Since the early 1950s, development was on the way in Czechoslovakia of a new type of automatic firearm for the 7.62x45mm cartridge (Z-50, Model 52), which was created by a partial modification of the original Czech calibre 7.5x45mm with an aim to at least nominally unify the equipment with the Soviet Army. According to the knowledge gained from World War II, it was relatively successful ammunition of medium ballistic performance, ranking somewhere between classical rifle and pistol cartridges. However, it was especially suitable for light machine guns and, with some reservations, for self-loading rifles. Nevertheless, the ammunition was far from ideal for a military service firearm with the possibility of burst-mode firing.

It had been one of the reasons why the 4-year-long development efforts did not result in accepting any of the submitted models and there were a few. This project was one of the last ones in Czechoslovakia done by means of competition between several designers or design teams. The best designers in the industry took part in the competition: the legendary creator of Zbrojovka Brno’s light and heavy machine guns, Václav Holek, with the ZB 530 prototype; the elite representatives of the Interwar Generation of designers, Josef and František Koucký (the ZK 503, ZK 503/1 and ZK 503/2 prototypes); and young and extraordinarily talented Jiří Čermák (ČZ 515 and ČZ 522) from Česká zbrojovka in Strakonice. However, all these designers were only clarifying with the military administration what to expect from the new type of firearm and how to reach the desired goal.

New Ammunition

After state tests of the so-called “heavy submachine guns” in the summer of 1954, just the ZK 503 and ZB 530 prototypes reached the final phase; they were supposed to be developed further in the national company Konstrukta Brno. This company had become a new centralized workplace for research and development of military weapons, where experts from all of Czechoslovakia were gradually transferred.

Nevertheless, events took a sudden turn in 1955. The Warsaw Treaty was signed in mid-May, and it was followed by efforts for unification of military equipment in the entire Eastern Bloc. Leadership of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia wanted to deal with the situation by introducing the production of Soviet weapons; but in autumn 1955, apparently for economic reasons, priority was given to development of domestic weapons using Soviet ammunition. While the obsolete 7.62x54R cartridge with a case bottom rim designed for machine guns was not a particular win, the excellent 7.62x39mm cartridge (Model 43) opened interesting opportunities for designers.

Therefore, the development of “heavy submachine guns” was definitively abandoned by the end of 1955, and new requirements were specified for a military service firearm, which, due to its difficult classification in the then existing categories, started to be called “submachine gun–rifle.” (Finally, the Czechoslovak military administration simplified the matter by applying the name, submachine gun, on all military service firearms able to fire in the burst mode, regardless of their calibre.)

The transition to the new calibre was accompanied by specification of very strict parameters: The weight of the firearm without a magazine was to be 2,700g; the total length was not to exceed 850mm; versions with fixed and folding stocks were to be made; the magazine capacity was to be 30 cartridges; and the service life of main components was to be 15,000 rounds. Designers’ work was partly facilitated by the fact that they were already allowed to use alloy steels, which had originally been rejected by the military administration, based on experience in failures from war production. There was no other way to accomplish the objective, considering such demanding requirements.

The Broom

The development of the new firearm was launched under the cover name “Broom” in 1956 in the national company Konstrukta Brno. Jiří Čermák (1926–2006), who had not succeeded in the previous competition for “heavy submachine guns” but had already managed to gain the reputation of being an excellent expert, became the head of the development project. What is more, he was, in fact, the only employee of Konstrukta Brno who had enough experience with firearms of similar character. His previous competitor and then shortly his colleague Václav Holek died in December 1954 at the age of 68, and the Koucký brothers, although still showing creativity and invention, refused to move from Prague to Brno and, subsequently, were not allowed to work on secret military projects any more.

Jiří Čermák was assisted in this project namely by Ing. Bohuslav Novotný, Karel Vystrčil and Jindřich Jakubec. It was obvious from the very first drawings that a highly modern, universal, military service firearm was about to be born in Brno. This was evidenced by the first of four patents protecting the new design (the fifth patent applied to the silencer designed for the less frequent Pi version designed for use with night-vision equipment): Jiří Čermák came out with an original design of the breech mechanism with a carried swinging breech locking piece with symmetrical locking lugs fitting in a recess in the receiver. The advantages of this design included:

• Locking near the cartridge chamber (making the locking rigid, with minimum elasticity);
• General simplicity of the breech mechanism (it consisted just of a breech block carrier, breech block and breech locking piece);
• The symmetrical locking surfaces of the breech locking piece had a positive effect on the firearm accuracy;
• General design of the breech locking piece, in which there was, among other things, no risk of any interference, and the mass of which was relatively low compared to locking components of other systems; and
• Simple production without any sophisticated machining operations.

The development, during which the prototypes underwent several tests in the Soviet Union (the first of them was conducted as early as in autumn 1956), was officially completed in June 1958. The resulting firearm operated on the principle of locked breech with extraction of gases on a piston. The breech mechanism was locked by the separate breech locking piece. The firing mechanism had a linear hammer and a free-floating firing pin mounted in the breech block. The breech block was not connected with the piston, which enabled loading the magazine with the bolt locked in its rear position from cartridge strips (containing 10 rounds) that had remained from the previously prepared but finally unimplemented license production of the Soviet SKS self-loading rifle. The front sight base enabled the attachment of a bayonet or folding bipod, which later became characteristic for one of the three basic versions of the firearm.

A Difficult Program

In October 1957 a decision was made that production of the new automatic firearms would be done  by the arms factory in Uherský Brod (now Česká zbrojovka a.s., or CZ), which was definitively becoming the new main supplier of infantry equipment (with the exception of machine guns) for national armed forces.

