The vz. 52 (Samonabiject Puska Vzor 52.) was a Czechoslovak semi-automatic rifle using an annular short-stroke gas piston system, with a similar trigger mechanism to the M1 Garand and with a tilting bolt design. It had a fixed folding bayonet and fired the unique 7.62×45mm M52 round.
History[]
The vz. 52 started out as a CZ prototype made by Jan and Jaroslav Kratochvíl with a new cartridge inspired by the 7.92×33mm Kurz. After pressure from the USSR in 1957, the vz. 52 was rechambered to the 7.62×39mm round, spawning the vz. 52/57 variant.
Design Details[]
The vz. 52 uses a short stroke gas piston design, with a unique rotating locking bolt that tipped its front to lock the mechanism and the trigger mechanism closely resembles the M1 Garand.
Ammunition[]
Czechoslovakia developed a new intermediate cartridge in the 1950s, based on the 7.92×33mm Kurz round and name it the 7.62x45 M52. Which was used for the vz. 52. After pressure from the Soviet Union, the rifle was rechambered to use the 7.62×39mm round. It fed from a detachable 10 round magazine, with access to stripper clips.
Variants[]
- vz. 52/57
The vz. 52/57 was the rechambered version of the vz. 52 to use the 7.62×39mm round. It made the weapon perform worse than it's original and there was constant reliability problems with it. The vz. 52/57 is rarer today to find, but it is usually in better condition than it's counterpart.
Gallery[]
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