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Yesterday we looked at the history and the mechanics of the Czech UK vz.59 universal machine gun - so today we are taking it out to the range for some shooting!

The UK 59 is a belt fed, 7.62x54R machine gun, capable of only fully automatic fire (it has no semiauto selector). It is unusual in using a push-through belt with a rimmed cartridge, but that system works just fine here. Belts were available in 50-, 100-, and 250-round lengths along with belt boxes to attach the ammunition to the gun (which I did not have available).

Overall, I found the vz.59 to be a rather difficult weapon to shoot effectively. Whether it is the gun's weight, the bolt velocity, rate of fire, or just something about its harmonics, the gun vibrates significantly when firing and it is difficult to maintain a sight picture or situational awareness when firing. It certainly is a light and sleek weapon, though. I suspect that as a semiauto conversion (currently available in the US through MarColMar) it would be much nicer to use.

Thanks to Marstar for letting me examine and shoot their UK vz.59! Visit them at: http://marstar.ca