Israeli Army Uzi is Better Than You Think

[@erosthespy]

My grandpa is a gun-collector and one of his most prized possessions was an unfired full-auto Uzi from the late 60's / early 70's. It had came in this zipped olive bag with two 25 rnd. mags, three barrels (one short, one long, and one shrouded), and it even came with some retro IDF ammo pouches with some hebrew lettering. Anytime he gets to see that wooden stock he always ends up feeling pretty nostalgic. His appreciation of the Uzi made me appreciate the history of such a gun as well.

[@gifthorse3675]

What’s the point of having it and not shooting it at least once?

[@arthurneddysmith]

@@gifthorse3675 If you don't know the answer to that question, you should probably keep it to yourself.

[@maorgolan8594]

if you find a way to post it online i can translate it for you

[@oldiehugger]

Shouldn't all firearms be test fired before leaving the factory?

[@bakedstreetyt]

@@oldiehugger yeah it was definitly fired

[@piobmhor8529]

I had a chance to meet Uriel Gal in the early 1980s. He was working on contract with Colt adapting their AR15/M16 for Canadian Armed Forces trials. He was one smart Engineer, mostly self-educated. One piece of trivia he mentioned was that he designed the cocking handle on top on the original prototype, making it a little more ambidextrous than other SMGs of the day like the Stirling. He was left-handed and was tired of everything being designed for right-handed people.

[@MSM4U2POM]

You're a lucky guy. I would love to have met Colonel Gal.

[@jantschierschky3461]

Being trained on the Uzi, I like it. The only issue with it is the selector being stiff and the grip safety is a pain.

[@Robin6512]

Agree on the safety. I never found the grip a problem. Been my main weapon for 6 years and still have one privately

[@hairydogstail]

The grip safety can be disengaged and reengaged quite easily with a piece of wood..

[@judsongaiden9878]

The grip safety can be overridden ghetto-style with a shoestring.

[@hairydogstail]

@@judsongaiden9878 Much easier and more reliable to use a piece of wood that can be easily inserted or removed...

[@judsongaiden9878]

@@hairydogstail Yeah, but then you miss out on that "ghetto blaster" vibe.

[@RuBearUSA]

Kibbutz is a settlement type, not an actual name. It is more like a community. BTW Uzi is an amazing gun, especially if you drop it on your foot - heavy and sharp

[@lancerakusin6985]

Does Cappy not reference Kibbutz Yagur? Not Kibbutz in general?

[@harryh5620]

beat me to it. Just another learning opportunity for old Cappy!

[@googlehomeboi9975]

I live in a Kibbutz about 400 people living in there most people are older.

[@Robin6512]

Try a FAL. Trust me it hurts more

[@hemaccabe4292]

@@lancerakusin6985 His pronunciation of "Kibbutz," was very original.

[@sterhax]

It was used very successfully to clear bunkers in the Golan Heights. The defenders’ AKs weren’t as handy in tight quarters

[@LuvBorderCollies]

And the AK muzzle blast is really noticeable inside small concrete bunkers.

[@Matt-xc6sp]

They could have cleared bunkers with Martini Henry’s and it wouldn’t have mattered. All the hand me down US tanks would have made up for it.

[@antimedic4441]

@@Matt-xc6sp bruh centurions arent american tanks

[@wigon]

@@Matt-xc6sp It does matter when you have to clear out infantry from heavily fortified bunkers. Israeli infantry are the unsung heroes of Israel's historic wars. Ironically it was overreliance on armor that was their downfall fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon during their last invasion. Against a modern opponent using modern tandem warhead RPG-29's and Kornet ATGM's, even the most heavily armored tanks in the world run into trouble without adequate infantry support.

[@Mrcuddlesworth_]

Syria didn’t deserve golan.

[@josephfranzen5626]

The iconic Arnold line “UZI NINE MILLIMETER” I got to fire one of these up at a range day in Hookset NH with a few friends from Umlaut. It definitely put a massive smile on my face. Regardless of practicality or accuracy, with its compact frame and immense volume of fire I would certainly not want to be in the line of fire of a skilled shooter pieing a corner with one of these in hand.

[@rainbow_tactician]

My mom was an IDF weapons instructor in the early 90s. She was so short that they gave her an uzi instead of a long m16. Wild times

[@samuraigaming3042]

Wait lol was she 2 feet tall wtf

[@GAMER123GAMING]

@@samuraigaming3042 yeah dem elves short

[@rainbow_tactician]

@@samuraigaming3042 the barrel would hit the back of her legs when she was walking with it slung

[@IDFArmor]

I can absolutely believe this. The long M16 looked ridiculous on most female soldiers ive met.

[@blacklight4720]

I served in 2010 and I've something strange that made me question weapon distribution in IDF. I saw a short girl( not too short, average I guess) who was a weapon instructor and her personal weapon was... M4 commando(I think it was nicknamed "Mekutzrar), like super short version. I thought to myself, someone could have made much more use out of such Rifle(she was not a frontline). To me it seemed like a rifle that is suitable to clear indoors and narrow alleyways.

[@hemaccabe4292]

I remember in the 80s, in the US, the Uzi was seen as a macho, cool gun. Chuck Norris had all those movies where he was flashing an Uzi. While in Israel, the Uzi was considered a nice, small feminine weapon primarily issued to female volunteers. 😄

[@Warmaker01]

The T-800 in The Terminator went shopping for guns and the Uzi was on the list! The Uzi was a staple for US action movies of the 80s.

[@hemaccabe4292]

@@Warmaker01 I'm still waiting for my phased plasma rifle.

[@matthew_natividad]

@@hemaccabe4292 just what ya see pal

[@XDSDDLord]

The Uzi was not seen a feminine gun, and a lot of soldiers prefered it over the M16.

[@s.marcus3669]

"Volunteers"? Ummmm, no, you putz. It was the primary infantry arm along with the FN-FAL until both were replaced by the Galil in 1972. Israel has not had "volunteers" since 1948 and the MH"L of today are issued whatever the rest of the army is issued.

