Anybody know the years of production, barrel twist, history, what loads work well in these etc.

I've found one and I'm seriously thinking about it. I've never owned a 22 Hornet but I've been wanting one for a long time and I really like the older BRNO's.

I would love to hear about any info and personal experience with these you have.

Thanks,
Terry

A while back I picked up absolutely pristine factory orig. 465 22hornet(1949 manufacture)
..the damn thing shot cloverleaf groups using; Nosler 45gn with 10gn of win296.
they are a great little rifle..... a .17 hornet version would be a real sweety of a round.

The ZKW is another Koucky Design , designed by Josef and Franticek Koucky of Brno.
The started production in 1946 and I believe the manufacture was transferred to CZ so that most during and after 1949 were built by CZ.

Krico ( Kriegeskorte and company) built a copy of the ZKW from 1956 to 1963. the first gun had a SN 100001

These copy rifles originally had a investment casting action built by the Pfaff sewing machine company. The action then changed to a milled action from serial number 103442

The Krico rifles are not that uncommon in South Africa

A 1949 ZKW in 22 Hornet



This is the Krico gun:

Not the FOX model?

Alf, the one I'm looking at has a 5 digit serial# so I guess it's cast. It has a 49 on the left side of the receiver and I'm assuming that's the production date. It's the spitting image of the top one pictured and has about the same quality wood. It's all original with the iron sights and sight hood still on the rifle and in pristine shape. A lot of them I find here in the states have parts missing and recoil pads added.

That's more info than I've gotten in two day's of research! Thank you.

Trax, That's just what I needed to know. Where the Noslers BT's? Thanks also.

quote:

Originally posted by lal:
Not the FOX model?

No, I'm looking at a ZKW 465, not a Fox model. The Fox is a nice looking rifle also but I don't think it was ever chambered in a Hornet or I've never seen one anyway.

TC1 I could swear I saw this rifle on the cover of a local hunting magazine in the supermarket today , just cant think of the name right now. I will try to get hold of a copy and E-mail it through for you tomorrow if I can remember. I may be mistaken but I think Koos Barnard has a Fox in .22 Hornet?

quote:

Originally posted by lal:
TC1 I could swear I saw this rifle on the cover of a local hunting magazine in the supermarket today , just cant think of the name right now. I will try to get hold of a copy and E-mail it through for you tomorrow if I can remember. I may be mistaken but I think Koos Barnard has a Fox in .22 Hornet?

Cool! I would love to see it. Every Fox I've ever seen over here was chambered in a .222 Remington, I had no idea. I honestly know very little about these though. I've wanted one for a long time and a Hornet too. I'm going to make that happen soon.

I called the shop owner and asked him to keep a copy of the magazine for me. While on the phone with him he had a look and confirms it is a ZKW in 22Hornet. Will let you have the story in a day or so when Im in town, apologies for the delay.

Terry, often ZKW Hornets are rechambered to K-Hornet but not marked as such. They shoot well, just the same. I had two, handy light rifles, but I settled on my ZKK 223 which has accounted for a lot of hogs, coyotes, whitetails and an axis this year.

The original ZKM was built in 22 hornet only and was exported to 48 different countries. Together with the BRNO 22's ( the Number one through 5) also Koucky brothers designs they made up what is generally seen as Brno's most successful line or rifles. The ZKM was modified over the years and production was moved to CZ though it started in ZB. The Fox and Fox II are simply successors to the original ZKM.

If you look at the early BSA 222's there are some similarities to the Brno ZKM's.

This is not by chance because during WW2 many of the Czech engineers fled to England and were absorbed at BSA and other military contractors.

I've owned a BRNO ZKW 465 .22 Hornet for a number of years and have found it to be a tack-driver and one of my very most favorite guns (despite the backward-operating safety which I NEVER use!). Its set trigger is the cat's whiskers. I like the Nosler Varmageddon 40 grain flat base bullet the best in mine, powered by either AA1680 or H-LilGun (but be aware that Lilgun lots are apparently quite variable and behave differently from one another.)

I also owned a Fox Model 2 .22 Hornet, which was equally accurate. Here is one exactly like mine: http://www.sakosource.com/-1026s-brno-fox.html

Alf: My assumption was that Krico simply purchase their ZKW-type actions from BRNO. Not so?

