Vz. 58

The vz. 58 is a Czechoslovak assault rifle chambered in 7.62 by 39 millimeter, designed by chief engineer Jiri Cermak and manufactured by Ceska zbrojovka in Uhersky Brod, entering service in the late 1950s. Although it closely resembles the Soviet AK-47 in outward appearance, it uses a distinct short stroke gas piston operating system rather than the Kalashnikov long stroke design. It weighs 2.91 kilograms, fires at about 800 rounds per minute with a muzzle velocity of 705 meters per second, and roughly 920,000 were produced between 1959 and 1982. The rifle saw extensive combat use in the Vietnam War, the Lebanese Civil War and numerous African conflicts, and it remains in service in a number of countries including Slovakia and Ukraine, though many nations have begun replacing it with more modern rifles.