both cases

the ambidextrous grip surfaces are

located in front of controls axis).

Theses

handguns

come either

with lanyard

ring or

without it

according to

requirement

The beavertail

of a new shape

facilitates fi rm

holding of the

handgun

The pistol frame

surface is provided

with a special texture

making the grip more

positive and

steadfast

The slide is locked

into the ejection port and

to assure longer service life

the slide and barrel

are nitrided

CZ for professionals

A highly advanced pistol in 9 mm Luger cal., its polymer frame makes it an ideal choice for day-to-day carry as a standard service or defence handgun.

CZ 75 SP-01PHANTOM

The CZ 75 SP-01 PHANTOM model is primarily designed to fulfi l the needs of armed corps and particularly their specialized units. This handgun represents the latest addition to the CZ 75 family and at the same time the zenith of the famous tactical and sporting model line designated CZ 75 SP-01. The PHANTOM employs SA/DA fi ring and trigger mechanism of the CZ 75 models having an excellent user properties and incorporating the well-tried system of slide locking with a short recoil and forced tilting of the barrel. The slide is locked to the barrel by two locking lugs located on top of the barrel in front of cartridge chamber. These locking lugs engage in the matching recesses on the slide body.

The PHANTOM polymer frame of original styling is provided with a grip having straight fl at sides with a coarse sand texture. While having 18 cartridges magazine capacity, the grip is mere 28.5 mm (1.1in.) wide. The grip size can be adapted to any particular shooter‘s hand using easily replaceable back strap inserts; each handgun is regularly supplied with back strap inserts of two sizes. The front portion of the frame features long accessory rail made in accordance with MIL-STD-1913 having fi ve transverse grooves. The slide is characterised by a distinctive step at its rear portion to facilitate cocking of the handgun.

The accessory rail made in

accordance with MIL-STD-1913

having fi ve transverse grooves

allows simple and quick mounting

of a great variety of sighting devices

or other accessories.

A positive grip is facilitated by a

coarse sand texture on sides and

serrations on the front and back

straps.

Thanks to the frame made from

the highly durable polymer the pistol

excels in its low weight.

The magazine catch can

be reversed from the left side

to the right.

Easily

replaceable

back strap

inserts enable

the grip size

to be readily

adapted to

any particular

shooter‘s

hand.

The CZ 75 SP-01 PHANTOM features

a magazine with 18 cartridges capacity,

which is high above the standard. Still,

the grip is mere 28.5 mm (1.1in.) wide.


The CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A 1 submachine gun in cal. 9 x 9 is an all-purpose light automatic handgun, which is easy to control and highly accurate in fi re, be it in bursts, limited three round bursts or single shots.

CZ SCORPIONEVO 3 A1This high-tech successor of the legendary Skorpions made by CZ is extremely straight-forward be it in design or production. The new model chambered for 9 x 19 mm cartridge is a blowback operated weapon that fi res from the front closed bolt position. The standard version is provided with a folding stock which allows accurate fi re conducted from shoulder up to a 250 m distance. Disassembly for cleaning and preserving requires no tools and it is extremely quick and easy. Low weight and small dimensi-ons allow concealed carry and use of this submachine gun even in very constrained spaces. Characteristic features of this submachine gun include good balance making aiming prompt and natural, high accuracy of fi re, fl awless handling even when shooting in

uninterrupted bursts, long service life and high functional reliability under various combat conditions. The relevant advantage consists in ambidextrous controls and multiple rails made in accordance with MIL-STD-1913. Thanks to the horizontally adjustable pistol grip the weapon’s ergonomics can be adapted to meet the needs of any particular user. The CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1 submachine gun comes in a plastic case. The package includes two double-column magazines with 30 cartridges capacity, a sling, and a cleaning kit.On a special order the weapon can be supplied with accessories such as sound moderator, 20-shot magazines, several models of torches incl. quick attachment clampings, laser pointers, tactical handles or red dot sights and other optical devices.

Simple mounting

of accessories on the rails made

according to MIL-STD-1913


Gaping

magazine well

makes magazine

exchange easier

and quicker

Ambidextrous

magazine catch

Transparent magazine allowing

for easy checking of number

of cartridges

Ambidextrous fi re

mode selector safety/selector

Horizontally

adjustable grip

handle

Reversible

cocking handle

Bolt stop

fi nger piece

Folding

telescopic

shoulder stock

which can be

easily removed

The CZ 805 BREN is a unifi ed modular weapon system manufactured in 5.56x45 mm NATO and 7.62x39 mm cal. which has been designed as a personal weapon for any combat branch.

