VZ-58

Wow, it seems for once I get something cool for better prices than you guys overseas:p Original VZ58 and FSN01 rifles go for 300-350€ over here...

But to answer you question, they are really good carbines. They handle very nicely, due to their compact size, weight and ergonomics. I like the fact that the bolt stays open after the last round and removing the magazine, unlike the AK. The safety is also easy to manipulate without changing your grip too much. Supposedly they are a little more accurate than AKs, but I haven't compared them side by side myself, so I can't attest to that claim. Accessories are cheap and easy to find (lots of choices for you guys in the States).

The only thing I really don't like about the rifle (the para version) is the fact that the stock (if you can call that little piece of wire a stock :barf:) is so damn short and feels rather fragile. I hit myself in the face with the rear of the rifle if I take a normal shooting position and like I said, it seem to me that it's not very durable.

Since I was planning equip the carbine with FAB parts (stock, handguard, pistolgrip) anyway I didn't care about that though when I bought it.
 
Thanks for the reply...i want to get the one with the wood stock, so i wouldn't have the issue you speak of. How easy is it to disassemble? Is it similar to an AK?
 
Very easy, but not exactly the same as with an AK. I'm sure you can find many instructional videos on how to do it on Youtube.
 
I've pawed a couple at some local gun stores. They seem very nicely made, although I'm split on whether it's better to get a new Czechpoint build with plastic internals versus a Century build with the original metal (but used) internals. If I didn't already own an SKS that is very solid and accurate, I would get one, but I can't justify a second carbine that is functionally identical on my budget.
 
They're cool guns, but for the price of ones sold by Czech-point, they don't really offer enough advantages over an AK. Accuracy wise, they are about the same. The milled receiver is a big deal to some, too. They are indeed impressively lightweight.

Downsides compared to the AK are... they don't have an actual gas tube... so all that nasty stuff escapes from between the upper and lower handguard and gets all over your hand (to a very visible extent) after a good deal of shooting. They seem to heat up faster than an AK. The mag release is accessible from only the left side of the gun, the AK mag release is fully accessible to either hand. Perhaps most serious is I don't know how able to is to withstand various loads of 7.62x39. Mine seems to shoot 100% with the all of the Wolf, Bear, Golden Tiger, etc... but only a couple of mags of the Yugo M67 load, the piston spring gets smashed to pieces. My Saiga and WASR 10/63 have fired hundreds of rounds of the Yugo ammo without any harm.
 
Curious Question???

I really love the Vz. 58 rifle. It is fairly light and handles well and seems to have improved on many of the small flaws of the Kalashnikov (AK-47/AKM/AK-74 etc.). The question I was wanting to bring up is if anyone has ever considered doing a caliber conversion on the rifle. I know that Alliance Armament does a .460 Alliance conversion (based on the .458 SOCOM) for the AK-47 and that Tony Rumore at Tromix made a .458 SOCOM AK-47 as his personal hunting weapon back when he was making .458 SOCOM AR-15 upper receivers. Since the Vz. 58 fires the 7.62 X 39mm round and the the .458 SOCOM used the same size bolt it would be interesting to see a rifle in the hard hitting round. Also, Since the 6.5 Grendel is based on the 6mm PPC which was originally based on the 7.62 X 39mm it would be interesting to see what kind of a rifle that combination would turn into. I already own one Vz. 58 and am considering getting another when I get back from Afghanistan in a few months in order to try making a rifle in .458 SOCOM. I am not sure who I should attempt to go with as a barrel maker and where to find .458 SOCOM head spacing gauges. I went to a two week Armorer school in Korea several years back and that started my interest in gunsmithing/tinkering/building/modifying weapons to personal interest and experimentation. I have built an AK-47 from a parts kit and Nodak Spud receiver in the past but have never built a Vz. 58 before. At the very least, it will give me something to do while I wait for four months to got to Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) school!
 
I have shot both the AK-74 and Vz-58(sold by CZ-USA) many times. The VZ comes off feeling much more compact and lighter. The AK may be more reliable, and is certainly more popular. The CZ is noticeably more accurate than AK. I really like the VZ a lot. I have put Brown Bear, and Wolf through the VZ and it has performed well with both. I think they are certainly worth the money.
 
I've got an Sa. VZ-58 from Czechpoint USA. I opted for the Beech wood upgrade. And it's a beaut. Shoots nicely too. I'm amazed by how light and maneuverable it is. And I haven't run across any ammo it won't feed yet. Only thing I plan to do with it is swap out the rear slider with the peep sight they sell in their online store. Other than that, I'll agree with others that it's worth the money. Comparisons to the AK-47 are inevitable, but they really are two different beasts who happen to share caliber and looks.
 
I didn't buy one

I was jonzing for a vz-2008 as well. I found a local shop and got my hands on one and was, whelmed. Not overwhelmed, not under whelmed, just whelmed. They are light, compact, sturdy. The fit was fine. The folding stock was rock solid. The finish left a little to be desired which doesn't bother me since I like to actually use my guns. I like the mechanics of the bolt/piston. I am not a fan of the sights (that is fixable with aftermarket items,though).
I think that "truck gun" is a good summary. It's a reliable, military-grade rifle.

I bought a 7.62AK upper instead. My choice was purely economical. I had the lower lying around and the money was about equal. Seemed like I could buy the upper instead of buying the VZ and another upper later.

I'm not disappointed; I probably wouldn't have been disappointed if I had bought the VZ2008.

Just my story.
 