Preparation for production started in the spring of 1958, and its first stage was seriously complicated by an extensive investigation of self-initiation of cartridges from license production in Vlašim. In the summer of 1958, five factory prototypes were made to verify the precision and alignment of dimensions as well as the suitability of specified production materials. The basic preparation for production was completed by September 1958, and it was followed by improvements in the firearm design based on the experience gained so far: The changes involved, for example, the bayonet holder, the bayonet release button, the trigger bar or the fire-mode selector spring. Based on a requirement by the Ministry of National Defence, tests of the modified trigger bar were conducted, which required implementing the changes on 14,000 already manufactured parts.

Hard chromium plating of long openings (barrel bore) was used in production of the new firearm—this method had been used by the company for the first time for model 52/57 self-loading rifles using the same cartridge. Chromium plating was also used for surface treatment of extremely stressed parts of the breech.

Considering the planned high-production volumes, the lost-wax casting technique was used for a number of parts. As the company had not fully mastered this production process yet, at the beginning, it had to establish contacts with the more experienced machinery company Kdyňské strojírny in Kdyně. Cooperation with this company was not without problems, but its unquestionable benefit was that it accelerated full implementation of the precision casting technology for Uherský Brod.

The plant in Uherský Brod received a preliminary approval to start the serial production of the “Broom” program from its superior departmental company Závody Říjnové revoluce Vsetín on January 29, 1959, based on a so-called “exemption from technological discipline.” Since the military administration insisted upon the earliest start of supply possible, production began before the completion of the test series and its tests, from which other partial changes in the design and in the production documentation were reasonably expected.

Despite the year in the official name of the firearm “7.62mm submachine gun model 58,” it was introduced in the Czechoslovak People’s Army’s equipment on February 10, 1959 via command of the Minister of National Defence Bohumír Lomský. It was followed by the Ruling of the Government of the Czechoslovak Republic No. 1106, December 23, 1959. The new firearm was officially presented to the public at the traditional military parade at the Letná Plain in Prague on May 1, 1960.

Three Versions, Two Periods of Production

Three basic models were introduced, differing in only a few details. The basic model with a fixed stock was called model 58 P (infantry); the model 58 V with folding stock was produced primarily for airborne units. In addition to these two models, the model 58 Pi was created by additional modifications and designed for use with the NSP-2 infrascope. This model was supplemented with a mounting rail, a flash hider and a bipod.

The first period of the model 58 submachine gun’s production—the users of which included the Czechoslovak Army and other Czechoslovak Armed Forces—spanned between 1959 and 1964, during which the arms factory in Uherský Brod produced a total of 397,034 pieces, most of which (257,987) were with the fixed stock. The plant also made 6,000 components kits for conversion to the Pi version of the firearm.

The second period of production fell between 1968 and 1984, when more than a half million pieces of both models (plus a small number in the Pi version again) were produced. This time, a larger part of this quantity was imported abroad, including some truly hot locations.

In addition to completed firearms, huge quantities of spare parts and bayonets were produced in Uherský Brod.

The most significant modification to the model 58 submachine guns during production was a change in the stock material. Beechwood was used in the first year of production. However, with respect to the high production volumes, the use of alternative, cheaper materials started to be considered already in autumn 1958. The alternatives under consideration included glass fibre but the greatest attention was paid to pressing of wooden parts, which had originally been prepared in 1957 for the finally cancelled license production of SKS rifles. The production procedure, involving pressing of wood-chip matter filled with phenol-formaldehyde resin, was finalized in 1959 by the Brno development plant in cooperation with the state Forest Products Research Institute in Bratislava. Production was assigned to the Slovak factory Bučina Zvolen, which started to supply stocks, forestocks, forearms and pistol grips made of the so-called wood-chip material in February 1962. From then on, the plant in Uherský Brod fitted the model 58 submachine guns exclusively with these parts.

There were many more design and technology modifications during the serial production in the years 1959 to 1984, but most of them are not always apparent at first sight. Let us mention at least reinforcing the piston shaft, modification of the trigger guard and magazine release shape, reinforcing the breech locking piece, changes in material and design of the firing pin and hammer or the folding stock’s modified design.

Versions in calibres 7.62x51mm NATO and .223 Remington (5.56x45mm) were created for export, but they were not introduced in production at that time. The possibility of selling a license for the basic version of the 58 abroad was considered several times, but always came to nothing, and the arms factory in Uherský Brod, hidden under the well-known military code “she,” remained the only producer of the original model 58 submachine guns.

Action V

Important foreign customers for model 58 submachine guns included the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) when it was actually at war with the U.S. It is said that the North Vietnamese valued the 58s highly because they were significantly lighter than the Soviet Kalashnikov rifles.

The supplies of Czechoslovak arms to the DRV had the form of free material aid. The first 1,300 model 58 submachine guns were exported in 1965. Another 10,000 pieces followed in 1969 and 8,000 pieces the following year. In the first half of the 1970s, the 58s were supplied to Vietnam at the volumes of 12,000–15,000 pieces a year.

The production for DRV was called “Action V” in the Uherský Brod factory, and, according to one of the contemporaries, 400 model 58 submachine guns were produced per day for this purpose at the time of its culmination.

Still a Respected Veteran

Although the total production volume of the model 58 submachine guns does not reach the volumes of AKs and some other renowned foreign assault rifles, almost 920,000 pieces produced is a respectable figure and a great success for the design team and the production factory. There were and still are certain minor flaws (e.g., not so durable cover of the receiver, loosening of the folding stock screw, slightly higher sensitivity to quality of ammunition compared to the AK); in addition, production of the firearm was really demanding and not always smooth. But this does not change anything about the fact that the parameters and performance of the model 58 at the time of its origin belonged to the world’s top class, and it is still considered to be one of the most successful assault rifles in calibre 7.62x39mm.

