The Z.B. 30 light machine gun originated from the Z.B. 26 model, also known as the Praga Model 24 light machine gun. After several modifications and improvements, the weapon became the Z.B. 30 light machine gun. It was produced first in Czechoslovakia ( by the Brno weapons factory ) and under license in Romania, Spain, Iran etc. It is a little known fact that the British were so delighted by the Z.B. 30 that they adapted it to their 0.303 catridge and the result was the development of the famous Bren gun, that equiped most British and Commonwealth divisions throughout WW2. Many German units also used these machine guns ( captured or produced for them after the occupation of Czechoslovakia ).

The Z.B. 30 is a rugged, gas-operated, air-cooled LMG, capable of sustained fire and well-suited to the requirements of modern warfare. It had two operating modes : full-automatic or semi-automatic fire, which could be selected using a fire selector positioned on the left side of the trigger-group. The selector could also be used to block the weapon in order to prevent accidents. The Z.B. 30 had a well made, pretty simple design that enabled to change the barrel quickly and easily, a major advantage in the field. One distinctive feature of the Z.B. 30 was the top-inserted magazine, a lot easier to replace for a gunner laying down in the prone position. The magazine was a simple, straight-sided box, holding 20 rounds in a staggered, double-row of 7.92 x 57mm rimless cartridges. When the machine gun was not loaded, a cover protected the magazine opening from dust or dirt. There were two mountings for the Z.B. : a bipod mount for squad use and a tripod mount for laying down heavy fire on more distant targets.

In battle, a well trained machine gunner could fire as many as 120 rounds per minute, from 6 magazines. The weapon had a good combat reputation, with the sole disadvantage of the limited magazine capacity ( only 20 rounds - that's just a couple of short bursts ).