CZ Yearbook 2019 /eng

94 | | 95 THE CZ MILESTONES 1936 A firearms factory established in Uherský Brod The factory was foundedwith the aimof transferring the strategically significant production facilities as far away as possible from Czechoslovakia’s western borders that were under threat. It was a branch plant of Česká zbrojovka, a joint stock company from Prague, whose main plant was based in Strakonice. At the time, the brand new factory in Uherský Brod was themost modern andmost efficient plant of its kind around, and not only in Czechoslovakia. 1959 Vz. 58 submachine gun enters production The vz. 58 submachine gun in 7.62×39 mm cal., today classed as an assault rifle, consti- tuted an alternative to the Soviet Kalashnikov. The original design of the Czechoslova- kian engineers was truly exceptional. The weapon was made in Uherský Brod for the Czech armed forces as well as for export up until 1984. In total, nearly a million models were produced in that time. 1975 CZ 75 pistol enters production This revolutionarymodel was the brainchild of the legendary designer, František Koucký. Having received an assignment from what is today Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod (CZ), he began working on the new pistol in 1969. His new creation had perfect ergonomics, and with its unique double action trigger mechanism, it helped to define a new cate- gory of pistols, the Wonder Nines. These are large capacity SA/DA pistols in 9mm Luger calibre and the CZ 75 has been one of the most popular of them for many years. Česká zbrojovka a.s., Uherský Brod estab- lished Following the privatization of Česká zbrojovka, the state enterprise, a new joint-stock company is created. Its main factory is based in Uherský Brod and the main focus of the business is on the development and manufacture of high quality handguns. In addition, it also produces high preci- sion components for the automotive and aviation industries. It is a wholly Czech company owned by Czech shareholders. 1992 CZ-USA established By establishing a foothold in the USA, CZ fundamentally strengthened its position on the most prestigious arms market in the world. CZ-USA deals with sales and servicing, initial- ly it was based in California but in 1998 it moved to Kansas City, Kansas. 1997 2004 2004: Purchase of the firearms division of Zbrojovka Brno By acquiring the Firearms Division of Zbrojovka Brno a.s., CZ achieved its aim of keeping the fa- mous tradition of firearms manufacture in Brno going. The newly-formed company, whose name was initially BRNO RIFLES, started operating at the turn of 2006/2007 and focused on the devel- opment and production of break-action firearms. In 2008, it became a daughter company of CZ and in 2010, its name was changed to ZBROJOVKA BRNO, s.r.o. Dan Wesson Firearms brand acquisition Through CZ-USA, CZ became the owner of the brand Dan Wesson Firearms, a re- nowned American brand of weapons. The original company was founded in 1968 by a grandson of the legendary Daniel B. Wesson and focused on the manufacture of revolvers. Under the new Czech-American leadership, it soon became one of the most highly regarded manufacturers of modern versions of the famous 1911. 2005 1949 Vz. 48 submachine gun enters production The vz. 48 submachine gun (renamed 23-25 subma- chine guns in 1950) in 9 mmParebellum calibre was considered the most advanced weapon in its cate- gory. Itsmagazinewas located in the pistol grip, with the bolt partially encircling the barrel. By 1953, the Uherský Brod factory had produced 545,000 sub- machine guns in total; 345,000 of those in 7.62 mm Tokarev calibre (the 24/26 submachine gun). 1962 Vz. 61 Škorpion submachine gun enters production The legendary vz. 61 Škorpion compact submachine gun was an extremely innovative and immensely successful attempt of the company to fill in the gap between classic submachine guns and service pis- tols. By 2000, just over 207,000 models were made in the basic calibre, the 7.65 mm Browning. There was also a shorter, 9mmbrowning, version, made in smaller quantities during the 1990’s. Under new management In 2006, Ing. Lubomír Kovařík, MBA, became the company’s new Chief Executive Of- ficer. Almost immediately, he started extensive modernization and launched the de- velopment of a new generation of CZ firearms. Ing. Ladislav Britaňák, MBA, took over as the Sales Director. 2006