Aym vz52.

Alright guys...need some info on this one. Picked up this AYM coded VZ52 today. I had never given them much thought, but as of lately, I got it in my mind that I wanted one ( don't ask me why the sudden change of heart, my brain just works that way ) anyway, what do I run across today at the gun show, but a VZ52. And not one slathered in that truck bed paint, either. In fact, I doubt that I've seen one unpainted in the last 17-18 years. So of course, I get it home, and naturally I have to learn everything that needs to be known about it instantly. So far, I've learned that the AYM coded rifles are a bit more uncommon than the SHE coded rifles ( notice how I avoided the word 'rare', that's been flung around a bit too much in my opinion ) Some even claim that the AYM rifles are Egyptian contracts. I'd like to hear from the folks that are a bit more versed in these rifles than I am. So far I really like it. It seems to be a quality made piece, bore isn't half bad, balances really nicely. I will be looking for an upper handguard and a crossbolt, and if anyone has these items and would like to sell, I would love to talk to ya. Here's the pics!

The old Vz52 is a bizarre amalgamation of design features; I had a couple back when Oz still had a sense of humour.............

Is is an "un-modified 52 or one of the later 52/57 upgrades. If the latter, you can feed it all of the 7.62 x 39 you want.

If a "straight", original 52, and you want to shoot it, ammo can be a bit of a problem.

If the most recent "stash" has dried up, you can make cases from 6.5 x 52 Italian or 6,5 x 54 Mannlicher Schoenauer brass. A fair bit of work; SERIOUS sizing, trimming, reaming etc, but if you never shoot the thing, you will never know what it is REALLY like.

The original Czech ammo uses the "standard" Berdan primer, eg. RWS 5627. Cases ARE reloadable, even the odd steel ones, if not rusty, just requiring a bit MORE fooling around in the de-priming stage. Original ammo IS CORROSIVELY primed.

Yep, it's still the original 7.62x45. Here's the funny thing.....two weeks before I bought this rifle, I saw a guy with about 20 boxes of Czech surplus 7.62x45. Hoping he'll still have it next weekend!