Caliber: 7.92×57 mm Mauser
Weight: 8.9 kg Length: 1168 mm Length of barrel: 600 mm Feeding: box magazine, 20 rounds Rate of fire: 500 rounds/min
The ZB26 is a gas operated, air cooled, selectively fired, machine gun. It has a finned, quick-detachable barrel and fires from an open bolt. The action of the gun is powered by a long-stroke gas piston, located below the barrel. The gas block is mounted at the muzzle end of the barrel and also serves as the front sight base. The action is locked by tipping the rear of the bolt (breechblock) upwards, and into a locking recess in the receiver. The return spring is located in the butt of the weapon, and is connected to the bolt carrier / gas piston via a long rod; additionally, there is a short spring buffer located around the return spring at the juncture of the receiver and butt, which softens the impact of the bolt group at the end of its rearward stroke. The charging handle is located at the right side of receiver and does not reciprocate when the gun is fired.
The ammunition feed is from top-mounted box magazines. These are made from sheet steel and hold only 20 rounds in a two-row configuration. The magazine housing has a sliding dust cover which is slid forward to load the gun. Spent cartridges are ejected downwards. The ejection port is normally closed with its own dust cover which opens automatically once the trigger is pressed. The trigger unit permits both single shots and automatic fire, selectable through a safety / fire mode selector lever situated at the left side of the pistol grip. The gun fires from an open bolt and the spring-loaded firing pin is operated by a projection on the bolt carrier, once the bolt is fully in battery and locked.
