coalbed
Member
Not a striker
Welcome to the new members, owning a VZ 58 variant for me is like finally finding what I wanted, without having to just settle for what was available. Now, im going to stir up a nest of hornets here. I thought I would post about a bit of incorrect information that just seems to get bigger and bigger. Seems like every new article or post about the VZ 58 Ive seen refers to it as "striker fired" sometimes with a reference to the glock pistol. It is no such thing. The original Czech manual translates to "linear hammer" fired which is totally different from a striker. A striker is basically a firing pin held under spring tension, that when released by the trigger mech, flies forward and strikes the primer of the round. This is how the glock and other striker types work. A linear hammer, is a hammer held by tension which is released by the trigger mech, flies forward, strikes a firing pin (which may or may not have an inertia safety spring), which then strikes the primer of the round. It may be just mixing words for many, but I feel we are responsible for bringing correct information as well as the correct terminology to light. So, to be precise, the VZ 58 is a hammer fired rifle not a striker fired, even though it uses an unconventional linear hammer. (and yes I know the Czechpoints and others are marketed as "striker fired". All I can say about that, is they also are "shop built" and not made by the original maunfacturer, they are just made in a Czech shop instead of a U.S. one.) The original manual terms the rifle as "linear hammer fired". I think the proper term should be used, and especially by a builder. They even sell the spare parts as a "striker". Someone is wrong here, either Czechpoint, or Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod, and ill tend to lean in favor of the original manufacturer. I noticed Wikipedia describes it as striker fired, but if you look at the translated field strip picture on the same page, the part is clearly labled "linear hammer". You can have a striker, or you can have a hammer, but you can't have both on the same rifle. Having incorrect information repeated a million times does not make it any less incorrect.
Welcome to the new members, owning a VZ 58 variant for me is like finally finding what I wanted, without having to just settle for what was available. Now, im going to stir up a nest of hornets here. I thought I would post about a bit of incorrect information that just seems to get bigger and bigger. Seems like every new article or post about the VZ 58 Ive seen refers to it as "striker fired" sometimes with a reference to the glock pistol. It is no such thing. The original Czech manual translates to "linear hammer" fired which is totally different from a striker. A striker is basically a firing pin held under spring tension, that when released by the trigger mech, flies forward and strikes the primer of the round. This is how the glock and other striker types work. A linear hammer, is a hammer held by tension which is released by the trigger mech, flies forward, strikes a firing pin (which may or may not have an inertia safety spring), which then strikes the primer of the round. It may be just mixing words for many, but I feel we are responsible for bringing correct information as well as the correct terminology to light. So, to be precise, the VZ 58 is a hammer fired rifle not a striker fired, even though it uses an unconventional linear hammer. (and yes I know the Czechpoints and others are marketed as "striker fired". All I can say about that, is they also are "shop built" and not made by the original maunfacturer, they are just made in a Czech shop instead of a U.S. one.) The original manual terms the rifle as "linear hammer fired". I think the proper term should be used, and especially by a builder. They even sell the spare parts as a "striker". Someone is wrong here, either Czechpoint, or Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod, and ill tend to lean in favor of the original manufacturer. I noticed Wikipedia describes it as striker fired, but if you look at the translated field strip picture on the same page, the part is clearly labled "linear hammer". You can have a striker, or you can have a hammer, but you can't have both on the same rifle. Having incorrect information repeated a million times does not make it any less incorrect.