Machine guns introduction
Austria
 Steyr-Solothurn MG 30
 Steyr AUG /Hbar
Belgium
 FN Minimi
 FN MAG
 FN BRG-15
China, People's Republic
 Type 67 GPMG
 Type 88 GPMG
 Type 95 LMG
 Type 77 HMG
 Type 85 HMG
 W-85 HMG
 Type 89 HMG new
 Type 02 / QJG 02 HMG
Czech Republic
 ZB 26
 ZB 53 / Vz.37
 type 52 & 52/57
 type 58 (UK vz.58)
Denmark
 Madsen LMG
 Madsen-Saetter
Finland
 Valmet KvKK 62
France
 MAC M1924/29
 AAT Mod.52
Germany
 MG 08, MG 08/15, MG 08/18
 MG 13
 MG 34
 MG 42 and MG 3
 HK 21 and 23
 HK MG 4
Great Britain
 Vickers Mk.I
 Lewis
 Bren
 L86A1 SA-80 LSW
Israel
 Negev
Japan
 Type 96 & Type 99
 Type 62
Russia / USSR
 Maxim M1910/30
 Degtyarov DP DPM RP-46
 Degtyarov DS-39
 Degtyarov RPD
 Kalashnikov RPK
 Kalashnikov RPK-74
 Gorjunov SG-43 SGM
 Kalashnikov PK / PKM
 Pecheneg
 DShK DShKM 12.7
 NSV 12,7 'Utes'
 Kord 12,7
 KPV 14,5
Singapore
 STK Ultimax 100
 CIS .50 MG
South Africa
 Vector SS-77 / Mini-SS
South Korea
 Daewoo K3
Spain
 CETME Ameli
Switzerland
 Steyr-Solothurn MG 30
 SIG MG 50
 W+F MG 51
 SIG MG 710
USA
 Lewis
 Browning M1917 M1919
 Browning M1918 BAR
 Johnson M1941 M1944
 M60
 M16 LSW / LMG
 M134 Minigun new
 XM214 Microgun new
 Stoner 63
 M249 SAW
 M240
 Mk.48 mod.0
 Browning M2HB .50 cal
 XM312 .50 cal
 LW50MG new

 Gatling, Minigun, Vulcan

all texts and some pictures
copyright © 1999-2008
by Max R. Popenker
and can not be used without author permission

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type 52 and 52/57 (vz.52 and vz. 52/57) (Czechoslovakia)

Caliber: vz.52 - 7.62x45mm Czhech; vz.52/57 - 7.62x39mm Soviet
Weigth: 8.0 kg withouth belt or magazine
Length: 1045 mm
Length of barrel: 583 mm
Feeding: belt, 50 rounds or box magazine, 25 rounds
Rate of fire: ca. 900 rounds/min with belt; ca 1150 rounds/min with magazine

The Czech machine guns type 52 and type 52/57 (local designations vz.52 and vz.52/57, respectively) trace their anchestry to famous Czech ZB-26 machine gun of the pre-WW2 period. vz.52 and vz.52/57 machine guns are similar except for ammunition used. Due to their properties, these guns can fall in both light and medium (universal) machine gun categories - they use intermediate cartridges and integral bipods, and light enough to be classified as light ones, but, on the other hand, quickly interchangeable barrels and belt feeds made these guns more universal than others. Both vz.52 and vz.52/57 seen service with Czechoslovak Army and both were replaced in 1960s by universal MG UK vz. 59 (type 59).

vz. 52 is a gas operated, selective fire, belt or magazine fed machine gun. It features underballer gas cylinder that operates the bolt carrier with tipping bolt. Feed system is so designed that it can take metallic belts or box magazaines interchangeably and withouth any modifications (vz.52 was one of the first of MGs with such feature). Box magazines are inserted from the top, and magazine port has a dust cover to protect the feed unit from elements when using belt feed. It should be noted that due to additional power required to tractor the belt, rate of fire with belt is lower than the rate of fire with magazine feeding. The barrel is quickly interchangeable. vz.52 has a fire selector built into the trigger group - the dual trigger rocks around its center and the pull on the lower part of the trigger produced single shots, while pull on the upper part of the trigger produced full-auto fire.

It should be noted that original Czech cartridge, 7.62x45mm, was a little better in the terms of ballistics and effective range, that 7.62x39mm Soviet, and, thus, better suited for light machine guns, but unification across the Warshaw Pact caused Czechs to abandon their developments in the favour of the Soviet-compatible ones (similar situation was encounterd in the early 1950s, when USA pushed its 7.62x51mm cartrdidge down the throat of all NATO countries, when much better cartridges were available, i.e. .280 FN).