[@hemaccabe4292]

When John Hinckley shot Ronald Reagan, his Secret Service guy whooped an Uzi out of a suitcase. Big moment for Uzi.

[@pwr2al4]

That dude was crazy fast on the draw

[@gbonkers666]

Special Agent Bob Wanko

[@EMvanLoon]

This was my personal weapon during my compulsory conscription in the Dutch army in 1989. Loved this gun because of its simplicity and small size!

[@yanayliroz]

As an Israeli im not sure what i love more, the recognition we get from these videos or the way you butcher my native tongue (nice try tho) , great video and even better channel

[@wigon]

Yo Cappy. You left out a couple of uzis in between the standard Uzi carbine and the Uzi Pro. These included the Mini-Uzi and the Micro-Uzi. The Mini-Uzi is by far my favorite of all of the Uzis as it is very compact, but heavy enough to soak up a lot of the recoil. It also has a ported barrel that helps a lot to reduce muzzle climb. While I've shot a full-auto version at a gun range that rented them (awesome experience), I'd kill to own even a semi-auto version (super expensive if you can find one) as they just balance perfectly in the hands. I really wish IWI would start making that model again for the U.S. market but with a pistol brace because in my opinion, they are the ideal pistol caliber PDW. I'd vastly prefer one of those to any AR-15 for home defense as they allow you to much more easily maneuver through tight doorways and hallways while also pointing more naturally and getting on target faster than any other carbine that I've ever fired in my life.

[@abysswalker2594]

AR-15 is good if you have a good bit of land and need to hit them far out but Yh smgs and shotguns and pistols are perfect for urban areas or city’s when you got a people around and need to make sure you don’t hit your next door neighbours dog

[@BULLETPHIL99]

Would you still prefer the UZI over something like a Glock for home defense?

[@13deltafdc]

@Beaverish Buck Teeth Just say you’re a racist. Stop being so shy about it. Go outside and say it with your chest. Why else would you care so much about someone loving Jews?

[@wigon]

@@13deltafdc I was going to say the same thing. Thank you. Sad to see people like that who have nothing better to do than to hate on others.

[@wigon]

@@abysswalker2594 Actually, that's not why I'd prefer a Mini-Uzi. I currently own AR-15's for home defense precisely because your average 55 grain .223 soft-point rounds fired from a 16" barreled AR-15 have about the same over-penetration in both soft and hard objects as your average 124 grain 9mm JHP round from a pistol. So there's very little chance that a round will go into a neighbor's house. I would prefer a Mini-Uzi with a pistol brace (or registered as an SBR) only because it is more compact, balances better, and points FAR BETTER than any AR I've owned or shot. At close range I was able to get rounds on target blazing fast from a low-ready position. Definitely faster than what I could do with any AR-15 including my compact 7" barreled AR pistol.

[@Robin6512]

I never had a problem with stoppages when it was my personal weapon for 6 years. Ok full mil spec version but I did thousands of rounds, I shot the ammo others didn’t want to :), but I never had a major problem. I just didn’t like the folding stock. The wood was much nicer and lighter btw.

[@Matt-md5yt]

And in my eyes prettier

[@softailrider4976]

Yea this guy is a fool uzi’s have been documented going well over 100k rounds with nothing more than a couple barrel changes. They were made initially to shoot hot Israeli ball ammo and even so you can very easily make them shoot any standard 115gr ammo availabile

[@angrydragonslayer]

like most guns, treating it right will make it treat you right (i even had a zip 22 that's reliable now due to me treating it to 60% new CNC machined parts) to my understanding, almost all uzis with issues are either entirely or partially counterfeit. i saw a guy on a forum replacing his bolt with an real IWI one and it ran like butter after that.

[@Robin6512]

@@Matt-md5yt there is a Dutch airforce version what is the outline of the woodstock in metal. Thats the one i carried in the airforce. very nice but in winter less ideal due to larger contact service. I like the wood. ps i still have an uzi with all three types of stocks

[@G58]

Mine never gave me any issues either. Even deployed it to provide suppressive fire when the GPMG jammed. 30 round mags empty very quickly, but the do keep heads down! Peace

[@MrHappy4870]

My understanding is that the UZI became a favorite in Israel because it was handy in fighting within fixed enemy positions and trenches the same way that the Thompson was for US troops (See what I did there: I referenced an earlier video with the current one).

[@s.marcus3669]

More or less. Because it is what it is (pistol cartridge + short barrel = short range and very low penetration & stopping power) the IDF still kept the FAL in every platoon until the advent of the Galil in 1972. Additionally, have you ever fired a Thompson? The ergonomics are wonky as hell, even Gun Jesus himself has said so...

[@quakethedoombringer]

Also when the majority of the combat operation is in urban area where area of combat is less than 300 meters and house searching is commonplace, an extremely compact and reliable SMG is preferable to a full sized rifle

[@MattyEngland]

I think they just liked it because it's high fire rate and low accuracy allowed then to kill way more palestinian women and children.

[@AA-do1vw]

@@MattyEngland 🔥🔥🔥

[@s.marcus3669]

@@MattyEngland Kind of weird that you say that, Matt, since it never happened, except in your head. We only had one "Deir Yassin", the Arab world is awash in the blood of their own people. Why don't you spend more time examining your own guilt before projecting it onto others. By the way, as I type this on 20 March, 2022; Israel is busy taking in THOUSANDS of NON-JEWISH Ukrainian refugees. Take your Jew-hatred and shove it, Matt.

[@viator21]

You lost me when you stated the uzi’s bolt mechanism functioned the same way as a 1911. A telescoping bolt blowback sub machine gun and a browning tilting barrel lock up hand gun are worlds apart. 🤔

[@jantschierschky3461]

Don't forget your average infantry soldier, should have answered that one

[@ALovelyBunchOfDragonballz]

He said it was telescopic, like the 1911. Which is true, but its the weirdest way to explain what a pistol slide is.

[@scapegoat762]

"The weapon is made out of stamped sheet metal". No. It's not. The RECEIVER and some of the internal parts are made of stamped sheet metal. The barrel isn't. The bolt isn't. The charging handle isn't. The recoil spring isn't. The grip isn't. That's like saying your car is made of rubber because it has tires on it. And- "Made in over different countries." How about USED by over 90 different countries? This guy immediately got put on IGNORE.

