Brno 22F 8x57mm

[Ronnie Pace]

Picking up a Brno 22F 8x57mm and trying to decide whether to leave it alone or have it rebored to 9.3x62mm.

 

[Shootist43]

That is an interesting looking rifle. Will the 9.3 x 62 cartridges fit into the magazine well?

 

[Ronnie Pace]

It will. I had another Brno 8x57mm that I had rebored and chambered to 9.3x62mm but regrettably had to sell.

 

[7x57Joe]

I guess it depends on the size of the beasts you intend to hunt, however the 8x57 correctly loaded will slay fairly large critters.

 

[AZDAVE]

Yes the 9.3x62 will fit in the magazine well.

 

[Milan]

I'm on a Brno 21/22 kick right now and am thinking of building a 9.3x62. But I will re-barrel rather than re-bore. The 8 mm I have is a shooter. So keeping the barrel. Also considering just shooting the 8 mm. I found I get about 2470 fps and about 254o fps with Norma Oryx and S&B SPCE factory ammo. Plus i can reload. I like these rifles so much I may build 9.3x62 on it or a ZG47 or M 98 action just so I can sell my 9.3x62 CZ 550 FS. Or better yet, I should sell the CZ so I'm forced to build one.

 

[Dewald]

Why would you want to build a 9,3x62 on a small ring Mauser action? The ZG47 makes sence (incidentally ZG47 serial number 00001 is a delux model in 9,3x62).

There’s a good reason the Mod 21 & 22s came in the 5 calibers they did, nl 6,5x57; 7x57; 7x64; 8x57 and 8x60S

 

[RayAtkinson]

TheBrno mod. 21 and 22 in the round top version are G33-40 Mausers, commonly known as mod. 35 as I recall converted by brno early at the end of ww2, They were German Customs carbines...After they used them up they built their own Small Ring Mauser the same as the G33-40 but with double square bridges and other improvments. the poster has a 22F carbine manlicher and built from german Customs guns and refered to as the round top 22F..and the more rare more valueable of the bunch, so Id suggest not to mess with it..

But if you do it will easily rebore and chamber to a 9.3x62. However the 9.3x62s only weakness, if it has one, is that it really needs a 24 inch barrel to get the velocity up where it belongs, 20 inches is close but no ceeegar, if you intend to shoot 300 and 320 bullets in it IMO..

I have a mod. 21 that had been monkied with and changed to a single trigger, ruining the bottom metal so to speak as it was double set triggers originally, but that hurt its collector value, so I punched it out to 8mm/06 Ackley and Ive used it on elk a few times with 160 gr. Barnes TTSXs and its a hammer on the big deer..Your rifle seems to be drilled and tapped on the side, so a conversion may be a consideration, such as mine was..

 

[steve white]

This breaks my heart--I had a chance to buy a pristine mod 21 but didn't need another 8x57. If I had only known it could have been converted!

 

[Milan]

Why would you want to build a 9,3x62 on a small ring Mauser action? The ZG47 makes sence (incidentally ZG47 serial number 00001 is a delux model in 9,3x62).

There’s a good reason the Mod 21 & 22s came in the 5 calibers they did, nl 6,5x57; 7x57; 7x64; 8x57 and 8x60S

Because I like and want and need a 9.3x62 and I just want a short handy rifle that is even slimmer and lighter than my CZ 550 and I have a butchered 22f. Not really butchered but modified (nicely but it's not factory anymore) more than once by previous owners. Also the stock has a nice thick decelerator pad already, so can handle a stiffer round than the 8x57 that marks the barrel currently. The small ring Brno should handle 9.3x62 no problem.

 

[Milan]

TheBrno mod. 21 and 22 in the round top version are G33-40 Mausers, commonly known as mod. 35 as I recall converted by brno early at the end of ww2, They were German Customs carbines...After they used them up they built their own Small Ring Mauser the same as the G33-40 but with double square bridges and other improvments. the poster has a 22F carbine manlicher and built from german Customs guns and refered to as the round top 22F..and the more rare more valueable of the bunch, so Id suggest not to mess with it..

The G33 was a different action than the Mod 21/22 as far as I know. Mod 21/22 started with round receiver and then the integrated scope rails were added and have been carried by Brno and CZ rifles since. Not aware of mod 35. Do you have any images or links? Always looking for more info on Brno rifles.

The 20" barrel may not be ideal but I have one on my CZ550 FS and it seems to do fine. I will look into this more when I chronograph some loads.

 

[flatwater bill]

Nice looking rifle. As I have said before on AH, before you rechamber or rebore any rifle with a 12.01mm casehead to a 9.3 X 62 read some threads on gunsmithing forums. It can be done, but the Swede and and the 9.3 pose special problems. Good luck with whatever you decide....................FWB

 

[Mauser78]

FWB I have a 8x60s 21H, that I would like to rebarrel into a Swede, what would the problems be?

