I finally found a VZ-58!

[YFZsandrider]

I just snagged this VZ in a trade for a pre-lock S&W 686 that I had... and boy is it sweet! It came with 9 mags total, and 1200 rds of 7.62, the rifle had about 300 rounds through it from the prev. owner, who said that he bought it new from Czechpoint.

Question is, I've never had a VZ before, and I'm wondering what can be told about it? The previous owner told me "Czechpoint offered the 'Military Classic' version for a short time. Rather than the poly or fiberglass impregnated wood stock, it has real beachwood as found on the origional Czech VZ 58s."

The receiver is marked...

D-TECHNIK A.S.
CZECH REPUBLIC
Waffen Werks
Knoxville, TN

Any info is greatly appreciated! Thanks





















Now here's where the gun really excels over an AK variant, in my opinion... disassembly, very low number of parts, simple function, light weight, and a milled receiever that weighs less than a stamped AK!!

The upper hand guard, and rear dust cover, are both held in place by push pins, which push out, and the parts come off. Here's the upper hand guard/heat shield...




Here is the the piston, which travels rearward about a little over an inch, and comes right out with its spring...


The rear dust cover comes off in the same fashon...




The bolt carrier assembly slides to the rear and comes out, then seperates into 4 individual parts...


Here's an overview of all the parts. Notice how the piston and bolt carrier assemblies are simpler and far less bulky than an AK? The short stroke design makes quite a difference in recoil, not having all that mass slamming back and forth with each shot.

[RUSKI]

Pardon my ignorance but what are the advantages of a VZ 58 over a well made AK in the same cal?
Not to knock your purchase she looks like a fine rifle, and I hope you keep us posted about her.
Congrats

[deadlyfire]

I can't be very informative on the matter but I really gotta say that's a great looking rifle! Shot the VZ only once and it was very fun, I hope you enjoy it.

[tony413]

the VZ58 is a striker fired rifle unlike the AK
the VZ58 action assembly is also different that top part where the bolt handle is reciprocates unlike the AK which is just stationary. to me personally i find that make it easier to clear malfunctions. the magazine well and safety selection areas are also different. the barrels muzzle break/comp threads are also reversed but they are the same thread pitch. the sights also different on the VZ58 as well good luck finding new ones as they are almost none existant. i also have not ran a red dot on a VZ58 so i cant answer any cowitness questions sorry.

[misanthropist]

Northeastern Arms makes sights for the VZ...they may be available through Troy.

I can't remember if their tritium fronts and rears have been released to the public yet or not, though.

Generally speaking, the VZ is lighter and, I believe, more accurate on average than an AK, which I believe to be related to the very rigid, milled receiver. The ejection port is the upper half of the receiver and the extraction is what I would call "insistent" - stuck cartridges will have their rims ripped off before the extractor lets go - so FTEs are...unusual. The safety is placed where human users can actually make use of it.

If it weren't for the extreme frequency with which the AK appears in the US and worldwide (other than in my country), I'd recommend the VZ to people who were looking for an x39 rifle. I think that is the only downside: it's nowhere near as common so parts are probably harder for you guys to track down. Not so up here, where the AK has been a prohibited rifle for a long time, and the VZ has effectively taken its place as a cheap, reliable defensive rifle. But I would guess that is a semi-unique situation. I assume similar conditions exist in, say, Czech, and probably Slovakia. The rest of the world...maybe not.

But they are good rifles. A T1 will cowitness if mounted on a Northeastern Arms/TROY battlerail, which is a hell of a good setup and run by all kinds of handsome internet personalities.



OH and by the way...beautiful rifle there.

[YFZsandrider]

For those that need a crash course in VZ 101... there's a sticky at the top of the subforum.

I was kinda hoping to get any info anyone has about this particular rifle. Thanks

[TOrrock]

Nice looking piece.

The Czechpoints/CZ-USA/D-Technics are the only factory Czech rifles to be imported and sold in the US. They are the ones to go with.

Yours has a very nice/unissued early stock set. The Czechs did use a beech wood set early on before switching to a bakelite set.

[YFZsandrider]

Nice looking piece.

The Czechpoints/CZ-USA/D-Technics are the only factory Czech rifles to be imported and sold in the US. They are the ones to go with.

Yours has a very nice/unissued early stock set. The Czechs did use a beech wood set early on before switching to a bakelite set.

Is it likely that this is an early VZ-58?

[TOrrock]

Is it likely that this is an early VZ-58?

Not really. These rifles are purpose built for US consumption and haven't been imported until relatively recently. The stock set could very likely be from the late 50's/early 60's that has been sitting in storage all these years.

[YFZsandrider]

The previous owner made it sound like Czechpoint was able to get enough of these funiture sets in, that they could offer a run of them. Any idea if they have done anything prior or since. For reference, he said he bought it from Czechpoint 3 years ago, and paid $900 for it... not sure if that included sales tax and FFL fees, or if Czechpoint charged more for them than they do currently...