CODE – 02-029-938

NAME – ZK-383

NAME (NATIVE) – Ceska Zbrojovka (Czech Arsenal) ZK-383

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – Czechoslovakia

DATE OF MANUFACTURE – 1938

CALIBER – 9x19mm

OVERALL LENGTH – 84.5 cm (34 .44 in)

BARREL LENGTH – 32.5 cm (12.81 in)

RIFLING (TYPE & TWIST) – 6-grooves, Right-hand twist

BULLET DIAMETER – 9.03 mm (0.355 in)

BULLET WEIGHT – 7.45 g (115 gr)

MUZZLE VELOCITY – 381 m/s (1250 fps)

MUZZLE ENERGY – 541 j (399 ft/lbs)

WEIGHT (EMPTY) – 4.37 kg (9 lb 10 oz) with heavy bolt

WEIGHT (LOADED) – 4.93 kg (10 lbs 13.9 oz) with 30 round magazine

WEIGHT (LOADED) – 4.76 kg (10 lbs 7.9 oz) with 30 round magazine and lightened bolt

SIGHTS – Front – square blade with sight cover, Rear – U-notch tangent curve, graduated from 100 to 800 meters in 100 meter increments.

EFFECTIVE RANGE – 250 m (273 yds)

OPERATION – Blowback, fires from open bolt

TYPE OF FIRE – Selective, Semi and Full automatic

RATE OF FIRE – 40 rpm Semi, 90 rpm Full

CYCLIC ROF – 500 rpm (heavy bolt), 700 rpm (light bolt

FEED DEVICE – 30 round box magazine, double column, double feed

FEED DEVICE WEIGHT (EMPTY) – 0.21 kg (7.4 oz)

FEED DEVICE WEIGHT (LOADED) – 0.56 kg (1 lb 3.8 oz)

BASIC AMMUNITION LOAD – 10 – 30 round box magazines (300 rounds)

LOAD WEIGHT – 5.6 kg (12 lbs 6 oz)

MANUFACTURER – Ceská Zbrojovka, Bruna, Czechoslovakia

STATUS – Obsolete

SERVICE – Czech military, adopted by German military forces (Waffen SS) during WWII, used by Bulgarian troops, some commercial sales to Venezuela and Brazil

     Developed by the Koucky brothers in the 1930s prior to World War II, the ZK-383 is a submachine gun with some of the characteristics of a light machinegun. Patented in 1933, produced from 1938 to 1948, the weapon saw use by the German SS troops when they took over the Brno plant as part of their occupation of Czechoslovakia. Operating as a standard blowback submachinegun, the ZK-383 has the main operating spring in the buttstock, eliminating and possibility of a folding stock being fitted.

     The weapon has a quick-change barrel which can be removed and replaced by the operator. The latch for the barrel is behind the front sight and by pulling on the latch and giving the sight a quarter-turn, the barrel is unlocked from the action and can be drawn forward out of the weapon. The quick-change barrel and bipod normally attached underneath the barrel jacket and characteristics of a light magazine gun rather than a normal submachine gun. But the ZK-383 was designed and developed in a time that the tactical applications of a submachine gun were still being worked out by the military.

     One of the more unusual aspects of the ZK-383 is that the design incorporates a means of changing the cyclic rate of fire of the weapon. The bolt has a normal weight of 0.71 kg (1 lb 9 oz), which gives the weapon a cyclic rate of 500 rounds per minute. By removing a 0.17 kg (1 lb 3 oz) weight from the center of the bolt, the lightened 0.54 kg (1 lb 3 oz) bolt has a cyclic rate of 700 rounds per minute.

     No matter the rate of fire, the ZK-383 had the fine fit and finish characteristic of Czech-produced firearms. The bipod, length, and weight of the weapon gave it a very good accuracy for an open-bolt submachine gun.

 

The left-side of an unloaded ZK-383 submachine gun. The large piece behind the front sight at the top of the barrel jacket is the latch to quickly remove the barrel. Lifting and rotating the latch unlocks the barrel from the receiver of the weapon, allowing it to be pulled forward and removed. At the center of the bottom of the barrel jacket is the hinge for the folded bipod. The long bipod folds up underneath the stock, extending as far back as the front of the trigger guard. The magazine well is angled slightly upwards for feeding. Just ahead of the trigger guard, on the bottom of the stock, can be seen part of the feet of the bipod legs. Above and ahead of the trigger guard, on the receiver, is the selector switch to set the weapon on full or semiautomatic fire. The cocking lever is at the front of the slot cut for it in the receiver, just above the trigger mechanism. PHOTO CREDIT: US ARMY
The left-side of an unloaded ZK-383 submachine gun. The large piece behind the front sight at the top of the barrel jacket is the latch to quickly remove the barrel. Lifting and rotating the latch unlocks the barrel from the receiver of the weapon, allowing it to be pulled forward and removed. At the center of the bottom of the barrel jacket is the hinge for the folded bipod. The long bipod folds up underneath the stock, extending as far back as the front of the trigger guard. The magazine well is angled slightly upwards for feeding. Just ahead of the trigger guard, on the bottom of the stock, can be seen part of the feet of the bipod legs. Above and ahead of the trigger guard, on the receiver, is the selector switch to set the weapon on full or semiautomatic fire. The cocking lever is at the front of the slot cut for it in the receiver, just above the trigger mechanism. PHOTO CREDIT: US ARMY
The right side of a ZK-383 submachine gun. The bolt is in the forward, uncocked, position and fills the rectangular ejection port at the front of the receiver. The rear sight, above the ejection port, is the sliding tangent sight commonly used on weapons of the time. PHOTO CREDIT: US ARMY
The right side of a ZK-383 submachine gun. The bolt is in the forward, uncocked, position and fills the rectangular ejection port at the front of the receiver. The rear sight, above the ejection port, is the sliding tangent sight commonly used on weapons of the time. PHOTO CREDIT: US ARMY