[@lm-rh3qo]

Can't wait for your documentary guys

[@ALovelyBunchOfDragonballz]

@@scapegoat762 it's actually like saying your car is made of sheet metal because the body is.....get your analogy right.

[@LuvBorderCollies]

Problems you encountered had to be a REALLY worn out Uzi and/or worn out magazines. The LGS I worked at had an Uzi rental which was popular because the HK MP-5 was always broke down. We never had a stoppage or failure of any kind. We should've cleaned it more often like once a year or so but it kept working like the Energizer Bunny. Uzi for the win!

[@hairydogstail]

Same experience, very reliable..

[@jantschierschky3461]

MP5 always broke down ? I never had issues with ours. The only thing is the rollers, needing to be enlarged over time. However MP5 was cheap for us, belgian made Uzi was more expensive.

[@recoilrob324]

Yes...any Uzi that chokes is either using defective ammo or magazines. There's really nothing else to go wrong in there. The fact that you had misfires and rounds getting stuck in the chamber points to defective ammo. We've played with a couple of them at the range and they ran like the proverbial tops. Can't blame the weapon if you feed it junk ammo or the magazines are so bad that the cases are deformed during feeding. Lots to love about the Uzi!

[@Tom-kv8wy]

I own a full auto Uzi he’s wrong about so many things

[@TheMailmanOfSteel]

Other than the bolt and striker assembly (closed bolt mini and Micro Uzi's) there's not much in there really to get dirty enough to foul the gun outside of the FCG.

[@BatCaveOz]

The "Uzi" being pulled out of an Armani suit circa 08:27 appears to be a MAC-11.

[@hairydogstail]

The UZI is a 3rd generation SMG compared to the 4th generation HK MP5. The UZI is not as controllable as the closed bolt MP5 but is a fine SMG. The pistol grip being the magazine well gives it the hand finds hand when putting in a new magazine which is why they put the magazine release where they did. The wood stock is a much better stock than the folding stock. The charging knob is on a ratchet system to prevent a short charge and inertia dropped accidental discharges. The Ingram M-10 also uses a telescoping bolt.. The UZI is a very reliable and surprisingly accurate SMG.

[@shinymarshtop2]

I pretty much came to the same conclusion. I've been lucky enough to play with both Uzi and MP5. By no means is the Uzi bad by any stretch, just less refined and ergonomic than newer designs. My first time firing an Uzi was a surprise, it was very pleasant and definitely more accurate than I anticipated. No wonder it became such a hit all over the world.

[@JohnSwampthingRae]

On Full-Auto, the Uzi is more accurate & controllable than the MP-5... Although the MP-5 is a lot more accurate on Semi-Auto... The MP-5 is also quite fragile, compared to the Uzi... Word o' advice... Don't drop an MP-5... If you dent the receiver, the bolt will not function...(They are very thin metal and dent very easily)

[@hairydogstail]

No, the closed bolt MP-5 is more accurate than the UZI's open bolt on full auto by design, but you are correct about the rest of your statement about the UZI . The UZI also not have cook offs like an MP-5 by design..@@JohnSwampthingRae

[@ricksanchez3176]

That whole "this is my safety" finger thing.... I've worked with a lot of those guys, not saying I could carry their ruck belt, just worked with them. Of all the spontaneous laughter from a funny conversation with a voice in their own head, I never once seen them cavalier about anything once they were inside the wire. More serious about protocol than anybody. Now I did learn how to fish the fun way, entirely too close to smile the first "cast". I just think that scene is all Hollywood.

[@josephfranzen5626]

Absolutely agree. With the 82nd 1st/504th we worked with 3rd group quite a few times as well as being QRF for some other high speed units and they certainly weren’t that Hollywood in country.

[@SemiMono]

It might have to do with time period as well. My understanding is that such units have gotten less cowboy over time (though, I don't know when you were working with them).

[@ricksanchez3176]

Late 90s. True I guess, "maverick" can make a person sloppy. Honestly the scene from the movie, I could see it done as a pissing contest. Just attached but not under direct command, but only if the operator was pissed off at the C O already and just fanning the fire a bit. Not as "above the rules". But for all the other "life issues" and quirks, I just never seen a better group of respect and return it guys in my life.

[@oldschoolartist]

The UZI would be more appealing to more people if the grip wasn't so damned thick. You'd think they could've slimmed it down just a bit.

[@ryanbauer3680]

Hate to be that guy, but at 8:29 the guy is holding a Mac 10. Easy enough mistake considering from my understanding it is the American knock off, but you were talking about the Secret Service within the same context. I would have used one of the pics of agent Robert Wanko holding one during John Hinckley Jr's attempted assassination of Reagan. Still quality video and content. Always fun to watch and great to learn.

[@burper-oe6tm]

Minor correction: Kibbutz Yagur is pronounced kinda like “Key-boots yuh-goor”. A kibbutz is a community based type of town seen throughout the country.

[@andrewmartinez7559]

Cool story bro tell it to someone who gives a shit

[@burper-oe6tm]

@@andrewmartinez7559 k Andrew Martin eez

[@christiannguyen1266]

“Test fire” is the best excuse to wanna shoot a gun that u didn’t have while serving

[@Taskandpurpose]

100% exactly the case haha

[@jspike96]

Love the content, Cappy. Really improves my day whenever you post.