Terry,

I have a BRNO ZKW 465 in .22 Hornet and it is plenty accurate with Winchester factory loads. I would recommend picking it up as you don't see them very often.

Stonecreek:

No Krico did not use Brno made actions but had their own made by the Pfaff Sewing machine company. As I have pointed out they were initially cast actions and only later did they revert to milled actions.

I also have Krico in 243 but it's not a ZKM copy.

quote:

Originally posted by ALF:
Stonecreek:

No Krico did not use Brno made actions but had their own made by the Pfaff Sewing machine company. As I have pointed out they were initially cast actions and only later did they revert to milled actions.

I also have Krico in 243 but it's not a ZKM copy.

That's interesting information. I've tried to buy (unsuccessfully thus far) a couple of Kricos with the BRNO wannabe action thinking that they were actually BRNO's. How would you compare the quality of the copied action used by Krico to an actual BRNO action?

Too bad that Krico also copied the backward safety. If CZ would change the safety of their current 527 to operate like those on all other guns, jettison the protruding detachable magazine in favor of a Mauser-type double stack internal magazine, shave a quarter-inch of thickness off of the bolt root so that a scope could be mounted reasonably low on the receiver, give a decent polish to the metal, and use something other than a opaque finish on the stock that looks more like paint than wood finish, then they would have an outstanding product.

quote:

Originally posted by MHC_TX:
Terry,

I have a BRNO ZKW 465 in .22 Hornet and it is plenty accurate with Winchester factory loads. I would recommend picking it up as you don't see them very often.

Well, I put a deposit on it today. I wanted to buy it outright but Christmas and my bank account balance said NO. The seller was nice enough to work with me though.

Ive got one in 17 ackley hornet. Very accurate with 20gr and 25 gr hornady pills. Mine has the set trigger option.
Great little rifle with a nice action.
Have had 22hornets in Ruger 77 and krico 400.
Converted the Ruger to 17 ackley and went to great lengths to get it to shoot. 465 came along at a good price and easily out shot the ruger, so it went.
You will be impressed by the 465. As for the safty you will soon get used to it.
Herse a couple of pics , cheers Mick

Well, I paid it off yesterday. Looks pretty nice for a 66 year old rifle. I'm a happy camper!

Nice one

Thanks Forrest, It was one of the nicer ones I found. I have a Kahles AH 2-7X36 with a circle plex reticle that I'll be mounting on it but the only rings I have right now are too low and the bolt handle hits the rear OBJ. As soon as I get some higher ones it'll go on.

That's very nice.

BTW that 49 on the side will be just above or below some sort of crest - that's the date it was proofed.

Also the BRNOs were all machined - it was the Krikos that were cast - some of them anyway.

Terry-

I love your ZWK 465! Great looking. Try James Calhoun, he does a lot of work with CZ-527's and he has some higher/taller scope rings if I remember correctly.

I was able to coble together a BRNO Fox a few years back and James supplied me with a barrel for a .22 Hornet and Scope Rings.

I just about drove myself crazy trying to find an extra magazine for the Fox. Thanks to a very gracious member of the board, I found one.

Congrats Terry! She sure is pretty! Enjoy.

BRNO / CZ magazines can be found here. Just be aware that the guy says he only posts to Australian addresses.

I have no idea if he can be talked around, and what the customs implications are.

I CAN say that I bought 2 of his mags and I am impressed.

Oh, yes, TC1 - that is a beautiful rifle.

re: "Krico ( Kriegeskorte and company) built a copy of the ZKW from 1956 to 1963. the first gun had a SN 100001...These copy rifles originally had a investment casting action built by the Pfaff sewing machine company. The action then changed to a milled action from serial number 103442."

Where does this Krico/Pfaff receiver information originate? I see it repeated on the internet as a fact without any source. I can find no reference to it in any firearms literature. Is it just another unsupported Internet "fact?"

"Alf" on this forum seems to be the source of the information. I asked him for his source and his reply was only that one source was The Complete Encyclopedia Of Hunting Rifles and Shotguns – July 31 2004 by A. E. Hartink. I have this book and can find no reference to Pfaff anywhere in it.

