CZ

This is one of the very first CZ 24 pistols ever made…and it is Czech proofed and British proofed! CZ Model 1924 (vz. 24), in .380 ACP, was the standard Czechoslovak Army pistol of the inter-war period manufactured by Česka Zbrojovka (CZ) in Prague (as displayed on a rib on the top of the slide “Česka Zbrojovka A.S. v Praze”). There is something special and intriguing about this pistol. Extremely low Serial Number: 1259. No import marks. All components match: barrel, frame, and slide. The pistol has 98% of its original bright blue finish remaining. The trigger, hammer, and extractor retain about 98% of the original straw color. It is fitted with one-piece, smooth and well-preserved walnut grips. Excellent overall condition. Overall, approximately 200,000 CZ 24 pistols were made. According to most sources, the regular serial number range for the CZ 24 pistol is: 12,000-190,000 (according to the book “Know Your Czechoslovakian Pistols” by R. J. Berger, there were some pistols produced as part of small international orders/contracts in a separate serial number range, for example, all 9-shot CZ 24 pistols range from serial number 1 to about 3,100, and are dated from 1929 to 1931). The serial number of this pistol is 1259! However, it is not a 9-shot pistol. The three nearest lowest serial numbers we have seen in years were in the 10,000, 11,000, and 12,000 range…and nothing in between. Again, our pistol’s serial number is 1,259. Based on the proof marks, the featured pistol seems to be a part of the original order for 20,000 CZ 24 pistols completed in June 1926. The pistol is factory dated 25 (1925) and it stayed in the factory warehouse until purchased by the Military in 1926. It displays the 1926 acceptance “J, rampant lion, 26” mark of Czechoslovak Military. The pistol is unit marked to the Czechoslovak Army’s 17th infantry regiment (17P 39). If this pistol wasn’t a part of a small international contract, it had to be captured by the British Army during WWII. In June 1945, the British Army stood at 3 million men, and with its Allies, it was victorious against Nazi Germany in Tunisia, Italy (1943), France and Germany (1944-45) etc. But then how did the featured CZ 24 end up in the United States? The British have laws, dating back to 1813, relating to the sale of guns that go some way to protecting the public from unsafe guns of any age. All British guns are tested before they can be sold by a system known as “proofing”. This takes place in one of the UK proof houses: Birmingham or London. Pistols that received British proofs prior to being disposed of in the 1950s, should have matching proofs on the slide, receiver (frame), and barrel. Britain has used two commonly found sets of proof marks. One is from the Proof act of 1925-1955, the other is the Proof act of 1955. The 1955 proof act removed the requirement to mark the pistol “Not English Make”. Our featured CZ 24 pistol displays the “Not English Make” mark underneath the 1926 acceptance “J, rampant lion, 26” mark of Czechoslovak Military. Therefore, the pistol was brought to Britain before 1955. Our pistol displays the Birmingham Proof House marks: crown over “BP” on barrel, crown over “NP” on barrel, and a crown over "BV" on barrel, slide, and receiver (frame). These Birmingham Proof House marks date back to 1925-1954. The circle around the marks means “Not English Made”. “BP” surmounted by a crown represents “Provisional and Definitive Proof”. “BV” surmounted by a crown is a “View Mark”. “NP” surmounted by a crown is a “Definitive Nitro Proof”. The CZ 24 was an improved version of the CZ 22, which had been licensed from Mauser. Production of the CZ 24 started in August 1925. The original order for 20,000 pistols was completed in June 1926. More orders followed, and by the end of 1929, 100,000 pistols had been accepted by the Military and Gendarmerie, called in Czechoslovakia the “Četnictvo”. An inventory on January 1, 1939, showed the Czechoslovak Army and Air Force had on hand 171,756 CZ 24 pistols. CZ 24 is a meticulously crafted, well-built, robust, and reliable pistol that was very highly thought of at the time. During the German occupation (March 1939 – May 1945), the Czechoslovak Armed Forces were disarmed, and all the weapons were utilized by Germany and its allies. The CZ 24 pistols were not marked by the Germans, in any way, except for those used by the German Navy. CZ 24 pistols were also issued to the German Air Force, and Waffen-SS. The pistol is fitted with one-piece, smooth wood grips. Magazine capacity is eight rounds, and a Mauser Model 1910-style safety switch is mounted to the left of the pistol. The pistol is housed in an original leather flap holster containing one extra CZ 24 magazine.