Crude as it may look, this rear sight is adjustable up to 800 meters.

The safety lever is found on the right side of the receiver, and when the rifle is on safe the lever falls directly under the trigger finger, enabling a shooter to know by touch what fire mode the firearm is in. Simply push it to the horizontal position to disengage it.

The trigger guard is squared off to accommodate gloved fingers and is relieved to allow access to the magazine release. Pushing the release forward allows the magazine to drop out of the receiver. Even though CZ-USA changed the trigger on the VZ 58 from the military version, do not expect target quality. Mine broke at between nine and 11 pounds, with more than a half of inch of slack.

The rear leaf sight is adjustable for distances from 100 to 800 meters via a plunger/slider. There is a “U” setting which, according to CZ-USA, is for moving or close targets. The front sight is a basic post.

Firing the gun was a lot of fun. While my stock of 7.62x39 ammunition was not what I’d like it to be, I did manage to send more than a few rounds downrange. Because of the rather long magazine, it is hard to benchrest, but I made do with a toolbox from the truck and shot groups with open sights at around 30 yards, with both Remington and Winchester ammunition. In all I put about 120 rounds through the gun with no hint of a malfunction.

If you like military history, this is a chance to own a fun piece of it, as well as an excellent home defense gun.