[@greywolf852]

Actually, the folding stock version is slightly heavier than the wooden stock version. That folding stock actually came as a suggestion from the Bundeswehr (West German Army), one of the first foreign armies to use it on any large scale, for their tank crews, The 32-round magazine was phased out in the IDF before my service (188th Armored, 1970-73) because the spring was never strong enough to be reliable as the mag emptied. The Israeli soldier's habit of using the lips of the mag as a bottle opener (spreading the lips of that mag) was the main cause of double feeds, the primary reason for jamming. I guess the narrator here never heard of that. Other than that, as an Armored Recon soldier, I carried this weapon for two wars (1973 Yom Kippur War and 1982 First Lebanon War), as did all Armored Recon soldiers. I always preferred the double safety, and as a left-handed person appreciated the charging handle being on top and not on the right, so I never had to leave the trigger grip. All in all, it was the personal weapon for not only the Special Forces, but for the Armored Corps tankers and recon personnel, where space in vehicles was at a premium. It was also a squad weapon, one per squad,

[@everyonelovesMango]

Greywolf is very modest. His Brigade fought the first wave of the Yom Kippur War in the Golan. They slowed the Syrians with their lives until the Reserve Brigades could arrive and join the battle. Their losses were so high in the first week of the war they were removed from the Order of Battle IDF. As a Nahal Paratrooper from Batallion 50 ( 1972) I salute you and your Brigade ! ‏כל הכבוד

[@Mt-zr5bf]

I liked the uzi very much. In the German Army it was called mp2 (mp2 a1 with colapsable stoch). It was very comfortbale to Carry around and it was quite fun to Shooting with it. And the cleaning was much easy. And about the safety, thats the drawback of simple Open Bolt blocks

[@chef7658]

I heard from another German army soldier that the UZI was a piece of crap. Any idea why he might think that?

[@quakethedoombringer]

@@chef7658 probably second hand stuff (worn out bolts and metal parts start rusting)

[@Mt-zr5bf]

@@chef7658 compare to more modern firearms the uzi does Not Well and yes there were are variety from uzis purchased in the 70/80s and the uzis from the 50s.

[@Name-ps9fx]

They used to make a leather shoulder holster for the full size Uzi smg...quite handy, and immediately gives you a bulked-up chest profile!

[@ALovelyBunchOfDragonballz]

The Secret Service approves 👍

[@ChilledfishStick]

First, that mispronunciation of "Kibbutz Yagur", was glorious. I can't fault you for not finding how to pronounce it though. Second, the Uzi-Pro, wasn't its first modernization. There were the mini and micro Uzi. I have great fun watching your videos, even when there aren't any fun mispronunciations.

[@heliosdelsol]

Ok Cappy, you lost me when you started showing pictures of what was clearly a MAC-10 and referring to the Uzi... 🤔

[@AlexSDU]

The Miami Vice one? That's what I though too.

[@stupidburp]

MAC-10 is fun to shoot too, but I found the Uzi to be far easier to control. Even holding on to the forward tab on the MAC-10 I tried still put rounds all over the paper target. At least they hit the paper I guess. The Uzi put all rounds in a plate sized pattern in the center of the target. These were both my first time shooting them and was under the same conditions. I love ,45acp and the MAC-10 is Merican cool but I would have to go with the 9mm Uzi every time for practicality.

[@Jankeer]

Great video as always, BUT - Czechoslovakian did made vz.23 and 25 in 9mm and later vz.24 and 26 in 7.62 Tokarev. This SMG was used by Czechoslovakian army and later sold all around world or gifted to "freedom fighters". For example Cuba get original version in 9mm and photo evidence from Syrian war show use of this weapon to this day.

[@palisadenhonko4962]

He is correct about the ZK 476 designed by the Koucky brothers being not adopted by any military force. Unfortunately he didn't mentioned the SA vz.23 as a possible inspiration for the Uzi. But the SA vz. 23 and the variants were designed by Jaroslav Holecek. So if you discard the vz. 23 as an influence for the Uzi and focus only on the ZK he is correct.

[@classifiedad1]

@@palisadenhonko4962 Best part is that given the relatively obscure nature of those weapons, it’s entirely possible that Uzi independently came up with the idea of sticking the mag in the grip and a wrap-around bolt. After all, while it was relatively new to have the magazine in the grip with the operating mass wrapped around the barrel for an SMG, it was essentially the default configuration for semi-auto handguns for the last half century. Uzi could have looked at how a semi-automatic pistol has its magazine in the grip and wondered why a submachine gun, which uses the same ammunition as a pistol, couldn’t do the same?

[@palisadenhonko4962]

@@classifiedad1 the Czechoslovak arms industry in the late 40s was very active in seeking foreign customers. Additional the Israelis bought plenty of arms from Czechoslovakia. I am not an expert in the history of Uzi's development, but I think there was a substantial possibility the Israelis came in touch with the ZK 476 and the SA vz. 23, maybe they were offered to the Israelis for purchase, and this gave the inspiration for the Uzi. As far as I understand most of weapon development is based on existing ideas. The difficulty is to put them together in a functional weapon and here Mr. Gal did a great work with the Uzi.

[@classifiedad1]

@@palisadenhonko4962 That is indeed true, though it appears that a lot of the arms provided were mainly surplus ex-Wehrmacht arms like the MG 34, Mauser K98k, MP-40, and the Avia S-99, a Messerschmitt Me-109 which used the engine of the Heinkel He-111, and whose performance is far from spectacular. One pilot even noted that the flight suit he got had the Nazi swastika and eagle on it. The Czechoslovaks were keen to have a degree of plausible deniability, and a strange prototype SMG doesn’t strike me as “plausible deniability.” It should be noted that the Israelis didn’t have very many supporters at this time, with much of the US WWII equipment such as their Sherman tanks not part of US aid, but rather a grand tour of the scrapyards of Europe, and nicking the machines in the best condition and smuggling them back to Israel. The Truman administration actively blocked arms imports, such as when they tried to smuggle four B-17s to Israel; three made it, with the fourth seized by Customs, and had to be fitted with weapons en-route.

[@palisadenhonko4962]

@@classifiedad1 the "plausible deniability" was not a matter for the Czechoslovak arms industry in the late 40ies. It became important as the weapons were exported to communist guerilla forces later. For few years after the WWII the Czechoslovak arms industry exports were mostly not influenced by political reasons. They had the capacity for production and needed buyers to keep the industry afloat. So the weapons were offered to anyone, Hetzers to the Swiss, small arms to South American countries, etc., unfortunately the market was full of cheap or in some cases even free surplus weapons. The Israelis purchased mostly surplus weapons from Czechoslovakia because they were cheap and the Israeli forces hadn't much funds. It's possible the Czechoslovak offered a domestic SMG as an alternative for the MP-40.

