The ZH-29 was a
semi-automatic rifle
A semi-automatic rifle is an autoloading rifle that fires a single cartridge with each pull of the trigger, and uses part of the fired cartridge's energy to eject the case and load another cartridge into the chamber. For comparison, a bolt ...
developed in
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
during the late 1920s, and used by the Chinese
National Revolutionary Army
The National Revolutionary Army (NRA; ), sometimes shortened to Revolutionary Army () before 1928, and as National Army () after 1928, was the military arm of the Kuomintang (KMT, or the Chinese Nationalist Party) from 1925 until 1947 in China ...
.
Overview
The ZH-29 is a gas-operated service rifle with a tilting-bolt locking system similar to that which would be later used in the
Sturmgewehr 44
The StG 44 (abbreviation of Sturmgewehr 44, "assault rifle 44") is a German assault rifle developed during World War II by Hugo Schmeisser. It is also known by its early designations as the MP 43 and MP 44 (''Maschinenpistole 43'' and ''44''). ...
; although while the bolt of the German gun tilts vertically, that of the ZH-29 does so to the left side. Externally the most distinctive feature is that the barrel is offset at a slight angle to the receiver to compensate for this. Also unusually, the rifle uses an aluminium barrel jacket.
An upgraded variant was designated ZH-32.
In China,
Chang Tso-lin's army received 150 ZH-29 and 100 ZH-32. Provincial troops of
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...
also received 33 ZH-32. A derivative prototype was built in 1932 in
Shenyang
Shenyang (, ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly known as Fengtian () or by its Manchu name Mukden, is a major Chinese sub-provincial city and the provincial capital of Liaoning province. Located in central-north Liaoning, it is the provi ...
. It is unlikely these guns saw action during the
Sino-Japanese War.
A version chambered in
.276 Pedersen
The .276 Pedersen (7×51mm) round was an experimental 7 mm cartridge developed for the United States Army. It was used in the Pedersen rifle and early versions of what would become the M1 Garand.
Summary
Developed in 1923 in the United S ...
was submitted to
US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
trials but was unsuccessful.
Users
* : 210 imported in 1930-31
* : 100 ZH-32s
* : (Experimental prototype copy)
*
*
See also
*
Weapons of Czechoslovakia interwar period
This is a list of weapons used by Czechoslovakia during its interwar period (1918–1938). These include weapons that were designed and manufactured in Czechoslovakia and Czechoslovak modifications to existing weapons, like the Schwarzlose machine ...
*
Kbsp wz. 1938M
References
External links
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*Patents
charging device patentgas piston rod patentgas pressure regulator patentfiring mechanism patent
7.92×57mm Mauser semi-automatic rifles
Semi-automatic rifles of Czechoslovakia
World War II infantry weapons
World War II infantry weapons of China
World War II infantry weapons of Germany
World War II semi-automatic rifles
Military equipment introduced in the 1930s
{{Rifle-stub