TZ-45 submachine gun (Italy)

 TZ-45 submachine gun.

Characteristics

TZ-45 submachine gun was developed in Italy toward the end of WW2, by two brothers, Tony and Zorzoli Giandoso (hence the index TZ). Several thousands of the TZ-45 submachine guns were manufactured for Italian army in 1944-45, and when the war ended and demand for new submachine guns fell, production of this weapon has ceased immediately. During early 1950s the manufacturing license for TZ-45 has been sold to Burma, where it was put into limited production for Burmese armed forces as BA-52.

The TZ-45 submachine gun is a simple blowback operated weapon which fires from open bolt. It uses advanced primer ignition principle, and can fire in single shots of full automatic, thanks to combined safety / fire mode selector, located on the right side of the trigger unit, in front of the trigger guard. Additional automated safety is provided in the form of the lever, located just behind the magazine housing. When gun is at rest, the upper arm of this lever locks the bolt in open or closed position. To be able to cycle the bolt and/or fire the gun, operator must deliberately grip the magazine housing, pressing the lower arm of the safety lever forward, toward the magazine housing body. The barrel of the TZ-45 is enclosed into the slotted jacket, with muzzle compensator at the front. TZ-45 used same box magazines as Beretta 38 submachine guns. The retractable buttstock is made of steel wire. Sights are fixed, set for 100 meters range.