There's few weapons more instantly recognizable than the Uzi submachine gun- but even the most
devout Uzi fans may be surprised by these facts you might not know about the IMI Uzi.
20. A weapon of necessity
In 1948, Israel declared itself a country,
and immediately prompted an invasion by its Arab neighbors. At the time,
Israel's military was largely a group of ragtag militias, loosely organized together
into a standing army. With just 200 machine guns, 10,000 rifles, and 3,600 submachine
guns- all of them World War II leftovers- Israel gained victory over the Arab assault.
As the Israel Defense Forces became a professional military force, it required standardization and
new equipment. In 1948 its weapons consisted of a hodge podge of surplus Axis equipment,
British small arms, and random civilian rifles and shotguns. But as a new nation,
with very troubled international relations, Israel could not easily acquire weapons to
standardize its forces. So Israel turned inwards, to its highly educated citizenship,
to look for solutions- thus the Uzi was born out of desperation and necessity.
19. A weapon by a soldier for soldiers
In 1952 Uziel Gal patented his new machine gun design,
a short and compact weapon that featured high rates of fire, and was exceptional for use in
urban fighting. Inspired by the difficulties faced in the often urban fighting of Israel's first war,
the Uzi was meant to allow soldiers to shoot and maneuver comfortably in tight quarters.
The weapon featured a firing rate of 600 rounds a minute, and a magazine that could hold either 25
or 32 rounds. A collapsible metal stock could increase accuracy, and allow for ease of use
in tight quarters- though the weapon still topped out at a maximum range of 200 yards.
18. Easy to use, easy to produce
Compared to contemporary weapons, the Uzi featured very few moving parts,
making it extremely reliable and easy to clean or fix in the field. More importantly though,
the weapon was made of stamped parts, which made it easy to manufacture for a young Israel with
practically no domestic arms industry to speak of. The machinery required to create an uzi was
easy to operate and easy to design, perfect for a nation that desperately needed to arm itself in a
hurry. It also made the Uzi a reliable weapon even in case of war, as new factories could be
easily and quickly set up for mass production. With such a large conscript force though,
the Uzi was perfect for yet another reason. 17. Perfect for inexperienced troops
The Uzi's 600 rounds a minute firing rate may be slow by machine gun standards,
but its compact size and ease of use made it the perfect choice for a young army full
of inexperienced conscripts. Its rate of fire allowed new shooters to put out an impressive
volume of suppressive fire, and with three safety mechanisms- a manual lever safety,
a grip safety, and a bolt safety- the weapon was easy and safe to train with.
16. It was never standard issue
The tie between the Uzi and the IDF is so close, that most people
assume that the Uzi was the standard issue weapon for the Israeli Defense Forces upon
its adoption in the mid 1950s. However, the weapon was never widely adopted,
as its relatively short range made it extremely unsuitable for use on the large swathes of open
desert that Israel would fight most of its wars on. Instead, the IDF carried the Belgian FN-FAL
rifle, but the Uzi would be very popular amongst other segments of the IDF military.
15. The right weapon for the right job
While its short range and lack of long-range accuracy made it a poor choice for line and file
infantry, the Uzi immediately found a home amongst segments of the IDF which faced more specialized
fighting conditions. Its well-balanced design, light weight, small size, and ferocious volume of
fire was perfect for Israeli special forces, who often found themselves fighting in close quarters.
Israeli paratroopers also adopted the Uzi thanks to its low weight and small size.
Similarly, tank and armored vehicle crews were issued Uzis- as if their vehicles were
ever disabled and they were forced to fight outside of them, odds were strong they were
already in very close contact with the enemy. The Uzi would almost immediately help Israel
achieve battlefield victory. 14. Baptism by fire
Few weapons have met with an immediate baptism by fire the way the Uzi did. In 1954 the IDF put in
its first orders for the Uzi, and two years later the weapon would see action in the Suez Crisis.
In 1956 Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal Company, which stripped the British and French of control
of the Suez Canal and placed it in Egyptian control. As one of the world's most important
waterways, not only was control of the canal lucrative for the British and French, but also of
great strategic importance. Secretly, Britain and France conspired with Israel to regain control,
and Israel soon invaded the Sinai Peninsula. Shortly after, British and French forces joined in
the assault before being stopped by international pressure from both the United States and the USSR.
The Uzi first saw action as Israeli paratroopers assaulted the Mitla Pass in the Sinai. Facing
off against Sudanese and Egyptian forces dug into trenches and caves, the light-weight and compact
Uzi allowed Israeli troops to readily outgun and outmaneuver the defenders, helping the IDF achieve
victory. As the war expanded, the Uzi would also see service in the West Bank and Golan Heights.
13. The beginning of the end
It wouldn't be long however before the Uzi began to meet its match. Thanks to the proliferation of
the world's most famous assault rifle- the AK-47, the Uzi was gradually phased out of service. With
Israel's neighbors arming themselves with AK variants, the Uzi was soon out gunned. The AK
featured a comparable rate of fire, superior range, and a larger, rifle caliber round,
while the Uzi was still limited to a 200 yard range with a pistol caliber round. Slowly,
the IDF began to transition to the M16 and the Galil assault rifle, though the Uzi
remained popular with special forces units which often operated at very close ranges.
12. Global appeal
Even as the Uzi lost favor with the IDF, the weapon exploded in popularity around the world.
