Uzi

Lore & Background

The Uzi prototype was finished in 1950. It was first introduced to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) special forces in 1954, and placed into general issue two years later. The IDF supplied Uzis to rear-echelon troops, officers, artillery troops and tank crews, as well as a frontline weapon by elite light infantry assault forces. The Uzi has been exported to over 90 countries. From the 1960s through to the 1980s, more Uzi submachine guns were sold to more military, law enforcement and security markets than any other submachine gun ever made.

Reader's Guide

The Uzi uses an open-bolt, blowback-operated design. It uses a telescoping bolt design, in which the bolt wraps around the breech end of the barrel. The weapon is constructed primarily from stamped sheet metal. The magazine is housed within the pistol grip.

The pistol grip is fitted with a grip safety. The non-reciprocating charging handle on the top of the receiver cover is used to retract the bolt. There are two external safety mechanisms: a three-position selector lever and a grip safety. The trigger mechanism controls the release mechanism for the bolt or firing pin holding mechanism.

The magazine release button is located on the lower portion of the pistol grip. Different stocks are available: a wooden stock with a metal buttplate, a downward-folding twin-strut metal stock, and others. Original box magazines for the 9mm Uzi had a 25-round capacity; a 32-round extended magazine later became standard. Caliber conversion kits were available in .22 LR or .41 AE.

Did You Know?

• The Uzi was officially adopted in 1951.
• The first Uzis were equipped with a short, fixed wooden buttstock.
• The Uzi was used during the 1956 Suez Campaign and the 1967 Six-Day War.
• The weapon was phased out of frontline IDF service in the 1980s, but some Uzis were still used by a few IDF units until December 2003.