The Czechs have a long history of excellent arms design dating well before the First World War. Fast forward to depths of the Cold War in the 1950s, and Czechoslovakia was a member of the Warsaw Pact and in need of a new fighting rifle. They, like other members of the Pact, might have adopted some variant of the AK-47. Instead of caving to their Soviet minders, the Czechs developed the vz 58, otherwise known as the CZ 58. Like the AK, it chambers the 7.62x39mm cartridge. If you don’t squint, the vz 58 looks like an AK. But it is nothing of the sort. Follow along as we explore the history of the vz 58 rifle and how it came to be known in the United States as the anti-AK.
Afghan National Army soldiers practice their fundamentals on their vz 58 rifles in the 2000s.
The CZ 58 in Context
Czechoslovakia fell under the Soviet sphere of influence after the end of the Second World War and a friendly Communist regime was established in 1948. The following year, the Western democracies formed NATO to counter Soviet expansion. After West Germany rearmed in 1955, the Soviets responded by drawing her puppet nations into the Warsaw Pact.
The Czechs have a long tradition with arming themselves with weapons of their own design. While other nations like Poland and Bulgaria opted to use Soviet designed SKS rifles and Tokarev pistols, the Czechs used their vz 52 pistol chambered in the same 7.62 Tokarev round, but their rifle of choice, the originally named vz 52. That semi-auto rifle chambered in the unique 7.62x45mm round. The Soviets insisted on total uniformity around their 7.62×39 round used in the SKS and the new AK assault rifle.
Instead of adopting the AK, the Czechs developed the vz 58 instead. The Czechs would field the vz 58 long after the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe. The rifle remained in service until 2011 and, until the end of the Cold War, was a popular export item to friendly regimes worldwide.
Where to Find a VZ 58 For Sale
An Intrepid Czech Design
The vz 58 looks visually similar to the AK-series of rifles. The monolithic receiver, exposed gas piston housing over the barrel, and a two-piece handguard and buttstock suggests the AK’s influence. But outside of being a select-fire rifle that takes the same 7.62×39 round from thirty-round detachable magazines, it is wholly different. The original AK-47 had a stamped steel receiver. The vz 58’s receiver is milled from one solid piece, yet it is lighter than a stamped AK, coming in at less than seven pounds.
The wooden furniture on the vz 58 is, in fact, plastic impregnated. The vz 58’s safety and selector switch is activated is on the right side of the rifle and can be activated by the trigger finger, much like the modern Slovakian Stribog submachine gun. The AK’s selector switch doubles as a dustcover over the exposed receiver and requires a break from the pistol grip in order to operate. The vz 58 is also striker-fired and uses a falling block locking action as seen in the Walther P38 and later Beretta 92 series of pistols. While both rifles use a gas piston to run the action, the vz 58 has a shorter piston stroke, which enables the gun to achieve a higher rate of fire.
As these differences would suggest, there are no parts interchangeability between the AK and the vz. 58. On the whole, the vz. 58 is a lighter rifle with a theoretically higher rate of fire. The milled receiver also lends itself to greater accuracy over the AK, whose stamped receiver tends to flex under fire. Now that the Iron Curtain has come down and rifle part kits came into the United States, the vz. 58 became the answer to those who are frustrated by the ergonomic and accuracy shortcomings of the more popular AK.
A Czech Point vz 58 with polymer furniture. [Czech Point USA]
The CZ 58 in the States
The vz 58 is a rare hen among the foreign and homegrown AKs available on the US market today. Until 2012, CZ-USA imported a semi-auto version of the military rifle with classic furniture. Currently, the vz 58 is manufactured in the Czech Republic by Czech Small Arms and imported by Czech Point USA. The military sporter model is available in addition to a version with a polymer buttstock and handguard. In addition, a polymer furniture version is available with an M4 style buffer-tube to attach some AR accessories. This model is also available in 5.56 NATO for those who don’t fancy the ComBloc round. Although these options are few compared to the AK options out there, there are good reasons that the vz 58 lineup has expanded rather than falling into obscurity.
For an in-depth range report on the vz. 58, check out Robb Manning’s field test at Gun Digest.
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