Vz. 58

vz. 58
vz. 58
	The vz. 58 P (with stock, pistol grip, and handguards; and sling).
Type	Assault rifle
Place of origin	Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
Service history
In service	1959–present
Used by	See Users
Wars	Vietnam War; Laotian Civil War; Cambodian Civil War; Nigerian Civil War; Communist rebellion in the Philippines; Cyprus conflicts; Lebanese Civil War; Cambodian-Vietnamese War; Kurdish–Turkish conflict (1978–present); The Troubles; South African Border War; Eritrean War of Independence; Gulf War; Burundian Civil War; Kosovo War; War in Afghanistan (2001–2021); Iraq War; Kivu Conflict; First Libyan Civil War; Syrian Civil War; War in Iraq (2013–2017); Russian invasion of Ukraine;
Production history
Designer	Jiří Čermák
Designed	1956–1958
Manufacturer	Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod
Produced	1959–1984
No. built	Approx. 920,000
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	2.91 kg (6.42 lb)
Length	vz. 58 P: 845 mm (33.3 in); vz. 58 V 845 mm (33.3 in) stock extended / 636 mm (25.0 in) stock folded; 1,000 mm (39.4 in) with bayonet fixed;
Barrel length	390 mm (15.4 in)
Width	57 mm (2.2 in) stock extended; 72 mm (2.8 in) stock folded;
Height	255 mm (10.0 in)
Cartridge	7.62×39mm
Action	Gas-operated, hinged locking piece assisted breechblock
Rate of fire	800 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	705 m/s (2,313 ft/s); Muzzle energy: 1988 J
Effective firing range	100–800 m sight adjustments
Maximum firing range	2,800 m
Feed system	Staggered 30-round detachable box magazine, weight 0.19 kg (0.42 lb) unloaded
Sights	Open-type iron sights with sliding rear tangent and shrouded front post; 353 mm (13.9 in) sight radius

The vz. 58 (or Sa vz. 58) is a 7.62×39mm assault rifle that was designed and manufactured in Czechoslovakia and accepted into service in the late 1950s as the 7,62 mm samopal vzor 58, replacing the vz. 52 self-loading rifle and the 7.62×25mm Tokarev Sa 24 and Sa 26 submachine guns.

While externally the vz. 58 resembles the Soviet AK-47, it is a different design based on a short-stroke gas piston. The only similarity it has with Kalashnikov rifles is the ammunition.