[@jamesconerly1039]

"When it works"I have had my UZI SMG since 1980 and have close to 500,000 rounds thru it.Been rebuilt by Vector in 2004 then BWE in 2015.Excellent weapon.

[@comfortablynumb9342]

I've seen cops in Costa Rica carrying ancient Uzi's with no blueing left, apparently still working. There are lots of them who carry old Galil rifles with folding stocks in 5.56 too.

[@curtisthomas2670]

Cops and soldiers in Trinidad used Uzis and Galils, Galils are still being used.

[@comfortablynumb9342]

@@curtisthomas2670 I would love to go there! Not because of the cops, I want to go party and catch fish.

[@irl-hdr4080]

I’m not sure what’s more enjoyable…the military information I learn in Cappy’s videos or hearing Cappy mispronounce every foreign name imaginable 😂 Let’s call it a tie 😂

[@josecarvajal1063]

7:03 It's supposed to be about ergonomics T.T The magazine release is at the botton of the handle because the user is supposed to take the empty mag with the non dominant hand, so the button is for that hand to be used, while keeping your dominant holding the gun. It's a pitty nobody sees it that way....

[@robbarasch6472]

When I was in the IDF in the '80s, we were told that if you dropped an Uzi, it could fire off the entire magazine (unless it jammed, also a common Uzi issue). That may be why they added a 2nd safety.

[@wijk89]

Also without it being switched to automatic?

[@haldorasgirson9463]

Open bolt subguns require some kind of extra mechanism to stop runaway firing if dropped. Selector switch has no effect on this. IMA added a rachet mechanism to the top cover to prevent this in later versions.@@wijk89

[@TheMailmanOfSteel]

That's what the grip safety is for, it locks the bolt.

[@TheMailmanOfSteel]

@@wijk89 Common issue with open bolt sub guns is that if you drop one just right you can get the bolt to bounce far enough back to strip a round from the magazine, but not far enough to engage the sear, which makes the open bolt gun go "bang" at least once. With some submachine guns you can bounce the gun hard enough with the bolt open to get the bolt to jump the sear, which will also make the gun go bang without a trigger pull. The Uzi Grip safety stops this by blocking the movement of the closed bolt with the safety on (Well, my Uzi Pro does this, Open bolt guns could be different) and blocking the movement of the striker while cocked (blocking the bolt if its an open bolt, I assume), so that the bolt will not operate without a firing grip on the gun.

[@wijk89]

@@TheMailmanOfSteel It might go bang once. But that would give the bold the normal push necessary to be retained by the trigger mechanisme and it stops.

[@shalev3368]

I had a teacher who was in the Yom Kippur war, he told us how he took down helicopter with the uzi

[@glensims3744]

I had the opportunity to fire an Uzi several years ago. IT WAS AWSOME! I didn't have the jamming problems that we see here and the accuracy was outstanding. Used full auto and single shot, great fun.

[@louiswager2629]

The question is, what did the Isralis do to improve the M16, one thing I've learned about the Isralis, is every time they receive weapons from the U.S. they make improvements to make it better?

[@nunbiz7328]

Nothing

[@ВячеславСкопюк]

The Rifle Is Fine

[@theredlinev2]

Nyet, rifle is fine!

[@jessemills3845]

Nothing! They recognized it as the Trash that it is and made the GALIL!

[@nunbiz7328]

@@jessemills3845 more like they don't make original designs and the Galils are essentially amalgamations of the AK and M16

[@Subgunman]

IWI produced a full auto closed bolt version for the Secret Service back in the nineties. They say a bit easier to control, wouldn't know, like my good old conventional Uzi. The Telescoping bolt design was also used in the Military Arms Corp design of the MAC series pistols both open bolt and closed bolt series. In South Africa back during the Aparthide days, Vector Arms produced both semi and full variants under license from UZI.i have encountered a problem with some of the more abused semi auto variants where they will fire in full auto mode. The problem turns out to be the top cover has bent up over the years allowing the bolt to run up over the sear and fire. The cure is to remove the top cover and carefully bend it back down in the center until it is flat again. You will see witness marks on the top plate where the bolt came into contact with it. If the problem persists you should replace the top plate with a new one as the steel will become weaker with flexing.

[@adam_1144]

In case you didn't notice, the soldier at 3:55 is Benjamin Netanyahu when he was in Sayeret Matkal

[@WildReefer]

A couple of anecdotal stories about the Uzi in Israel. 1. In the Sinai arena, during the '72 war, Israeli soldiers there were getting straffed by Egyptian MiG's at one point during one of the battles, before the airforce achieved aerial superiority. One soldier saw a MiG closing in on him for a straffing run and out of sheer desperation, he emptied his Uzi in the general direction of the MiG. He survived, but the MiG started smoking and then crashed into the desert a few kilometers away. The soldier said that as far as he could tell, he must have hit something important, because there was no other explanation for the crash. 2. The Uzi was famous in the IDF for being a replacement for a hand grenade. Basically, if you have a room full of enemies in an urban environment, and you are out of grenades, you can cock your Uzi and toss it in the window of the house, and once it hit the floor, it would fire and the recoil would start a chain reaction and the Uzi would 'dance' on the floor, firing wildly in every direction until the clip was empty, most likely killing everyone in the room. Never drop an Uzi. :)

[@gypsydildopunks7083]

I had a battery powered UZI water gun in the 80s. Looked so real.

[@dankoz6340]

Might have been mentioned and I got lost in Cappy’s voice but I was expecting comparisons to the Sten since ex-British troops and Israel had a lot of experience with the smg. The cheq gun is definitely the true origin but the battle experience comes from using the Sten and Tommy. I thought the extra safeties came from people who REALLY didn’t want accidents that came with the Sten.

[@eddiesimone3568]

In the Dutch army, I had an UZI in my time as a communications specialist, as a self defence weapon. I didn't shoot a lot with it, because during my training, I had a FN FAL and a Glock 17. Nevertheless, the UZI was reliable, had almost no recoil and I always hit the target at 100 yards (meters, to be precise). I love the UZI!

[@mortified776]

05:06 I've noticed that's a paradox that comes up sometimes with simple and elegant designs. It's like you have to pay for design elegance in finer manufacturing tolerances. Simplicity makes an artifact easier to assemble, but (depending what it is you are trying to make), it may actually require _more_ skill, _higher_ _quality_ materials and _better_ tools to produce an acceptable result _en_ _ensemble_ than with an artifact of greater complexity.

[@LosRiji]

How to write in italic???

[@mortified776]

@@LosRiji Hey sorry, just saw this! Put an underscore (_) before and after the word you want italicised.

[@Willy_Tepes]

2:27 "Arrested for a misunderstanding about a firearm he was carrying". Nice way to excuse a criminal, LOL.

[@denysxenyev3929]

It is difficult to become a good weapon designer if you do not learn from the experience of other designers. And here it is already difficult to figure out who stole what from whom. As for me, everyone drags everything from everyone and uses those solutions that seem to them the most successful for their conditions and tasks. True, I am a principled supporter of copyleft.

[@MrGrimsmith]

Pretty much the same in every field. Learn from the mistakes of those before you, find new and interesting ways to fuck up rather than repeating the same old boring ones. This is why the EM2 and L85 are glorious rifles - we learned that shit doesn't work so well and it is said that you learn more through failure than success. UK is in the runnings for producing the best rifle ever based on this premise... 🤪

[@denysxenyev3929]

@@MrGrimsmith Yes, learning from other people's mistakes is even more useful than learning from other people's successes.

[@heinrichmuller7974]

every time i see an uzi i can't help but think of that scene in *"Air America"* "excuse me, is that an uzi?" "hey, you know that'd make a great TV commercial, wouldn't it?... excuse me is that an uzi?"

[@buwanbuwaya6927]

Seeing an Uzi with a wooden stock is unnatural, but not cursed.

[@C0XKR04CH]

I think the wooden stock looks a lot nicer than the folding stock.

[@Gadget0343]

Great review! Two things I would like to add. 1. The grip safety is important. Its function is to prevent firing if dropped. The bolt cannot unlock from the sear or half stroke and fire if dropped with the bolt closed and a magazine inserted. A USSS agent disabled his and dropped the weapon on the rear of it. The bolt short stoked and fired. This was on a plane and it fired a hole in the plane and disabled it. Made him famous. 2. The charging handle has a ratcheting system in it. So it will not return to the resting position until it receives a full stroke and the bolt is locked and held by the sear. This will prevent it from firing if short stroked. I have fired the UZI so much that when offered a chance to shot one now, I turn it down. Great weapon for what it is, but you can get so tired of it, or at least I have.

[@cr5059]

Interesting history lesson - thanks to NWA, Dre, and West coast rap in the late 80s/early 90s the Uzi was one of the first firearms I ever heard of, that and the Mack-10 of course, but I never realized the deep military history of it. Thanks for sharing!

[@rudolfyakich6653]

Dearest Cappy I like that you stuffed your image into a couple of the old black and white stills. It gives you an upgraded sense of authority that makes up for your lack of firearm prowess. Thank You and keep up the good work.

[@JoshuaCalvert80]

We were taught by our weapons instructor in the army that the best way to clear a room is to set the uzi to 'safe', throw in into the room an duck for cover.

[@Matt-md5yt]

Reminds me of True Lies. That is funny

[@jantschierschky3461]

Well is a myth, we used it a lot and for us the safety often was too stiff. Personally never seen an Uzi go off when dropped and I was in a conscript army

[@ab6789]

I think you are confusing the uzi with the sten gun .

[@JoshuaCalvert80]

Sure, it's kind of a joke, but every myth contains a bit of truth - it's a cheap open bolt smg. And no, in 1995 we didn't have stem guns in the army, so no confusion there.

[@ab6789]

I have read that the sten gun was used as a grenade they would toss it into a room occupied by germans or italians and then go in after the shooting stopped.

[@piggypoo]

On your point comparing the UZI to the thompson/mp40, I'd say it's more comparable to the grease gun: similar production cost philosophy and length to the grease gun, but more concealable because of the magazine placement.

[@nunyabidniz2868]

Having shot one, I can unequivocally state: Yes. Yes it does deserve all the love & affection it has garnered over the decades. It *earned* its meme gun status the hard way, by being *just that good*! 😁 '80s movies just wouldn't be the same w/o it! 🤣

[@LosRiji]

@9:03 "Something's sticking out your skinny jeans." "relax tf, it's just my Uzi" "aaah cool" "brtrtrtrtrtrtrt"

[@userbosco]

A few years back, I got a chance to spend a day at the range with my buddy who owns a 1960's era UZI. Original kit, with instructions in Hebrew, and original mags...kind of cool. But shooting it was a blast! Really had to hunker down on this to keep it from riding up, but at 25 yards, spraying 600 a minute, you only have to be so accurate, right? Bring a lot of cash for rounds and be prepared for hot brass down your neck.

[@misterlau5246]

Ha ha ha yeah, not only the uzi. Since I just got a MP5, I don't think I would like to fire an automatic sub without the three shots per trigger - so not too trigger happy behaviour🤓😅

[@airsoftwwbde]

yeah ant the beginning of the video i asked myself how many people can tell the difference between a micro uzi and a mac-10.... and at 8:30 it became clear that the cutter of this cannel dosent get the difference

[@lancerakusin6985]

Mini UZI is such an amazing package. The wire is astonishingly ergonomic.

[@LazlaTheFallen]

10:50 fingersafety left the building when trigger was not anymore only spring loaded to fire the gun itself and gun had parts that could just accidentally release cause the "release" wasnt the sole trigger

[@skorza212]

As a 13 year old Brit (who’d only ever fired a single shot .410) holidaying in the land of the free I got to fire an uzi and was easily able to hold it on a man sized target. The Mp5 I fired climbed on me so much anything after the second round went into the ceiling. If I had to choose one, without any training, I’d take the uzi any day Literally the only instruction I received was “lock your left arm” and with just with that I’d have been fairly effective

[@scottdorfler2551]

"Da Uzi 9mm." "Anyone of these is perfect for home defense." Thank you Terminator. That movie made the Uzi a legend.

