Vz. 52 rifle

vz. 52 and vz. 52/57
Vz. 52 from the Swedish Army Museum.
TypeSemi-automatic rifle
Place of originCzechoslovak Socialist Republic
Service history
In service1952–1959 (Czechoslovakia)
Used bySee Users
Wars1958 Lebanon Crisis
Vietnam War
Bay of Pigs Invasion[1]
Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation[2]
Rhodesian Bush War
South African Border War[3]
Nigerian Civil War
Yom Kippur War
Lebanese Civil War[4]
Invasion of Grenada[5]
Iraq War[6]
Kivu conflict
Syrian Civil War[7]
Production history
DesignerJan and Jaroslav Kratochvíl
Designed1951–1952
ManufacturerPovažské strojárne, Česká zbrojovka
Produced1952–1959
No. built~ 1 Million
Variantsvz. 52/57
Specifications
Mass4.14 kg (9.13 lb) (vz. 52)
4.30 kg (9.5 lb) (vz. 52/57)
Length1,005 mm (39.6 in)
1,205 mm (47.4 in) with bayonet deployed
Barrel length520 mm (20.5 in)

Cartridge7.62×45mm (vz. 52)
7.62×39mm (vz. 52/57)
ActionGas-operated, tilting breechblock
Rate of fire25 rounds/min (practical)
Muzzle velocity760 m/s (2,493 ft/s) (vz. 52)
735 m/s (2,411.4 ft/s) (vz. 52/57)
Effective firing range650 m (vz. 52)
400 m (vz. 52/57)
Maximum firing range2,000 m (vz. 52/57)
Feed systemClip-fed, staggered-column, 10-round detachable box magazine
SightsOpen iron sights graduated from 100 to 900 m

The vz. 52 rifle is a semi-automatic rifle developed shortly after the Second World War in Czechoslovakia. Its full name is 7,62mm samonabíjecí puška vzor 52.[8] Vz. 52 is an abbreviation for vzor 52, meaning "model 52". It fires the unique 7.62×45mm cartridge. 52 rifles were made by Považské strojárne in Považská Bystrica, but due to production difficulties, its manufacture was taken over by Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod.[9]

  1. ^ de Quesada, Alejandro (10 Jan 2009). The Bay of Pigs: Cuba 1961. Elite 166. pp. 60–61. ISBN 9781846033230.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference mcnab2002 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Their Blood Waters Our Freedom". Youtube.com. 25 January 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  4. ^ Katz, Sam (24 Mar 1988). Arab Armies of the Middle East Wars (2). Men-at-Arms 128. Osprey Publishing. p. 39. ISBN 9780850458008.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Grenada was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Captured Weapons".
  7. ^ "The Syrian Rebels Are Using WHAT? – VZ-52". 6 August 2016. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023.
  8. ^ Bishop, Chris (2006). The Encyclopedia of Small Arms and Artillery. Grange Books. pp. 13–14. ISBN 978-1-84013-910-5.
  9. ^ Walter, John: Rifles of the World (3rd ed.), page 229. Krause Publications, 2006.