Vz. 52 rifle
| vz. 52 and vz. 52/57 | |
|---|---|
Vz. 52 from the Swedish Army Museum. | |
| Type | Semi-automatic rifle |
| Place of origin | Czechoslovak Republic |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1952–1959 (Czechoslovakia) |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | 1958 Lebanon Crisis Vietnam War Laotian Civil War Bay of Pigs Invasion Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation Rhodesian Bush War South African Border War Nigerian Civil War Yom Kippur War Lebanese Civil War Invasion of Grenada Iraq War Kivu conflict Syrian Civil War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Jan and Jaroslav Kratochvíl |
| Designed | 1951–1952 |
| Manufacturer | Považské strojárne, Česká zbrojovka |
| Produced | 1952–1959 |
| No. built | ~ 1 Million |
| Variants | vz. 52/57 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 4.14 kg (9.13 lb) (vz. 52) 4.30 kg (9.5 lb) (vz. 52/57) |
| Length | 1,005 mm (39.6 in) 1,205 mm (47.4 in) with bayonet deployed |
| Barrel length | 520 mm (20.5 in) |
| Cartridge | 7.62×45mm (vz. 52) 7.62×39mm (vz. 52/57) |
| Action | Gas-operated, tilting breechblock |
| Rate of fire | 25 rounds/min (practical) |
| Muzzle velocity | 760 m/s (2,493 ft/s) (vz. 52) 735 m/s (2,411.4 ft/s) (vz. 52/57) |
| Effective firing range | 650 m (vz. 52) 400 m (vz. 52/57) |
| Maximum firing range | 2,000 m (vz. 52/57) |
| Feed system | Clip-fed, staggered-column, 10-round detachable box magazine |
| Sights | Open 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. 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.