My VZ24/47 in 8x57

[Buckshot]

I bought this at a Big5 sporting goods store a couple years ago for $99. The barrel looked good. After cleaning there was some shine. The grooves remained a bit dark but the lands appeared sharp and strong all the way to the muzzle.



That little chip of wood missing at the rear of the handguard in the right photo is the only real oopsie. As I mentioned in another post about this rifle elsewhere, instead of slugging it I had some cast 8mm boolits all lube-sized to .325" so I loaded 50 rounds, 10 each of 5 different generic type loads. Shooting them proved a bit disappointing. No wild but rather larger then a person would be really happy about



I got involved with several something else's for a period of time before getting back to this rifle. I had some of the Lee C329-205R's cast up so I oiled the barrel and drove one into the breech. It had upset enough to also give a throat measurement, which was just a couple tenths shy of .329". Egads!



I then drove another up past the throat, and tapped it out and got a measurement of .314"x .327" (and a couple tenths). I did the same at the muzzle and got the same measurement. I then made myself a .328" push through size die. I then lube-sized a bunch of the Lee C329-205R's to .329" (I already had a die that size) and then sent them up through the .328" die. I also had to make a new 'M' type caseneck expander, and then loaded them up over the same loads as previously loaded with the muchly undersized cast slugs.



I haven't had a chance to fire them yet, but I have high hopes as now I know they FIT! It's a nice rifle. The number on the buttstock matches the serial number on the action, barrel, and bolt. However I know these had been rearsenaled as the side sling swivels had been removed as evidensed by that round plug up toward the wrist. It has nice wood, and when I bought it I thought it was walnut, but now know it's some species of Elm.

...............Buckshot

[Mike Venturino]

Buckshot: Nice rifle and by the way, nice photos too. I bought this VZ24 sniper rifle shown in the photo about three years ago. It's much more worn than yours and the grooves are dark but it will still shoot jacketed bullets into about two MOA. That's flat base Hornady 195 grain ones. Boattailed ones are all over the place. I only tried cast in it one time and they were all over the place too. It was the Redding/SAECO #081, 185 grains of lino at .325 inch over 27 grains of 5744. So I am looking forward to your shooting report.



By the way, the K98k with Zf41 1.5X scope in this photo shoots that 8mm cast load just fine, in under two MOA. The '03 is a parts rifle that I had a 3X Leatherwood Wm. Malcolm scope put on. Its a great cast shooter with Lyman #311299, 195 grains of lino at .310 inch over 25 grains of 5744. I now am up to eight '03 Springfields of one type or the other and this one would be the last to go if in a pinch. By the way I seat all grease grooves covered and crimp on the bullets so that feeding from the magazines doesn't shove them back into the cases.



Thanks for starting this thread and giving someone who can't sleep tonight something to do at 3am.

MLV

[phaessler]

VERY nice Buckshot and Mike V. , I had to chime in(Actually raining here to beat the band and bored) so I did my quickest pictures.
I am not a technocrat by any means, nor do I post to annoy.
Here are a few from my collection:
The Green Laminate is a M24/47 which I sportered into a .22-250Ack Imp. Bought the matching numbers rifle 5 years ago, and bought its sister, matching sequential numbers too(posted it too). Was one of the last rilfes I think Harry did himself before he sold everything.




The cherry stocked one here is a VZ24 also sporting a McGowen heavy .270Win barrel. The stock wood came from the In-laws family property in New Hampshire.


There is a few differences in the M24 and VZ24, most noticable is the guard screw location on the triggerguard/floorplate. The M24 came in alot of variations and is sometimes referred to a "mid" length Mauser.
The VZ24 has been around forever, typically produced in Czechloslovakia, and is a "Standard length mauser" action, a wee bit longer.
Here are a (from the top) :
M48/47 - sister rifle to the .22-250Ackley,
M52C - similarto the 48, but refined in parts fitment
VZ24- BRNO produced in Czech


Thanks for sharing them, while I havent shot any cast out of these, yet. And they need to breathe and be cleaned/oiled. I love seeing the old military workhorses out and being used. Can't beat the 8mm for causing a stir with the '06 crowd either.
Thanks again.

Pete

[Doc1]

My son and I have a couple of these and I find them to be great rifles and just about the best value on the milsurp market these days. Additionally, as they are intermediate actions, they are good candidates for a 7.62x51 conversion. If there's a downside to them, it's that their intermediate length bolts don't fit a standard K98 action.

Best regards
Doc

[junkbug]

Thanks for the tips on the VZ24/47 Buckshot. I have a worn KAR 98A that may run close to that big. I am hesitant to pound a slug in the beech, but just may try seating a .329" boolit into a dummy round and see if it will chamber. If it wont fit, I may take a Lee .323" push thru sizer and slowly hone it out, a 1/10th of an inch at a time, and see how large I can go before it starts to just feel a little tight.

I remember the article you wrote Mike in "Shooting Times" with that VZ24 sniper rifle pictured in it. I was more than a little envious of you in even finding one for sale, much less in buying it. I do look forward to seeing followup on it, as your coverage of that specific rifle was just a hair scant. I know you can't exhaustively cover every rifle in one article though.

After reading that, and remembering how awkward a M91/30 sniper rifle was that I used to own was, I decided that 65 year old sniper rifles ,while unquestionably cool, aren't the absolute last word in accuracy, or utility. While they are as durable as any rifle made, they still aren't completely indestructable. I wound up buying a CZ 550 FS in 6.5X55 that is almost as rugged as any WWII area sniper rilfe, probably more intrinically accurate (if only because its only been lightly used) and lighter weight than any other I remember. The scope mount bases on the CZ550 are probably the best around (like Ruger's) and I can use any scope I choose.