The model 58 submachine guns have remained in the Czech and Slovak Republics Armed Forces up to the present; although specifically in the Czech Republic they have been replaced by new CZ 805 BRENs and CZ BREN 2s since 2011. The fact is that such a long service life was not just due to the excellent properties of the 58s; in reality, the political and economic situation played a great role. Originally, a transition to a newly developed weapon system, LADA cal. 5.45x39mm or 5.56x45mm, was planned on the turn of 1980s, but it never happened, due to economic reasons. Seen in retrospection, it did not harm Czech and Slovak soldiers in any way. The utility value of the model 58 submachine guns in current conflicts is increased by successful partial modernizations, improving the ergonomics and enabling mounting of various accessories.

Second Life

In the meantime, the model 58s have started to live their second life, especially in the form of exclusively self-loading firearms for the civilian arms market. For example, the original manufacturer Česká zbrojovka, a.s., has had great success with its CZ 858 Tactical models, in which its subsidiary Zbrojovka Brno, s.r.o. also took part in their production.

Self-loading rifles derived from the model 58 submachine gun were originally made with higher or lesser use of the original firearms and spare parts from the Czech Army and police warehouses. Even though these resources were vast, they were finally exhausted, though the interest in the firearm continues. Therefore, completely new production has been launched. It is carried out by the company Czech Small Arms (CSA) in Jablůnka nad Bečvou in the northeast of the Czech Republic. New production is conducted with partial use of modern materials. The offer includes several versions with different barrel lengths and as standard it is possible to choose between the calibres 7.62x39mm and 5.56x45mm. CSA’s firearms have even found their way to TV and silver screens, where they have proven their worth, e.g., in the hands of the invincible 007.

It was on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the 58 that CSA recently prepared for the Brownells distribution company a limited “Classic” series, the appearance of which reminds one of the model 58 submachine guns from the start of serial production.

The Model 52 (also known as Vz. 52) self-loading rifle, calibre 7.62x45mm, is perceived by contemporary collectors and shooters as a successful counterpart of the Soviet SKS model with an original design. Nevertheless, at the time of its origin, the M52 rifle was a genuine nightmare for designers, production factories and Czechoslovak soldiers for several years.

Shortly before the end of WWII, Czechoslovakia pledged in the so-called “Košice Government Programme” to unify its armament with that of the Soviet Union. However, these plans went up in smoke soon after, due to the reluctance of the Soviets to provide information on their latest projects regarding infantry armaments.

When all options had been evaluated, a decision was made in Czechoslovakia at the end of 1946 to pursue its own path regarding ammunition for rifles and machine guns. Originally, two directions were considered: one of them was a variation on the Soviet 7.62x54R cartridge, but with the cartridge case having a groove replace the complicated rim of the case bottom, and the other involved new ammunition “with lower ballistic performance.”

The other type of ammunition was designed by Ing. Alois Farlík (1900–1985) from Zbrojovka Brno, and it originally bore the designation of 7.62mm. Nevertheless, since there were several “7.62s” on the scene, the cartridge was renamed in 1947 to “7.5mm ostrý náboj” or “7.5mm live cartridge” (7.5x45mm, Z-47, Z-49). This cartridge, which could pride itself on its decent ballistic performance, became the basis for development of new self-loading rifles in 1947.

Potemkin Unification

Two state-owned companies took part in the rifle development: Česká zbrojovka in Strakonice and Zbrojovka Brno. In Strakonice, the attention soon shifted to a model with the transfer of gas energy using a piston mechanism designed by Jan Kratochvíl (1912–2002), in cooperation with his younger brother Jaroslav (1915–1972).

The development was not hurried. In this respect it can be said that everything was going as usual till the Spring of 1950; designing, testing and improving resulted in the following three most promising prototypes: the ZK 472 and ZJ 481 from Zbrojovka Brno and the ČZ 493 from Strakonice. Although none of them had shown  optimum performance yet, all seemed to be slowly nearing a successful end. However, in the Spring of 1950, Alexej Čepička, the son-in-law of the Communist Party leader Klement Gottwald, assumed the office of the Minister of National Defence and immediately launched a radical Sovietization of the Czechoslovak Army. The pledge for unification of armaments with the Soviet Army suddenly became something like a law.

Already in May 1950, all programs involving non-unified ammunition were halted with an immediate effect. Then, the Czechoslovak Ministry of National Defence (MND) attempted to acquire  licences from the USSR for the manufacture of a bolt-action rifle, a self-loading rifle and a light machine gun calibre 7.62mm “of the latest type.” Even though, in most other cases, the Soviets had been willing to accommodate such applications, in this case they strictly refused. The reason evidently was not just their lasting secretive mania but also the huge troubles the Soviet arms industry was encountering during the production launch of a new generation of infantry weapons, especially the automatic AK rifle in calibre 7.62x39mm.

The new upper echelons of the Czechoslovak Army had clearly been expecting such development, because a reconstruction program of the 7.5mm cartridge and the corresponding firearms was parallelly released already in August 1950. The paradoxes of that time showed, in that the issues were being solved by means of minor changes. A document on the topic of the new Z-50, or the 7.62x45mm cartridge of the period, states: “When the decision to change to cal. 7.62mm had been adopted, the already solved 7.5mm cartridge was generally left without any changes, just the diameter of the bullet and the cartridge case was [sic] modified.”

Into Armament with Overweight

In the autumn of 1950, the Army chose to further develop only the ČZ 493 model by Česká zbrojovka (CZ). The decision came as a surprise, given that the rifle’s performance had so far been considerably fluctuating. Its biggest problems were in accuracy. On the other hand, the latest specimens of calibre 7.5mm had shown satisfactory reliability during testing.

