Is this a Czech VZ23?

[Ronbars]

Greetings everyone,

I'm a relatively new milsurp enthusiast and have little to no Mauser knowledge. A guy I met at a local range a few years ago has a LOT of interesting pieces, and lately he's expressed interest in selling a few of them. I picked up what was described to me as a VZ23 last weekend, but it appears to differ in some regards to the VZ23 shown in your Knowledge Library here: https://www.milsurps.com/content.php...er-Short-Rifle.

The markings on my receiver ring don't match the exemplar VZ23 in your library:


Additionally, the font on the rear sight leaf doesn't have the same curvy serifs:


However, the army acceptance mark and serial number mark looks right, and my B3388 falls within the expected range of A0000-M9999:


This is not a pic of my actual rifle, but the rear sling attachment on mine is exactly as pictured. Additionally, my stock features this exact same domed washer with a hole in it, which I understand to be an aid in disassembling the bolt to get to the firing pin. This also differs from the exemplar rifle:


I'm out of pics for the moment, but some other things of note:

• Front sight does NOT have a notch for a sight hood (neither does exemplar rifle)
• Upper and lower barrel bands are the expected 5" apart
• Stock does not have the serial number pressed into it (exemplar rifle does)

I'm guessing that between running production changes and modifications made by capturing countries, several configurations of these rifles exist. As my knowledge is lacking, I'm not sure what absolute defining characteristics are shared by every VZ23 so that it can be successfully identified as such. I know my photos stink, so I am happy to take more (and better) shots. Any insight as to what I have would be greatly appreciated!

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[UNPROFOR1994]

I think it's probably a VZ 98/22. It's very hard to tell with only 2 pictures. The receiver is Czech, the stock could be modified by the Germans or just a replacement.

You'll have to take better and more pictures of the entire rifle and every marking you can see, even the ones on the stock.

[Ronbars]

I got overly excited and jumped the gun by posting with just the few crap pics I had. I'll take some better ones.

[Calif-Steve]

Long barrel or short barrel?

[Patrick Chadwick]

Difficult to read, but the crest seems to say: CS. ST. ZBROJOVKA. I.e. the "State Arms Factory" marking. This matches the example shown in Ball, Mauser Military Rifles of the World, P.112 (5th Edition) for a Model 98/22 rifle. Note that the ring is stamped with a "23" - not a "22"

However, the Vz22 was a full-length rifle, and in the description of the Vz23 Ball is careful to note (P.115) that most Vz23s are marked with "Czech Factory for Arms Manufacture" i.e. CS. ZAVODY ... etc. Most - not all.
The knowledge article also states "...VZ23 and VZ24s were later manufactured and bear the Receiver markings CS. ZAVODY, NA VYROBU ZBRANI, BRNO and CESKOLOVENSKA ZBROJOVKA BRNO..." I.e. there was more than one possible receiver marking.

So your example appears to be a transitional model Vz23, made while the factory was using up the receivers with the older marking.

All else requires better photos!

[Ronbars]

Thanks for the additional information! You are correct about the text of the crest marking on the receiver. It's very interesting to me that it could be a transitional piece. Being a B serial block does make it an earlier rifle, so now it's got me wondering if there was a serial cutoff point when they ran out of the older marked receivers or if they were assembled in such a way that the serial numbers don't necessarily dictate what parts a particular example was assembled from.

More photos to come this evening.

[Ronbars]

Here are several hopefully not as terrible photos. The stock really doesn't have any markings on it that I can make out, nor does the buttplate. Most of the marks elsewhere are related to the serial number.