[@DireAvenger001]

Uzi may be outdated, but it’s still sexy as hell

[@Taskandpurpose]

too sleek for me to handle, beautiful dang uzi

[@zevfarkas5120]

Thanks for a great history lesson about one of the few guns I've ever fired. At about 2:20, "kibbutz" is pronounced "ki-BOOTS". Only two syllables, emphasis on the last one.

[@MichaelDavis-mk4me]

No matter how they upgrade it, it will probably not be used by armies again. Pistol caliber guns are obsolete with body armor. Last thing you want is a situation when your mag into a soldier, then he is still standing without even having felt anything. You know, a North Hollywood shootout situation, the event which led to SWAT teams dumping the MP5 because having to shoot hundreds of rounds to drop someone isn't ideal.

[@d.o.g573]

- 02:10 jewish Uziel Gal talking to German defense minister Joseph Strauss - what a sight lol... - Thank god he changed his name because otherwise the weapon would have been named "Glas" his original German last name but as Uzi means "power" this is more handy when it comes to terms of let's have a cool weapon which means something. weapon would still discharge if the trigger would be pulled hard enough because the pin inside of the weapon was too flimsy

[@paleoph6168]

I like your District 9 shirt. 👍

[@IRONRABBIT930]

How can anyone NOT love the Uzi? It's the Chuck Norris Special! 💪💪💪...👍

[@AFNBarbosa]

8:30 and 8:52 - That's a MAC-10 or MAC-11, not an UZI

[@adler830]

3:25 Czechoslovak army later adopted similar design called "Samopal vzor 26" (submachine-gun model 26) or shortened just "vz.26". It is essentially a ZK subgun, but receiver is made from tube instead of sheet metal pressings and buttstock folds neatly to the front of the gun, making forward grip in the process. It is fairly simple and easy weapon to operate, however sights are atrocious since front sight hood is too close to the post, obstructing view on the target. MP40 had larger front sight hood and post was pretty much centered in it, which made aiming easier.

[@sgtjarhead99]

Back in mid-80s, the State Dept was still issuing UZIs to Marines going on embassy duty. I had the opportunity to train and fire this SMG in full auto when I went through MSG school in Quantico. To be honest, I really wasn't that impressed with it. The grip felt funny and my particular gun had some reliability issues. It might have been the ammo, but it was hard to tell.

[@aethertech]

uzi likes hot ammo, like, maybe a little to hot...

[@LuvBorderCollies]

Historically European submachine guns had higher pressure 9mm ammo. The US makers and SAAMI frowned deeply on such hot ammo. There was a big to-do in the late 70's when a bunch of European surplus 9mm was imported. Recall notices in every gun publication for months afterwards.

[@sgtjarhead99]

@@LuvBorderColliesYeah, that wouldn't surprise me. Now that I think about it, I recall the instructor mentioned cost of the ammo was covered under State Dept budget so they might have just bought cheap commercial stuff. I don't remember seeing the NATO stamp on the cartridges. Might have been there. Just don't remember.

[@TheSouthernshark]

probably still have some Uzis stashed in embassies around the world; too much paperwork to remove them (do paperwork or leave Uzi in closet... easy choice).

[@sopwith2721]

lmao 4:58 "Wanna learn how to clear misfires? The UZI is for you!"

[@RoninTF2011]

Had this thing (but with folding stock) for roughly 2 years of my service time...odd weapon. Much prefered the G3

[@shrekthesoviet3187]

west german?

[@jason200912]

G3 is so fucking long and so hard to charge

[@PennsyPappas]

If we had a gun named the Cappy we'd have a bunch of people saying "I'm about to pop a Cappy all up in this grill". Or something to to that effect.

[@dennisku_9687]

I was the Gunner of an German Leopard 2a6 and was equipped with an uzi until 2019.

[@IDFArmor]

I never knew you guys used uzis! I was a merkava gunner and had a sawn barrel M16 so what the hell 😂

[@dennisku_9687]

@@IDFArmor yeah it was the standard issued submachine gun for all tankers in the German army. My father used this gun as a conscript in 1970 and I was still using it until 2019. In my unit we got also the version with the wooden stock. But now we finally got the new HK MP7.

[@matanco12345]

3:56 is a photo of PM Benjamin Netanyahu from Sayeret Matkal elite unit

[@roadrunner6224]

The Uzi is amazing for room clearing. Put it on auto, throw it into a room, find cover immediately and wait for the magic.

[@romgl4513]

Tape over the grip safety? Only in movies.

[@roadrunner6224]

@@romgl4513 before they introduced that the uzi was infamous for even firing when the safety was engaged.

[@vl3005]

Immediately "True Lies" comes to mind.

[@romgl4513]

@@vl3005 Where it's not an Uzi at all, but Ingram Model 10, better known as the MAC-10. Mythbusters had this debunked as total movie BS.

[@vl3005]

@@romgl4513 Wait, what was the BS exactly? The fact that it was an Uzi or that it can do all that stuff?

[@MISTAJZA]

Really love these firearms explainer vids, would love to see one on the HK MP7, which is kind of like an uzi successor.

[@brucewanda9564]

The Uzi was great, until the MP5 came along, 2 lbs lighter, higher reliability and more accurate. The reason that they have both declined in popularity is the cost (and government restrictions). Also the caliber limitation So, the alternative now is an AR-9 or AR-15 in SBR for less than 1/2 the price! Thanks for the history. I am fortunate to have had the experience of shooting all of them, in full and semi auto form. I would not feel under-gunned with any of them.

