My new VZ-24 8mm Czechoslovakian Mauser

[boom boom]

After doing some research and reading some threads on the gunboards Forum

http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?136137-Czech-VZ24-Serial-Number-blocks

This is apparently a lion crested carbine from Povaska Bystrica in Slovakia.
It's marked :

E3Lion37
6***M4

Apparently this was made in the 13th block of 10,000 rifles in the 4th cycle of 260,000 rifles made for the Czechoslovakian Army. Vz/24's which bear the "M4" type phrase at the end of the serial number, like "1234 M4" are rifles made at BRNO.

Only 5 cycles of VZ24's wwere made for the Czechoslovak Army. Each cycle had around 260,000 rifles, 10,000 for reach of the 26 letters in the alaphabet...if that is the correct number for the Czech language.

( credit to John Wall on gunboards)

John Wall is one of the top authorities on that board. You got some good information there. My Brno Mauser also was a prewar Czech Army issue that unfortunately got its lion crest scrubbed somewhere down the line.

If I recall properly as its been a while since I took my 8mm Mausers to the range, the Prvi ammo comes in two different pressure loadings along with assorted bullet weights and types--the most common Prvi is somewhat underpowered 198gr versus the standard issue round by about 200 fps (about 2200 fps). They make another one that comes close to the round as issued nearly 2400 fps with a 196 grain bullet and of course you can load it as you wish. The only point is that the weaker stuff will not shoot true to the iron sights so shooter adjustments will have to be made.