CZ Yearbook 2019 /eng

58 | | 59 CZ 527 – AN AGELESS HEART IN A YOUNGER BODY Remarkably, the technology of the Czech arms industry is linked with several sibling teams. The three Holek brothers, the Kratochvíl brothers and the Koucký brothers. The last two, Josef and František, played an important part in elevating Czechoslovakia, as the country was then called, among the most significant global manufacturers of small arms for hunting and sport. A number of their models have become true legends, with some still being produced today. Those models may have undergone some moderniza- tion, but the healthy heart of the original design has always remained. One great exam- ple is the extremely popular CZ 527 rifle platform. The very first light rifle designed by the Koucký brothers was cre- ated just after World War 2 end- ed, when the famous Zbrojovka Brno factory promptly refocused on the mass production of civil- ian firearms due to the lack of orders from the armed forces. The new riflewas called the ZKW 465, originally including the name Vierling. It was the name of the 5.6×35 R cartridge, used as the basic calibre. Although it was first made in the USA under the name .22 WCF in its more pow- erful version, it quickly gained popularity in Europe, especially used by four-barrelled break-ac- tion guns. From the start, the ZKW 465 was introduced as a must- have for the collection of any hunting and sport shooting enthusiast. Let us quote a part of its original description: “This gun allows you to shoot accurately even at longer dis- tances, which will surely be welcomed by those hunting for grouse etc. The graceful shape of all its parts forms a beautiful and harmonious whole. With its overall length of 1040 mm, it weighs 2.7 kg. The barrel is 580 mm long ... The rear sight ... easily ad- justable for 75, 100, 150 m. For precise aiming, a scope may be used, it can be attached and removed... There is an opening at bottom of the re- ceiver for the attachment of a 5-round magazine. The trig- ger mechanism operates on a stronger as well as a more sensitive pull (adjustable to your own feel) with the help of a set trigger.” In the ZKW 465, the set trig- ger was located in the trigger guard, behind the trigger itself. As for the bolt mechanism, the Koucký brothers used a clev- erly modified, tried and tested Mauser 98 concept with two robust locking lugs. This lit- tle-known tidbit allowed them to offer calibres with consid- erably more power for deer hunting, and in addition to the 5.6×35 R, they included the 5.6×52 R and the 6.5×52 (25-35 Win.) calibres. This oversized action wasn’t exploited until later, as the 465 Vierlings from Brno were originally available only in the calibre that shares that name. Arrival of Hornet The first model of the ZKW465 was produced for a fairly short time, between 1948–1950 and then also in 1953. Since in the f irst half of the 1950s, Soviet influence in Czechoslovakia shifted production focus to the armed forces on a large scale, leaving no free capacity for civilian production. Moreo- ver, export to so-called capital- ist countries came to a stand- stillforafewyears.Nevertheless, the powers that be at the time changed their mind in the end, as building a socialist state without for- eign currency was no fun. When a new generation of Czechoslovakian civilian fire- arms was ready to enter man- ufacture in the mid-1950s, the ZKW 465 light rifle could not be left behind. Together with representatives f rom the De- partment of Foreign Trade, the Koucký brothers had not failed to notice that the era of the Vierling cartridge was gone and that new, more modern calibres were coming to the forefront. The designers laid their bets on the 22 Hor- net calibre, lending its name to the new variant of the rifle. It was ready as early as 1955, though it didn’t enter pro- duction until 1958. It is worth mentioning that one beauti- fully decorated ZKW 465 was included in an award-winning collection of Czechoslovaki- an weapons at the fa- mous international trade fair EXPO 1958 in Brussels. Unfortunately, due to prob- lems with the inflexible or- ganizers of Czechoslovakian expor t , not many Hornets were made in Brno, but the re- sponse from both the profes- sionals and the customers was very favourable indeed. In 1963, the company itself proudly stated of its ZKW 465 model: “Very popular around the world for its elegance, mod- ern design, shooting accu- racy and affordable price. Rival products (including a basically direct copy) do not come to the same standard.” Nevertheless, they also added that the 5.6 Hornet cartridge was starting to be overshad- owed by the .222 Remington and partly also by .22 WMR. It was clear that before further production, a new and thor- ough market survey needed to be carried out. Historical photo of the Vierling from Brno aka ZKW 465 in 5.6×35 R cal. ZKW 465 in .22 Hornet cal. To Uherský Brod With the many transitions in production f rom military f irearms to sporting f irearms and other non-arms products, Zbrojovka Brno could not cope with the increasing demand for sporting arms. After exten- sive review, the ministry found