After spending over a year in the inspection lab, the Cz958 will finally be available to Canadian shooters soon. The RCMP have classified the rifle as non-restricted with a provision that barrels under 18.5″ will be restricted.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise, because it’s pretty clear where the Cz958 fits into Canadian law. I came to the same conclusion as the RCMP nine months ago when I did my initial review:

Exact dates and MSRP are still to come, but this reporter would hazard a guess of “right around Christmas” and “right around $1000.”

There are two big differences between this rifle and the Cold War’s Vz58: First is the extended dust cover with picatinny rail for mounting optics. The second is the extensive semi-auto only reciever. Even a dedicated machinist would have a serious challenge converting this into a machine gun, due to strategic milling of this new receiver.

It’s predecessor, the Cz858, was on thin ice for much of the past 2 years when accusations were made that rifles had been built on “converted automatic receivers.” The last federal government restored the rifle’s status, much to the relief of owners. However it is unlikely that we’ll see fresh 858 imports anytime soon.

Instead, all the current rifles from Cz are likely to be the tactical and hunter variants of the 958s.

Legal Note: I put this at the bottom because not everyone cares. If you’re unfamiliar with Canadian Law, let me clarify the two statuses referred to in this article…

Restricted firearms cover SBRs and handguns. These firearms must be registered to a licensed individual, be locked in transport, and may only be taken to an authorized range to be fired. It is very unlikely that Cz will bother making any 958s in a restricted format due to the overwhelming popularity of non-restricted firearms in this country.