https://youtu.be/uTrQiArjn_I
Designed by Augustin Nečas in 1954, the ZKP-541 is a .22 rimfire target pistol, also called the Universal Super Rapid. It is designed to use .22 short, and long rifle, with different bolt assemblies and magazines for each caliber. When the design was complete it was sent to CZ’s Uhersky Brod factory, where the plan was to produce 3,000 in 1959 and 5,500 in 1960. However, the UB factory staff took one look at its complexity, decided it was unmarketable, and sidelined it. Production never did begin, and only 22 prototypes were made. It was a fantastic gun, but a perfect lesson in the necessity to balance cost and quality if one want’s to have a gun actually meet with commercial viability.
Thanks to the Czech Military History Institute (VHU) for graciously giving me access to this very rare prototype to film for you! If you have the opportunity, don’t miss seeing their museums in Prague:
https://www.vhu.cz/en/english-summary/
Second time that the internet address you posted leads to a location that youtube claims you took your video down.
If it is ‘too complex’ to be comnercially viable, I am not sure I would call it ‘fantastic.’ I would probably say it was fantastic ‘in some aspects.’ I know, target pistols are the hothouse orchids of the firearms world. So maybe I am a crude spud grower in my sensibilities.
I suggest expanding your concept of fantastic beyond a base capitalist value.
Even Communists have to create cost effective firearms. So don’t lecture me. Tell it to Uhersky Brod. In 1959 I don’t think they were all that capitalist that side of the Iron Curtain
I would submit to you, Stephen, that to frame this in terms of “capitalist” is indicative of a mindset entrapped in the leftoid propaganda so prevalent in today’s world.
Socialist and Communist economic regimes are no more freed from resource constraints than any other economic system. They’re there, just obfuscated by the idiocy of centralized control. Some bureaucrat says “Build these, in this quantity…” and it’s done. Problem is, that bureaucrat had better have the wisdom and omniscience of God, because there’s no feedback signal present in a Socialist/Communist economy to tell the manufacturer whether or not the effort is worthwhile and efficient enough to justify the labor and other resources expended.
This is why every valiant attempt at squaring the Socialist circle fails in starvation: The feedback loop simply isn’t there, which when coupled with the natural human tendency to do the least possible in order to survive, means that pretty soon people aren’t doing anything at all.
Socialism/Communism is a very immature “I wanna…” way of thinking. No matter what, the iron laws of resource allocation are going to have their way, and you’re going to have to pay attention to them.
A link that works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59QtmwOp3t0
Until the enlightened elite’ hoplophobes who run YT take it down again.
clear ether
eon
These Czechs have a lot of wits about themselves.
They fight the wars which they can win (and then – usually win they do).
And they skilfully dodge these armed conflict, when they stand no chance of winning.
And – mind it – all the time they keep designing and making excellent firearms*.
————
*who we owe the term ‘howitzer’ to?
And our Bren?
The Koucky designs frequently draw upon some American design practices
for example,
Garand speedlock style striker assemblies in the fox and ZKK centre fire rifles
Winchester model 70 style underside to the ZKK receiver
I know that this is tenuous, but does anyone else see similarities in the arrangement of the striker and recoil springs here, with the bottom ejecting Browning semi auto. 22 rifle?
Browning appears to have been very fond of linear strikers in his smaller and later designs, including his initial design for the pistol that evrntually became the High power.
in the video, it looks like the striker was aligned as closely as possible with the bore axis – a nice detail.
it’s interesting that including the sear and striker assembly in the bolts, would allow different trigger characteristics between the rapid fire .22 short and slow fire .22 lr