CZ 805 BREN A1/A2The CZ 805 BREN employs a locked breech with rotating breech block and its automatic function is driven by combustion gases tapped from the barrel with options for two-stage regulation of piston mechanism. The basic version is chambered in 5.56x45 NATO cartridge. The modular concept and unifi ed anchoring system of interchangeable barrels allows an easy conversion to different cali-bres, currently 7.62x39 mm, and over some term also 6.8x43 mm SPC Rem. Barrels are adapted for attachment of fl ash hider, sound suppressor or dummy cartridges fi re. The weapon can be also used with the new knife CZ 805. Unifi ed and easily removable trigger mechanism is provided with an ambidextrous four-position safety/selector of assault/com-bat fi ring mode (0-1-2-30). The interchan-

geable magazine well allows the use of almost all magazines within NATO standard in the weapon of 5.56x45 cal. and further an original transparent CZ magazine having capacity of 30 cartridges with option to apply a dual magazine clamp using removable polymer clips. There is also the CZ 805 G1 grenade laun-cher in 40x46 cal. developed specifi cally for this weapon allowing to be used as a standalone module. The CZ 805 BREN rifl e is manufactured from selection of superior qua-lity steels, high-strength aluminium alloys and present day engineering polymer together with application of the latest technologies for surface protection. The modular concept enables an easy conversion to the assault rifl e variant (CZ 805 BREN A1) or to carbine with shortened barrel (CZ 805 BREN A2).


Magazine

catch

Ambidextrous

fi re mode selector/safety

(0-1-2-30)

Interchangeable magazine housing:

the basic version is designed for the original

magazines made by CZ. The housing included

in the standard accessories enables the use

of magazines intended for the M4/M16 rifl es

Folding mechanical sights with

the front sight adjustable for elevation

and the rear sight for windage

Four mounting rails made

according to MIL-STD-1913 for

accessory attachment (mechanical

or optoelectronic sights, underslung

grenade launcher, front handle

grip etc.)

Transparent

magazine (original

design of CZ)

for 5.56x45 NATO

cartridgesRemovable

underslung grenade

launcher, the CZ 805 G1

cal. 40x46

Gas tube

in the gas

attachment

with option

for two-stage

regulation of

combustion

gases tapping

Modern sniper rifl e of heavy confi guration in 7.65x51 NATO cal. designed for conducting fi re with utmost accuracy up to distances of 1 000 metres.

CZ 750 S1 M1The CZ 750 S1 M1 employs bolt-action having two symmetrically positioned locking lugs. Easy and reliable handling is facilitated by a bolt handle curved slightly backwards and provided with a knob of hardened rub-ber. Reliable cartridge extraction is secured by a long extractor. The free-fl oating barrel is 600 mm long and features 4 RH grooves having 10in. twist rate. The barrel’s muzzle is by default outfi tted with a single chamber compensator. The minimum service-life of the barrel is guaran-teed for 5, 000 shots without any substantial deterioration in accuracy. The receiver carries on its top portion the MIL-STD-1913 rail for mounting of sniper’s scope or other sighting devices. The stock

made of highly durable black polymer rein-forced by fi breglass has a distinctive pistol grip with a hole for the shooting hand thumb. The adjustable cheekpiece can be reversed from the left to the right side. The buttplate offers a variety of adjustments in height and in length using three exchangeable spacers of different size for adapting the stock length to shooter’s physique. The forend bottom is sited with 220 mm duralumin rail for a bipod attachment. The double column magazine with a single feed position has the capacity of 10 cartridges and its body is protected by a rubber cover.

The cheekpiece can be adjusted

to any height and for the left-hand

shooters it is easily reversible to the

right side of the stock


The buttplate can be adjusted in height

and its thickness can be modifi ed by massive

and exchangeable spacers

The MIL-STD-1913 accessory

rail comes as standard

This rifl e comes with mirage

defl ector which prevents from hot

air mirage above the barrel, and in

the fi eld of view of the rifl escope

The Harris bipod forms

the primary accessory

ČESKÁ ZBROJOVKAIS AGAIN THE MANUFACTURER FOR ARMED FORCES The company residing in Uherský Brod, one of the most important arms factories in the World, is since its establishment in 1936 the key supplier of arms for the Czech Armed Forces and Police, or formerly for Czechoslo-vakia. This tradition now continues in the new research, development and manufacturing program “Army & Law Enforcement”. Within this framework, Česká zbrojovka a.s. offers to military and security units a comprehensive series of superior, high-tech service weapons with an effective range of fi re intended for distances ranging between 0 and 1000 metres. The group of weapons for performing combat tasks and law enforcement duties at distances from 0-50 meters consists largely of handguns from the worldwide respected family of the CZ 75 series. In addition to the CZ 75 D COMPACT pistols, with which the Police of the Czech Republic was success-fully re-armed, these are primarily tactical and intervention models of the CZ 75 SP-01 TACTICAL (with steel frame) and PHANTOM (with polymer frame) designed specifi cally for the specialised units of police and army. A radical departure from the classic concept of the CZ 75 is brought by the new compact, that is the CZ 75 P-07 DUTY. In its form Čes-ká zbrojovka a.s. expanded its portfolio by an enormously advanc-ed handgun, meeting all requirements of present-day police offi -cers or soldiers. The DUTY model excels in its design, polymer frame with standardised mounting rail and its revolutionary OMEGA trigger mechanism with the unique option of simple conversion from manual safety to decocking and vice versa. The DUTY pistol after its launch to the market in the spring of 2009 became an immediate bestseller and by now it is adopted by quite a number of police units in the Czech Republic and in the World. In 2011 there will be also launch of the DUTY P-08, made in the standard size and in 9 mm Luger and .40 S&W calibres.For covering the range of 50 – 100 metres Česká zbrojovka a.s. has developed a brand new automatic weapon, the CZ SCORPION EVO 3 A1, freely following the tradition of the small and legendary submachine guns named Skorpion. The latest generation of “Scorpions”, when compared with its predecessors, is much simpler in design and manufacture, is chambered for the powerful 9 mm Luger cartridge (with option to use more powerful calibres). Typical features of the new model include an extensive use of polymer, numerous mounting rails for a wide variety of accessories, ambidextrous controls with option for individual adjust-ments of ergonomics and the ease of control when shooting in bursts. For the year 2011 is also prepared a semi-automatic version, designated as the CZ SCORPION EVO 3 S1, applicable for the role of a service carbine. Thanks to the tender for the Czech Army re-armament the most frequently mentioned service weapon of today, made in Uherský

