vz-58L: Am I over reacting?

T

twoguntim

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There has been a lot of attention around the vz-58 and it seemed like a good buy, so I took the plunge and ordered the non-restricted version. It came scratched to hell, the dust cover was too lose, the paint job sucked,the muzzle crown and butt plate looked used and the bayonet wouldn't lock on. I sent it back for a new one. It came today.

Slightly less scratched, broken top hand guard, warped bottom hand guard, unusable cleaning kit, broken knob on bayonet sheath strap and worse paint job.

I don't have a lot of experience buying these kind of rifles, but I have shot a few nice ones, so I know they exist. So, am I over reacting? Are these problems typical for this kind of rifle or am I cursed?:confused::(:mad:
 
if you are not happy with it you are not overreacting.... if it comes down to it get your mney back and try again elsewhere another time... get what you want, dont settle.
 
My short barreled VZ58, originally from Marstar, was in similar condition to what you describe. Nothing broken, but paint chipped / scratched, little dings here and there. Most of the CZ-858s (the original long barrel version) that I've seen have been in much nicer condition. I would say that the factory producing the VZ-58s and VZ-58Ls (the same factory, unless I'm mistaken?) does not put fit and finish high on their priority list.

I still love mine ... the scratches give it authentic old world Soviet charm. :D
 
JaysonCraig said:
if you are not happy with it you are not overreacting.... if it comes down to it get your money back and try again elsewhere another time... get what you want, dont settle.
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2X, obsolutely do not settle, its your hard earn money and if you are unhappy then you will hate using it.

i bot my CZ858 a few months ago and then marstar announce they are bring in a chrome barrel , i said to myself "f**k i wish i waited" but now after hearing all the problems , im sure glad i got my CZ858 cos it is in mint condition , inside and out, the only things that looked used are the accessories (sorry if i sound bragging) .

hey, dont let this turn you off , when you do get your money back, try the CZ858, you wont be dissapointed.
 
curtton said:
2X, obsolutely do not settle, its your hard earn money and if you are unhappy then you will hate using it.

i bot my CZ858 a few months ago and then marstar announce they are bring in a chrome barrel , i said to myself "f**k i wish i waited" but now after hearing all the problems , im sure glad i got my CZ858 cos it is in mint condition , inside and out, the only things that looked used are the accessories (sorry if i sound bragging) .

hey, dont let this turn you off , when you do get your money back, try the CZ858, you wont be dissapointed.
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I saw at least 5 of them at Aylmer, both short and long barrel models...there wasn't an apparent scratch on any of them...I didn't use a magnifying glass or anything but they looked excellent...
 
I bought my 858 from Elwood Epps and it looked brand new, and I mean perfect. Butt, hand guards, paint, barrel even the EIS (extra infantry sh*t) looked good. Don't settle for that. Simply not acceptable!
 
all the VZ58L's look a bit crappy but they should be in perfect working order ie nothing broken.

Send it back and tell them to make sure they send you one that works this time.


the plain 858's look new when you buy them IIRC but the 58L is a bit rougher. I bought mine in person and picked the nicest one out of 5.
 
I got my VZ 58L last Friday from Marstar. One tiny scatch on the side of the receiver, nothing that bothered me. Other then that it was perfect. The gun looks good and it was clean and ready to shoot. I cleaned it anyway and properly lubed it. Haven't had a chance to shoot it yet but if it shoots like it looks it should be good. Do not settle for anything less than close to perfect so send the second one back and demand a proper gun.
 
Mine came from MARSTAR and was 100% intact and not a scratch, Bayonet and sheath were new as well as everything else? Only thing missing was test target(oh well LOL) , functions flawlessly and accurate!



*Forgot to add 1 problem, the 5rd mag rivet was too high, sent it back and they replaced it.*
 
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cantom said:
I saw at least 5 of them at Aylmer, both short and long barrel models...there wasn't an apparent scratch on any of them...I didn't use a magnifying glass or anything but they looked excellent...
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Matt_P said:
all the VZ58L's look a bit crappy but they should be in perfect working order ie nothing broken.
the plain 858's look new when you buy them IIRC but the 58L is a bit rougher. I bought mine in person and picked the nicest one out of 5.
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the two above visual tells me there is no consistency .

twoguntim said:
Guess I'm cursed...
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i dont think so, i think someone dropped the ball and failed to ensure you are satisfied with the replacement.
 
