CZ 805 BREN
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Barrel
- 360 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.58 kg
- Introduced
- 2009
About
What it is, and why it matters
The CZ 805 BREN is a modular assault rifle developed by Ceska Zbrojovka, publicly introduced in 2009. It won the Czech military rifle competition to replace the aging Sa vz. 58, entering service with the Czech Armed Forces in 2011 as the standard-issue infantry rifle. The rifle operates on a short-stroke gas piston system with a rotating bolt, housed in an aluminum alloy upper receiver with a polymer lower. It features a four-position fire selector offering safe, semi-automatic, two-round burst, and full-automatic modes. The BREN is designed as a multi-caliber platform, capable of converting between 5.56x45mm NATO and 7.62x39mm by swapping the barrel, bolt, and magazine well adapter. The A1 variant features a 360mm barrel for the standard rifle role, while the A2 compact variant has a 277mm barrel. The rifle accepts STANAG-compatible magazines in 5.56mm configuration. Despite being a capable design, the CZ 805 BREN was criticized by Czech soldiers for excessive weight and poor ergonomics, leading to the development of the significantly improved CZ Bren 2 successor, which entered service from 2016.
The CZ 805 BREN made history as the rifle that finally retired the legendary Sa vz. 58 from Czech frontline service after over 50 years. But its own service life proved far shorter - Czech soldiers' complaints about its weight and ergonomics prompted CZ to develop the lighter Bren 2, which began replacing it after just five years. The BREN thus became the bridge between Czechoslovakia's Cold War arms heritage and the Czech Republic's modern NATO identity.
Weight figures vary by source: 3.58 kg (Army Recognition), 3.6 kg (Modern Firearms, Wikipedia). The 3.58 kg figure is used as it comes from the manufacturer-aligned source. The A2 compact variant weighs 3.39 kg with a 277mm barrel. Muzzle velocity of 920 m/s is from Wikipedia's CZ 805 BREN article; Army Recognition and Bratislava Shooting Club corroborate this figure. The rate of fire of 760 rpm is from Wikipedia. The CZ 805 BREN was the first Czech-designed NATO-standard service rifle, ending decades of 7.62x39mm use. Production was phased out around 2018 as CZ transitioned to the Bren 2. A civilian semi-automatic version, the S1, was sold in the US market. The name BREN is a nod to the famous WWII-era Bren light machine gun, which was itself manufactured at Brno (Br-) and Enfield (en).
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Česká zbrojovka
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Country
- Czechia
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 2009 to 2018
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 360 mm
- Overall length
- 915 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.58 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 4.10 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated short stroke
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 30
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Aluminum alloy
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- Matte black
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 920 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 1693 J
- Effective range
- 500 m
- Maximum range
- 3600 m
- Rate of fire
- 760 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.
Select fire- Two round burst
Ambidextrous controls
Folding stock
Adjustable stock
Multi caliber system
Short stroke gas piston
Rotating bolt
Chrome lined barrel
Cold hammer forged barrel
Picatinny rails
Stanag magazine compatible
Quick change barrel
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 158 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 3.58 kg | 3.60 kg | Near the median |
| Overall lengthAmong 156 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 915 mm | 920 mm | Near the median |
| Barrel lengthAmong 157 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 360 mm | 449 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 158 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 30 | 30 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the CZ 805 BREN
How much does the CZ 805 BREN weigh?
The CZ 805 BREN weighs 3.58 kg (7.89 lb) empty and 4.10 kg (9.04 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the CZ 805 BREN?
The CZ 805 BREN is chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO and 7.62x39mm.
How many rounds does the CZ 805 BREN hold?
The CZ 805 BREN holds 30 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the CZ 805 BREN?
The CZ 805 BREN is 915 mm (36.0 in) long overall, with a 360 mm (14.2 in) barrel.
Who makes the CZ 805 BREN?
The CZ 805 BREN is made by Česká zbrojovka (Czechia). It was designed by Ceska Zbrojovka design team.
When was the CZ 805 BREN introduced?
The CZ 805 BREN was introduced in 2009 and discontinued in 2018.
How does the CZ 805 BREN operate?
The CZ 805 BREN uses a gas operated short stroke action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
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
- Czech Armed Forces
- 2011
- Czech National Police
- 2012
- Indonesian Army Special Forces (Kopassus)
- Indonesia
- Mexican Marines (SEMAR)
- Mexico
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
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/ceska-zbrojovka-cz805-bren' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "ceska-zbrojovka-cz805-bren", "name": "CZ 805 BREN", "manufacturer": { "id": "cz", "name": "Česká zbrojovka", "countryCode": "CZ", "foundedYear": 1936, "website": "https://www.czfirearms.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": "Czech firearms manufacturer based in Uherský Brod, established in 1936 as a strategic armaments facility and became the main Czechoslovak producer of small firearms after World War II.", "status": "active", "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:43:46", "version": "3d31eca95fe86453b3e4ce39da89e68e7772f8583a0d304f8ec5873a2440ab13" }, "category": { "id": "assault-rifle", "name": "Assault Rifle", "description": "Selective-fire rifles chambered in intermediate cartridges" }, "country_of_origin": "CZ", "year_introduced": 2009, "barrel_length_mm": 360, "weight_empty_g": 3580, "action_type": "gas_operated_short_stroke"}