The open bolt design exposes the breech end of the barrel, and improves cooling during periods of continuous fire.

However, it means that since the bolt is held to the rear when cocked, the receiver is more susceptible to contamination from sand and dirt.

[17] The weapon is constructed primarily from stamped sheet metal, making it less expensive per unit to manufacture than an equivalent design machined from forgings.

Variants have a ratchet safety mechanism which will catch the bolt and lock its movement if it is retracted past the magazine, but not far enough to engage the sear.

The military and police versions will fire immediately upon chambering a cartridge as the Uzi is an open bolt weapon.

While the open-bolt system is mechanically simpler than a closed-bolt design (e.g. Heckler & Koch MP5), it creates a noticeable delay between when the trigger is pulled and when the gun fires.

The magazine release button or lever is located on the lower portion of the pistol grip and is intended to be manipulated by the non-firing hand.

The paddle-like button lies flush with the pistol grip in order to help prevent accidental release of the magazine during rigorous or careless handling.

The first version had a flat butt and straight comb and had hollows for a cleaning rod and gun oil bottle.

[23][24] Choate made an aftermarket polymer stock with a rubber butt-pad that had a flat butt, a straight comb, and a permanent base.

In 1956,[25] IMI developed a downward-folding twin-strut metal stock with two swivelling sections that tuck under the rear of the receiver.

The Uzi submachine gun was designed by Captain (later Major) Uziel Gal of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.

The weapon was submitted to the Israeli Army for evaluation and won out over more conventional designs due to its simplicity and economy of manufacture.

The first Uzis were equipped with a short, fixed wooden buttstock, and this is the version that initially saw combat during the 1956 Suez Campaign.

The Uzi's compact size and firepower proved instrumental in clearing Syrian bunkers and Jordanian defensive positions during the 1967 Six-Day War.

During the Sinai Campaign of the Yom Kippur War, IDF Army units reaching the Suez Canal reported that of all their small arms, only the 7.62mm FN MAG machine gun was still in operation.

The Uzi Pro is a blowback-operated, select-fire, closed-bolt submachine gun with a large lower portion, comprising grip and handguard, entirely made of polymer to reduce weight; the grip section was redesigned to allow two-handed operation and facilitate control in full-automatic fire of such a small-sized firearm.

The under barrel rail is often shown with a specialised foregrip which attaches to the pistol grip to form a hand guard.

As of 2011 it has been purchased by the IDF in limited numbers for evaluation and it is yet to be decided whether or not to order additional units for all of its special forces.

A small number of Uzi carbines were produced with the standard length barrel for special markets.

After registering several hundred submachine guns transferable to the general public through a special government-regulated process, production was halted due to financial troubles at the company.

Company assets (including partially made Uzi submachine guns, parts, and tooling) were purchased by an investment group later to become known as Vektor Arms.

[36] Today, while the civilian manufacture, sale and possession of post-1986 select-fire Uzi and its variants is prohibited in the United States, it is still legal to sell templates, tooling and manuals to complete such conversion.

These items are typically marketed as being "post-sample" materials for use by federal firearm licensees for manufacturing/distributing select-fire variants of the Uzi to law enforcement, military and overseas customers.

The Mini Uzi carbine is fitted with a 500-millimetre (20 in) barrel, to meet the minimum rifle overall length requirement for civilian sales in the United States.

This model was intended for law enforcement and civilian use, due to the compact size, rails, and a semi-automatic rate of fire.

The Strojnica Mini ERO is a clone of the Micro Uzi; it differs in that it had a heavy-gauge folding wire stock like the Skorpion Machine Pistol.

[40] Production started in Myanmar after 1991 when an Israeli delegation visited the country and supplied the Tatmadaw with Uzis.

[45] Improvements made include moving the charging handle from the top to the left with a shorter barrel.

[48][49] From 1993 to 1996, Hamas manufactured a total of 350 Uzi clones, until its production was dismantled by the Palestinian Security Services' intelligence unit led by Moussa Arafat.