barnbwt
member
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2011
- Messages
- 7,340
First Impressions:
This rifle is fun incarnate. Whoops, getting ahead of myself
I first spied this rifle about two days after placing an order with Czechpoint. Up till that point I had never handled a VZ personally, I just knew that AKs didn't suit me (and seemed overpriced) and ARs had no souls . Sensing serendipity, I asked to handle the rifle, just to get a taste of what I was in for from Czechpoint (since this was also a folder).
First off, this VZ had a drum installed when I first saw it, which immediately lowered my opinion and made me feel like a tactifool just by touching it. But after shaking that off and assessing the rifle for what it was, I found it to be as handy as an M1 Carbine (also in the store) and miles ahead of the AKs in worksmanship. I'd already learned the features and controls in my research, so I had a lot of fun confirming the stuff I'd read online about the rifle. It really does break down faster than an AK, weighs less, and has great features like a magazine activated bolt hold open. While fiddling with the technical marvel, I asked the shop owner what he was asking for it, and commenced negotiations. At the end of the day, I bought the rifle for 820$ with 8 30-round magazines, the 75-round drum, 20 SKS stripper clips, and a sling. Considering the "new" gun from Czechpoint was 869$, and only had the two mags, cleaning kit, and sling, I opted for the local deal instead.
At home, I tore the rifle apart for a more thorough inspection. All internal parts were clean and looked near-new. Just some very minor peening on the bolt locking piece that absorbs all the recoil (no matching peening on the mating area of the reciever, though. I'll keep an eye on it). The shiny black paint finish was pretty much perfect except right at the ejection port where brass dings it. The black plastic furniture looked kinda cheap, but felt nice, especially the pistol grip. The folding stock is very solid, locks up tight, and is functionally comfortable. Disassembly for cleaning is a breeze with this gun. I had planned on only shooting non-corrosive through this, but I may rethink that now. After cleaning and oiling the action, I packed it up and waited to go the the range.
Range Performance:
After letting the rifle burn a hole in my safe all week, I finally went to the range today. Since I never trust a new gun to not go frangible on me, I first loaded a single round into a banana magazine, and let the bolt slam it into battery. No slamfire, so far so good. I ejected the round, no discernable primer dent; also good. I rechambered the round and sent it downrange, and the bolt locked back. Hole in paper ~4" from my point of aim at 50 yards; rifle's as good as me with irons (for now, this was the second time I've ever used irons to sight a rifle). Casing (though steel) looked to be in good enough shape for me to trust the rifle with more. I loaded two rounds, and fired; no doubles, no jams. Great! I loaded up a 30 rounder with stripper clips (awesome, but very tight in my bolt notches), and proceeded to have loads of fun. I found the sling (I've never used slings before) made holding the rifle steady for 30 rounds much less tiresome, and that 7.62x39 "recoil" is not even worth mentioning. The recoil would jar me off target, but I could reaqcuire quickly, and it was very controllable. Muzzle blast was also not worth writing home about (but I have no brake).My groups were about 6" at 50 yards with steel-case soft-point, but I'm still new at this. The sights seem a bit on the small side (rear sight notch, especially). Not one jam, FTF, FTE, FTGBIB, DFJLDASJSLDFJS(), etc.
After three magazines of mind-numbingly reliable fun, I loaded up the drum to see if it worked, fully expecting it to dissapoint. And it did not dissapoint. The first round after insertion would always feed when I released the bolt, but the second would always (always) jam down against the front of the magazine well, holding the bolt back after firing. I reinserted the mag, making sure it was seated properly, and tried again. This time, I was leaned forward with my elbows on the bench. Bang...Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang! Five rounds without a hitch (except when drum advances to the next "chamber" and shakes the gun). I leaned back from the bench and fired; immediate jam. WTH?! It seems off-hand shooting allows the rounds in the drum to shake out of alignment with the feed ramp
I bought the drum as part of a deal I would have made anyway, so I'm not too heartbroken. I'm also convinced I'm just winding it wrong, or something simple like that. The drum is most likely a Bonesteel modification of an AK drum, and their mod (mag latch surfaces) is fantastic. The drum fits the magwell better and more securely than the factory mags! I don't think Bonesteel touches the feed lips, so I can't fault them for the jams. Really, the only reason I dwelt on the drum as long as I did is because the rifle's performance with factory mags was so reliable. I hate to admit, that drum was pretty fun when it worked...(maybe I am a tacti-tool at heart)
Lessons Learned:
-The VZ 58 is fun, reliable with factory mags, and superior to the AK in every way that matters (no, I won't explicitly defend that last one, but I believe it now)
-The bolt handle seems like it's on the wrong side of the reciever. Every other semi rifle I own has it on the same side as the VZ, but I found myself reaching over all the time whenever I had to release the bolt, lock the bolt back, press check, etc. Seems like more of an issue with the VZ's control setup (and the only issue)
-The shiny black paint is out of place on an "evil" rifle, and the black plastic looks cheap. I'll make replacements from either Holly(white) or Wenge(iridescent black)
-Bonesteel does good machining, function aside, the drum mod was well done. I'll probably be buying a stainless piston and trigger group from him (my sear has a weird "click" halfway through its travel) and a nightbrake (cause they're cool)
-The folding stock is at least 1" short for me on LOP, and is about 1" short of being able to close over the drum
-The VZ is fun and reliable with factory mags (again)
I really enjoyed shooting this steel and plastic fun dispenser today, and I can't wait to go at it again! It's got the handiness of the M1 Carbine, the power of an AK, and an intelligent ergonomic layout like an AR. I'll keep everyone posted as my education progresses.
TCB
Last edited: