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HomeCzechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia

Prototype

In Search of Hard Currency: Prototype 9x19mm vz52 Pistol

March 17, 2022 Ian McCollum 12

The vz.52 pistol was originally adopted by Czechoslovakia as a short-term option, with an intention to quickly replace it with something better. The problem was that without a viable domestic pistol, the Soviet Union would […]

Conversion

Semiauto ZK-383 on the Range

April 17, 2021 Ian McCollum 18

The Czech ZK-383 is a magnificent submachine gun, but sadly very scarce in the United States. So when I saw the semiauto example, I wanted to take it out to the range for some plinking. […]

Light MGs

Bren MkI: The Best Light Machine Gun of World War Two

February 24, 2021 Ian McCollum 102

In the years after World War One, the British military wanted a new machine gun, and they wanted it to replace both the Lewis and the Vickers. Through the 1920s the British would tinker with […]

Bolt Action Rifles

Czechoslovakia Recycles Mosins: The vz.54 Sniper

December 2, 2020 Ian McCollum 57

Czechoslovakia adopted a whole new slate of small arms in the 1950s, including the vz.52 pistol vz.52 rifle, and vz.52 light machine gun. They also adopted a new sniper rifle, developed by a Moravian designed […]

Semiauto pistol

Kohout & Spol 7.65mm Mars Pistol

July 15, 2020 Ian McCollum 18

The “MARS” pistols made in Czechoslovakia began with the “Slavia” line, designed by one Antonin Vilímec in 1920 or 1921. Those were basically simple copies of the vest-pocket Browning pistols, and were made until 1935. […]

Select-fire Rifles

Samopal vz.58: The Czechoslovakian Answer to the AK

June 19, 2020 Ian McCollum 114

Among the nations of the Warsaw Pact, only Czechoslovakia designed and produced its own infantry assault rifle – everyone else used the Kalashnikov. The Czech vz.58 is often mistaken for an AK because it has […]

Uncategorized

Last of the Czech Mausers: the East German TGF1950 Goes to Ethiopia

February 26, 2020 Ian McCollum 12

The last batch of Mauser K98k rifles made by Brno after World War Two was a run in 1950 for East German border guards. These rifles have receivers marked “tgf 1950” in a style just […]

Bolt Action Rifles

A Unique Partnership: Czech Mausers for Ethiopia after WWII

February 19, 2020 Ian McCollum 13

After World War Two, the Czech economy was in serious need of money to recover from the ravages of war. The arms factory at Brno was not bound by the same restrictions as German manufacturers, […]

Semiauto pistol

Czechoslovakia’s First Pistol: Praga Model 1919

November 24, 2019 Ian McCollum 34

Having gained independence after World War One, Czechoslovakia looked to standardize and improve its armaments. Václav Holek went to work for the Zbrojovka Praga factory in Prague in 1918, and they introduced the Model 1919 […]

Light MGs

Last Gasp of the ZB26: Czech vz 52/57 LMG

July 1, 2019 Ian McCollum 40

Czechoslovakia adopted the 7.62x45mm cartridge after World War Two, introducing both a vz.52 rifle and vz.52 light machine gun using the round. It was about 200 fps faster than the Soviet standard 7.62x39mm. It was […]

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