This article is about the bolt-action rifle. For the semi-automatic pistol, see. 24 Type Place of origin Czechoslovakia Service history Used by See Wars and others Production history Designed 1924 Manufacturer Produced 1924–1942 Specifications Weight 4.2 kilograms (9.2 lb) Length 1,100 millimetres (43.3 in) length 590 millimetres (23.23 in), Bolt-action Feed system 5-round internal box, two-row, integral box, with quickly detachable floorplate Sights The vz.
24 rifle is a bolt-action carbine designed and produced in from 1924 to 1942. It was developed from the German Mauser line, and features a very similar bolt design. The rifle was designed in Czechoslovakia shortly after, to replace the, itself a Czech-designed derivative of the Gewehr 98.
24 featured a 600 mm (23.6') barrel which was shorter and considered more handy than the 150 mm (5.9') -longer Gewehr 98. 24 was chambered in like its predecessors. Throughout the late 1920s and into the 1930s, Czechoslovakia exported hundreds of thousands of vz. 24 rifles to various countries across the globe, with variants chambered in the original 7.92 mm, and. These included contracts for several South American countries, most of which were 7 mm or 7.65 mm guns.
Around 40,000 rifles were sent to Spanish Republican forces during the. Nearly 200,000 rifles were purchased by China, seeing action in the, which became part of. Iran purchased vz. 24 rifles, along with two other variants, through the late 1920s and 1930s, and later produced their own copies in the late 1940s.
Germany acquired hundreds of thousands of the rifles in 1939 when they occupied Czechoslovakia and pressed them into service under the designation 'Gewehr 24(t)'; during the occupation, production of the rifles continued until 1942, when the factories were converted to the German-designed. During this period, several hundred thousand rifles were also built for the. 24 rifles saw extensive service during World War II in multiple theaters, predominantly with the German and Romanian armies on the. Lithuanian vz. 24s, which had been captured during the German invasion in 1941, were later seized by Soviet forces, who in turn used them to arm the during the in the 1960s. Front sight Export and foreign combat employment Many countries purchased the vz.
24 rifle in various calibers. Between 1928 and 1938, the purchased 101,000 vz. 24 rifles, which were chambered in 7.65×53mm Argentine. These rifles were used against Paraguay during the in the 1930s, and many of them were captured by the Paraguayan Army, which in turn used them against Bolivia. Colombia ordered 10,000 rifles between 1929 and 1937 and Venezuela purchased an unknown number of rifles in 1930; both countries' rifles were chambered in 7 mm.
In 1932, Brazilian revolutionaries ordered 15,000 rifles, which were built with bent bolt handles. Peru ordered 5,000 rifles chambered in 7 mm in 1934, and Ecuador purchased 30,000 rifles in 7.92 mm in 1936. Guatemala and El Salvador ordered 4,000 and 300 7.92 mm rifles in 1937, respectively, and Nicaragua purchased 1,000 7 mm rifles that year. Also in 1937, Uruguay ordered 6,000 rifles in 7 mm, of which 2,000 were vz. 32/Modelo 1932 variants, which were essentially lightened vz. Several European countries also acquired the rifle, all in the 7.92 mm caliber. The Lithuanian Army acquired the vz.
24 in the 1930s, and many of these rifles were captured by German forces during before falling into the hands of the Soviet Army later in the war. Some of these rifles were then sent to to arm the, and some were captured a third time by American forces during the. Yugoslavia purchased 40,000 rifles in 1926, all of which came from Czechoslovak Army stockpiles, and a further 10,000+ between 1928 and 1930. These rifles saw action during World War II during the in April 1941, as well as during the ' insurgency against the German occupation. In 1935, Latvia traded surplus rifles for 15,000 vz. 24s; Brno Arms Works in turn sold the Lee–Enfields to Iraq.
During World War II, Latvian resistance fighters employed the vz. 24s that had been ordered by the Latvian Army against the German occupation forces. 24 also saw action in the by the Catalan Republican troops. About 40,000 vz. 24s were bought by the from Czechoslovakia to be sent to the Spanish Civil War. 24s were shipped from on 1 March 1938, along with other material ( tanks and 76 mm French field artillery). The French freighter, which carried all the material, managed to get the weapons to Bordeaux from where they were sent by land across the border to.
