Czech vz24 8mm Mauser (Before and After cleaning)

[WeldonHunter]

Ok guys here's one of the Czech vz24s I bought from AIM recently. It's a Russian refurbed rifle and is by intial inspection a fairly decent rifle. It's covered in grease (I say grease because Jim says it's not cosmoline). I've been a mechanic for over 32 years and I've never smelled anything that smells like this stuff but I agree it's not cosmoline like we use here in the U.S.) This is the same exact stuff most of the Mosin Nagants I bought were covered in and it's everywhere. These pictures at of it straight from the box with no cleaning. It came with the set screws, 2 of them for the screws on the trigger assembly. It also has a bayonet that's numbered but not to this rifle, a sling and an Ammo pouch. The "cleaning" rod is what I've heard referred to as a stacking rod. It's a CR prefix number, forced matched rifle. Bolt is electric penciled. It has only the outer part of the crest still intact. It has a small repair on the upper handgaurd. I'll clean it up, take more pictures and post them when it's done.


Before cleaning

[desdem12]

Well that looks like a nice one to me. So the Vz's that they have are the romanian contract rifles or are those just mixed in with them? That is pretty cool

[WeldonHunter]

Well that looks like a nice one to me. So the Vz's that they have are the romanian contract rifles or are those just mixed in with them? That is pretty cool

I'm not sure because I don't know what all they got and the only claim they've made is they're Russian refurbs. This one is a CR prefix ad the other is a BR prefix on the receiever and both stocks are also stamped. The bayo and bolts are electro pencil. These look like they rifles that were disassembled like the Mosins except the stocks were kept with the receivers. They were also heavily reblued in places. I mean the bolt is flawless and dark so is the barrel and receiver. I'm cleaning this one right now.

[desdem12]

Sweet then. That has the added bonus of known history, at least a little then. Those both are romanian contract rifles. Likely used by the conscripts for the germans at places like stalingrad. Captured and then refurbed for use incase like the mosins.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Refurbished like the RC were but with more grease. It's preservative grease, cheaper than cosmoline, and "invented here" to the Soviets . Looks fairly good, the rifle, not the grease.

[Hombre]

Nice rifle and it has some nice crappy black paint to go with your other rifles.

I like those wood handle gun type screwdrivers - bought a set back in late '60s.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Took me some looking to spot the screwdriver you were talking about I have a few as well, the handles aren't as easy to slip with as the plastic ones are if you have some grease on your hands.

[WeldonHunter]

Yeah those screwdrivers are from Grace USA tools. I bought the set they sell with an 8oz. brass hammer and some brass punches in a folding case. They're slotted tipped to help stop stripping of the heads of firearm screws. Funny story about them. I bought the set from Cheaper Than Dirt before I knew Cheaper Than Dirt's history of price gouging during the last election and before I myself had problem after problem with orders from them. When I got that set it had two 5/32" and was missing the 3/16". I'd had it with CTD so I called Grace. Dan Morrison the owner and the founder's son answered the phone. I told him what was wrong and he took my address and said he'd send one out. We then talked for about half an hour. He told me his wife and daughter usually packed those up but the daughter was away at college so his wife was doing it. He said he'd never had anyone call with this problem. We talked about the shooting sports and he told me he was off to hunt that weekend. Nice guy. When we were saying goodbye he said he'll send me out a 3/16" punch and I asked where to send the extra I had. He told me to just keep it because it's one of the most used in the set and if it gets damaged I'll have spare. He also said if any of them ever gets damaged to send them back and he'll fix or replace them.
A week later a package arrived and it not only had the missing punch but had a set of brass starter punches and a 16oz. brass hammer to boot. I use the whole set a lot. Actually used it on the rifle. What a nice guy. I even called him to thank him for the extras.

[desdem12]

The oft lost art of great customer service

[dou44]

let the fun begin cleaning it.

[Hombre]

Yeah those screwdrivers are from Grace USA tools. ......

I bought mine from Gander Mountain in July 1969 - when they were mail order only. They are hollow ground and marked:

MAC
Sabina,O.

[WeldonHunter]

let the fun begin cleaning it.

Cleaning is done. It's hanging on the wall. I'll take pictures of it maybe tomorrow. It came out nice. Bore is still a bit dirty but it has a coating of CLP in it right now soaking some more but I think some shooting might help.

[Jumperwire]

Yeah those screwdrivers are from Grace USA tools. ......

I bought mine from Gander Mountain in July 1969 - when they were mail order only. They are hollow ground and marked:

MAC
Sabina,O.

Gander Mountain was around in 1969 I did not know that.

What crest was that on your rifle? It looked like a worn Yugoslavian crest? Nice rifle by the way.

[WeldonHunter]

Yeah those screwdrivers are from Grace USA tools. ......

