BA-52
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Barrel
- 229 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.17 kg
- Introduced
- 1952
About
What it is, and why it matters
The BA-52 is a Burmese 9x19mm blowback submachine gun, the first locally manufactured small arm produced by the state's Directorate of Defence Industries. It is a licensed copy of the Italian TZ-45, firing from an open bolt with selective semi- and full-automatic fire and feeding from Beretta Model 38-pattern box magazines. Also known as the 'Ne Win Sten', it entered production around 1952 and served the Tatmadaw for decades, remaining in support-troop use into the early 1990s.
The BA-52 was Burma's very first home-built firearm, a straight copy of the Italian TZ-45 nicknamed the 'Ne Win Sten' after strongman Ne Win. Its Italian parent was among the earliest submachine guns to feature a grip safety, a quirk faithfully reproduced in the Burmese version.
Direct copy of the Italian TZ-45 submachine gun designed by Tonon and Aldo Zorzoli. Muzzle velocity and energy are estimated from the 9x19mm chambering and the copied TZ-45 barrel; BA-52-specific figures are sparsely documented.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Directorate of Defence Industries
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Country
- Myanmar (Burma)
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1952
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 229 mm
- Overall length
- 845 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.17 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Blowback
- Firing mechanism
- Open bolt
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 40
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Finish
- Phosphate
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 381 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 540 J
- Effective range
- 100 m
- Maximum range
- 200 m
- Rate of fire
- 550 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Grip activated safety lever
Top folding stock
Beretta model 38 compatible magazines
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 201 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 3.17 kg | 3.18 kg | Near the median |
| Overall lengthAmong 200 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 845 mm | 723 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 202 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 229 mm | 213 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 204 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 40 | 32 | Holds more rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the BA-52
How much does the BA-52 weigh?
The BA-52 weighs 3.17 kg (7.00 lb) empty.
What caliber is the BA-52?
The BA-52 is chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum.
How many rounds does the BA-52 hold?
The BA-52 holds 40 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the BA-52?
The BA-52 is 845 mm (33.3 in) long overall, with a 229 mm (9.02 in) barrel.
Who makes the BA-52?
The BA-52 is made by Directorate of Defence Industries (Myanmar (Burma)). It was designed by Aldo Zorzoli.
When was the BA-52 introduced?
The BA-52 was introduced in 1952.
How does the BA-52 operate?
The BA-52 uses a blowback action, and its firing mechanism is open bolt.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw)
- 1952
Provenance
Confidence in this record
62%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/ba-52' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "ba-52", "name": "BA-52", "manufacturer": { "id": "directorate-of-defence-industries", "name": "Directorate of Defence Industries", "countryCode": "MM", "foundedYear": 1958, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-04-05 22:24:37", "updatedAt": "2026-04-05 22:24:37", "version": "c1e2f9a3fc2a35a304f3995d8f83f36a1ca4b8858fe4fae64355cb0ac4834f6a" }, "category": { "id": "submachine-gun", "name": "Submachine Gun", "description": "Automatic firearms chambered in pistol calibers" }, "country_of_origin": "MM", "year_introduced": 1952, "barrel_length_mm": 229, "weight_empty_g": 3175, "action_type": "blowback"}