I get a lot of e-mails about what upgrades we use here at the shop on our personal guns. Most of us shoot nearly the identical setup (aside from stock and grip preferences). Since I got 3 requests this week I thought I'd take a minute to give the rundown of what I run on my personal weapon and why.
WEAPON- Czech SA vz.58 - The original, use the best when you have the best. Short, light and reliable.
ACCESSORIES (front to rear)
- Muzzle Brake - Crusader Brake; Not to tame the 'vicious' x39 recoil, but to stay on target for taps and hammer shots. Speeds follow-up.
- Sights - Tritium Sights; A loss of accuracy (larger post) for low light/no light aiming. I use irons for backup to 100m Max.
- Upper Handguard - NEA/Troy Cowitness upper; Return to zero solution with cowitness capability with my Aimpoint T1 (Comp used as backup after killing T1 on wknd)
- Lower Handguard - NEA/Troy Battle Rail; Light, excellent ventilation, multiple mounting solutions.
- Fore Grip - Magpul AFG; Drink the kool-aid. This grip really shines on the VZ, more so than the AR. Low profile does not interfere with mag changes.
- Left Side Charge Bolt Carrier - Speeds reloads & Stoppages. Allows non-shooting hand to operate bolt.
- Ambidextrous Magazine Release - Allows magazine removal with either hand. Specifically designed to release magazine with trigger finger.
- Tactical Bolt Release - Allows shooter to drop carrier onto reloaded magazine without recocking. Releases bolt with trigger finger.
- Grip - TAPCO AK SAW Grip; I have ape-hands and the stock grip gets lost on me. The SAW grip is big and meaty. Small hands beware.
- Single Point Sling Plate - I run a single point sling on my armor. Fast, comfortable and familiar.
- Stock - ACE Skeleton Stock, Super Short; Sacrificing any form of folding mech for strength and light weight. Super Short length for use with armor.
- Finish - Arma-Coat; Coyote Brown. Strong as hell. No worry about rust. And everyone knows that tan is the new black..
There is a pattern here -> Speed and heads up shooting. Reload speed and stoppage drills are practiced constantly. Having never been a fan of "workstation" drills, I prefer to run my rifle on the horizontal and heads up. My shooting hand operates the machine (shooting, mag removal and bolt release all done with the trigger finger) my shooting hand never leaves the grip. My non-shooting hand is only there for support and to "Feed the Pig". Ambidextrous controls are ideal when training transitions and CQB/FIBUA as well as "one arm operation", drills rarely performed, but often required if deployed & tagged (arms are bullet catchers).
I have run through half a dozen VZ's, have put over 85,000rnds through this platform and have had these rifles in every configuration possible. It is a very versatile system and there is now the means to set it up in many different ways with products from companies like ours, Czechpoint and others.
Whether you shoot for fun, train to fight, or train to compete.. the key is to practice. Get familiar with your rig. It doesn't matter if you have every option available or a stock rifle, practice is key to getting the most out of your experience.
Most of all.. have fun!
Reload Drills (slo-mo)
Bolt Release Drills
