Sa vz. 58
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Barrel
- 390 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.10 kg
- Introduced
- 1959
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Sa vz. 58 is a Czechoslovak select-fire assault rifle chambered in 7.62x39mm, adopted in 1959 to replace the vz. 52 and vz. 24. Despite its strong external resemblance to the Soviet AK-47, it shares no parts with the Kalashnikov: it uses a short-stroke gas piston with a tilting breechblock locking system (mechanically closer to the Walther P38 and Czech ZB-26), is striker-fired rather than hammer-fired, and uses an entirely different (non-interchangeable) magazine. Roughly 920,000 were produced through 1984.
Despite being often mistaken for an AK-47, the vz. 58 was a wholly indigenous design developed by Jiri Cermak under the codename 'Broom' as a deliberate national alternative to Soviet weapons. Czechoslovakia's strong arms industry meant they never adopted Kalashnikov pattern rifles, and the vz. 58 is widely regarded as lighter, faster-cycling, and more accurate than the AK-47.
Originally developed under the codename 'KOSTE' (Broom). Magazine bodies are made of an aluminum alloy, contributing to the rifle's lighter weight compared to the AK-47. Bolt hold-open on empty mag is a feature absent on most Kalashnikov pattern rifles.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Česká zbrojovka
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Country
- Czechia
- Status
- In service
- Produced
- 1959 to 1984
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 390 mm
- Overall length
- 845 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.10 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 3.60 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated short stroke
- Firing mechanism
- Striker fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 30
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Phosphate
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 705 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 1990 J
- Effective range
- 400 m
- Maximum range
- 2800 m
- Rate of fire
- 800 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.
Tilting breech block
Striker fired no hammer
Bolt hold open on empty
Compatible with bayonet
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 59 7.62x39mm assault rifles | 3.10 kg | 3.60 kg | Lighter than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 58 7.62x39mm assault rifles | 845 mm | 880 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 57 7.62x39mm assault rifles | 390 mm | 415 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 59 7.62x39mm assault rifles | 30 | 30 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the Sa vz. 58
How much does the Sa vz. 58 weigh?
The Sa vz. 58 weighs 3.10 kg (6.83 lb) empty and 3.60 kg (7.94 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the Sa vz. 58?
The Sa vz. 58 is chambered in 7.62x39mm.
How many rounds does the Sa vz. 58 hold?
The Sa vz. 58 holds 30 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Sa vz. 58?
The Sa vz. 58 is 845 mm (33.3 in) long overall, with a 390 mm (15.4 in) barrel.
Who makes the Sa vz. 58?
The Sa vz. 58 is made by Česká zbrojovka (Czechia). It was designed by Jiri Cermak.
When was the Sa vz. 58 introduced?
The Sa vz. 58 was introduced in 1959 and discontinued in 1984.
How does the Sa vz. 58 operate?
The Sa vz. 58 uses a gas operated short stroke action, and its firing mechanism is striker 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
- Czechoslovak People's Army
- 1959
- Army of the Czech Republic
- 1993
- Slovak Armed Forces
- 1993
- Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces
- Cuba
- Armed Forces of Ukraine
- 2022
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/cz-vz-58' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "cz-vz-58", "name": "Sa vz. 58", "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": 1959, "barrel_length_mm": 390, "weight_empty_g": 3100, "action_type": "gas_operated_short_stroke"}