Despite arriving late in the war, the vz. 24 was used in Catalonia and the Mediterranean coast of the and saw action in the, where the vz. 24 showed good results despite the Francoist-Nationalist victory. After the defeat of the, Generalissimo kept the rifles that survived the battle until 1959, when they were sold to. Starting in 1927, the Chinese Nationalist government began ordering rifles, and by 1937 had purchased 195,000 vz. They saw action during the in the late 1930s and many of these rifles were captured by Japanese forces.
They were then used to arm five infantry divisions stationed in China. After the war, Japan surrendered the rifles to China, which were then issued to Nationalist forces for use during the.
China manufactured a copy of the vz. 24 that featured a shorter barrel and a side folding. Japan also ordered 40,000 rifles for the in 1938. German G24(t) After the occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1938, the Germans took existing stocks of the vz.24 into service under the designation Gewehr 24(t) ('t' being the national origin designator tschechoslowakisch, the German word for 'Czechoslovak'; such national origin designators were German practice for all foreign weapons taken into service).
The G24(t) rifles manufactured after the German occupation were completed to a modified design to adhere to German standards. This included changes to the butt stock, with slots cut to fit German slings and the installation of the disc and hollow rod assembly that allowed soldiers to disassemble their bolts. Brno continued production of the rifle, which progressively gained some K98k features as stocks of pre-war components were used up. The original flat butt plate was replaced with the cupped butt plate of the K98k type, and the walnut stocks were replaced with easier to produce laminate versions. In 1942, the production line at the plant was converted entirely to building K98k rifles and the main plant in Brno was similarly converted the following year.
Over the course of 1941 and 1942, a total between 255,000 and 330,000 G24(t) rifles were built before production switched over to the K98ks. The G24(t) rifles did not receive the old Czechoslovak stampings, and instead only bore standard army proof marks and Waffenamt inspection codes. Romanian-contract vz. 24 showing the serial number prefaced with the 'XR' code In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Romanian Army decided to adopt the vz. 24 rifle as its standard infantry rifle, though it had not acquired enough weapons to fully arm its troops by the time the country entered World War II in 1941. The first orders for the vz.
24 rifles were placed in 1938 after the German invasion. Romanian-contract vz. 24s have a two-letter prefix at the start of the serial number, the first letter being variable and the second 'R' to designate Romania. Each initial letter denotes manufacturing blocks of 25,000 rifles. 24s 'AR', 'BR', 'CR' through 'YR' represent different periods of manufacturing, though several blocks have not been reported, including 'IR', 'JR', 'KR', 'MR', 'NR', 'QR', 'VR', and 'ZR'. Over the course of the contract, the Czechs manufactured between 400,000 and 750,000 Romanian vz.
The first two years of production included royal crests for the, though rifles built from 1940 onward do not feature crests, and many of the surviving early rifles have had their crests ground off. Romania was for much of World War II, from 1941 to 1944. 24s saw action in Ukraine, Bessarabia, and in particularly heavy fighting. It was not until 1944, after significant defeats at the hands of the Soviet, that. Iranian Berno In 1929, Iran ordered 30,000 vz.
24 rifles chambered in 7.92 mm, all of which came from Czechoslovak Army stocks. A further order for 240,000 rifles was placed in 1930, though these were for the vz.98/29 variant with a longer barrel; another order for 30,000 vz. 98/29 'musketon' rifles was placed at the same time. Like several other countries' orders, the initial contract for the 30,000 vz. 24s came from Czechoslovak Army stocks, while the later orders for the vz. 98/29 variants were new production guns.
The total order was not completed before Czechoslovakia was conquered by Germany. The 'musketon' rifles were designated as the Model 30 carbine, and in the late 1940s, Czechoslovakia assisted the Iranians with setting up a factory to manufacture their own license-built copies, the Model 49 carbine. The rifles, which were referred to as 'Brnos' or 'Bernos', after their city of manufacture, proved to be prized by Iran's various tribal groups, which frequently rebelled against the government of the. After was deposed in 1941 by the, significant numbers of the rifles fell into the hands of tribal rebels, and they were used in tribal conflicts throughout the 1950s. During the Anglo-Soviet occupation, the Soviets seized and distributed 10,000 of the Brnos to Kurdish tribes in western Iran, which they also helped to train. The Kurdish force proved to be the basis of the.
