Very nice looking rifle you have there; my "B"-block Vz.98/22s is just 197 rifles ahead of yours. I'd guess yours probably picked up the Germanbolt in Turkey
, or during importation to the USA
.
The Czechoslovak Govt. only got 1,500 rifles from Mauser Oberndorf as reparations via treaty; the spare parts and manufacturing tooling they purchased from Mauser Werke in 1920. The first approx. 10,000 rifles manufactured at CZ-Brno were 99% copies of the post-1916 Gew.98; only the grasping grooves were omitted. These rifles were designated Vz.98. Shortly after production began, it was decided to use the Mauser-patent tangent-leaf rear sight in place of the Lange-Vizier. The new rifles were designated Vz.98/22, and were produced in 10K blocks prefixed "A"-"D", with the switch to the shorter Vz.23 coming mid-way through "D" block.
In 1926-27 the Republic of Turkey purchased 30,000 Vz.98s and 98/22s, and placed an order for 10,000 new 98/22s, which formed a special "E" block.