ZK-383
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Barrel
- 325 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.25 kg
- Introduced
- 1938
About
What it is, and why it matters
The ZK-383 was a Czechoslovak submachine gun designed by the Koucký brothers and built at Zbrojovka Brno. Unusual among submachine guns, it was conceived as a hybrid light-support weapon, with an integral folding bipod, a quick-change barrel, rifle-type long-range sights, and a removable bolt weight that let the user field-adjust the cyclic rate between a controllable ~450-500 rpm and a faster ~700-750 rpm. It fed from a left-side box magazine and saw its largest service with Bulgaria and the Waffen-SS, production continuing through the German occupation.
The ZK-383's cyclic rate could be changed in the field simply by removing a small weight from the bolt, letting a single weapon switch between deliberate supporting fire and a high-rate close assault role.
Sources differ on rate of fire (single 700 rpm vs adjustable dual rate) and production total (~20,000 vs up to ~35,000 across variants); the adjustable dual rate is the gun's signature feature.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Zbrojovka Brno
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Country
- Czechoslovakia
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1938 to 1948
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 325 mm
- Overall length
- 875 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.25 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 4.83 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Blowback
- 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
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 457 m/s
- Effective range
- 250 m
- Rate of fire
- 500 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.
Open bolt
Quick detach barrel- Removable bolt weight
- Adjustable rate of fire
Folding bipod
Left side magazine feed
Rifle type adjustable sights
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 | 4.25 kg | 3.18 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 200 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 875 mm | 723 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 202 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 325 mm | 213 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 204 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 30 | 32 | Holds fewer rounds than about 70% |
Answers
Questions about the ZK-383
How much does the ZK-383 weigh?
The ZK-383 weighs 4.25 kg (9.37 lb) empty and 4.83 kg (10.65 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the ZK-383?
The ZK-383 is chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum.
How many rounds does the ZK-383 hold?
The ZK-383 holds 30 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the ZK-383?
The ZK-383 is 875 mm (34.4 in) long overall, with a 325 mm (12.8 in) barrel.
Who makes the ZK-383?
The ZK-383 is made by Zbrojovka Brno (Czechia). It was designed by Josef and Frantisek Koucky.
When was the ZK-383 introduced?
The ZK-383 was introduced in 1938 and discontinued in 1948.
How does the ZK-383 operate?
The ZK-383 uses a blowback 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
- Bulgarian Army
- 1940
- Waffen-SS
- 1939
- Czechoslovak Army
- 1938
Provenance
Confidence in this record
74%
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/zk-383' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "zk-383", "name": "ZK-383", "manufacturer": { "id": "zbrojovka-brno", "name": "Zbrojovka Brno", "countryCode": "CZ", "foundedYear": 1918, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-05-04 12:38:54", "updatedAt": "2026-05-04 12:38:54", "version": "c45cfe9ed570296fea2ff63542c2880491f916f83b0234c2eb2aa9fbf313e4c8" }, "category": { "id": "submachine-gun", "name": "Submachine Gun", "description": "Automatic firearms chambered in pistol calibers" }, "country_of_origin": "CS", "year_introduced": 1938, "barrel_length_mm": 325, "weight_empty_g": 4250, "action_type": "blowback"}