VZ 24?

[Mickey Christian]

Just picked up what appears to be a VZ24 barreled action. All the other parts hanging on it obviously something else. I am curious though, it is not marked VZ24. It does have the long Brno address on it low near the wood. So low there is no room for what I think of as usual VZ 24 marking. Ser. no. is 527x with no pre or post fix. It has a tiny lion on the left side of the barrel near the receiver and on the receiver. I have seen reference to "stick" figure lions, but this ine seems to be different, possibly double lines to give some dimension to the body and legs.
There is no evidence that there ever was a crest on the receiver ring and no evidence of being scrubbed. It has what I believe to be a K98 rear sight on it and what I think of as a regular Mauser front sight....don't know much about the fronts. It has a pristine bore.
Can anyone offer some idea of it's lineage and mfg date?
Thanks,
Mickey

PS I did google it but it is hard for me to navigate through all that, but with what I can do was not able to figure anything out.

[dave]

Is serial 527 plus a number, or truly 527x? Can you post pics? I collected 98 Mausers with VZ 24 being what I am concentrating on now. (still inexpensive) The lion on barrel & rec. are firing proofs, should be on right side. Also spell out the exact stamp on side of receiver and arrangement (lines), there were at least 8 different ones over the years and early rifles had no VZ 24 stamp. While the rear sight works the same as a K98k they look entirely different.
Rifles also had different serial number arrangements for Czech military and export rifles. Any small stamps just above serial number? I am working on a list/chart of VZ serial numbers by date at the present but you do not provide enough info on yours. The German military modified most, if not all, of the VZ's they got in 1938 and over the years many slightly different variety's have shown up, it eventually evolved into the G.98(t). What does the bolt look like? What caliber is it?

[Mickey Christian]

Dave,
The ser.no. has a number not an "X". The stamp on the side of the receiver is:
CESKOSLCVENSKA ZBRO JOVKA,AS,BRNO. All in one line. It looks like a "v" over the top of the first (C) letter and a slash type accent mark over the last "A" of the first word. There is no vz24 mark at all.
The little loin marks are on the left side when viewed from the butt plate. Only thought that the rear sight was K98 because it has a lip on the front to hold the rear of the solid short hand guard.
No stamps above the ser. no. but there is a mark below it that looks somewhat like a partial #2 with it's lower tail missing. Actually looking at it through a jewlers loop it looks like two seperate marks. I believe it to be 8mm and the bold does not match. only the barreled receiver belong together.
Can't post pics and do not have enough brain power (maybe patience) to learn how. I have figured out to email pics if you are interested.
Mickey

[dave]

That is the side rail marking found on rifles made for export to So. Amer. (i.e. Guatemala). Mine is Number 3514. It is in 7m/m as most South Amer. exports were. Check it out before shooting. If the bolt is straight handled and has four digit it is likely original type. Probably dates from the '30's, order was for 4000 rifles. Those little marks above letters are for proper pronunciation of letters in Czech. language. The Crest has been ground off, polished and rifle refinished evidently, as they did have the Guat. crest on top.
I have never seen a Czech vz24 with firing proofs on the left side, and with that sight it has been modified somewhere along the line. It should have had a handguard which surrounds the sight and goes back to the action ring. 100_0389.jpg These are what a VZ should look like (one at top has German mod.). Perhaps your receiver was not delivered and used later for a different application, by the Germans or post war by the Czechs.