SA VZ. 26 Semi Auto Build

[dakota.potts]

Lord help me, APEX had parts kits on sale for Labor Day and I bought one. Looks like I'm committed to a build. I was going to build one of the relatively cheap SMG parts kits floating around, and the VZ. 26 was the one that I felt most comfortable about finding a resource for a receiver, barrel, and semi-automatic striker system.

This is the stock photo for the parts kit I bought for roughly $62 shipped.



The VZ. 26 is a select-fire Czech Submachine Gun. It fires from an open bolt and, to my knowledge, is the first SMG utilizing a telescoping bolt and a magazine in the grip of the gun. It's considered a direct predecessor of the Uzi. The 26 is chambered in 7.62mm Tokarev and fires from 32-round stick magazines, although it has a sister gun (the Vzor 23/25) which is in 9mm.

The Kit I ordered comes with an intact frame, fire control group, folding stock assembly, bolt, end cap, small parts and barrel trunion. I believe it also comes with de-milled receiver stubs.

This is what an intact model looks like

And the stock folds around to use as a foregrip when folded


I will build it as a pistol first without welding on the stock assembly (will likely leave the whole stock assembly in the care of a friend) and I'm pretty confident I'm going to end up forming a trust and use this as my first SBR (hence why it's in the semi-auto rifle forum). I have a pretty good idea of how to build it, but I still have to buy the ATF approved semi-auto conversion plans to know about a couple of details.

Building involves:
New Receiver - Receiver blanks exist in the form of 4130 steel. These usually come with the ends crimped or threaded to fit the endcap, and a template glued to the steel to act as a milling guide. These are available as low as $50 depending on what company you choose. You can either choose a tube with a reduced Inside Diameter, so that original full auto parts can't fit, or you can use an original length tube and use permanent modifications (usually in the form of some sort of welded shelf) so that an unmodified full auto bolt can no longer fit the receiver.
Bolt work - Probably the most complicated part. I can get an entirely converted bolt for $350 which includes a new CNC turned striker, annealing and machining the bolt, hand fitting the striker, etc. but that's a little much for my capacity. Instead, Greg Clark from Gun Builds will sell the completed striker assembly for $120. I will have to send the bolt out to get it annealed, as they are very hard and will destroy machine tools. I have access to a machine lab at school, and since I'm a gunsmithing student the bolt is something I will be able to work on there, although I'll have to find somewhere else to do the receiver work. The bolt is undercut for a striker/linear hammer, and modifications are made so that it returns to closed bolt position after firing.
Welding - the last major hurdle, the parts are welded back together in the end. I'm told it's very similar to the way an Uzi is built, but I haven't studied Uzis too much. I will have to pair with a welder locally to finish this part.

I hope to have the build done by January and I expect to be able to build it for around $600, hopefully less. Submitting the Form 1 to make it an SBR will cost me an additional $100 for the trust I'll be setting up and $200 for the stamp to put the stock on it.

The parts kit is due to arrive on Saturday, which is my only day off of work and school, so I should have some time to post pictures. The furniture appears to be bakelite, like the VZ 58. It's uglier on the VZ 26 than the 58, but we'll see what we can do about that. I'm thinking I'll paint the metal parts with Alumahyde or see if I can't blue/parkerize them. We have access to color case hardening at school, which would be kind of cool on an SMG, but I probably won't be able to bring it there unfortunately

[smee78]

I almost did one of these builds a few years ago but I ended up not getting one of the kits I was looking at. I hope you post your progress on this build as I would like to follow along. I hope it comes out good.

[barnbwt]

These are super cool guns; I have a kit I need to get to one of these days. They're actually better than the UZI in that they have a collapsing/folding bolt handle (and originally had a two stage trigger for semi/full auto fire). I suspect they're lighter, too.

Be advised, the present 'master' of the conversion designs as I am aware of them, Greg Clark, specifically warns (not 'advises') against a reduced tube inside diameter. That long, skinny, arrow-straight hole that must be bored through the bolt for the striker to pass through (worst part of the build, from my understanding) will likely break-out if the bolt is turned down any (ruining your chance to get that hole arrow-straight).

"I will have to send the bolt out to get it annealed, as they are very hard and will destroy machine tools."
Fire up the BBQ with a few briquettes over the bolt, roast some wieners, and let the whole thing burn out & cool overnight. Might want to get a stainless steel bag for the bolt so it doesn't (cosmetically) scale as badly, but not necessary. No need to re-harden the bolt afterward, either (and it's probably not even recommended due to the delicate nature of the modifications) since it's only a pistol cartridge and won't be serving trainees/front lines for decades. I believe the only real reason the guns were hardened is because the firing pin is actually machined from the bolt (so the whole thing has to be as hard as a firing pin)

Have fun wasting all your disposable income on parts kits going forward --there's no end to it, I assure you.

TCB

[dakota.potts]

Well, today was happy brown box day, although the shipping company tricked me. I was a little upset when I checked the tracking status (it was supposed to be here today) and saw that it hadn't even been processed out or out for delivery yet. But, 10 minutes later the doorbell rang and an unhappy looking man handed me my 7 lb. package.

The box was a little beat up and rough on the outside, but these aren't delicate parts and the internal packing paper was plenty. Parts came with an adequate grease layer, but not soaking in a grease/oil bath as I've seen other parts kit come, so that was nice.



Everything that was said to be included seems to be included. Bolt is in good condition and i'm actually really impressed with the machining on the bolt. The Czechs knew what they were doing. Surface finish is nice and smooth even though it's not super fine, and whatever coating/finish they use is nice also. It looks good and is nice to the touch. There's actually a lot going on inside that bolt, which I had mistaken for simple due to its advanced fixed firing pin configuration.

The receiver is definitely in rough shape. Very rusted on the inside and the slag is so thick I couldn't work the bolt in even a little just to dummy it up a little bit. Wish they had included one more receiver section (it should go where the bolt is in my picture) but due to the history of legal issue with these kits, I understand I can't get it all.

I've played with the Fire Control Group a little bit and it has a really interesting hammer and reset with a captive spring loaded pin that keeps the hammer from resetting until you push it in. I'll be interested to see how the build instructions use the striker.

The furniture is pretty grungy. I'm familiar with the red and gold colors of the Bakelite "beaver barf" furniture. This is quite a few shades darker and sticky to the touch. I'm hoping it's just packing grease and that a denatured alcohol soak and some light sanding brings out the nicer red gloss. If not, I'll have to look into other options.

There's a lot to this build. Should be fun hopefully.

[dakota.potts]

I find myself wondering today if a drill press could be used to complete the receiver tube rather than a mill. I will not be able to work on it in the gunsmithing lab like I thought I would, and there are not too many resources in my area. I might have to find a machine shop and see if I can rent out a mill, but I know that would probably involve buying my own cutters and other tools which I would have at school.