Sa.23
Summary
| Country | 🇨🇿 Czech Republic |
| Category | Submachine gun |
| Manufacturer | CZ Uhersky Brod |
Technical specifications
| Sa.23 | |
|---|---|
| Fire Rate | 650 rounds/min. |
| Caliber | 9 x 19 mm Parabellum or 7.65 x 25 mm |
| Magazine | 24 - 32 - 40 rounds |
| Length | 686 mm (27.0 in) |
| Weight | 3.27 kg (7.2 lb) |
| Range | 200 m (656 ft) |
Description
The CZ Model 23/25 series, properly designated as Sa 23/25 or Sa vz. 48b, is a series of Czechoslovak-designed submachine guns introduced in 1948. The development was led by Jaroslav Holeček, chief engineer at the Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod factory. There were four principal variants within this series:
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Sa 23
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Sa 24
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Sa 25
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Sa 26
These submachine guns employ a straightforward blowback action, operating from the open bolt position without a locked breech. They feature a progressive trigger mechanism that allows for selective fire; a light pull results in a single shot, while pulling the trigger fully to the rear produces fully automatic fire. A notable design characteristic is the telescoping bolt, where the front portion of the bolt extends forward, surrounding the barrel's rear, which contributed to a reduced overall length and improved handling characteristics. Balance was enhanced by the placement of the magazine and trigger mechanism within a single vertical handgrip, positioned near the weapon's center. The receiver was constructed by machining a single circular steel tube. The telescoping bolt design of the Sa 23 series is considered to have influenced the subsequent development of the Uzi submachine gun.
The Sa 23 (vz. 48a) was the initial model, chambered for 9×19mm Parabellum ammunition and equipped with a fixed wooden stock, utilizing a straight vertical pistol grip that also housed the magazine. Magazines for the 9mm variants were available in 24 and 40-round capacities. The Sa 25 (vz. 48b) was also chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum and distinguished primarily by its folding metal stock while otherwise sharing components and magazines with the Sa 23.
Following Czechoslovakia's alignment with the Warsaw Pact, the Sa 24 and Sa 26 variants were introduced, redesigned to fire the 7.62×25mm Tokarev caliber. The Sa 24 (vz. 48a/52) corresponds to the Sa 23, featuring a fixed wooden stock and using 7.62×25mm Tokarev ammunition. It can be visually identified by its slightly forward-slanted pistol grip and magazine compared to the Sa 23. The Sa 24 used 32-round magazines. The Sa 26 (vz. 48b/52) is the 7.62×25mm equivalent of the Sa 25, fitted with a folding metal stock and utilizing the same 32-round magazines as the Sa 24.
The Sa 23 and Sa 25 models were utilized by Cuba during the 1960s and 1970s, with some appearing in photographs from the Bay of Pigs invasion. After being declared obsolete in Czechoslovak service in 1968, many of the surplus 9mm weapons were exported globally, including to communist countries like North Vietnam. A modified version firing 9×19mm Parabellum was produced in Rhodesia in the early 1970s under the designation LDP, also known as the "Rhogun". Production later transferred to South Africa where it was briefly marketed as the Sanna 77 in a semi-automatic configuration. Some examples were reportedly used by the Irish Republican Army during the 1980s and early 1990s. Post-Velvet Revolution, many of these firearms remained in the inventory of the Czech Military and were subsequently sold as surplus. Many entered the black market, others were deactivated for civilian collectors, and some were demilitarized and sent to the United States, where many have been re-built into semi-automatic carbines.