The 7.62x45mm calibre prototypes were designated ČZ 502 and, to the significant disappointment of Česká zbrojovka and the Army, their parameters deteriorated considerably, especially the increase in weight. It was due to the hectic pace of the calibre modification and to the necessity to implement additional requirements. (It was the Soviet advisers who recommended using a non-removable folding bayonet, as opposed to the previously used simple bayonet that could be inserted into the forearm.)

What troubled the designers most was the weight. According to the original assignment, the weight of the firearm with an empty magazine was expected to be 3kg, but in reality it was considerably higher. In the end, it was necessary to  change the requirements, and, on March 20, 1952, the “7.62mm samonabíjecí puška vz. 52,” weighing 3.95kg without a magazine, was introduced. The same directive applied to the introduction of the “7.62mm krátký náboj vz. 52” with  a bullet weight of 8.5g.

Two Manufacturers’ Challenges

Two code marks can be found on M52 self-loading rifles: “aym” and “she.” The first mark was reserved for Považské strojárne in Považská Bystrica in Slovakia, while the other code mark is still used on products for armed forces made by Česká zbrojovka, a.s., Uherský Brod, at that time Závody přesného strojírenství (ZPS).

According to the original plans, production of the M52 rifles was to take place in Považská Bystrica only. The local factory was an ammunitions plant in the first place, but it prided itself with its half-forgotten tradition of producing Model 24 and K98k bolt-action rifles—and with its position far from the western border of Czechoslovakia. The MND and the Ministry of Interior Security requested a total of 372,000 M52 self-loading rifles, the delivery of which spanned from 1952 to 1955, and 40,000 firearms were to be supplied in the first year.

Coordination of production of infantry weapons was the task for the Ministry of General Engineering, which, to its disillusion, found that during the first half of 1952, the bet on Považské strojárne had been an unfortunate step. The Slovak factory lacked qualified and experienced personnel and struggled with long-term fatal lack of tools and measuring instruments. In July 1952, the Ministry decided to solve this situation by assigning a part of the M52 self-loading rifle’s production to Závody přesného strojírenství in Uherský Brod (ZPS). To be able to accommodate the assignment, ZPS had to stop its preparations for production of the DŠKM (DShK M) anti-aircraft machine guns immediately.

During the first months of production preparation, ZPS experienced typical problems, such as procuring the material and forgings. Therefore, it was only during 1953 that ZPS gradually came to realize that the M52 self-loading rifle in its existing form was not ready for serial production. For these reasons, ZPS was able to supply the Army with only 360 rifles by the end of 1953, and instead of production they embarked on removing the identified design and technological flaws.

Hundreds of modifications were made in production drawings from 1953 to 1955. The shape of one of the smaller parts was changed completely. New operations appeared in the manufacturing process, the most obscure of which was welding the pressed-in and pinned locking insert into the receiver, otherwise it would be shifting rearwards during proofing. The incidental folding of the extended bayonet was corrected by means of a new bayonet key. At one time, the situation turned even more dramatic due to random occurrence of M52 cartridges with higher pressures, which destroyed the gun during firing and because of which isothermal hardening of the cartridge chamber had to be implemented. And, on top of it all, the planned performance started to be jeopardized by catastrophic shortage of high-quality walnut wood for stocks. Birch wood, imported from USSR since 1955, was used instead of walnut wood. But the problem with the birch wood stocks was that they tended to swell in humid conditions, so much that it was not possible to remove the buttplate covering the openings with stored accessories. And so, another manufacturing modification was done—a so-called double-buttplate, consisting of a removable buttplate attached to another buttplate permanently mounted on the stock.

A factory cut-away of the M52 rifle from the collection of Wehrkundliche Sammlung Schloss Ebelsberg (Austria).

In the situation when this program represented up to 80% of production volume of ZPS, in 1954 the Army was only willing to accept 11,314 self-loading rifles, and this quantity had come from  so-called selective assembling. There was a shortage of finances for the payment of salaries, not to mention bonuses, and the company was not able to pay sub-suppliers for their material and services. All of this had a harmful influence on the spirit of rank-and-file as well as management employees of ZPS, who started to long for the time when they would have finally completed the M52 rifle production.

A detail of the rear sight and the marking of a piece from 1956. The M52 rifles can be easily dated, but sophisticated alphanumerical numbering was introduced for them, which prevented any estimates of production volumes. At the beginning of production, the arms factory in Uherský Brod (the “she” code) was assigned the initial letters of F, M, V, J, S, K, T, G, E and R, and after these letters had been used up, new letters were assigned. The numbering following the letter changed after each 10,000 unit in two rows: 30,001–40,000 and 60,001–70,000.

Their wishes started to come true in 1955, when the Army accepted 48,435 self-loading rifles. However, the firearm was never rid of all its deficiencies. Its production was continuously accompanied by additional modifications, repairs, minor technological and design changes, not to mention the fact that the hit mark of the first shot showed a significant deviation from the mean point of impact.

In 1956, the Army accepted a total of 58,318 pieces. With respect to ensuring employment for the company, it was planned that this production program would be extended to 1958, when it would be replaced with the planned licence production of SKS carbines. This, however, was no longer true in the Spring of 1957, when a decision had been reached on the introduction of the M52/57 self-loading rifle using a Model 43 (7.62x39mm) cartridge. Production of the M52 self-loading rifle at ZPS definitely ended in September 1957, and only symbolic quantities were completed in the following three months. In 1957, 35,058 M52 self-loading rifles were manufactured in total.

