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German Refurbished VZ 24

GEM

Senior Member
Attached pictures show a mismatched VZ 24 made in 1929. I bought this at a local small show several years ago and looking for opinions about what I am seeing.

Serial number: 6091I2. Bolt, small bolt parts, bolt release, trigger guard, upper band have been scrubbed and re-marked with the first two or three digits of the serial number ("609" or "09"). (Seems like a variation of the German practice but haven't seen anything like this before.)

The chamber is marked with standard CZ marks, Czech rampant lion proof, E29 and a German Nitro proof (assumed to have been applied when new barrel was installed). Almost all other parts are stamped with a small CZ mark. The follower has a German WWI-style imperial mark.

The barrel is German. It was apparently re-barreled and refinished in Germany in 1940. There are typical 98k style barrel codes including a Geco logo, 1940 barrel date, two commercial nitro proof marks, a heart symbol, Wa211 and a crude asterix star stamp. The barrel has a 98k style step. (Can't recall if a standard VZ 24 has a step or tapered barrel.) The bore is mirror.

The bolt was scrubbed and renumbered "609." There are faint remnants of a Czech style serial number along the length of the bolt handle. The extractor collar has an E655. Smaller bolt parts have been scrubbed and renumbered "09." Bolt appears to have been a Czech straight bolt bent to a 98k profile.

What is noteworthy is that the metal finish is a very high quality commercial blue. Similar to the very best seen on prewar hunting rifles or early Mauser Standard rifles. The wear patterns on the bolt and other parts and uniformity of the finish color and application seems consistent. The lack of wear on the bolt face seems to indicate that it has not been fired or fired much since it was refurbished.

The stock is mismatched to the gun. Usual handling dings but has not been sanded. Research indicates that the stock disk marking (19 HN 946) is a designation for Czech. 19th Border Guard Battalion, Weapon 946.

The sling is unmarked with heavy cross hatching. It appears unused and in excellent shape. I have been told that it is a correct Czech sling original to the rifle.

My speculation is that this rifle was captured after the 1938 German occupation and then sent to Germany for repair/upgrade. Given the German commercial nitro proofs and high quality finish it was likely intended for commercial sales rather than military issue? Or I could be totally wrong....

Thoughts?
 

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post war refurb with german era parts

No historical/collector value. Probably a nice shooter. pretty blue job.

gil
 
It is a late war commercial rebuild of a Vz-24 by a German gunsmith. The 145 marking on the bottom of the barrel shank means it was rebarreled and marked in January, 1945. Commercial German rebuilds of Vz-24's are not very common. Look on the bottom and the back bolt flats to see if that bolt has a commercial eagle/N firing proof. Also, look in the barrel channel of the bayonet mount to see if it has numbers stamped there. These were known to use a mix of rejected and previously used parts. I'm not saying that it is necessarily as it was when it was rebuilt, only that they did reuse some parts on these so it might not be as mismatched as it looks. Somewhere in the 1945 timeframe some of the commercial gunsmiths used unnumbered bolt bodies on these, but I would still expect the bolt body to be eagle/N proofed.

The blueing on these typically does look too shiny. Post some better photos if you can. It would be helpful if you showed the numbering on the bolt and any bolt markings.

That bolt may actually be original to the rebuild. It is possible that the gunsmith did use "609" as the serial number instead of 6091. Like I said though, I would expect the bolt to be eagle/N proofed. Look in the barrel channel of the stock for any numbering there (e.g. 609). The ones I have seen rebuilt by this gunsmith have the last two digits of the serial number on the surface of the bayonet mount that faces the barrel.

Cool rifle.
 
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Yeah, gil is completely off base here. This is a late war commercial build 98k. The prevailing theory is these were built for Volkssturm troops - even though all numbers are mismatched, as Pisgah stated it could be "as built" in January 1945. Most of the 45 dated commercial rifles I have seen only use the barrel number, the rest of the parts are usually unmarked - however this rifle is obviously built from many reclaimed components - if the bolt has an EagleN it's probably the "matching" bolt for it.
 
I like it. I've never seen anything like this in the wild, just photos of what others have found. Congratulations!
 
I checked again but can find no marks on the bolt that you suggest should be there. In addition to the serial number on the top of the bolt root there is only a large capitol "T" stamped on the underside of the grasping knob. Except for those two marks this bolt body has no other marks.

I checked the link to the similar rifle and they have many similarities. However, my stock has no numbers in the barrel channel or handguard other than original Czech serial numbers.

I agree that the blue is unusually shiny. It appears that the metal was scrubbed and polished.

Interesting of the possibility of Volkstrum use.

Thanks for all of the comments and clues.
 
...I agree that the blue is unusually shiny. It appears that the metal was scrubbed and polished...

I have two Vz-24's which were rebuilt by the same gunsmith. Both have similar blueing to yours. Same thing for the example in the link I posted. Did you check the barrel channel of the bayonet mount?
 
Wow. This is really interesting. I can see how Germans came to possess this rifle. What I'm wondering now is how the small gunsmith in Zella-Mehlis got the barrel? I believe it's a Ruhrstahl blank finished by Genschow in 1940 at the old Deutsche Werke.

Geco-Waffenfabrik_1937-Katalog.jpg

I'm guessing it was an armorers spare, but how this gunsmith came to acquire them? Any thoughts? Great rifle IMO!
 
I have two Vz-24's which were rebuilt by the same gunsmith. Both have similar blueing to yours. Same thing for the example in the link I posted. Did you check the barrel channel of the bayonet mount?

The bayonet mount channel is unmarked.
 

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