[@mowgli2071]

4:14 It was shaped like a large machine pistol, where other submachine guns were shaped like small pistol caliber carbines that happened to fire full auto. There might've been other submachine guns that even fired from a closed bolt

[@GeorgeSemel]

The young Nation of Israel at the time was at a real disadvantage. The Uzi Submachine gun was a weapon they could make at the time, It's Iconic because well what that young country and its Army would go and do. Nothing is perfect, then again one of the most memorable photos is that at the aftermath of the assassination attempt of Ronald Reagan out of nowhere the S.S. closed ranks and well take a wild guess on the machine gun of choice? Besides, there were a bunch of well-known raids, hostage rescues, and major wars fought and the gun was in much use. It was one of the things that made the IDF- the IDF.

[@russellmiles2861]

Most countries manufactured cheap sub-machine guns. In Australian it was the F1 which was a development of the Owen. It was issued to a couple of soldiers in each section, rear echelon, vehicle crews (where I used it) It’s low velocity made it inferior to battle rifles of the era such as FN Fal. With modern 5.56 mm caliber assault rifles it was obsolete. Australian disposed of its F1s.

[@StevenBanks123]

That was a satisfyingly p.c. “gangster” at :52 -thank god.

[@StevenBanks123]

Right! Wouldn’t want to offend anyone with accuracy!

[@danielbackovsky]

But more people suggest that uzi was based on the vz.23 pumpička.

[@joef7011]

The uzi's bullets do not splash when they hit targets . This makes this weapon suitable to hostage rescue by special forces.

[@vincentfoldes6781]

1. Why did you not mention CZ vz.23? 2. Using MAC10 in UZI video 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@dkeith45]

Cool info. And btw, nice fangs dude. You're right up there with Ricky Gervais : )

[@Taskandpurpose]

shucks thanks for noticing now please tell no one that I'm an actual vampire. I had them filed down when I was younger so they're not even as pointy as they once were haha

[@dkeith45]

@@Taskandpurpose I think people with visible fangs are cool, it's a cool look. It's another example of our evolution. When you look at our cousins the Bonobo's and Chimpanzee's you see what ours were like once in the distant past. But for most of us, our canines have shortened to nothing, not even noticeable. On some people who have longer canines they really stand out, like yours and the comedian Ricky Gervais.

[@randomcoyote8807]

The story I heard about the "non-ergonomic magazine release" was that the operator had to grip the magazine to thumb the release; once the magazine popped out it was already in the operator's hand so it was more likely to be shoved in a mag pouch or pocket on your way to retrieving a new magazine. Supposedly, the invading Arab forces had a reputation for just dropping their magazines from AKs and moving on, then having no magazines left to reload. I don't know how true this is because when the Uzi was a front-line weapon of the IDF, I don't think the Arab armies were using a lot of AKs.

[@OSTemli]

Arabs rich.

[@UnfinishedSymphony]

When I joined the german army in 1988, the standard UZI with the collapsible stock was still in use. I liked it a lot and I still do. Even after all these years I would be able to disassemble and reassemble it with closed eyes. 👍

[@goncalo1410]

i think mp5 is more recognisable

[@wimschoenmakers5463]

yeah, we all used that tiny light machinegun in our army day's back in the 70"s. It was spreading 32 rounds in a few seconds. And for me, as a left handed guy, it was one of the few weapons I could handle fine.

[@patstrzeszewski3240]

The mini and micro Uzi fires from a closed bolt

[@sartorialdriver6528]

The grip safety sucks because it doesn't contour to the rest of the grip area, so you get this annoying block uncomfortably pressing into the web of your thumb and trigger finger while the rest of your hand is conforming to the plastic grips. It's made worse by the fact that you need to keep it pressed in for the gun to fire, and the spring that pushes it out is pretty stout.

[@pranjalray6381]

Love the video Cappy. Rounds fired at the like and subscribe already. Will you do a deep dive about the Ukraine crisis someday as I would love to hear your take on it. Cheers and have a nice day.

[@Taskandpurpose]

hey thanks for the support - I just released the Ukraine rundown video on Tuesday ! I might do a follow up in the coming weeks.

[@pranjalray6381]

@@Taskandpurpose Would love to see more of your work always

[@s.marcus3669]

Nothing here to like, Pranjal. His videos are rife with mistakes. Shame on you, Crappy.

[@ow4386]

Fun fact: the picture used in 3:55 is of the former PM of israel, benjamin netanyahu, when he was serving in the IDF.

[@executivelifehacks6747]

Beat me to it, pic of Bibi

[@jacksonteller1337]

It was the only non FN weapon we had in main unit use. Even our ambulance drivers had them.

[@larsseehans4718]

Are you sure. Fn also produced the uzi

[@jacksonteller1337]

@@larsseehans4718 i was talking about the design. Ours were made in Israel (air force) and two European countries (army).

[@hairydogstail]

@@larsseehans4718 Israel licensed many nations to manufacture the UZI..

[@thetechlibrarian]

Something I always remembered about the uzi was the fact that the magazine is located in the hand grip because even when unable to see the hands can always find each other hand over hand.

[@janwitts2688]

With a folding rest you can fire from the hip.. this is especially useful when moving through urban areas... as your vision is not obscured (including under your way ahead) and you do not suffer from tunneling which is a severe issue in modern firearms use (creating an overreliance on teamwork that may be impossible to support)... this removes many effective action options from a combatants capabilities and thus acts against both contesting and controlling the battle area..

[@EGRJ]

Why...do you end...sentences...like this...

[@janwitts2688]

@EGRJ Car accident.. had to learn to read and write again... doubt will ever be half of what I was...

[@granitejeepc3651]

Uzi is great as very reliable and easy to control in full auto but its open bolt design and not a modern mode of operation. I have carried one for service as well as owning a Micro Uzi and Norinco Model 320/B. Wood stock is actually good. Mag change is intuitive and way easy to do in the dark

[@divinegracehealing8653]

The coolest and most ICONIC Sub-machinegun ever followed by the MP5 and the MP40. IWI's mistake is not making them again for export to the US Market and no I'm not speaking about that unsightly polymer adaption they created, barf.

[@TheSouthernshark]

truth

[@tonnywildweasel8138]

Ha! The first firearm i ever held. Twas from the Dutch army way back when. Thanks for the vid, Cappy, sure brings back fun memories. Greets from the Netherlands 🌷, T.