The factory records show that 153,485 M52 rifles were manufactured in total in Uherský Brod from 1953 to 1957.

As far as production in Považská Bystrica is concerned, we are not yet able to map it in detail. It is assumed that it, too, continued till 1957 and that the quantities produced were considerably lower than those at ZPS. The information on the total number of 236,952 M52 rifles provided by the MND in 1958 can serve for the assumption that a little more than 80,000 of these firearms were manufactured in Slovakia.

Hard Lesson

If today’s collectors and shooters consider M52 rifles to be robust, user-friendly and sufficiently accurate (with the exception of the inaccurate first shot), it is, above all, an appraisal addressing the countless workers in both manufacturing plants, but especially the one which is Česká zbrojovka today, the shoulders of which carried most of the burden. When looking back, it is obvious that the M52 self-loading rifle has brought the arms factory in Uherský Brod to the most critical situation in its entire history, without representing any significant stimulus for its technological development. On the other hand, the company has learned a valuable lesson on the unconditional necessity of the perfect design and technological preparedness of new products, which it soon made use of during the demanding production of a new generation of automatic firearms.

Model 52 Self-Loading Rifle

Calibre: 7.62x45mm (M52 cartridge or Z-50)

Overall length with folded bayonet: 1,005mm

Overall length with extended bayonet: 1,205mm

Barrel length: 525mm

Weight of unloaded firearm with empty magazine: 4.15kg

Double-column magazine capacity: 10 rounds

Between September 10 and 12, 2018, Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod held the third Meeting of Professional Journalists. The event, which welcomed about 60 journalists, bloggers, vloggers and many other professionals, took place at the Testing Shooting Range in Bzenec. Here, several new firearms made their world debut, including the CZ BREN 2 BR assault rifle in 7.62x51mm NATO caliber.

It must be noted that this powerful caliber had been planned for the CZ BREN weapon system as early as January 2006, during the idea phase of the project. However, CZ first concentrated on the development of a model in 5.56x45mm NATO caliber. This caliber was requested by the Czech Army and subsequently became the typical choice for the CZ 805 BREN A1/A2 models. Further calibers were being added gradually, hand in hand with the improvements of the design, which is now truly multi-caliber. Thus, the CZ 807 model came into existence, primarily intended for the 5.56x45mm NATO and 7.62x39mm calibers, though CZ rifles in 7.62x51mm NATO were also included in a tender for Pakistan.

Despite the fact that the 807 model enjoyed reasonable commercial success, in the end it played the role of a quality “in-between” product. In fact, during that time, the development of the brand new CZ BREN 2 model series was finalized, with serial production beginning in 2016.

 Battle Rifle

The September presentation of CZ rifles in Bzenec showed that in this case, a version in 7.62x51mm NATO caliber has also made an appearance. For now, it bears the name “Battle Rifle,” which is a term that professionals use to make it clearer which small arms have been developed after the Second World War. A “battle rifle” is defined as a semi-automatic or automatic military rifle equipped with a detachable magazine, using the 7.62x51mm NATO caliber (or .308 Win, the slightly different civilian alternative).

The traditional models of this category, the FN FAL, M14 and HK G3, are now being joined by their modern successors. After years of being overlooked, the tried and tested 7.62x51mm NATO caliber is enjoying a comeback. That is because in the asymmetric warfare of the Global War on Terrorism, the need for significantly greater effective range at small unit level has now arisen.

New Elements

At first glance, the CZ BREN 2 BR gives an impression of a slightly larger assault rifle. Such an impression is basically right, as the Senior Product Manager for military weapons from Česká zbrojovka a.s., Ing. David Kreisl, explains. The design has been based as much as possible on the 5.56x45mm NATO/7.62×39 models. The technical design, all the controls, the method of stripping, assembly and cleaning were retained. Some minor parts are interchangeable; the telescopic folding stock is identical. Otherwise, everything else has been enlarged and strengthened so that the firearm is reliable with the considerably larger and more powerful cartridges. This has led to the only significant difference in the design: to provide reliable extraction of the cartridge cases, the CZ BREN 2 Battle Rifle is equipped with two ejectors.

Another feature worth noting is the STANAG magazine. The company has not only designed it but also manufacturers it from subcontracted parts; the capacity of 25 rounds constitutes one of the largest on the market. After some rather unsatisfactory experience with transparent plastic, which wasn’t oil-friendly, CZ now uses a more durable black polymer. To allow the user to keep track of the number of cartridges remaining, there are openings in the back wall through which the light color of the magazine spring is visible even in low light. The general practice today is to favor steady tactical reloading; however, if the user wants to see how many cartridges there are left, all he needs to do is to tilt the firearm slightly to the side.

Another innovation, although not directly connected to the caliber but to the growing tendency of CZ to modernize their weapons hand-in-hand with the wishes and requirements of customers, is a split receiver and an independent forend. This feature allows far greater variability, whether with regard to barrel lengths or accessory rails. In Bzenec, the company presented the CZ BREN 2 BR rifle with one long MIL-STD-1913 rail on the upper receiver where it is integrated with the receiver itself and the forend and another one on the lower receiver, attached on the bottom, spanning from the end of the forend to the trigger mechanism housing. There are no rails on the sides. The company deliberated whether to opt for one of the more and more popular LOK systems, but in the end decided on a set of standardized threads which, in line with current trends, allow armed forces to have the rails and accessories made to their exact requirements. Any reasonably equipped manufacturer should be able to do that.

At the Shooting Range

In Bzenec, we were able to try out the CZ BREN 2 BR on a 300 meter range. We were shooting with .308 Win S&B Match ammunition, the rifle was fitted with a combination of an EOTech collimator sight and a triple magnifier, as well as a bipod. In the target area, there were popper targets in a size roughly resembling a human torso, with several even smaller ones for a more challenging aim.

