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This .webm demonstrates one of the features of the Vz.58 which is unusual, the ability to take a stripper clip to load the magazine, an SKS stripper clip, in fact. One clip holds 10rds, and thus stripping three clips into a magazine would fully loaded. God knows why the rifle has this feature, but it's there, probably a relic from when the design was still intended for the longer and (barely) higher powered 7.62x45mm cartridge.
Some may assume the Vz.58 to be a weird AK clone at a quick glance, but it actually works entirely differently, and shares no parts.
>AK uses a long-stroke gas piston which is part of the bolt-carrier, the VZ has a short-stroke piston which shoves the carrier
>AK uses a rotating bolt with two lugs (like on an M1 rifle), while the VZ uses a linearly moving bolt with a tilting locking block (like the slide on a P38 or 92FS pistol)
>AK uses a typical swinging hammer, VZ uses a linear striker
>AK has no bolt hold-open and will close on an empty chamber after taking the last round from its steel magazine, VZ has a bolt hold-open tripped by the follower of its aluminum magazine, the gun will lock open after the last shot, and will stay open while you change the magazine
There's even further differences, like the machined steel receiver the Vz.58 always stuck with, yet retaining lighter weight than the stamped steel receiver the AKM settled with, or how the fire control group works, but these are the most significant differences.