I bought mine from Gander Mountain in July 1969 - when they were mail order only. They are hollow ground and marked:

MAC
Sabina,O.

Didn't know MAC made hollow ground screwdrivers. I have them in the regular flavor as well as a crapload of other MAC stuff. I have some MAC, Matco and Snap-on stuff I've bought over the last 32 years and I Craftsman 1/2" drive ratchet I've had since 1964. I was just a kid then and had no use for it or the sockets it came with but it was a real good hammer. I even dented up the direction selector in the head and used that ratchet for over 32 years as a mechanic. I still use it and I haven't been easy on it. It's never slipped. That MAC Sabina stuff is worth some money.

[WeldonHunter]

Yeah those screwdrivers are from Grace USA tools. ......

I bought mine from Gander Mountain in July 1969 - when they were mail order only. They are hollow ground and marked:

MAC
Sabina,O.

Gander Mountain was around in 1969 I did not know that.

What crest was that on your rifle? It looked like a worn Yugoslavian crest? Nice rifle by the way.

The crest on this one is partially ground off. I suppose it might be the Romanian crest because I think these are Romanian contract rifles made by Brno in Czechoslovakia. I'm not sure though. The crest on the other one is about the same. All of these rifles are the same but some are completely scrubbed. The vz I bought 12 years ago is a TR prefix and has nothing there but is obviously ground down. You can see the grind marks.

[Junk Yard Dog]

These would be the rifles the Soviets captured from Romanian troops fighting with the Nazi's in Russia.

[desdem12]

Yep romanian. Any of those that have a letter and R are romanian contract rifles. I think the only prefix that has not been found is the ZR. They were made in lots of known numbers with the prefixes of Blank R. For the life of me i can't remember how many in a lot though.

[bunkysdad]

Hey Mike, I'm glad you posted the before pictures.This is the same condition I received my 1944 Mosin Izhevsk 91/30. Covered from stem to stern with the same axle grease, or maybe just bearing grease. I think of axle grease being black thick grease, but anyway my Mosin barrel was so full of it that the first push of the patch caused a big grease plug to come out the muzzle. These rifles look really good I think. Being a Russian capture refurb means that the blueing is more of the black paint look, but that's fine. The bayo looks good, and I see a nice sling rolled up there too. A nice deal, the only thing about this series of Mausers I wonder about is how that side mounted swivel will interact with the shooter's cheek. Let me know when you shoot it. Would you say that your 2nd one is about the same as this one? It looks like there is some nice wood in the stock. Looking forward to the next batch of pictures. You know, if I had 2 of these, I think I'd seriously consider just leaving one greased and in the box.

[Hombre]

...Gander Mountain was around in 1969 I did not know that.

....... That MAC Sabina stuff is worth some money.

Yep they sure were and I paid the princely sum of $7.67 for the screwdrivers.

[WeldonHunter]

Hey Mike, I'm glad you posted the before pictures.This is the same condition I received my 1944 Mosin Izhevsk 91/30. Covered from stem to stern with the same axle grease, or maybe just bearing grease. I think of axle grease being black thick grease, but anyway my Mosin barrel was so full of it that the first push of the patch caused a big grease plug to come out the muzzle. These rifles look really good I think. Being a Russian capture refurb means that the blueing is more of the black paint look, but that's fine. The bayo looks good, and I see a nice sling rolled up there too. A nice deal, the only thing about this series of Mausers I wonder about is how that side mounted swivel will interact with the shooter's cheek. Let me know when you shoot it. Would you say that your 2nd one is about the same as this one? It looks like there is some nice wood in the stock. Looking forward to the next batch of pictures. You know, if I had 2 of these, I think I'd seriously consider just leaving one greased and in the box.

Yeah it's covered in the stuff and is the exact same stuff every one of my Mosin Nagants come with to one degree or another. That blueing is actual blueing Russell and not paint. The only place that has paint is front stock retainer/cover where the lock goes through it. It looks like it was ground on or filed for some reason and a bit of black paint was applied. While I was wiping the rifle down the run on the other side came off and it's blue under it but it's older blue. The rest of the rifle was reblued. Some things like the bolt was reblued to a deep dark blue. No paint. I took the bolt apart and it's even blued inside, everything, even the firing pin and spring. I've debated whether I should clean the other one but I think I'm going to at least clean the bore to see what it is but will probably clean it like this one. I want to make sure they both shoot ok and are fully functional. As far as the cheek weld goes it has never bothered me. Remember I've had one of these for 12 years now and hunted with it for years. It's never been an issue for me. Every shooter has his own ways though. I just went and pulled it off the rack and shouldered it and the sling loop is a few inches in front of my cheek. The tip of my nose is in line with it. I keep them folded forward too. The sling on my older one is also on the bottom loops.