World War II Database

Country of Origin	Czechoslovakia
Type	Submachine Gun
Caliber	9.000 mm
Capacity	30 rounds
Length	875.000 mm
Barrel Length	325.000 mm
Weight	4.250 kg
Rate of Fire	500 rounds/min
Range	250.000 m
Muzzle Velocity	1,500 m/s

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe ZK-383 design was developed in Czechoslovakia in the early 1930s. Production of the submachine guns began in 1933 at the Ceskoslovenská zbrojovka factory in Brno. Very early examples had front pistol grips, but they were removed very shortly after. Bipods were provided with each example, and they had quick-change barrels, both pointing to the fact that they were designed to serve as general-purpose light machine guns for squads of infantry. They were exported to many countries, including Bolivia, Bulgaria, and Venezuela, and others. After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, the Germans continued the design's production, and the weapons were supplied to Waffen-SS troops for service against Soviet troops. Production of ZK-383 submachine guns continued until 1966, and Bulgaria remained a loyal buyer of this weapon until 1970.

Sources:
Ian Hogg, The Encyclopedia of Infantry Weapons of World War II
Wikipedia ww2dbase

Last Major Revision: Jul 2014

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