Zastava M77 AB2
- Category
- Battle Rifle
- Barrel
- 500 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.80 kg
- Introduced
- 1977
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Zastava M77 AB2 is a Yugoslav select-fire battle rifle chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO, developed by Zastava Arms in the late 1970s. It applies the proven Kalashnikov long-stroke gas piston and rotating-bolt action of the AK family to the full-power 7.62 NATO cartridge, fed from a 20-round detachable box magazine. Conceived to give Yugoslav infantry a heavier-hitting automatic rifle compatible with Western ammunition, the M77 AB2 served in a squad automatic / battle-rifle role before the semi-automatic M77 B1 export pattern was derived from it.
Zastava bolted the full-power 7.62 NATO round onto an enlarged Kalashnikov action, giving Yugoslavia a rifle that could shoot captured or NATO-supplied ammunition with the rugged simplicity of an AK.
AB2 designates the original select-fire Yugoslav service variant; the later M77 B1 is the semi-automatic-only configuration aimed at export and civilian markets. The platform shares its lineage with the 7.62x39mm Zastava M70 and the 7.92x57mm M76 designated marksman rifle.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Zastava Arms
- Category
- Battle Rifle
- Country
- Serbia
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1977
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 500 mm
- Overall length
- 990 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.80 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated long stroke
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 20
- 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
- 840 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3344 J
- Effective range
- 600 m
- Maximum range
- 1000 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.
Ak pattern long stroke piston
Rotating bolt
Milled receiver- Battle caliber squad automatic
Rps 47 pattern magazine
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 86 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 4.80 kg | 4.30 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 85 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 990 mm | 1025 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 87 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 500 mm | 458 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 87 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 20 | 20 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the Zastava M77 AB2
How much does the Zastava M77 AB2 weigh?
The Zastava M77 AB2 weighs 4.80 kg (10.58 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Zastava M77 AB2?
The Zastava M77 AB2 is chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO.
How many rounds does the Zastava M77 AB2 hold?
The Zastava M77 AB2 holds 20 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Zastava M77 AB2?
The Zastava M77 AB2 is 990 mm (39.0 in) long overall, with a 500 mm (19.7 in) barrel.
Who makes the Zastava M77 AB2?
The Zastava M77 AB2 is made by Zastava Arms (Serbia).
When was the Zastava M77 AB2 introduced?
The Zastava M77 AB2 was introduced in 1977.
How does the Zastava M77 AB2 operate?
The Zastava M77 AB2 uses a gas operated long 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
- Yugoslav People's Army
- 1977
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/zastava-m77-ab2' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "zastava-m77-ab2", "name": "Zastava M77 AB2", "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": "battle-rifle", "name": "Battle Rifle", "description": "Selective-fire rifles chambered in full-power cartridges" }, "country_of_origin": "RS", "year_introduced": 1977, "barrel_length_mm": 500, "weight_empty_g": 4800, "action_type": "gas_operated_long_stroke"}