Czech Mauser Vz 24 Serial Numbers
Vz24 Mauser Serial Numbers
Czech Vz24 Mauser Serial Numbers
Czech Vz24 Mauser Serial Numbers

Markings: There is no visible import mark. The top of the receiver is marked “CESKOSLOVENSKA / ZBROJOVKA / =BRNO=”. The left side of the receiver is marked with the serial number, “E small lion 31” and “vz 24”. The right side of the receiver is marked with a small Czech stamping. VZ24 Ricasso marks and scabbard with German style side screw. Fighting knife made from a cut down czechVZ24, came in early pre 1940 production 84/98 scabbard with 1940 marked frog. Comparison of fighter with full length un modified bayonet. Interestingly the scabbard is only marked with a serial number on the back face for the throat.

Yugoslavian Contract Zbrojovka Brno VZ.24 Mauser - sn P5xxx. This is a Yugoslavian contract Czech vz.24 Mauser, which is in excellent condition with 95% original finish. 4/5 Bore, 5/5 Stock. Stock matches serial number. Bolt matches serial number. Magazine matches serial number. Stock has little handling wear. John takes his Vz24 for a Chapter 2 Spin! Ebay paper target from video: - Please check o. Buy BRNO - Mauser Early VZ24 - Impossible Serial Number? Two digit- Mauser 98: GunBroker is the largest seller of Bolt Action Rifles Rifles Guns & Firearms All: 898689501.

Czech Rifles 1918-1958

By Dan Reynolds and Reine Smith

At the close of World War One, the Imperial Austro Hungarian Empire collapsed. A state was formed out of Bohemia, Slovakia, Moravia, Ruthenia and the Sudetenland. It was dominated by the Czechs of Bohemia. Even before the Empire had formally capitulated, a small arms workshop was set up in a former Imperial Army Artillery Arsenal in Brno, which was in the middle of Moravia, to provide rifles to the new Czechoslovakia. Progress was made to the point that new Mannlicher rifles of the Imperial Model 1895 in 8x50mm were being made by 1920, 5000 being produced in 1921 and production of the Mannlicher is believed to have continued until about the summer of 1921.. This rifle bares the receiver mark CS. ST., ZBROJOVKA, BRNO, and was chosen, as many former Imperial rifles of this type were on hand and the facility was rebuilding unserviceable specimens which had been collected. This was destined to be an interim measure as it was soon decided that the best rifle for the new Czech Army was the Mauser 1898 type. The great Mauser works at Oberendorf could no longer sell military rifles or pistols to Germany or any other country as a result of Allied occupation and the peace treaty imposed by the victorious powers of WWI. The Czech government arranged to buy a complete production line for the Gew 98, parts on hand, and all work in progress. They also bought the rights to a new pistol design from Mauser which evolved into the series of service pistols used by Czechoslovakia up to WWII and were made at the CZ Strakonice Arsenal. The tooling was moved from Mauser to the arsenal works at Brno ( pronounced Bear-No ) but there were problems getting set up and into production. The Czechs thought they were getting a complete technical package, but this was not so, and it took longer than expected to get serial production underway. The first batch of Mausers was assembled using mostly German parts and may have been out of shop as early as April 1920. A modified design based on the Mauser was considered, but the Model 1922 based on the Gew 98 and using the tangent rear sight of 1916 was put into serial production in 7.92x57mm. The earlier rifles assembled from German parts had the Lange rear sight. Both varieties of GEW98 bare the receiver CS. ST. ZBROJOVKA, BRNO and on one I just received, CESKOLOVENSKA ZBROJOVKA BRNO. VZ23 and VZ24s were later manufactured and bear the Receiver markings CS. ZAVODY, NA VYROBU ZBRANI, BRNO and CESKOLOVENSKA ZBROJOVKA BRNO. There are bayonets for these guns that bare the CSZ marking, which is a further reduction of C.S. ZAVODY which means Czech Slovakia Factory and bayonets that just have a Z in a circle. Later the markings were changed to the Bohemian lion Crest with CESKOLOVENSKA ZBROJOVKA A.S. BRNO VZ 24 (VZ stands for Model) on the left side rail. Contract rifles were also marked on the left rail in this manner with the appropriate crest of the country purchasing on the receiver. Romania, I know had their crest on some, while China, had some with a P prefix on the serial number and were dated 1937 and again Romanian arms were dated 1938-39-40. These dated rifles were also issued to the Czech Army as some bare the Army acceptance mark which is an E (small Czech lion) and date. There were some other markings on the VZ24s as well, FABRICA CHECOSLOVACA DE ARMAS SA BRNO( on South American arms), ZBROJOVKA BRNO A.S. VZ24. The production on the VZ 24 started in late 1924 or early 25 and lasted until 1942 producing hundreds of thousands of rifles. In addition to the ones I have already mentioned VZ 24's were made for Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, Estonia, Guatemala, Iran (Sun Lion crested), Lativa, Lithuania, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, El Salvador, Siam/Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay( Known as the M37),Venezuela and Yugoslavia. I think, contrary to popular belief, that there never were any Japanese contract rifles and that the VZ24s that the Japanese had were captured from the Chinese. They were used to arm some of their troops and were then recaptured by the Chinese at the end of the war. If I am not mistaken these rifles were captured and issued to 5 divisions of Japanese. I have also heard that they were issued to the Japanese Navy and have seen a photo with Japanese cadets carrying them. There is also the possibility that they were given to the Japanese by Germany after the 1939 capture of Czechoslovakia. China made several purchases during the period 1929-39. After Germany took Czechoslovakia the Germans kept shipping until the Japanese protested directly to Hitler. The German military had been close to the Chinese as advisers and favored them. After the Japs joined the AXIS the official policy cut off China but despite this Germans in the Whermact, Foreign Office and other positions allowed or facilitated shipments. The last one (from FN pre war production) went down the Burma Road in early 1941. The VZ24 was manufactured in 7.92mm, 7X57mm, 7.65X53mm and were known in Romania as the 'ZB' rifle.

The Czechs were hard up for cash and would reuse old parts to help fabricate new contract Mausers at times, as well as sell off older pattern Mausers to pay for new VZ24 Mausers for the Czech Army. Eventually Turkey purchased most of the Model 1922, and VZ23, from the Czech Government. The M1922 rifles can be found with sights marked in western or the old Farsi type numbers used on the Persian Mausers. This relationship continued up through 1938.

In addition to the rifles mentioned above ZB supplied several other Mauser designs for export.
1)The Model JC, a reduced weight Vz24 with slimmer barrel and stock. Stock notched for turned down bolt knob.
2)The Model L short rifle, carbine, and short carbine. Short carbine was supplied to Latvia in early 1930's in .303 British to supplement her Pattern 14 and Ross M1910 .303 rifles.
3)Model 98/29 long rifle and carbine supplied to Persia/Iran, marked on the side rail in Farsi.
4)Model 12/33 and 12/34 carbines
5)Model 16/33 carbines
6)Model 33/40 Mountain Carbine manufactured for the Germans during WWII

At the beginning of 1937 ZB opened a second major factory, Plant 2 at Povaska Bystrica to make rifles and bayonets. Production rate at BRNO was 800 rifles a day in early 1938, 400 at Bystrica.

By 1938 the German tooling was worn out. Czech engineers and technicians designed and built a modern production line with all new Czech produced tooling and gauges. In a series of joint ventures with Yugoslavia, Romania, and Iran, they sold these countries this technology along with their technical expertize. The Yugo plant came on line first, then the Romanian plant. The Iranian plant did not become fully operational until after WW2. Just as I did for a while, people think t

Vz24 Mauser Serial Numbers