Sa 23 submachine gun series

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Sa 23 - 9x19mm

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Sa 25 - 9x19mm. Note the slide on the handguard, which is a speedloader for magazines. The stock folds to the left, and can be used as a foregrip when folded.

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Sa 24 - 7.62x25mm. Note the forward slant of the magazine.

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Sa 26 - 7.62x25mm

The Sa 23 (Czech: Samopal 23) series of submachine guns began just after World War II, when Czech arms designer Vaclav Holek developed a submachine gun patterned after the various conventional blowback designs of the time (the MP40, Sten, etc.), but with some innovative updates. The resultant weapon was the first submachine gun in full production to have the magazine well in the pistol grip, and a wrap around bolt.

The development of this SMG was started in 1947 at the Česká Zbrojovka Strakonice arms factory, as the CZ-447. The final version of the SMG was adopted by the Czechoslovak army in August 1948 under the designation "9 mm samopal vz. 48a" (with fixed wooden buttstock) and "9 mm samopal vz. 48b" (with folding buttstock). Serial production was started in 1949 at the Česká Zbrojovka enterprise - Uhersky Brod. In the spring of 1950, the Czechoslovak army changed the designation of these SMGs: Sa vz. 48a became Sa 23, and Sa vz. 48b became Sa 25. Unlike other Czechoslovakian submachine guns, these numeral designations are typically written without the "vzor" (model of), as their numeral designations are not their years of introductions.

The original guns were chambered in 9mm Parabellum, making it popular for export to western or non-aligned nations, but the Soviet Union pressured Czechoslovakia to adopt a standardized Warsaw Pact caliber, so the gun was modified to fire the 7.62x25mm Tokarev round. The 7.62x25mm versions are identifiable due to the obvious forward slant of the pistol grip and magazine to accommodate the different shape of the ammunition. The 9mm versions - as well as some of the surplus 7.62x25mm ones - were sold worldwide. Most of the 9mm guns ended up in the hands of countries like Chile, Lebanon and South Africa, while the 7.62x25mm versions went to Soviet client states like Cuba, Cambodia, and Libya. The original Czech production ran from 1949 to 1968.

The four variants of the Czech production are:

• Sa 23: 9x19mm Parabellum, fixed wooden stock.
• Sa 25: 9x19mm Parabellum, side-folding wire stock.
• Sa 24: 7.62x25mm Tokarev, fixed wooden stock.
• Sa 26: 7.62x25mm Tokarev, side-folding wire stock.

A semi-automatic version of the Sa 25 - the Sanna 77 - was produced in sanctions-embargoed Rhodesia in the 1970s, in line with other forays into local arms, such as the Rhogun, Cobra Carbine, and the Northwood R-76 SMG/R-77 machine carbine. They were mainly marketed as high-capacity "land defence pistols" for use by isolated white farmers against indigenous guerrilas. Some sources claim that the Sanna 77 was nicknamed the "Rhuzi," due to its cosmetic similarity to the Uzi, others claim the same for the Rhogun and the Cobra. Another semi-automatic version - the Kommando LDP - later appeared in South Africa.

Specifications

(1948 - 1968)

• Type: Submachine Gun

• Caliber: 9x19mm (23, 25), 7.62x25mm Tokarev (24, 26)

• Weight: 7.2 lbs (3.3 kg)

• Length: 17.5 in (44.5 cm) stock folded, 27 in (68.6 cm) stock extended/fixed stock

• Barrel length: 11.2 in (28.4 cm)

• Capacity: 24 or 40 (9x19mm), 32 (7.62x25mm)

