ZB vz. 26
Zbrojovka Brno · Machine Gun · Out Of Production · 1926
Also known as: vz. 26, ZB-26, ZB26, LK vz. 26, MG 26(t)
Overview
The ZB vz. 26 is a Czechoslovak gas-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed, select-fire light machine gun designed by Václav Holek and produced by Zbrojovka Brno from 1926. Chambered in 7.92×57mm Mauser and fed from a top-mounted 20-round detachable box magazine, it uses a long-stroke gas piston with a tilting bolt and fires from an open bolt at ~500 rpm. Famed for reliability, simple construction, quick-change finned barrel, and ergonomic top-feed layout, it became one of the most influential interwar LMGs - exported to over 24 nations and serving as the direct mechanical basis for the British Bren gun (the name itself derives from BRno + ENfield), the Japanese Type 97 tank machine gun, and the mass-produced Chinese Type 26.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 10500 g (370.4 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1161 mm (45.71") |
| Barrel Length | 672 mm (26.46") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated Long Stroke |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Trigger Type | Select Fire |
| Magazine Capacity | 20 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 744 m/s (2441 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 3700 J (2729 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 1000 m (1094 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 2500 m (2734 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 500 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7.92x57mm Mauser · primary — also known as 8mm Mauser, 8x57 IS
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: 20 Round Top Mounted Detachable Box, 30 Round Variant
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Selector Lever
- Features: Tilting Bolt Lock, Quick Change Finned Barrel, Carrying Handle For Barrel Change, Top Mounted Box Magazine, Integrated Folding Bipod, Conical Flash Hider, Spring Buffered Recoil Components
Variants
- ZB vz. 27 — Updated Gas System
- ZB vz. 30 / ZB-30 — Improved 1930
- ZB-30J — Yugoslav Export
- ZGB-33 — British 303 Trial Bren Basis
- ZB-39 — Commercial Near Bren
- ZB-53 (vz. 37) — Vickers Pattern Mmg
- Type 26 (Chinese) — Chinese License Copy
- Type 97 (Japanese) — Japanese Tank Variant
Service history
Operators
- Czechoslovak Army · adopted 1928 · as vz. 26
- Republic of China · adopted 1927 · as Type 26
- Yugoslav Royal Army · adopted 1936 · as ZB-30J
- Romanian Army · as ZB-30
- Bolivian Army · adopted 1932 · as ZB-26 (7.65 Mauser)
- Wehrmacht (post-occupation) · adopted 1939 · as MG 26(t)
- Imperial Japanese Army · as Type 97
- British Army (basis for Bren) · adopted 1935 · as Bren Mk I
Conflicts
- Chaco War (1932-1935)
- Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)
- Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)
- World War II (1939-1945)
- Chinese Civil War (1945-1949)
- First Indochina War (1946-1954)
- Korean War (1950-1953)
- Vietnam War (1955-1975)
Production
Estimated total produced: 120,000 · Production years: 1926-1945
~120,000+ at Zbrojovka Brno (1926-1939). Chinese Type 26 production likely exceeded original Czech output. Total worldwide including Bren, Type 97, Yugoslav and Romanian production runs into high hundreds of thousands.
Origin
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Designer: Václav Holek
Discontinued: 1945
Notes
Source variance on weight: 8.9–10.5 kg (loaded vs unloaded configurations). Chinese Type 26 production volumes likely exceeded original Czech output due to mass unlicensed copying at Gongxian Arsenal. After Germany occupied Czechoslovakia in 1939, Wehrmacht continued production as MG 26(t). British ZGB-33 trial variant in .303 British rimmed became the Bren Mk I in 1935.
Background
After RSAF Enfield trials in the early 1930s, Britain adopted the ZGB-33 variant under license - anglicizing the design for .303 British rimmed ammunition. The name 'Bren' derives from **Br**no + **En**field. The Holek family designed weapons in parallel (including the ZH-29 self-loading rifle) partly to circumvent post-WWI restrictions on Czech military exports.