Strojnica ERO is a submachine gun produced in Croatia at the dawn of the Croatian war for independence. It is an exact clone of the world’s famous Israel’s UZI submachine gun. It was manufactured in 1992 by Koncar Arma Grupa d.o. company in Zagreb.
Design
Strojnica ERO as you may assume works on the same principle as the UZI. It is a blowback-operated 9×19 mm submachine gun that is identical to the Uzi in function, utilizing a wrap-around bolt and grip magazine feed. Despite it is the clone of the UZI, Strojnica ERO was manufactured to be used on the battlefield, and specially adapted for the Special Forces use. The group of experts and innovators from the Arma Grupa, adapted Strojnica ERO to close combat.
ERO has small dimensions, but it is pretty heavy for such a type of weapon. It weighs 3.73 kg (8.2 lb) because it was entirely made from steel stampings. The major difference between ERO and UZI is the selector switch, which is marked R (Rafalno {“burst”}, for full-automatic fire), P (Pojedinačno, for single-shot) and Z (Zaključan,{locked}, for safe) and its rate of fire is 650 rounds per minute.
It uses the 32-round magazine as standard but can use any 9mm Uzi-interface magazine of 25 rounds or larger.
Strojnica Mini-ERO
It is a clone of the Micro UZI, but still, it is different. Strojnica Mini-ERO had a folding buttstock in form of a heavy-gauge folding wire similar to the Yugoslavian-made M84 Skorpion (based on Czechoslovakian SAMOPAL Vz. 61 Skorpion Machine Pistol). Like the ERO, it is also chambered in 9×19 mm caliber.
The barrel is mounted inside of the casing, reducing the overall length of the weapon. The barrel length is 125 mm and has a closed bolt compared to its original counterpart. The charging handle is located on the top of the receiver cover and it is used to retract the bolt. The fire regulator is located at the top of the handle. There are two modes, single and burst.
The weight of the Mini-ERO is 2.2 kg (4.85 lb) empty. The length is 545.5 mm (21.47 in) with the folding stock extended and only 250 mm (9.84 in) with the stock folded. It uses standard Micro UZI magazine (32 rounds). Mini-Ero is suitable for easy mounting of additional equipment such as silencer or laser sighting device. Sights on the weapon have two positions: 100 meters and 200 meters.
Technical specifications: Strojnica ERO
| Manufacturer: | Koncar Arma Grupa d.o.o., Zagreb, Croatia |
| Designed: | 1992 |
| Service: | 1992-present |
| Type: | blowback operated, open bolt, selective fire |
| Caliber: | 9×19 mm |
| Barrel: | 10.2 in (259 mm) |
| Weight (empty): | 7.72 lbs (3.5 kg) |
| Effective firing range: | 200 m |
| Rate of fire: | 650 rounds per minute |
| Magazine capacity: | 32 rounds magazine |
Both versions, Strojnica ERO and Strojnica Mini-ERO are still in use by Croatian law enforcement forces.
