The Poor Man's Take Down Big Game Rifle

[David Inman]

Looks like VZ 24 or Czech K98. The military stock has been sporterized and the receiver drilled and tapped to mount scope ring bases.
If you remove the front base you will find a rampant lion crest. This would make it a K98 rather than a VZ24. Most likely a postwar refurbished rifle that was ready for service before VZ 24 production.
What caliber is it?

Thanks for the information. It’s a .308 caliber and being an older gun it appears to have been fired a lot over the years as the riflings are pretty worn. Still shoots pretty true but definitely worn. I would like to redo this rifle, just not sure if I can even get replacement built parts or not. I will look tonight and see what markings is on it for sure.

 

[Milan]

I’m not sure how a loaded cartridge would be different from a primed case in this situation. The cartridge rests against the the bolt face without the firing pin protruding so the weight of the cartridge should not matter. Similarly, I’m not sure how high you should drop the gun on its muzzle to have enough deceleration to result in a requisite primer strike. I could be wrong though.
I think the prime danger lies in an AD upon lovering a bolt on a loaded chamber or more likely forgetting to decock the firing pin. But it sounds the OP is diligently checking it…

I'm not sure about all bolt action designs, but I think most common bolt actions actually will have the firing pin protrude beyond the bolt face and thus possibly ignite the primer. How much force that would take? I don't know, but freaky things happen so why take chances with such potentially great/grave consequences.

 

[Milan]

Thanks for the information. It’s a .308 caliber and being an older gun it appears to have been fired a lot over the years as the riflings are pretty worn. Still shoots pretty true but definitely worn. I would like to redo this rifle, just not sure if I can even get replacement built parts or not. I will look tonight and see what markings is on it for sure.

Then with the lion crest it is most likely an Izrael contract 7.62 Czech K98. I could not tell by the picture if it was phosphate coated or not but the thought has entered my mind. Maybe the other receiver markings should have told me but I'm no longer so up and up on all the proof marks and receiver stamps, plus I used to be interested in only some anyway and there are so many. Oddly enough, I used to have one. Totally butchered it and then sold it. Now I wish I had preserved it.