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VZ-58 Assault
Rifle
The PUSKA
VZ58 (Rifle Model 1958), is available in 2
models (the P model, with fixed buttstock,
and the V model, with folding buttstock) were
used by the Czechoslovakian Army since their
agreement with the Warvz58 Pact. It is one
of the VERY FEW "original" assault
rifles used in the Warsaw Pact's countries
(since most of those adopted the russian made
AK47,
then starting production of national-made AK
copies). While this rifle can be similar to
the AK in external appearance, the VZ58 utilizes
a completely different locking principle. It
is currently in service with Czech and Slovakian
armies.
The Samopal
vzor 1958 (submachine gun, model of 1958) was
the standard assault rifle of the Czechoslovak
army from the late 1950s and until the dissolution
of the CSSR in the 1993. At the present time
the SA Vz.58 is still used by the Czech and
Slovak armies, as well as sold for export in
some quantities. The SA Vz.58 vz58 not much
of real combat, so it is hard to judge how
it stakes up against the most known contemporary
rivals, like the Soviet / Russian AK-47 or
the US M16A1. But the overall quality, fit
and finish of this rifle is excellent. This
rifle had been designed by the Czech arms designer
Jirí Cermák, under the project
codename "KOŠTE", or "Broom",
in English.
The SA Vz.58
is a gas operated, magazine fed, selective
fire weapon. It uses more or less conventional
short stroke gas piston, located above the
barrel. The gas piston has its own return spring.
The locking system features a linearly moving
bolt (breechblock) with a separate tilting
locking piece. The breechblock (bolt) is located
under the bolt carrier, and the locking piece
is hinged to the bolt and located under it.
Gun fires from the closed bolt all times. When
gun is fired, the gas piston gives a short
tap to the bolt carrier. After a free movement
of about 22 mm (.9 inch) the bolt carrier swings
the locking piece up from the locking recesses
in the receiver, and thus unlocks the bolt.
From this moment on the bolt group moves back
at once, extracting and ejecting the spent
case and chambering the fresh cartridge. At
the end of the return stroke the bolt stops
in the forwardmost position against the breech
face, while the bolt carrier continues to move
forward, swinging the locking piece down and
into the locking recesses, thus locking the
bolt to the receiver. The overall system can
be roughly described as a mix between the Walther
P-38 pistol and the Czech ZB-26 (or British
Bren) machine gun locking. The charging handle
is attached to the right side of the bolt carrier.
The trigger / hammer unit
also differs from the most common designs in
that it is a striker fired design. The massive
cylindrical striker is located at the rear,
hollowed part of the bolt, and has its own
spring located under the bolt group return
spring. The striker has a lug that interacts
with the sear and is used to hold the striker
in the cocked position. The overall design
of the trigger unit is relatively simple and
has few moving parts. The safety / fire mode
selector switch is located at the right side
of the receiver, and has 3 positions for safe,
single shots and full automatic fire.
The basic variant, SA Vz.58P,
has a fixed buttstock, and furniture made either
from wood (early models) or from wood-impregnated
plastic (late production models). The SA Vz.58V
has a side-folding metallic buttstock, and
the SA Vz.58Pi is similar to the SA Vz.58P
except that it has a large mounting bracket
on the left side of the receiver, that allows
for the IR / Night sights to be mounted.
The sights are of open
type, with hooded front post and open notch
adjustable rear.
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