Zastava M72
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Barrel
- 542 mm
- Weight, empty
- 5.00 kg
- Introduced
- 1973
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Zastava M72 is a Yugoslav squad automatic machine gun chambered in 7.62x39mm, developed by Zastava Arms and adopted in 1973. Patterned on the Soviet RPK, it is a gas-operated, long-stroke piston design with a rotating bolt and a heavy, chrome-lined finned barrel for sustained fire. Fed from 30- or 40-round box magazines or a 75-round drum and fitted with a folding bipod, it provides squad- and platoon-level suppressive fire and remains in production in Serbia.
The M72 was Yugoslavia's domestic answer to the Soviet RPK, giving each infantry squad a magazine-fed automatic weapon sharing ammunition and much of its manual of arms with the M70 rifle.
Based on the AK/RPK pattern. The early M72 used a milled receiver; the later M72B1 adopted a stamped receiver and became the most common variant. Iraq produced a licensed copy designated Al Quds.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Zastava Arms
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Country
- Serbia
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 1973
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 542 mm
- Overall length
- 1025 mm
- Weight, empty
- 5.00 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- 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
- 745 m/s
- Effective range
- 600 m
- Rate of fire
- 620 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.
Long stroke gas piston
Rotating bolt
Chrome lined barrel
Heavy finned barrel
Folding bipod
Tangent rear sight
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 261 machine guns | 5.00 kg | 10.50 kg | Lighter than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 260 machine guns | 1025 mm | 1156 mm | Shorter than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 257 machine guns | 542 mm | 605 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 222 machine guns | 30 | 50 | Holds fewer rounds than about 60% |
Answers
Questions about the Zastava M72
How much does the Zastava M72 weigh?
The Zastava M72 weighs 5.00 kg (11.02 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Zastava M72?
The Zastava M72 is chambered in 7.62x39mm.
How many rounds does the Zastava M72 hold?
The Zastava M72 holds 30 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Zastava M72?
The Zastava M72 is 1025 mm (40.4 in) long overall, with a 542 mm (21.3 in) barrel.
Who makes the Zastava M72?
The Zastava M72 is made by Zastava Arms (Serbia). It was designed by Zastava Arms.
When was the Zastava M72 introduced?
The Zastava M72 was introduced in 1973.
How does the Zastava M72 operate?
The Zastava M72 uses a gas operated 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
- Yugoslav People's Army
- 1973
- Serbian Armed Forces
- Serbia
- Iraqi Armed Forces
- 1978
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
Stockists
Where to buy
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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/zastava-m72' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "zastava-m72", "name": "Zastava M72", "manufacturer": { "id": "zastava", "name": "Zastava Arms", "countryCode": "RS", "foundedYear": 1853, "website": "https://www.zastava-arms.rs", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:48", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:48", "version": "1280b11f95e216b0481865c8371fa30b9f7a5b33a8167e7b5ba6166da29d4149" }, "category": { "id": "machine-gun", "name": "Machine Gun", "description": "Fully automatic firearms for sustained fire" }, "country_of_origin": "RS", "year_introduced": 1973, "barrel_length_mm": 542, "weight_empty_g": 5000, "action_type": "gas_operated"}