The VZ58 is reliable, light, battle rifle accurate and fun to shoot. I've yet to find any Russian ammo it doesn't like and definitely get a Czechpoint gun. They did all of the work on CZ USAs VZ58s from what I understand. I own one of the CZ military sporters and I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Czechpoint. After owning a VZ58 I wouldn't even consider going to an AK.
 
After owning a VZ58 I wouldn't even consider going to an AK.

You might if you try firing the Yugo 7.62x39 load and then the piston spring gets smashed into pieces.

On my first Vz I had to change the spring out twice. They're not expensive but Czech-Point charges $8 for shipping. Why a spring costs so much to ship I'll never know. But literally a mag or two of the Yugo M67 load, and you'll likely be picking out pieces of the piston spring when you take down the gun for cleaning. Not even gonna try shooting that stuff in my newer, nicer Vz.

Since we all like pics:

_IGP3529.jpg
 
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The VZ's I've handled feel nice but I don't like that it will not accept AK mags. You might want to take a look at the Arsenal SLR or SGL.
 
I just bought a vz2008 from J&G and had to weigh in here. I would never argue that buying a "real" VZ 58 is a mistake. However, I do think it's a mistake to turn your nose up at the vz2008 without looking at it, and I see far too many posts on various forums recommending just that. Century's questionable reputation is all over the internet; I've never owned anything from Century before, so I have no first hand basis to confirm or refute that information. However, when checking into the VZ2008 I noticed that most of the first hand reviews were positive, and I live just a short jaunt from J&G, so when they dropped the price of the fixed-stock version to $429, I paid J&G a visit to check one out for myself.

I've only once, and very briefly, handled a czech VZ (and never shot it), so I have next to no basis for comparison, but the Century VZ2008 seemed well made, finish looked good, everything fit well including no wiggle on the mag when it snapped in. The bore looked clean, and while not a mirror finish, shiny and smooth. I saw nothing to quibble with. I was leaning toward the fixed wood stock rather than the bakelite, because I like to tinker, and I thought I might want to stain it and spruce it up a bit. The wood was obviously used, but in good shape. After discussing J&G's 30-day return policy (which allowed me to do a function check) I bought it.

Got it home, tore it apart, and was equally satisfied upon inspection of the innards. All parts, surplus included, in good shape and clean. Again, I like to tinker, so I found the simple and different-from-AK mechanisms fascinating, especially the short stroke piston mechanism that's independent of the bolt carrier. Tear-down was very simple. Cleaned/lubed, slapped it back together, and today headed for the range.

Even before I got to the range, the VZ2008 had one unfair strike going against it. These were, I think, something like $600 or so a year ago, and I felt like I got a very good deal when the price dropped to $429. However, two days after I bought it last weekend, J&G lowered the price to $359. Of course, I can't hold that against the gun - not fairly, anyway - but there's that little cheapskate voice in my head that looks at the VZ2008 and says "you'd better be good, you SOB; I already paid $70 more for you than I should have!". Such is life; I got the deal of the day, somebody else will get the deal of the century (no pun intended).

So I load it up, 20 rounds at a time. First 20 - about every third, maybe fourth round, didn't eject right. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I'm hoping this is just a break in thing, that the bolt isn't sliding smoothly and all the way back to where the ejector kicks out the round. The comments about Century's reputation begin to come back to me . . . .

I check the action, cycle it a few times, inspect it closely like I know what I'm doing (a clever ruse), and load up another 20 (30 round mag, but boxes of 20, so I load box at a time) - just like that, smooth shooting, nary a hiccup this time. A third 20 - no problems. So far this has been the Walmart Winchester white box ammo. I switch to some imported steel-cased stuff, Russian I presume but the box only says "imported by"; got it at Sportsman's Warehouse. Smooth shooting again, 20, 40, 60, 80 rounds, not a single glitch. I finish out the Winchester, again no problems. I finish off with a box of American Eagle brass-cased stuff, and 2 rounds didn't want to chamber; compared to the initial glitches, this seemed like an ammo thing - maybe not an ammo problem, but perhaps one of those "ammo picky" issues with a gun. Other than those 2 rounds that didn't want to chamber all the way, the VZ2008 ate the remainder of the American Eagle without a hitch. I think my initial problems may have been a break-in issue.

The VZ2008 shot straight. Started at 25 yards just to get it on the paper. It shot straight on but just a bit high. Moved out to 50; still straight on, but a bit higher (at 50 yards, 6-8 inches high). I didn't want to adjust the sights because I want to sight it in at 100, and I ran out of ammo before moving out that far. Grouping is acceptable, can't judge beyond that. I don't shoot centerfire much, and I was using the iron sights, offhand, and usually standing, but at 25 yards all shots (as in, about 50 or so per target) were easily inside the 8-inch targets I was using; and most shots were at 50 yards. Given my marginal skills, offhand shooting, and iron sights, those results tell me this rifle shoots more than straight enough for me. Eventually I'll get some accessory that lets me try it with some optics, I'll rest it, and see what it will really do, but for me, a milsurp isn't about benchresting anyway; today's results tell me it's a keeper.

Again, I have to defer to others on Century's reputation, and maybe the CZ version is better, but at $359, I think the VZ2008 is a deal. Sometimes I want the best, and I won't quibble here with those who do. Other times, "good enough" is good enough for me, and for my purposes, the VZ 2008 is more than good enough. I recommend that before you spend your hard-earned dollars on any VZ, if you can access a VZ2008 to check it out in person, give it a look.
 
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