Experienced shooters had no trouble to hit every time from a supported prone position. Those with sharp eyesight had a bit of an advantage, as some grappled with the relatively low magnification. It was necessary to keep in mind the correct triggering technique, since 300m is quite a distance and any small errors are noticed. Nonetheless, the accuracy potential of the rifle seemed fine; any misses were solely attributed to the user.

The shooting itself (for safety and practical purposes only single round fire was allowed) was comfortable, even for those who tried shooting in the standing position. The recoil was easily manageable, without a doubt helped by the fact that, apart from the inline style of the stock and its thick buttplate, it was an automatic weapon. Also, it paid to keep the muzzle above the shooting mat. Although the mat moved a lot after each discharge, we avoided swirling the sand that was all around. Still, we didn’t notice any problems with function in the somewhat desert conditions. However, to assess the properties of the CZ BREN 2 BR in more detail, more rigorous testing is necessary, preferably carried out by a target group customer.

The Journey to DMR

Even though the stated caliber and the results may lead to this conclusion, the CZ BREN 2 BR is not categorized as a “Designated Marksman Rifle.” It is a basic individual weapon with the effective range considerably greater than that of assault rifles in 5.56x45mm NATO or 7.62x39mm calibers. The advantage of the CZ battle rifle is the fundamental design unification with the CZ BREN 2 assault rifles. Hence the controls and maintenance are the same, which should significantly simplify training. In addition, it has retained the option of short burst fire, which may be suitable when, for example, engaging in suppressive fire.

By being introduced to the professional community in September, the CZ BREN 2 BR enjoyed its public premiere. Even so, armed forces from several countries have already been testing the BR model for some time, reportedly with good results. Other armies are waiting to see what will follow. With the completion of a quality assault rifle in 7.62x51mm NATO caliber, CZ has created a wide window of opportunity to further expand their portfolio—a DMR version included. It is said that the Uherský Brod company may have taken some steps in that direction already.

CZ BREN 2 BR—Approximate Data

Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO

Overall length with flash hider and the stock unfolded and extended: 1000mm

Overall length with flash hider and the stock folded: 739mm

Barrel length: 407mm

Weight without magazine, with iron sights max: 3.82kg

Weight of empty magazine: 180g

Magazine capacity: 25 rounds

In this reviewer’s opinion, this was not one of their better ones.  If anyone came here specifically to see small arms, their ammunition and accessories, they would be rather disappointed.  The only really new thing discovered was at the stand of Sellier & Bellot from Vlašim (since 2009 a member of the CBC/Magtech group).  First was the new service ammo IR-DIM Tracer in calibers 5.56x45mm and 7.62x51mm.  Both have tracer bullets that only a soldier equipped with a night vision device can see.  For law enforcement, S&B presented new 9x19mm Lead Free Bullet cartridges for SWAT teams, which has lower penetration and higher stopping power and rounds are less inclined to ricochet after hitting a window of a car.

In the field of small arms, nothing was shown that was really new.  That does not mean that there was nothing worth seeing or taking note of.  Traditionally excellent was the stand of Česká zbrojovka a.s., Uherský Brod, which presented its current CZ Army & Law Enforcement program comprehensive series of pistols CZ 75 SP-01 Phantom and CZ 75 P-07 Duty (still the first version here), SMG CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1, and assault rifles CZ 805 Bren A1/A2 plus grenade launcher CZ 805 G1.  A bonus was the launch of a new book on the greatest Czechoslovak designers of small arms (highly recommended to everyone interested in famous Czechoslovak small arms, although the text is only in Czech), which took place at the CZUB stand in the presence of CZUB CEO Ing. Lubomír Kovařík.

A booth under constant siege was the stand of Meopta – optika, s. r. o., today a Czech-American company (thanks to a manufacturing and assembly branch in the USA), producer of respected precision optics including riflescopes, sniper scopes, reflex sights, night vision sights, etc.  This year Meopta celebrated their 80th anniversary, and at IDET they did it in a very attractive way – with the help of rifles of the LUVO company based on the famous M16 design and produced in Strakonice.

Other interesting items worth noting can bee seen in the accompanying photos.  But you never know.  Maybe the next show in 2015 there will be plenty of new and highly interesting news in Brno.

LEAD IMAGE + BOTH IMAGES ABOVE: Meopta, which celebrates 80 years, decided to present its scopes and sights on a rich variety of the rifles from the company LUVO Praha (Prague). The Meopta optics suited the LUVO rifles pretty well and the stand was crowded almost all the time.

As usual, the Army of the Czech Republic presented an overview of its actual infantry weapons. Especially noteworthy were two less common long arms: the M6A2 Carbine by Land Warfare Resources, Corporation in caliber 5.56x45mm NATO and the HK 417 assault rifle in caliber 7.62x51mm. In both cases, the versions used by snipers of the Czech Special Forces were displayed.

So-called ‘rimfire assault rifles’ are ubiquitous and at least one did not miss the IDET 2013 fair – it was an attractive Austrian model ISSC Model Sporting Rifle Mk 22. It was displayed in the company of one of the Kriss weapons.

Besides modern small arms, you could find many more-or-less ‘veteran’ models at the IDET 2013. Shown are some nice examples of AKM assault rifles at the extra large stand of the Excalibur Army spol. s.r.o., company, which was loaded with interesting army surplus items.

On October 17-19, 2012, the Future Soldier Exhibition & Conference (FSEC) took place at the Letňany exhibition centre in Prague.  It is a specific international event consisting of a military fair, a meeting of the highest level representatives of military and armament staff, and a professional conference on a specific topic – this year it was “Future of Cyber.”