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i got mine from Epps, new in box.
its one of the best condition guns I've seen.
smooth creamy finish, the bakelite furnature is in fine condition, leather stuff was nice, bayo is nice and locks.
everything is nice and tight.

who the hell did you buy yours from ?
 
BBq_Woa! said:
i got mine from Epps, new in box.
its one of the best condition guns I've seen.
smooth creamy finish, the bakelite furnature is in fine condition, leather stuff was nice, bayo is nice and locks.
everything is nice and tight.

who the hell did you buy yours from ?
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another satisfied owner of a CZ858.

twoguntim never mention where he bot the VZ58L from but ultimately it was imported by marstar.
 
Mine was from Marstar and the finish was bad (scratches,etc), it looks like it was painted with a spray can. But i didn't expect anything better from a Eastern european rifle.
 
LORD - here we go again.

VZ58S' are NOT NEWLY MADE. They are made entirely out of SURPLUS parts on a Receiver that was never assembled into a rifle by CZ Hermex, but WAS banged around the factory in storage for 40 years before being converted to a semi-only receiver with the sear slots welded up and assembled with used military grade parts. They NEVER look new. the finish is ALWAYS scratched. The muzzles have honest wear and CANNOT be recrowned because they are CHROMED.

A cracked handguard, however, is NOT typical. I would return any rifle I got that way. Also, you will likely find rusted metal shavings in the receiver left over from the conversion. If you detail strip and clean the rifle, generally you will find the internals are in great shap. The rust is only the metal shavings which flash-rusted due to the hear of welding and grinding when it was converted to semi.

NOW,

The VZ858 is also made of surplus parts, but has a new manufacture non-cromed barrel. They are not cleaned up, but they ARE bead blasted and re-painted by CZ. The big problems here are that the barrel is NOT as durable as a military chromed barrel and the paint used is NOT as durable as the original military paint. Half the guns I see at the range (858's) show signs of bubbling paint on the barrel and paint flaked off the gun where the bleed holes are on the gas block.

The 858's are prettier out of the box, but are sometimes known for feed problems where the bolt won't lock back or recock the gun (converted differently than the 58S' are). Also, the paint doesn;t stay pretty long on these.

Conclusion?

IMHO you're better off with a CZ Hermex made gun. I've had both and the only one I kept was my restricted VZ58S. The 858 worked and fed like crap and the paint kept bubbbling and flaking off. It was NOT military grade epozy paint like the originals have. My VZ58S has scratched and chipped used surplus parts, but runs like a champ and the finish doesn't get any worse because I don;t beat it up in the field like the Czech military did before they surplused the parts on my gun. Also the crome bore cleans up in about 30 seconds while the 858 was a B!TCH to clean.

I have not had an 858L yet, but I understand they are just VZ58S' with a (longer) light machine gun variant barrel fitted and adapted to work.

Too many guys ar buying these thinking they are new. this is the WRONG perception to have. They are MILITARY SURPLUS RIFLES. They are NOT new and you should not expect them to be. In fact, I prefer that they are surplus. It's the only commie surplus rifle in this class that we can still own!
 
I have become a big fan of the CZ858 in my safe, for what it is I give it top marks. What Claven2 says is true (as usual) but it does'nt condem the rifles. In my limited experience stress testing the rifle did not affect the finish (yet) but I did experience one FTF after many many many rounds on a 30+degree day. round chambered and striker failed to be cocked.
The rifle has proved to be very accurate and stayed accurate long efter the heat miraged the target.
As for the non chrome barrel, yep it will start to corrode quick (just like a $50,000 toyota) if not taken good care of. There is however no reason to run to the hills screaming as a pennies worth of storage oil will completely eliminate the problem.
A machined rifle, access and 1100 rounds of ammo for less then a grand delivered to your door? Not much to complain about really.
 
Claven2 said:
That runs 1000% contrary to my experience. Have you rapid fired any strings yet? Once the barrel really heats up is when these 858's really take a huge dump all over themselves in my experience.
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ofcos , i have done rapid fire, who wouldnt? after all its a semi but no, i cant say i shot enuf to get the barrel extra hot .

after 500 rd, its still looks brand new, no FTF, true ... extra care are taken with the non chrome but no biggie to me.

i knew its a parts rifle so i was expecting as such so you can imagine my surprise when it was mint and so far performed like new.

like i said you gotta be happy with the rifle you are using and im happy, a happy camper.:dancingbanana:
 
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