Its compact size and high rate of fire combined with ease of manufacturing, the wide availability
of 9mm ammunition, and low cost all served to make it extremely popular with smaller militaries and
criminal groups. In Africa the Uzi became a mainstay amongst various armies and militias,
who often used it against each other. It also made its way across the Atlantic to trouble
spots in central and South America. In the US the Uzi became the new Tommy Gun, with criminal gangs
popularizing it in culture though widespread use. The Uzi would even help change
American minds on law enforcement. 11. It even helped change US police policy
The proliferation of Uzis and similar firearms throughout the criminal networks of the United
States quickly led to American police forces being woefully outmatched by criminal firepower.
This led to the upgrading of many American police's service weapons,
many of which were still using revolvers. As a crime wave overtook the United States,
fueled in part by the Uzi, American police departments began to set up specialized heavily
armed squads to deal with the worst of the worst violent criminals, birthing modern SWAT forces.
10. Reluctantly world-famous
Uziel Gal may have developed one of the most iconic firearms in all of human history,
but he would have liked it better if his name had been left out of
it. Upon adoption of the weapon, Israel decided to name the weapon after him,
shortening it to 'Uzi'- however Uziel opposed the decision vehemently. Israel,
a young nation in need of heroes, ignored his opposition and went ahead with the naming anyways.
9. An award winning design
Ask the IDF soldiers tasked with fighting in the trenches and caves of the Sinai,
and the Uzi deserved every accolade it received. Other than being praised for his invention by
the troops though, in 1958 Uziel Gal became the first person to receive the Israel Security Award,
given in honor of his work on the Uzi. Easy to use, reliable, and easy to manufacture,
the Uzi was a desperately needed lifeline for Israel in its early history until it
could develop a native arms industry and negotiate internationally for weapons. In a very real sense,
Gal may have helped ensure the independence of his country with his submachine gun.
Not all of Uziel’s inventions would be met with such accolades however.
8. The Uzi upgrade
In 1975 Gal retired from the IDF, and shortly thereafter moved to the United States so his
daughter, suffering from brain damage, could receive better medical care. While in the US,
Gal continued his work as a gun designer, this time working with manufacturer Sturm,
Ruger & Co. His talents would lead to the creation of the MP9 submachine gun, a modernized version
of the Uzi- who's rights Sturm, Ruger & Co. had bought. The MP9 however would be poorly received.
7. A troubled big brother
The MP9 was meant to be a direct upgrade from the Uzi, and thus used modern materials which further
reduced its weight to an impressive 5.94 pounds (2.68 kg) when unloaded. Its target customers
would be American government agents who had a need for a close quarters weapon with a high rate of
fire and good reliability. The development of polymer materials helped reduce weight,
and Gal's focus on simplicity made the weapon extremely reliable.
Unfortunately the weapon never gained the attention of government agencies,
and only 1500 were ever produced- making them a rare item for a modern gun collector. The MP9
would become a commercial failure, and Ruger would never again develop a submachine gun.
6. Still globally popular
Despite being regulated to reserve forces by the IDF, the Uzi remains globally popular,
with 90 countries around the world still using the weapon in some capacity.
The weapon was produced under license in Belgium and Zimbabwe, though it was also
illegally copied by China and Croatia. Some early Uzi features may have been
surprising though. 5. Wood over metal
Despite the collapsible metal stock being part of the iconic imagery of the Uzi,
the first Uzis featured a collapsible wooden stock. With Israel being low on both industry
and strategic resources, and needing to get weapons into the hands of soldiers quickly,
wood was a cheap and fast alternative to metal stocks- though eventually they would
be phased out in preference of more durable, lightweight metal stocks.
4. Small, smaller, and smaller yet
With stock extended, the Uzi reaches 25 inches (640mm) in length, or 17.5 (445mm) with stock
collapsed. A small weapon with a big impact, even smaller variants of the Uzi were created.
The Mini Uzi was first introduced in 1980, and is only 24 inches (600mm) or
14 inches (360mm) with stock collapsed. The mini uzi however halves its effective range
to 100 meters, but makes up for this with an impressive 950 rounds per minute firing rate.
If that's not small enough though, the Micro Uzi would enter service in 1986.
This tiny terror would reach 19.1 inches (486 mm) in length,
or 11.1 inches (282 mm) with stock collapsed. Weighing in at just 3.3 pounds (1.5 kg), this
midget mauler has a firing rate of a whopping 1,200 rounds per minute.
3. It's even a pistol
The Uzi pistol lacks the fully automatic firing mode of the Uzi, but nonetheless
is a popular choice for individuals in need of a high-capacity pistol for close quarters defense.
Now discontinued in most places, the Uzi pistol featured a 20, 25, or even 32 round magazine.
2,000,000 Uzi PRO pistols were manufactured, and today can be a prized collector's item.
For American fans of the Uzi though we have bad news…
2. Illegal for almost 50 years
The Uzi is most iconic for its fully automatic firing mode- but if you're
an American gun collector it's not just illegal to possess a fully-auto Uzi, but
difficult to even find an authentic fully-auto Uzi. In 1968 the sale of fully automatic Uzis
was made illegal with the 1968 Gun Control Act, a desperate measure to curb rising gun
violence. This makes Uzis imported before 1968 extremely rare- and valuable for gun collectors.
1. A fading legend
While Chinese knockoffs produced illegally for decades can often be found in domestic
and national markets, original pre-1968 IMI Uzis are a dying breed. For American
gun collectors, it's believed less than 100 original fully-automatic Uzis remain
in the country. Thanks to their rugged design and ease of maintenance though,
these iconic weapons will continue to be reliable for decades to come if taken care of.
Now go watch evolution of AK-47 rifle, or click this other video instead!