^ Ball, pp. 111–112. ^ Walter, p. 319. Grant, p. 19. Ball, pp.
113, 115–116. ^ Ball, pp. 115–116. ^ Ball, p. 121. Ball, p.
118. ^ Ball, p.
116. Ball, pp. 57, 59. Ball, pp.
105, 123. Ball, pp. 68–69. ^ Ball, p.
123. Ball, pp. 116, 118.
^ Ball, p. 122. Ball, p. 246. Ball, pp. 81–82. Ball, p.
93. Ball, p. 99. ^ Ball, pp. 226–227.
^ Grant, p. 61. ^ Law, p. Cutting plotter drivers rabbit 720. 179. Walter, p.
315. Ball, p.
305. Zabecki, p. 638. Ball, pp. 282–286. Khosronejad, p.
212. Koohi-Kamali, p.
111. Jowett, Philip (2016). Modern African Wars (5): The Nigerian-Biafran War 1967-70.
Oxford: Press. References. Ball, Robert W. Mauser Military Rifles of the World. Iola: Gun Digest Books. Grant, Neil (2015).
Mauser Military Rifles. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. Khosronejad, Pedram (2011). Art and Material Culture of Iranian Shi'ism: Iconography and Religious Devotion in Shi'i Islam. Koohi-Kamali, Farideh (2003). The Political Development of the Kurds in Iran: Pastoral Nationalism. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Law, Richard D. Backbone of the Wehrmacht: The German K98k Rifle, 1934–1945. Cobourg: Collector Grade Publications. Walter, John (2006). Rifles of the World.
1891 Mauser Serial Numbers
Iola: Krause Publications. Zabecki, David T. World War II in Europe: An Encyclopedia. Military History of the United States. Abdington-on-Thames: Routledge.
External links.
Originally Posted By Spaxspore: Looks like a Romanian contract model which was later was refurbished into a new stock during the rebuild. I'm not an expert on Vz 24 serial numbers, but wouldn't a Romanian contract build have an 'R' serial prefix of some sort? I know they were likely sold some that had already been accepted into Czech service, but how do you tell the difference? My guess on it's manufacture date would be 1937, given it's acceptance date.
True its a 1937, the reason i believed it was romanian rebuild was due to the EP bolt to match the rifle and the replaced stock that has the appearance of a romanian replacement. It may be not in the block of the offical contract that started in 1938, but it could have still been sent to romanian and saw service. Of course this is just an observation on the appearance of the rifle, i have no hard evidence. The main site that had the numbers of the vz24s and where they went on contracts is now non-existent. I've seen these refurbs referenced as having been done by the Romanians, as well as the Russians/Ukrainians.
Not sure which is true, but would completely agree that the stock number appears to match those seen on Romanian service rifles. By the way, OP, the '1941' is definitely the rifle's serial number and not the date it was built. The H4 suffix would be the lot that it was built in. So, it's the 1941st rifle of lot # H4. Also, I have not seen a ton of these refurbed rifles that have the Lion crest.
Most will have remnants of the scrubbed Romanian King Carol crest, or the date on the top of the receiver. Looks like a nice one. I have a soft spot for Vz.24s. My favorite Mauser, overall.
Edit: Here's a better explanation on serial numbers than what I have given.
I acquired a rifle stamped: CESKOSLOVENSKA zbrojovka brno vz24 f1 E(with a crest of somekind)26 4732F1 vz24. Also has a Nazi eagle stamped on the barrel just in front of the reciever The barrel is stepped in three areas as i have never seen a barrel stepped down like this as you get to the end. I shot some mauser ammo out of it but sometimes you have to fire a round twice in order to get it to fire it doesnt look like the pin is striking the primer as hard as it should. I would like to get to know this gun a bit better and any help is greatly appreciated! Sometimes you have to fire a round twice in order to get it to fire it doesnt look like the pin is striking the primer as hard as it should. There are several possibilities/contributing factors: 1) The firing pin is badly worn. Solution: replace.
