[savannah]

Gentlemen, a couple of years ago I came to possess a Czech Mauser of some kind but I seem unable to make a positive identification of it. It has the arched C S ZAVODY N A
VYROBU ZBRANI
BRNO
on top of the receiver with E, lion in circle, 23
and J xxx on left side of receiver.
It has a very tiny, what looks like the lion in circle on right front of receiver. The barrel looks to be about 23 inches long and has a sight protector. The rear sight is an
'early" according to some picts I've seen with a circled Z on the front and a curly-qued 3.

Can anyone help? I can e-mail picts but I'm not sure I'm bright enough to post them. Thanks. Sam

 

[AndyB]

Looks like You have there a Vz.23 rifle. best regards,Andy

 

[savannah]

Thank you, Andy. Does the 3 digit serial number increase the value any?

 

[AndyB]

I believe the corect serialing for all parts is important and no reworks, certainly a good piece. best regards,Andy

 

[edhoffer]

VZ 23's are in short supply. Low digit numbers to me do not increase or change the value. All matching does change the value though, like Andy said.

Ed

 

[savannah]

Thanks, ED and Andy. All the numbers that I can find match and it passes the bullet test easily. I got it about seven years ago from an old friend and had actually retrieved it from my "safe" to sell but after having seen the reviews of the Czech rifles on this and other boards, I may keep it. Is there a fairly cheap way to scope it without butchering it up? I've seen scout mounts for them but have never used a scout mounted scope. My old eyes aren't as good as they were 45 years ago when I got my first Enfield, so a scope is a must.
Sam

 

[edhoffer]

Scout Mounts will work, or my preference MOJO Sights.

With scout mount setups it's important to take your time and make sure they are a snug fit, and get a quality LER scope.

I wouldn't do anything to her that can't be reversed.

I'm looking for a VZ 23... sooner or later I'll find her.

To post pictures... under the text box is an option to "attach files", click on the Manage Attachments, browse till you find the pics you want to attach and there they be!

Ed

 

[edhoffer]

Here are the pictures of the VZ 23.... if you ever think of selling it let me know GRIN

Ed