The Sa vz. 58 was developed by Ing. Jiri Cermak in 1956 and 1957, adopted by the Czechoslovakian army in 1958. Approximately one million Sa vz. 58 rifles were produced during it's 20 year production run.

The new Tactical and Military Sporter models are manufactured by combining original Sa vz. 58 components with a new semi-auto only milled receiver, a new trigger mechanism and new fire controls.

Currently it is still the standard issue service rifle in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia.