New World, New Country, New Rifle
After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire following World War I, the world found itself with several newly formed nations. Czechoslovakia was one of them. As with any new nation, the country sought to form a unique new identity and to take pride in producing its military rifles.
In the early 1920s, along with the new nation, the gun makers Zbrojovka in Brno (usually seen as "ZB" or just "Brno") and later the iconic CZ were establishing their roots. These companies benefited from the end of the war, as Germany sold licensing and machining to Czechoslovakia to help pay off war debts, meaning the rifles could be made on actual German tooling. With domestic manufacturing now available, the Czechs decided to flesh out a new rifle contract.
Many nations at the time chose the Mauser design, so it is no surprise that the Czechs took a similar direction. They fell in love with the Mauser design after testing the Mexican 1912 Mauser, an export version of the German 98 Mauser. In 1922, the country settled on the Mauser 98 design.
Brno Design
This new Brno-contracted Mauser was designated the Model 98/22, with production centered at the factory in the city of Brno. The 98/22 was chambered for the 8mm Mauser (7.92x57mm), as Czechoslovakia had massive stores of World War I surplus 8mm Mauser ammunition.
The action is a Mauser-patented, cock-on-open design still popular for most modern bolt-action rifles. A five-round internal box magazine feeds from Mauser-patented stripper clips. The rifle features an almost 30-inch barrel, as was common for many rifles of the time.
The Rifle’s Fate
Sadly, the 98/22 was one of the shortest-lived service rifles in Czech history and was replaced with the shorter Vz.24 in 1924. With countries getting away from cordite and black powder, and the introduction of the spitzer (pointed) bullet, there was no need for an extra barrel for optimal powder burn.
The rifle didn’t disappear completely, but found continued purpose with another new nation forging its own identity: Turkey. After the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the Turks found themselves with old rifle designs that had been heavily used in various conflicts. They were looking for a modern production replacement that could use up all the surplus 8mm Mauser ammunition, and the 98/22 proved the perfect candidate. The 98/22 remained in production for many years until the tooling and licensing were sold for domestic production in Turkey.
A Milsurp Gem
This Brno 98/22 is fresh from the Guns.com Certified Used inventory and is a unique find. While the 98/22 is plentiful on the market, this rifle was constructed in 1923 and has unique markings. Built in Czechoslovakia, most likely for the Czech military, the rifle’s receiver features traditional Czech markings, but the rear sight ladder is marked in Turkish measurements. This rifle was most likely sold to Turkey after its retirement from Czech service.
So, this rifle is a German design, built on what was probably German tooling, manufactured in Czechoslovakia, for the nation of Turkey. It doesn’t get any more interesting and historical than that.
These rifles are excellent and accurate shooters that make great collectibles. I took this one to the range, and while I am no marksman on iron sights, it produced an admirable five-round group at 100 yards with surplus ammunition.
Summary
