CZ 2000

ČZ 2000
The ČZ-2000 weapon system
Type	Assault rifle Carbine Light machine gun
Place of origin	Czechoslovakia
Production history
Designer	Bohuslav Novotný
Designed	1986-1990 (LADA) 1990-1991 (ČZ 2000)
Manufacturer	Česká Zbrojovka Uherský Brod
Variants	Carbine Light machine gun
Specifications
Weight	2.60 kg (5.73 lb) (carbine) 3.00 kg (6.61 lb) (standard rifle) 4.10 kg (9.0 lb) (LMG)
Length	675 mm (26.6 in) stock extended/435 mm (17.1 in) stock folded (carbine) 850 mm (33.5 in) stock extended/615 mm (24.2 in) stock folded (standard rifle) 226 mm (8.9 in) stock extended/1,050 mm (41.3 in) stock folded (LMG)
Barrel length	185 mm (7.3 in) (carbine) 382 mm (15.0 in) (standard rifle) 577 mm (22.7 in) (LMG)
Width	68 mm (2.7 in)
Height	270 mm (10.6 in)
Cartridge	5.45×39mm (LADA) 5.56×45mm NATO (ČZ 2000)
Action	Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire	750-850 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	735 m/s (2,411 ft/s) (carbine) 910 m/s (2,985.6 ft/s) (standard rifle) 960 m/s (3,149.6 ft/s) (LMG)
Effective firing range	100 to 800 m sight adjustments (carbine, standard rifle) 100 to 1000 m sight settings (LMG)
Feed system	30-round detachable box magazine, weight: 0.17 kg (0.37 lb) or 75-round detachable drum magazine, weight 0.94 kg (2.1 lb) (ČZ 2000)
Sights	Rear aperture on scaled tangent, front post, equipped with self-luminous tritium dots

The ČZ 2000 is a prototype 5.56 mm caliber Czech weapon system, consisting of a standard rifle, carbine and light machine gun. The system was developed in 1991 after adapting the LADA firearm prototype (chambered for the 5.45×39mm M74 cartridge to the standard NATO 5.56×45mm round with the SS109 bullet.) J. Denel from the Brno-based Prototypa-ZM company is the chief designer for both systems. The ČZ 2000 (short for Česká zbrojovka, and the number 2000 signifies that this is a weapon system of the year 2000) was to be produced by Česká zbrojovka of Uherský Brod. It was to be the new service weapon of the Czech Army, replacing: the 7.62 mm vz. 58 assault rifle, 7.65 mm vz. 61 Škorpion submachine gun and 7.62 mm vz. 59 machine gun. As of 2007, the project has been discontinued.

The firearms of the ČZ 2000 series family fall under the category of automatic weapons - selective fire, gas-operated and locked with rotary bolt mechanism. Cartridge casings are extracted from the chamber with a spring-loaded claw extractor and ejected by a protrusion in the receiver housing.

The system uses a hammer-type striker and a trigger assembly equipped with a manual fire control selector (the fire selector lever is located at the left side of the receiver, just above the pistol grip), that enables semi-automatic fire (selector switch in the “1” setting), continuous fire (“30”) and three-round burst mode (“3”). The fire selector lever also operates the external safety mechanism (lever in the “0” position – weapon is safe). The rifle features an internal safety.