 

[shark_za]

I have a mod. 21 that had been monkied with and changed to a single trigger, ruining the bottom metal so to speak as it was double set triggers originally, but that hurt its collector value

The double set trigger on my mates rifle is shocking to say the least. Front trigger needs finger strength to pull and once set it goes off with a bump.
His rifle has had bases fitted for a scope so it may be feasible to cut the set screw bit out to fit a decent trigger. Would fitting a scope ruin its charm enough to make it a beater rifle?
Is there a way to sort out the trigger pull without a butcher job?

This rifle in 6.5 makes a handy little thing I must say; he is taking it hunting in 2 weeks time.

 

[flatwater bill]

Mauser....that is easier of the two. The Swede case head is 12.20mm, not the standard 12.01 (that began with all the 8mm's and the million cartridges that spun off from them.) Opening up the bolt face is often all that is required, and, if CRF, making sure the extractor is properly adjusted. Because so many cartridges use the standard diameter case head, we often think that they all do. They don't. Opening the bolt face....easy.................shrinking it, for the 9.3X62......difficult........FWB

 

[Milan]

Is there a way to sort out the trigger pull without a butcher job?

You could just use a softer spring or cut the existing spring a hair (1 coil) to make trigger feel softer. The set trigger will be unaffected but the front trigger should be easier to pull.

 

[RayAtkinson]

you can improve the front trigger a bit but not much and its tricky..common to double set triggers...I just take them out and use a timney, you will have to mill out the trigger slot a little, actually Ive used a file...Ive converted a few Brno mod. 21s to 9.3x62 works well and I had the barrels rebored and chambered by High Plains Reboring and Rifleing..They all shot an inch or better..I made one switch barrel for myself with two original barrels a 7x57 that was on the gun and pristine, and an old 8x57 from another Brno mod. 21 with sights sleeve and all the candy was rebored otherwise it looked just like a Brono mod. 21 at first glance..I say I built it for myself, but I did sell it for more money than I could ever turn down..The owner has been taking it to Africa every year for many years now and shoots Pg and DG with it including elephant...gotta love the caliber combination..

 

[RayAtkinson]

MIlan,
Yes different in some minor ways, but basically the same..The G33-40 simply has a slot cut inthe left side, the German Custom rifle did not..I only have pictures of the converted custom rifle. Brno built both....Brno built 98s for the German war effort during WW2. In or about 1943 the Germans signed a peace treaty, and Brno went back into business, they found a number of German Mausers, both large ring 98 and small ring customs guns in stock. The guns had the Brno markings on the front ring, the small rings had both on top and on the side, these small rings were used for the "round top model" until gone, then the double square bridge came about. The rarest of the mod 21s ad 22s is the Large Ring Brno, mod 21..most folks have never seen one or know they exist..I knew of three, and was told they made 300 of them, but I have lost contact with two individuals in Europe, one of which was an employ during that time, and I am the 3rd...Mine is an 8x57 large ring, other than that it is exactly a mod. 21 in every detail, stock and metal but LR...truly a rare gun..Jack Belk told me the small ring custom mauser was mod 33, 35 or whatever, I don't recall, but he has a lot of knowledge about my gun..Its hard to do the history of brno for sure..

 

[Milan]

Well, just because I or others have never seen one, it does not mean they did not make them. But as far as I know all the round receiver models 21/22 had a different shape of receiver (no machined side slots, no step in the receiver side at front ring). But the earliest model I have seen was a 1941 if I recall correctly. Supposedly there were some as early as 1936. So I don't think they'd be using VZ 33 receivers in 1943 if they were already making the "new" 21/22 since 1936 but it would not surprise me either as they always used whatever stock was left. I have never even heard of a LR 21/22, let alone seen one, and would assume it to be a conversion (until your statement above at least claiming to actually have one - pictures please, please, please) unless it had the same Z marking on top of the receiver as the small ring ones. All I know is that of the later ones some had the ZG 47 bolts with as well as without the ZG cocking piece & trigger which confirms them using up old stock until transitioned fully to new model ZG47. Buddy has a Protectorate marked Svazarm .22 also proving they were using war production receivers well into new socialist republic era.

 

[Milan]

you can improve the front trigger a bit but not much and its tricky..common to double set triggers...I just take them out and use a timney, you will have to mill out the trigger slot a little, actually Ive used a file...Ive converted a few Brno mod. 21s to 9.3x62 works well and I had the barrels rebored and chambered by High Plains Reboring and Rifleing..They all shot an inch or better..I made one switch barrel for myself with two original barrels a 7x57 that was on the gun and pristine, and an old 8x57 from another Brno mod. 21 with sights sleeve and all the candy was rebored otherwise it looked just like a Brono mod. 21 at first glance..I say I built it for myself, but I did sell it for more money than I could ever turn down..The owner has been taking it to Africa every year for many years now and shoots Pg and DG with it including elephant...gotta love the caliber combination..

I'm thinking of making a switch barrel one also, LOL. Do you have any pics you could share especially of the switch mechanism. Did you leave full threads or did notch them for 60 degree lockup (ala cannon style)? How do you lock the barrel and forearm in place. I'm about to reserach different ways of doing that and would love to hear frm someone practically using such rifle to hear what is good, what is bad, etc.