I have a copy of the last quarter 2014 edition of "Guns & Game" which contains an article by Gary Przibilla entitled "Outfoxing Brno". Gary does the updates to the Brno section of the Blue Book of Gun Values and is anal about getting his facts correct. He interviewed Arndt G. Kriegesdorte in preparation for his article on the KRICO copy of the ZKW 465. This article contains much of the same information quoted in this discussion. I have owned both models and the Krico is not really as well done. The Germans did stretch the action by .5 inch to make it work for the .222 family as well as the Hornet where as the Czechs just shortened the rear bridge of the ZKW to make the CZ 527 series. This results in the KRICO bolt being .5 inch longer than that of the ZKW or the CZ 527.

I also have owned both and I prefer the Krico...especially in the fullstock version. Brno has never produced a stock equivalent to the quality of the Krico, neither in its rimfire nor its centerfire rifles and shotguns...and being in Canada, where Brnos were relatively common, I have owned dozens of each. Check out the precise shadow line on the cheekpiece of the Krico stock in the photo below. This is craftsmanship that you will never find in a Brno stock. The quality of the Brno/Krico receivers themselves seem to be similar enough. My question however, had to do with method of production and the possible connection to Pfaff. Does Przibilla address this? 2014 Guns and Game? Sounds hard to find. Apparently, they don't exist as a magazine anymore. Any chance you could scan the article?

I must agree that the stock work is nice. KRICO did not stay true to the clever BRNO bolt design - at least in the one I owned at one time. I scanned the article but IMGUR will not let me upload a pdf file and I do not have Adobe to convert it to a jpeg file. If you will send me an email to:
beartrax at consolidated.net (replace the at with the @ sign), I will email you the scanned copy.

John

Thank you for the information TexasJohn.

It's coming together. (Should have the mag by mid-Nov.)

Period West German Schmidt & Bender 4x36 with duplex reticle. CZ 1in./26mm rings.

From Guns and Game (courtesy of TexasJohn) I have learned:

Krico copied the Brno 465 but no Brno parts were used. All German manufacture 1956-63.

No interchange of any significant parts with Brno. (e.g. the Krico bolt is .5 inch longer.)

The Krico stocks were made in Germany by R.S. Wolf.

Original Krico receivers were investment-cast by Pfaff (the sewing machine manufacturer) until SN 103442, then they were fully-milled. (Because of typical quality-control problems with investment-cast receivers. However, the high cost of German labor led to end of production.)

Trivia question since we seem to have some pretty knowledgeable guys participating in this conversation.

Who made this type rifle/action prior to BRNO and Krico?

I was at an estate auction of a gunsmith and piled among the barreled receivers, parts rifles, and a large amount of junk, was a barreled receiver that closely resembled a Krico/BRNO. I could find no markings other than the proof marks, which were WWII era German commercial markings (Eagle N). If my memory serves me correctly, it had the Suhl shield. It had square bridges and claw mounts and a soldered steel scope. It had double set triggers but I cannot remember at the moment what the magazine looked like or if it had a magazine. It was unknown what the chambering was, I would guess 5.6x35r vierling.

I bid it up to around $800 or something in that range as that was all the cash I had on me that day, but there were a lot of other guns I wanted, and I knew I would want to keep that one and I wouldn't make any money on it, so I let it go. It was only me and one other bidder, and the auctioneer about died when we hit $500. He was beside himself when we hit $800.

For comparison of what the prices were like that day, my friend picked up a complete Winchester Low Wall action for $75, a complete Winchester Highwall for $300, and a cast action "kit" for $50.

The only rifle that comes to mind is the ZiDi.
It was German or Austrian made and was imported by Charles Daly. They are both uncommon and expensive.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziegenhahn_%26_Sohn

https://www.ziegenhahn.de/en/about-us/history

I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this, but here goes. Will a CZ 527 22 hornet bolt fit in a BRNO zkw 22 hornet receiver?

Not sure, but the magazines do not interchange.

So what is this?...a Krico or a Brno sold by Mauser?

That is a ZKW 465 BRNO Hornet. It is a mini "Mauser" styled action thus the description by Continental Arms.

In Reply to OSA's inquiry about bolts. In theory, the two bolts should interchange; however, with the one CZ 527 Hornet I have, mine will not.

John

Texas John--what town?

TexasJohn resides in Conroe, Texas.
Raised on Cattle/Sheep ranch near you.... between San Angelo and Sterling City.

Texas John--I have to frequently go to Big Spring for doctor appointments at the VA hospital, so I'm sure I have passed by the ranch you mentioned. Give more specifics and maybe I can look out for it.