One of these days I'll really start working with that CZ550FS. Keep up the good work on those VZ24 rifles. Can't wait to read more.


Sean

[waksupi]

Here is a VZ24 I built into a .358 Winchester. Good shooter!

[45 2.1]

Gun porn.......................... at its best. Nice rifle Ric.

[Three44s]

Starting out a few years ago, I noted those VZ24's as something I was going to get a BEVY of "one of these days".

Well those days came and went and by the time I had time to start accumuating ........

........ all it seemed that was available was the Yugoslavian 24/47's.

Well me thinks that a Mauser is a Mauser .......... WRONG!

After I got over being "fooled" and buying two M24/47's ....... and winding up liking them ..... I bought two more even nicer ones.

But alas ........ my ship is sailing after all ........... I took a chance on a Mauser in one of those fugly plastic stocks with the full rail top that does not let a poor gun get a fresh breath of air ...... and bingo! ............. A VZ24 emerged like a pretty butterfly emerging from it's ..........

And a neighbor has offered to trade one of his VZ's for my poorest Hun as he wants a medium length Mauser for a .308 project.

Often things do work out pretty well.

Three 44s

[Buckshot]

.............Well Mike I'm pleased I was able to help occupy your time while sleep eluded you. I try to be of service As per your Military snipers, you obviously have some money tied up in them. While I had a O1 FFL for 20 years, during that time feeding and clothing a daughter and a wife, not to mention 2 mules and a motley collection of horses ment most of my military purchases pretty much was in the $39 to $99 dollar range

............phaessler, you too have some nice rifles there. I'm not really into sporters as such but I sure can appreciate nice work. I really don't know how many rifles I own as it's been a considerable time since I've counted. I'd say over 80, but only 3 centerfire boltguns are sporters, the others are 22 RF's and 5 leverguns.

.............Waksupi, thanks pal for posting such small pictures. I now have a headache from staring at pictures with my nose 1/4" from the computer screen. They do not charge by the pixel ya know? Before my eyes crossed I made out a pretty fancy looking rifle however. Wish I could have seen it better!

Guess I'd better post another

................Buckshot

[Mike Venturino]

Yeah, Buckshot, not having any children definitely made it easier to buy guns but a whole raft of dogs, cats, and horses have tried to make up for it.

This is a typical winter evening in the Venturino household.



Those original sniper rifles ARE EXPENSIVE, except the VZ24. And the MN91/30 wasn't too bad. They didn't hit me too hard. But. to finance, my WW2 collection I'd hate to say how much of my Old West collection got sold. I went through my gun vault and sold pretty much everything that hadn't been shot in five years. But, you follow your interests and I'm sure enjoying myself again.

Like you "sporters" have pretty much gone from me as I don't envision much hunting in my future. I only have four left: 2 varmint rifles a .222 Mag and a .223, a .30-06 Model 70 and a .308 Model 70.

But I figure there are a lot more WW2 guns I've not tried yet.

And as much as I've grown to hate traveling by air, I still want to see some more of the places where these WW2 firearms were used. I went here in 2008. I bet most of you recognize it.



MLV

[TNsailorman]

Mike, I heard somewhere that Iwo was closed to civilian traffic now. Is that true? Was you able to get onto the island? I had at one time a picture of the USS Tennessee BB43 sitting just offshore pounding away with those 12 big 14" rifles of hers. Somehow over the years the picture was lost. I sit up late at night too. Have a hard time sleeping more than 3 or 4 hours at a time. James

[Ricochet]

The History Channel recently carried a program about a bunch of vets getting to make a special visit to Iwo. It's not a regularly available thing, though.

[Mike Venturino]

James: You are correct that Iwo is forbidden to civilians EXCEPT for one day a year when the Marine Corps commemorates the battle.

Then the Japanese grudingly allow an outfit called Military Historical Tours to bring a chartered 737 load of Americans to the island. On my trip there in March 2008 there were about a dozen battle veterans with us. I tried to spend as much time with them as possible and got most of their signatures on a book about the battle.

Iwo Jima is once again a Japanese military base, which they use for training. As I remember they said the garrision is about 400. The Japanese we encountered there definitely exuded a "we wish you weren't here" attitude.

Buckshot: I don't mean to highjack your VZ24 thread so anyone who would like to read a little more about Iwo Jima and see another photo or two can go to the thread I started titled Thinking About The Vets on the Shooters.com segment.

Thanks
MLV

[StarMetal]

The History Channel recently carried a program about a bunch of vets getting to make a special visit to Iwo. It's not a regularly available thing, though.

From watching that same show John, I believe the Japs renamed the island too. It's not Iwo Jima anymore, at least not to them. That sucks!

Joe

[Ricochet]

Yeah, you're right, I'd forgotten that.

[waksupi]

Buckshot, sorry about the small pictures. But when you buy your cameras from the $1.00 discontinued bin, and have little knowledge of your photo editing program, I do believe this is a reasonable effort!

[Mike Venturino]

The sign on the Iwo Jima control tower now reads "Iwo Toh"

[techlava]

Iwo Toh is just an alternate pronunciation of Iwo Jima, 3 Kanji ,"Chinese Characters", for Sulfur Island.
Japanese military is not thrilled at the defeat.