Brod, is the automatic rifl e designated as the CZ 805 BREN A1, or its more compact version (carbine), the CZ 805 BREN A2. This modern successor to the legendary vz. 58 assault rifl e effectively covers ranges of 150 – 500 metres and could be described as the real weapon for the 21st century soldier, fully comparable with the most progressive products of other renowned producers. The CZ 805 BREN differs from competing products mainly in its high modularity, i.e. the possibility of conversion to many confi gu-rations, and especially in its unique system allowing the simple change of the calibre used. The primary ammunition for this wea-pon is 5.56x45 mm NATO, but the concept enables the conversion to 7.62 x 39 mm or prospective cartridge 6.84x43 mm SPC Rem. Numerous standardised mounting rails allow attachment of any accessories, including the new CZ 805 G1 underslung grenade launcher designed in-house by arms factory in Uherský Brod. The CZ 805 BREN rifl es and carbines are by default outfi tted with shoulder stock, safety/selector with 0-1-2-full modes and transparent magazines for easy checking of cartridges status. The user-frien-dliness is enhanced by removable pistol grip back straps enabling grip size adjustments to the particular shooter’s hand. The serial production of the CZ 805 BREN automatic rif-les uses the best of contemporary materials such as high-strength aluminium alloys or the ultimate in engineering plastics. For covering the range of distances between 500 and 1000 metres Česká zbrojovka a.s. offers a top sniper special, already thoroughly proven in fi eld, the CZ 750 S1 M1 in 7.62x51 mm NATO cal., which uses upgraded Mauser bolt system. This model is also characterised by its sophisticated stock design made of a durable black polymer with an adjustable cheekpiece and buttplate.This comprehensive, continuously comple-mented series of modern service weapons ranked Česká zbrojovka a.s. in this sphere among the world leaders thus making a successful continuance to the best of the great traditions of Czech arms design and manufacture. Providing the arms of high quality for Armed Forces and Security Units of the Czech Republic still belongs among the priorities of the company located in Uherský Brod.



75 Years of Service Weapons from Česká Zbrojovka Uherský BrodPublished for Česká zbrojovka a.s., Uherský Brod by Pražská vydavatelská společnost s.r.o.

Na Poříčí 1048/28-30, Praha 1, Czech RepublicGraphics and lay-out: FUTURA

Product sheets graphics and lay-out: Creative Clinic, s.r.o.

Editor-in-chief:Mgr. David Pazdera

Project Manager on behalf of Česká zbrojovka a.s.:Ing. Tomáš Hauerland

Authors:Ivan Doležálek, Mgr. Martin Dubánek, Ing. Přemysl Liška, CSc., Martina Lucká, Mgr. David Pazdera, Ing. Daniel Řehák,

Jan Skramoušský, Pavel Šmejkal, Mgr. Jan Tetřev

Photographs:Q Studio s. r. o., James D. Brown, Mgr. Pavel Černý, Pavel Klozík, Petr Packan, Mgr. David Pazdera, Ing. Daniel Řehák,

Mgr. Jan Tetřev, Archiv České zbrojovky a.s., Archiv Hradní stráže, Fotoarchiv ČZ a.s.,The Photograph Library of the Military Central Archive in Prague, Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic

In charge of translations:Milan Kubele, PhDr. Vlasta Blahová, Mgr. Jana Vejrostová

Pictures of weapons used in this publication are courtesy of the following collections:Museum of the Police of the Czech Republic, Military History Institute, Prague, and Eastern Bohemia Museum, Pardubice

Česká zbrojovka a.s., reserves the right to make any changes it thinks necessary to improve its modelsor to meet any requirements of manufacturing or commercial nature for any product included herein.

First Edition, © 2011 Česká zbrojovka a.s., 688 27 Uherský Brod, Czech Republic, www.czub.cz

No part of this publication may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical reproduction, includingphotocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

ISBN: 978-80-7250-553-1



75th anniversary

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CZ-75 Years of Service Weapons by Ceska Zbrojovka