Found this little gem in a pawn shop. It's been re barreled to .243 Winchester. Can't tell for sure if its a Mauser or Arisaka ? Anybody got an idea of what it is?
Yeah, definitely not a Turk, the guy I got it from wasn't for sure either. It had belonged to a relative who passed on. I was thinking maybe a Siamese , but not sure either. Never thought about Persian.
A large ring Mauser with foreign chicken track markings.
If in .243 it is not likely Siamese because those were originally for rimmed cartridges and it would be more work than it is worth to convert bolt face and magazine to rimless.
It is (or was) a Czech VZ-24, made for Persia (now Iran). The left side markings are Farsi and read: "Carbine [short rifle] Model 1312, Brno Arms Factory". The original number was 12831. I have no idea who put on the "89" or what it meant.
The VZ-24 is usually considered among the best of the 98 Mausers and has been the basis for many fine sporters as well as a collectors item in the original condition.
Thanx for the info. I think the 89 stamped on it may have been put on it by the fellow that did the sporter work . I think it is worth the $100 I paid for it.