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ZH-29
ZH-29 semi-automatic rifle
Type	Semi-automatic rifle
Place of origin	Czechoslovakia
Service history
Used by	See Users
Wars	Second Sino-Japanese War World War II
Production history
Designer	Emanuel Holek
Designed	1929
Manufacturer	Ceskoslovenska Zbrojovka
Variants	ZH-32
Specifications
Mass	4.5 kg (9.9 lb)
Length	1,150 mm (45 in)
Barrel length	545 mm (21.5 in)
Cartridge	7.92×57mm Mauser
Action	Gas-operated, tilting bolt
Muzzle velocity	808 m/s (2,650 ft/s)
Effective firing range	350 m (380 yd)
Feed system	5, 10, or 20-round box magazine
Sights	iron sights

The ZH-29 was a semi-automatic rifle developed in Czechoslovakia during the late 1920s, and used by the Chinese National Revolutionary Army.

Overview

The ZH-29 is a gas-operated semi-automatic service rifle with a tilting-bolt locking system similar to that which would be later used in the Sturmgewehr 44; although while the bolt of the German gun tilts vertically, that of the ZH-29 does so to the left side. Externally the most distinctive feature is that the barrel is offset at a slight angle to the receiver to compensate for this. Also unusually, the rifle uses an aluminium barrel jacket.

An upgraded variant was designated as the ZH-32.

In China, Zhang Zuolin's army received 150 ZH-29 and 100 ZH-32 rifles, and the provincial troops of Guangdong also received 33 ZH-32. A derivative prototype was built in 1932 in Shenyang, China. It is unlikely that these rifles saw action during the Sino-Japanese War.

A version of the ZH-29 rifle was chambered in .276 Pedersen cartridge and was submitted to US Army trials but was unsuccessful.

During the last stages of the development in the AK-47 assault rifle, the testing grounds committee advised Mikhail Kalashnikov to redesign the trigger group of the AK-46 rifle prototype along the lines of ZH-29 rifle, which he did. The testing grounds committee also advised every competitor on how to generally improve their firearm designs.

Users

•  China: 210 imported in 1930-31
•  Ethiopia: 100 ZH-32s
•  Italy: Presumably captured from Ethiopia
•  Japan: (Experimental prototype copy developed from captured examples from China)
•  Lithuania
•  Thailand

See also

• Weapons of Czechoslovakia interwar period
• Kbsp wz. 1938M

References

1. "Czechoslovak rifle semi-automatic type ZH-29 — Encyclopedia of safety". Archived from the original on 2021-07-24. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
2. "Czech ZH29 rifle". 11 March 2011.
3. ^ Ness, Leland; Shih, Bin (July 2016). Kangzhan: Guide to Chinese Ground Forces 1937–45. Helion & Company. p. 254. ISBN 9781910294420.
4. Springfield Armory page on the ZH-29 (SPAR item 3633) quoting from Walter, John. RIFLES OF THE WORLD. 3rd Edition. Krause Publications. Iola, Wi. 2006
5. "Заново рождённый. Удивительная история АК-47 № 1 | Оружейный журнал "КАЛАШНИКОВ"". 10 November 2018.
6. Shih, Bin (2018). China's Small Arms of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945).
7. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic; Jimma University; Addis Ababa University; University of West Bohemia; Embassy of the Czech Republic in Addis Ababa. "The 20th Century Revisited: Relations between former Czechoslovakia and Ethiopia" (PDF).
8. TM E 30-420 Handbook on the Italian Military Forces 1943. Washington, D.C. : Military Intelligence Service. 3 August 1943. p. 184.
9. Ian McCollum (August 15, 2016). "Japanese ZH-29 Copy by Tokyo Gas & Electric". Retrieved March 18, 2017.
10. Smith, Joseph E. (1969). Small Arms of the World (11 ed.). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: The Stackpole Company. p. 310. ISBN 9780811715669.

External links

• Popenker, Maxim (28 October 2010). "ZH-29 rifle (Czechoslovakia)". Modern Firearms. World Guns. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
• "Rifle 7.92 mm Automatic ZH 29". REME Museum of Technology. The Corps of Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers. Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
• McCollum, Ian (11 March 2011). "Czech ZH29 rifle". ForgottenWeapons.com. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
• McCollum, Ian (June 7, 2011). Czech ZH29 early semiauto rifle (YouTube). ForgottenWeapons.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
• Patents
  • charging device patent
  • gas piston rod patent
  • gas pressure regulator patent
  • firing mechanism patent

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• World War II semi-automatic rifles
• Military equipment introduced in the 1930s
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