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ZB-26 (prop)

A high poly model of the legendary Czechoslovak ZB-26 light machine gun.

Lehký kulomet vz. 26, ZB-26, ZB-30 - light machine gun, developed by the Czech weapons designer Vaclav Holek in 1924-1926 under the German cartridge 7.92 × 57 mm, in 1926 adopted by the army of Czechoslovakia and exported to 24 countries.

A total of 200,000 weapons of this type were manufactured. Only in Czechoslovakia in 1926-1939, 140 thousand machine guns of this type were produced. In addition to Czechoslovakia, mass production of machine guns of this type was established in Australia, Great Britain, Turkey, Japan (Type-96 and Type-99), Iran, USA, Brazil, Argentina, Great Britain and its satellites and dominions - Canada and India (Bren modifications) , mostly unlicensed clones were also produced in Spain and China.

The ZB-26 and its modifications were used as light and heavy machine guns, and were also installed on some samples of Czechoslovak-made armored vehicles: OA vz.27 and OA vz.30 armored vehicles, LT vz.33 and AH-IV tankettes.

The ZB-26 light machine gun is one of the machine guns developed after the First World War, taking into account the combat experience gained on it. The ZB-26 machine gun and its modifications have been widely used and are still used in armed conflicts and wars from the 2nd quarter of the 20th century up to the present day: the weapon made its debut in the 1930s (Civil War in China, Civil War in Spain, World War II war, civil war in Greece), wars and conflicts of the so-called. "Cold War", including in the Middle East (where it is still found today), Indochina, Korea and South America, and has established itself as a reliable and unpretentious weapon.

The ZB-30 machine gun was developed on the basis of the ZB-26 machine gun, differing in the design of the eccentric that set the shutter in motion and the striker actuation system.

The automation of the machine gun works by removing part of the powder gases from the bore, for which a gas chamber with a 7-degree regulator (sleeve with holes of different diameters) is located under the barrel in front of it, with which it was possible to regulate the amount and intensity of the flow of powder gases into cylinder. The ZB-26 is an automatic weapon with a long stroke gas piston. The barrel bore is locked by tilting the bolt in the vertical plane.
The trigger mechanism allows firing with single shots and bursts, switching the fire mode is carried out by a flag-type fuse-translator located on the left side of the receiver. Diopter sight, sector type. The barrel is quick-change, for this a handle is fixed on the barrel, which also serves to carry the machine gun. For shooting, a two-legged bipod or a light machine is used, with which you can fire at air targets. It was assembled from high-quality materials, was stronger and more reliable than its predecessors, and had higher accuracy. It is powered by Mauser rifle cartridges. The box magazine is designed for 20 rounds, is inserted from above, the spent cartridge case is thrown down.

The 1930 modification was supplied to Romania and Great Britain (in 1933, the British created the Bren machine gun on its basis). About 62 thousand machine guns of the ZB vz. 26 and ZB vz. 30 in 1939 was adopted by the Wehrmacht under the indices MG.26(t) and MG.30(t) (production continued until 1940). They were used in security, police, training units and occupation garrisons, as well as some units of the Waffen-SS.

The machine gun was produced in Australia, Great Britain, Canada and India (Bren modifications), Spain (under the name F.A.O.) and China, participated in all conflicts of the 1930s - 1950s. It has established itself as a reliable and unpretentious weapon. In Yugoslavia it was modified under the name M.37 or ZB 30J.