2) The spring is indeed weak. Solution: replace.
3) The bolt body is clogged up with fossilized grease. Solution: dismantle, clean, reassemble. 4) Severely excessive headspace may be a contributing factor, but not the sole cause, although someone will probably tell you so. The typical service rifle will fire cases that are extremely short - because the firing pin is usually long enough to detonate the primer when the rim is being held back by the extractor and the cartridge is not headspacing on the shoulder at all. Note: the answer will lie in 1), 2) or 3); maybe a combination of all three. Vmware vcenter converter standalone 4.0.1. You need to learn how to dismantle and reassemble a Mauser bolt.
Go here: It is perhaps a good idea to read the other 'stickies' while you're at it! These forums have a huge amount of information, and many questions have been asked before. CESKOSLOVENSKA zbrojovka brno vz24 f1 E(with a crest of somekind)26 4732F1 vz24 CZECHOSLOVAKIA Brno Arms Factory.(still in existence, go to ) Model 24.(VZ = Vzor = model/type) E(with a crest of somekind)26 = lion rampant proof/acceptance mark from (19) 26 If you look very closely, the proof stamp should be a lion rampant, facing to your left, with a fine N that looks as if it were an incomplete box enclosing the lion. The diagonal of the N goes right across the lion, and may look just like a scratch. The N is for nitro.
4732F1 = the serial number vz24 as before. I took the rifle down to a gunsmith for a look over and it was determined that the ammo i have is not very good. It was made in 1953 and wasnt stored very well.
We shot a few rounds of newer american made ammo and it fired flawlessly. Thank you all SO much for your replies i really do appreciate your time. It isnt the coolest gun i own but it sure has grown on me i am going to keep it and i ordered some horandy custom rounds for it this afternoon. It came with a weaver 4x scope hopefully it will work pretty well i would like to use this rifle to hunt with some. If it does not i may get a 3x9 leupold for it instead. Again thanks for all of your input!
This is a 1926 VZ-24 Mauser. The Eagle on the barrel makes me think it has been re-barreled with a German WWII barrel. There should be some German data on the barrel. Any idea what is there? It has the german eagle stamp to the left of the 4732 serial number on the barrel. All the serial numbers seem to match on the gun. There is no serial on the bolt except for a VERY small 4732 that looks like it was etched into the back of the bolt a really long time ago.
It isnt on the bolt itself it is on the back part of the outside housing that moves when the gun fires. It is so tiny you can barely see it. I will post some pics, the guns original stock has been modified to a more hunting rifle type stock but i was told it is the original stock.
You can see where they added wood it was pretty nicely done. Post added at 08:07 PM - Previous post was at 08:02 PM. It has the german eagle stamp to the left of the 4732 serial number on the barrel. All the serial numbers seem to match on the gun. There is no serial on the bolt except for a VERY small 4732 that looks like it was etched into the back of the bolt a really long time ago. It isnt on the bolt itself it is on the back part of the outside housing that moves when the gun fires. It is so tiny you can barely see it.
I will post some pics, the guns original stock has been modified to a more hunting rifle type stock but i was told it is the original stock. You can see where they added wood it was pretty nicely done. Post added at 08:17 PM - Previous post was at 08:07 PM - Here is the pic of the eagle stamp.
It isnt on the bolt itself it is on the back part of the outside housing that moves when the gun fires. I think you mean the bolt sleeve, the bit to which the safety lever is attached. The full number was normally applied to the bolt handle and the sleeve, but in this case the bolt handle has been replaced by the swept-back handle, to clear the scope, thus removing the number. Under today's laws, the full number should have been re-marked on the bolt body or the handle, as this was the pressure-proofed component, but after so many years, who's complaining?
The markings on the action body are indeed as I expected and explained. I agree with Calif-Steve, it looks like a Vz24 that was rebarrelled in the Nazi era and, judging by the woodwork, professionally sporterized (probably at the same time).