• Fire Modes: Semi-Auto/Full-Auto

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The Sa 23 submachine gun series and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
They Come Out of the Darkness (Pricházejí z tmy)	Josef Mixa	Chief Sergeant Jaroslav Martinec	Sa 25	1954
They Come Out of the Darkness (Pricházejí z tmy)	Petr Skála	Staff Sergeant Jindrich Votava	Sa 25	1954
They Come Out of the Darkness (Pricházejí z tmy)	Vilém Besser	Sergeant Hudecek	Sa 25	1954
Smugglers of Death	Leopold Novák	Kilián known as "King of Šumava"	mocked as Sten Mk I*	1959
Smugglers of Death	Miroslav Holub	Gamekeeper Paleček	mocked as Sten Mk I*	1959
And Your Love Too	Alfonso Arau	Alfredo	Sa 25	1962
	Armin Mueller-Stahl	Ullrich Sittich
The End of Agent W4C		Secret agents	Sa 26	1967
The Last Grenade	Alex Cord	Kip Thompson	Sa 23	1970
Mafia Junction		Cliff's henchmen	Sa 25	1973
The Wilby Conspiracy		South African BOSS agents	Sa 25	1975
Paper Tiger		Kulagong commandos	Sa 25	1975
Operation Thunderbolt	Klaus Kinski	Wilfried Boese	Sa 25	1977
The Wild Geese		Various Mercenaries	Sa 23 and Sa 25	1978
Game for Vultures		Sixpence		1979
Never Say Never Again	Sean Connery	James Bond	Sa 25	1983
The Detached Mission (Odinochnoye plavanye)	Aleksandr Inshakov	Horts	Sa 26	1985
Wild Geese II		Palestinian gunman	Sa 25	1985
Secrets of Madame Wong (Tayny madam Vong)		Gangsters	Sa 26	1986
Cargo 300 (Gruz 300)		A mujaheddin	Sa 26	1989
Afghan Breakdown		A mujaheddin	Sa 23	1991
The Wild East		Skull's thug	Sa 25	1993
Chained Heat 2	Markéta Hrubešová	Carla	Sa 24	1993
Chained Heat 2		Guards & Prisoners	Sa 25	1993
The Gray Wolves (Serye volki)	Nartay Begalin	KGB operative	Sa 26	1993
The Little Bee (Pchyolka)	Anatoliy Ravikovich	Vasiliy	Sa 26	1993
The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin	Zoya Buryak	Nyura	Mocked as Degtyaryov DA-2 mounted on the aircraft	1994
Shirli-Myrli		Man in black	Sa 26	1995
Hidden Assassin	Dolph Lundgren	Michael Dane	Sa 25	1995
Hidden Assassin	Gavan O'Herlihy	Dick Powell	Sa 25	1995
Crusader (Krestonosets)		Criminals	Sa 26	1995
All the Things We Dreamt of for So Long	Nikolay Dobrynin	Nikolay	Sa 25	1997
		Criminals
Spiders II: Breeding Ground		Ship's crew	Sa 26	2001
Lion's Share (Lvinaya dolya)		Simonov's henchman	Sa 25	2001
Bad Company		Terrorist	Sa 25	2002
Outside the Law		Black ops operative	Sa 25	2002
Antikiller		Criminals	Sa 25	2002
Underworld		Gun Rack	Sa 26	2003
The Preacher			Sa 25, seen in trunk of Jutka's car.	2004
Che Part One: Argentine	Luis Gonzaga Hernandez	Captain Lalo Sardiñas	Sa 25	2009
In the Shadow		Czechoslovak Border Guard		2012

Television

Show Title	Actor	Character	Note / Episode	Air Date
Bors			Sa 23 and Sa 25	1968
The Professionals		German terrorists	Sa 25	1977-1981
Doctor Who	Various	Neo-Nazis	Sa 25	1988
Young Indiana Jones Chronicles	Sean Patrick Flanery	Indiana Jones	Sa 25/26 SMG - "Attack of the Hawkmen"	1995
Dead Man's Tale (Chto skazal pokoynik)		French police	Sa 25	2000
Grazhdanin nachalnik	Vladimir Vdovichenkov	Kolya the Afghan	Sa 26	2001
	Sergey Pinchuk	"Valet"
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries		A Serbian militant	Sa 25 or 26; "In the Blink of an Eye" (S05E04)	2007
Strike Back - Season 4	Various	Terrorists	Sa 26 / S04E05 - S04E10	2013
Tyrant	Abdallah El Akal	Fahmy	Sa 25 / Episode 2	2014
Tokyo Vampire Hotel	Yukimasa Tanimoto	Ichiro Yamoto	Ep.6	2017

Video Game

Game Title	Appears as	Note	Release Date
Ghost Recon			2001
Call of Duty: Vanguard	"RA 225"	Added in Season 5 (2022)	2021

Anime

Title	Character	Note	Date
Suisei no Gargantia	Pirate		2013

Sanna 77

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Sanna 77 - 9x19mm

A 9mm semi-automatic side-folding wire-stocked version, dating from 1977 to 1980. Some sources suggest that some or all Sanna-77s were actually refurbished surplus Sa 25s, with "production" starting in Rhodesia, then moving to South Africa. Some were also sanitized Sa 25s in military configuration.

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Whiteout		Russian guard	Fixed synthetic stock	2009

Kommando LDP

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Kommando-LDP "Rhuzi" - 9x19mm

Another 9mm semi-automatic version, produced in South Africa. This differed from most previous variants in having a large grey plastic pistol-grip that extended almost to the muzzle, and a wire stock that folded underneath the weapon, rather than to the side, the butt being inverted so it could still be used as a fore-grip. Some sources claim that "LDP" refers to refers to the names of the manufacturer and designer - Lacoste Engineering and a Mr Pointer respectively - rather than "land defence pistol," as per previously, and that it was also known as the "Lacoste LDP." Although sold as semi-automatic, the Kommando-LDP has a reputation for inadvertent full-auto fire, and is reputedly easily convertible to that mode permanently.

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
The Gods Must Be Crazy		Sam Boga's terrorist gang		1980
American Ninja 2: The Confrontation		US Marines and The Lion's guards		1987
American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt		Guards		1989
Mad Max: Fury Road		Rock Rider Chief		2015
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter	Rola	Cobalt		2017

Television

Show Title	Actor	Character	Note / Episode	Air Date
Knights of God		Knights	Some converted to full-auto	1987

Cobra LDP

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Cobra LDP - 9x19mm

The Cobra LDP is a semi-auto variant of Sa 23 SMG using Uzi magazines.

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt		Andreas' henchman	With barrel extension	1989