As can be seen on their website (www.natoexhibition.org), the history of today’s FSEC goes back to 1985 when it started under the name of The Combat Clothing & Personal Equipment exhibition.  It took place in Prague for the first time in 2000; just one year after the Czech Republic joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.  Since 2008, the Czech Republic (and Prague) has been the only venue of this event.  Its name was changed to Future Soldier (FS) the same year.  In 2012, the name was extended to Future Soldier Exhibition & Conference.  FS and FSEC are held every two years and in autumn 2012 this series of military fairs celebrated its 10th anniversary.

This was the first time this author had visited this exhibition.  Until now, many colleagues had expressed that the Future Soldier fairs offered little to journalists focusing on small arms.  Additionally, this event has never really been taken as a good starting point for the presentation of new products, especially in the small arms field, with one possible exception – in 2008 the Future Soldier exhibition was the first place where the public could see the new Czech CZ 805 assault rifle.  This time, in the autumn of 2012, I was kindly invited by some friends from one of the Czech companies and was interested how the Army of the Czech Republic was going to present its new weaponry.

In short, for the small arms professionals and enthusiasts, FSEC is really no scoop.  On the other hand, the 10th anniversary of this event offered several interesting exhibits that deserve to be mentioned.  What follows is my selection of the highlights in the field of the small arms at the FSEC 2012.

The new standard weapon of the Army of the Czech Republic is the Minimi machine gun in 7.62x51mm NATO, which has been gradually replacing the obsolete UK vz. 59 machine gun in 7.62x54R caliber.

The CZ 805 Bren assault rifle with the suspended grenade launcher CZ 805 G1 was also presented on the project LAFETA – an experimental sample of the wireless operated miniature carriage for small arms, which was developed by the Department of Military Management and Tactics of the University of Defence in Brno in cooperation with the company VOP CZ. This was the only CZ 805 BREN assault rifle at the exhibition that still had the original non-telescopic stock from the first stage of deliveries to the Czech Armed Forces.

Bumar also presented its sniper rifle Alex-338 in .338 Lapua Magnum. Despite the growing importance of the highly precise small arm on the modern battlefield, this was surprisingly the only sniper weapon at FSEC 2012.

At FSEC 2012, small arms were also presented by the Polish concern Bumar. Maybe the most interesting was the project of the new Polish army pistol of the arms company in Radom and Military Technical Academy in Warsaw. As we could see in Letňany, there are at least two designs of this interesting handgun with the two-piece polymer frame – one, presented during 2012, has an original rail on the top of the slide (whose shape resembles the slide of the Czech CZ P-07 Duty pistol), while the second has the conventional shape of the slide.

The Czech arms industry made a great impact in 20th century weaponry history with a large range of remarkable products.  Probably the most original of them all was a “special submachine gun” named the Skorpion, a successful effort for covering the gap between service pistols and traditional submachine guns chambered in pistol cartridges.  The Skorpion, in its initial, less powerful caliber, i.e. 7.65mm Browning (.32 Auto), has not met modern security unit’s requirements for some years, much less that of the armed forces; nevertheless its position as a globally respected legend has not been changed by this in any way.  It is therefore no surprise that Česká zbrojovka a.s., the manufacturer of the Skorpion, registered the name Scorpion as a trade mark in the 1990s and that it is currently using it now for the third generation of compact automatic weapons made in the town of Uherský Brod.

At the beginning of the initial Skorpion development was an interest of the then Czechoslovak Ministry of Interior in “a special submachine gun for service purposes” in cal. 7.65mm Browning (.32 ACP), which would be suitable both for so called special security activities, and for unified armament of the State Security and Public Security members.

Let us recall that the State Security (StB) was the secret political police of then socialist Czechoslovakia and the Public Security was the Czechoslovak version of uniformed police; under “special security activities” it is again necessary to look for intelligence and counterintelligence activities.  What kind of automatic weapon could suit such different requirements?  The Czechoslovak Ministry of Interior had about it a surprisingly clear vision, which it summarized in 1958 in the following requirements:

– cal. 7.65mm Browning (.32 ACP),
– weight 1 to 1.2 kg,
– overall length with shoulder stock folded 250 mm,
– overall length with shoulder stock extended 440 mm,
– height with pistol grip 150 mm,
– effective range of fire 100 m,
– two types of magazines – one for 8 to 10 rounds, the other for 20 to 25 rounds.
– besides fully automatic fire there should be provision to shoot also in single shots so “that this SMG could also fulfill the function of a pistol.”

It is obvious that such a clear and original vision had to go through a comprehensive research and analysis phase, the content of which we can only guess.  An interesting detail was the caliber chosen as it is highly unusual for an automatic weapon and additionally not quite suitable due to its relatively low performance and cartridge case with protruding head rim.  From today’s perspective one wonders if the choice of the 7.65mm Browning (.32 ACP) cartridge, which is often considered to be the greatest shortcoming of Skorpion submachine gun, what the Ministry of Interior had in their explicit intentions.  This cartridge on one hand represented a standard pistol caliber of the Czechoslovak Security Forces, and on the other hand it had several features which were ideal just for “special security activities.”  And just for this reason even the Czech Army did not mind it – but more about this later.

Task for Mr. Miroslav Rybá et al
In the first half of the 1950s within the centralization of the nationalized industry in Czechoslovakia came the end of the famous independent design offices of individual arms factories.  Instead, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia decided to build a large specialized research and development centre, which was initially named Konstrukta Brno (after its place of residence in the City of Brno) and by the end of 1955 the elite of the Czechoslovak design engineers concentrated there dealt with military weapons and ammunition up to 30mm and anti-tank recoilless weaponry.  (Concurrently there was formed a small design centre in Prague specializing in the development of civilian firearms.  This centre however lost its independence quite quickly.)

