I bought this off of a collector 15 years ago. Everything seams to be original, military. Action says "Checkoslovenska Zbrojovka, A.S., Brno VZ 24"
Action and stock serial numbers match...49585. Receiver (I think) is stamped 1937, I assume the year of manufacture.

Questions- Is this a .323", safe for full power loads? I've shot surplus ammo in it without blowing up, so I think so.

Is this gun particularly valuable, or rare, or desirable?

Are there any good reasons for me to leave it like it is?
Any good reason to sporterize it, or build a custom gun with it? (Either would have to wait untill I had a lot more money to play with.)

Is there any historical significance to this rifle? Hitler invaded Czeckoslovakia in March 1939, what may have happened to this rifle? Was Brno producing for the Czeck military, or selling to others? What happened to the Czeckoslovokian army during the war? Did they fight with the axis, as an army or integrated into the German army?

Anything you can tell me is appreciated. I wish guns like this could speak!

VZ-24's are readily available for around $125 give or take a bit. A few years ago they were going for $49 in good condition. They are very well made 98 variants. It has the standard .323 bore so shoot it all you want. If it has no import marks it is worth a bit more than one of the thousands Cetury and others imported in the late 90's. If it is in excellent condition and no import mark I would leave it alone. But if it is an import in decent condition it is a good candidate for a sporter.

I cant tell you much history about it except that I would put it right behind the 1909 Argentine as far as quality goes. And that is saying a lot for the CZ.

earlier VZ24s had the Czech Lion crest on the receiver. BRNO also made the highly desirable persian mausers, which along with the 09 argentine are the finest military mausers made. The czech army was in a hopeless situation.Germany had been given the german speaking border regions and the small czechoslovakian forces were overwhelmed with very little actual fighting. The arms were used by germany and BRNO produced many more under occupation. The resistance squirreled away a few.The british BREN gun was a brno design. Insert the E for enfield and you have the name.

That is a very nice, desirable Mauser. I'd leave it as is, for sure.

So, who was Brno? Just a company who made guns? Whats the link to Mauser? Was Mauser a company, or just a style of rifle named after its inventor?

just for the hell of it check and see if the bolt #'s match the rest of the gun.

No, the bolt numbers don't match.



I don't see any lion crest, or import stamps on the rifle. There is an E stamped on the underside of the bolt handle.

Bja - when the serial # don't match it means the rifle was put together from OTHER rifles like it out of a big hodge-podge of guns and pieces of guns. This was very common practice by the gun importers after the war.

Sorry to say your gun has almost no collector value but it should be safe to shoot. Clean it up and take it to a good smith if you have any questions. Enjoy it.

Sowho was Brno?

Brno is a town in (then) Czechoslovakia, it was home to the state arms factory Cseklaslovenska, Brno. The Czechs had bought the rights and machinery to produce the 98 from Mauser. Their variant was different only in sights (rear had twin locks instead of one as on the German rifle) the top handguard reached back to the receiver ring and they also used some of the best metallurgy then extant. They also referred to the cartridge as the 7.92x57. The only reason i ever preferred the 1909 Argentines over the Vz 24 was the factory hinged floorplate found on the 1909 Argentine....the only military model to use it.