CZ-700

     Notes: This weapon was originally produced for export, but Czech and Slovakian forces began to use small numbers of it after they joined NATO.  It was developed from a civilian competition rifle commonly used in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, but the civilian rifle was heavily modified before it became the CZ-700.

     The CZ-700 comes in a kit with a normal barrel and a silenced barrel, to be used with subsonic ammunition.  The standard barrel is 25.6 inches, and the silenced barrel is 17.7 inches plus the length of the silencer.  The butt plate and cheek rest are adjustable, and the trigger is adjustable for pull, length of travel, and lateral positioning. The stock of the CZ-100 is made from molded plastic-based composites, and includes an adjustable cheekpiece and a buttplate adjustable for length of pull and height.  The stock is of the thumbhole-type.  The standard CZ-700 feeds from a 10-round box magazine, but an insert can be placed into the magazine well, turning the CZ-700 into a single-shot rifle (normally done only for training purposes).  The CZ-700 has a scope mount atop the receiver for use with most Russian and European telescopic sights.  Optional features include backup iron sights with anti-glare shields and a flash suppressor.

     The Czechs replaced the CZ-700 a few years ago with the CZ-700M1.  This is virtually identical to the CZ-700, but uses wood furniture instead of synthetics.  This was done primarily as a cost-cutting move and to ease manufacturing, but also makes the CZ-700M1 heavier than the CZ-700.  The woods used for the CZ-700M1 are generally of the best quality available, and are laminated and weatherproofed.  The CZ-700M1 otherwise has the same firing characteristics for game purposes.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The CZ-700 was pressed into service use by the Czech military when the Twilight War began.  Typical use was with special operations troops to enable them to use captured NATO ammunition, though assassins throughout the Pact liked its ability to use subsonic ammunition.  The CZ-700M1 does not exist as such in the Twilight 2000 timeline, though late in the war many CZ-700s were in fact made with wooden furniture.

CZ Mk 58/98

     Notes: This weapon is based on the VZ-58 assault rifle. It is a platoon sharpshooter's weapon rather than that of a dedicated sniper rifle.  Differences include a sliding stock, longer barrel, and M-16 style flash hider.  The handguard is also replaced by a plastic one.  Unlike other sniper rifles, it is capable of automatic fire, retaining the selective fire mechanism of the VZ-58.  Standard sight for this weapon is the PSO-1 sight of the Dragunov. Very few examples of this weapon have been seen in public as of 2002, and those may have only been prototypes.  They have not yet been officially offered for sale.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Originally designed as an experiment in the early 1990s, the Mk 58/98 was later issued as a platoon sharpshooter’s weapon in airborne, air assault, and mechanized infantry units.  Normally, 1-2 of these rifles were issued per platoon. 

     Merc 2000 Notes: There were some small scale sales to Eastern European and some Middle Eastern countries.  The Pakistanis were also believed to have experimented with them, but found them unsatisfactory.  Otherwise, the Mk 58/98 has not had much success. 

CZ VZ-54

    Notes:  As Czechoslovakia tended to do during their Warsaw Pact days, the Czechs went their own way with a lot of their weapons.  One of these was their sniper rifle, the VZ-54; as long as they accepted the 7.62mm Nagant cartridge, the Russians allowed them to design their own weapon.  The Czechs took a Mauser action, and came up with a magazine-fed bolt-action rifle that looked similar to the Mosin-Nagant M-1891/30 sniper rifle, but shorter and lighter.  The production quality was very good, and the rifle was built to close tolerances.  Civilian hunting scopes were used rather than military scopes, though the VZ-54 could also mount Pact military hardware; the standard scope is a civilian-type 2.5x scope.  The VZ-54 is still widely used by Czech and Slovakian snipers, though it is very slowly being replaced by the CZ-700 and foreign rifles.