New strict rules on confidentiality have been put into force for contracting weapon development and, besides other things, it has been out of question that the Ministry of Interior itself would address relevant design centre.  The application should first have to be submitted to the Czechoslovak Ministry of National Defence (MND), and in the case of the future Skorpion submachine gun this happened in the fall of 1958.  Relevant experts from MND found this idea of their colleagues from the Interior very interesting and the decision had been made that after production commenced, the purchases would also be by the Czechoslovak Peoples Army.  For the start, military personnel claimed only a small number of units for their intelligence units, however right in the beginning they came with important comments, observations and requirements, which had a substantial influence on the final version of the Skorpion.

The requirement of the Ministry of National Defence to produce a “special submachine gun” (among soldiers also known as “multi-purpose”) was sent to the Brno firearms research and development centre at the time when the engineers on the site were swamped with work.  All the senior engineers were busy completing other projects, such as the UK vz. 59 multi-purpose machine gun or the vz. 58 submachine gun (which in fact was and is the assault rifle, but the Czech military terminology did not accept this term at that time).  Due to their overload, the task to develop a new special submachine gun was assigned to Ing. Miroslav Rybář (1924–1970) who worked at the small-bore arms design department.  This turned out to be an extremely fortunate decision.

Ing. Rybář was a talented engineer with exceptionally deep technical skills and credentials from civil and military area.  He had been involved in firearms design since 1948, but had until then served only as a team member, supervised by senior engineers.  The Skorpion was to be his first individual project, the pinnacle of his career that, unfortunately, ended prematurely.

Unlike previous generations of firearms designers, who considered mathematical calculations a dull part of their work and delegated them gladly to others, Rybář started with a comprehensive theoretical analysis.  In fact, he wrote his doctoral thesis on the Skorpion, and presented it successfully at the Military Technical Academy in Brno in 1958.  With such a sound background, the development of the new type of a special submachine gun, aptly named Skorpion, proceeded really fast: lasting only from February 1959, to summer of 1961.

It is worth mentioning that although Rybář was undoubtedly the main architect of this new weapon he was not alone who was involved in this project.  The team counted as many as 13 engineers and we have to mention above all Otakar Galaš (1904–1968).  Galaš was well known as a designer of hunting and sniper rifles (the most famous worldwide being ZG 47 rifle).  Galaš contributed substantially to the development of the Skorpion – not only he was in charge of the sound suppressors’ elaboration and the weapon’s accessories, but having enlarged the barrel bore twist rate he also satisfactorily solved the accuracy of the 7.65mm Browning (.32 ACP) cartridge at distances between 25 to 150 m.  Moreover he became an excellent advocate of the new weapon.  Galaš found a very original way of demonstrating that the Skorpion could be carried covertly underneath one’s clothing: he came to a meeting bringing the submachine gun stuck in the shoulder holster underneath his jacket without anyone noticing it.  During the meeting, when he suddenly opened his jacket and took out the gun, there was no doubt that the Skorpion was suitable for concealed carry.  Jiří Čermák (1926–2006), another legend among firearms designers, who had his name indelibly recorded in the history of weaponry with already mentioned vz. 58 submachine gun, also helped Rybář with this project.  Although Čermák did not work on the Skorpion directly, he was the co-author of one small, but very smart structural element and he claimed the key idea of implementing rate-reducing mechanism.  However, the practicalities of design engineering were taken over by Rybář.

Between Pistol and Submachine Gun
The outcome of Rybář and his team work was a weapon that combined in a unique way the features of both submachine gun and pistol.  The common feature with the submachine guns was first of all the blowback (unlocked) breech, a magazine located in front of the trigger guard and folding stock that enabled shooting from the shoulder.  At the same time the Skorpion used the same cartridge as pistols, and to the certain extent, it was provided with a similar hammer-striking mechanism and the option to fire with the bolt in the forward position, which rendered shooting much more accurate when firing single shots.

For shooting in bursts, the high rate of fire and the muzzle climb were successfully tamed by the mechanical rate-reducer, which provided full control of the weapon also in the automatic mode.  (A certain role has to be attributed also to the weapon’s weight, which slightly exceeded initial requirement by the Ministry of interior, but still with a little exertion enables efficient single-hand hold and with centre of gravity moved forward.)  Various rate reducing mechanisms had been known before, but Rybář´s patent belongs to the ones which were particularly well designed – quite simple be it in design or manufacturing process and at the same time absolutely reliable.

The basic version of the Skorpion was at the end covered by five Czechoslovak patents on behalf of Rybář.  Another four were registered for the following development of variants in other calibres, one of which was additionally used in the series production.  Apart from the rate reducer, the patents covered the technical solutions of the shoulder stock, the trigger mechanism, the spring–loaded bolt stop, and so called retaining plate of the trigger unit which prevented hammer stop pin from falling out (co-author J. Čermák).

The original concept was applied particularly to the wire shoulder stock made from aluminium alloy.  The actual folding was realized around the rear part of the trigger unit with option for easy shoulder stock removal.  The length and stiffness of the shoulder stock due to the weapon compactness are in the limits of practical applicability, nevertheless, the manner of fixation and release in both utmost positions made for a wonderfully simple solution.  Ingeniously, the simple way of unfolding shoulder stock is with a single strike of the palm from the non-shooting hand, from below to the butt, whereupon the rest of the work is smoothly and reliably done by the shoulder stock pin spring, it is hard to find any comparisons.