Uzi

Overview:

The Uzi (Hebrew: עוזי‎, officially cased as UZI) is a related family of open bolt, blowback-operated submachine guns. Smaller variants are considered to be machine pistols. The Uzi was one of the first weapons to use a telescoping bolt design which allows for the magazine to be housed in the pistol grip for a shorter weapon. The first Uzi submachine gun was designed by Major Uziel Gal in the late 1940s. The prototype was finished in 1950; first introduced to IDF special forces in 1954, the weapon was placed into general issue two years later. The Uzi has found use as a personal defense weapon by rear-echelon troops, officers, artillery troops and tankers, as well as a frontline weapon by elite light infantry assault forces. Over its service lifetime, the Uzi was manufactured by Israel Military Industries, FN Herstal, and other manufacturers. The Uzi uses an open bolt, blowback-operated design. The open bolt design exposes the breech end of the barrel, and improves cooling during periods of continuous fire; however, it means that since the bolt is held to the rear when cocked, the receiver is more susceptible to contamination from sand and dirt ingress. It and the Czechoslovakian series 23 to 26 were the first weapons to use a telescoping bolt design, in which the bolt wraps around the breech end of the barrel. This allows the barrel to be moved far back into the receiver and the magazine to be housed in the pistol grip, allowing for a heavier, slower-firing bolt in a shorter, better-balanced weapon. The weapon is constructed primarily from stamped sheet metal, making it less expensive per unit to manufacture than an equivalent design machined from forgings. With relatively few moving parts, the Uzi is easy to strip for maintenance or repair. The magazine is housed within the pistol grip, allowing for intuitive and easy reloading in dark or difficult conditions, under the principle of 'hand finds hand'. The pistol grip is fitted with a grip safety, making it difficult to fire accidentally. However, the protruding vertical magazine also makes the gun awkward to fire when prone. When the gun is de-cocked, the ejector port closes, preventing entry of dust and dirt. Though the Uzi's stamped-metal receiver is equipped with pressed reinforcement slots to accept accumulated dirt and sand, the weapon can still jam with heavy accumulations of sand in desert combat conditions when not cleaned regularly.

Specifications:

Type

• Submachine gun.

Place of Origin

• Israel.

Weight

• 3.5 kg (7.72 lb).

Length

• 650 mm (25.6 in) stock extended.
• 470 mm (18.5 in) stock collapsed.

Barrel Length

• 260 mm (10.2 in).

Cartridge

• 9x19mm Parabellum.
• .22 LR.
• .45 ACP.
• .41 AE.

Action

• Blowback.

Rate of Fire

• 600 rounds/min.

Muzzle Velocity

• ~400 m/s (1,312 ft/s).

Feed System

• 10 (.22 and .41 AE).
• 16 (.45 ACP).
• 20, 32, 40 and 50-round box magazines.

Sights

• Iron sights.