Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles My old Brno's are still working...

I Just thought I'd share a couple of pictures of my Zbrojovka Brno rifles and the European mounts of the deer I shot with them last season near home.





My 22F fullstock carbine 7x57 was customized by Ralf Martini - new Recknagel single trigger to replace the double set triggers, new pad, and new Dakota m70 type safety & shroud. I kept the old parts in case I ever want to restore to "original" but for now I'm very happy with the ol' girl. She was made in 1949 and is still sound and accurate. I put a Leupold 6x compact on it in original BRNO skeleton mounts and modified Leupold QR rings. Handles like a dream! The deer was a late season whitetail taken on public "wildlife lands" ( bought by hunter dollars ) just 10 miles from my house. Not bad considering I was not trophy hunting.




My 21H (halfstock) rifle 7x64 was made in 1950 and was already equipped with a Jaeger single trigger when I got it. I wanted it customized a little more so I also sent this one to Ralf, and had the butterknife bolt removed and replaced with an Oberndorf style bolt, a new pad, re-blue, and new safety and bolt shroud identical to the 22F. I put on a set of Talley QR ringmounts and a Leupold 2.5-8. A match made in heaven. It is accurate and deadly with handloads or Norma ammo. The Mule deer buck came from my own property, the first buck I have had an opportunity to shoot on my land in the more than twenty years I have owned it. Quite satisfying!


A few weeks ago I added the top rifle to the lineup, a 21H 8x57 that I found at the Saskatoon gun show. It is a little beat up, but a simple stock refinishing, re-blue, a new pad and the Dakota bolt shroud & safety modification and she will be ready to go. This one was found unexpectedly with a regular low bolt handle and single adjustable trigger. At $800 I think it was a good value. I shot a group that was just a touch over 1" with the first reload recipe I ever tried.
I think this one would look good photographed next to an elk rack next year, don't you?

Natures works of art...

very nice. GRF

Nice bucks and rifles!

Nice bucks and great looking rifles. I'm reeeeaally liking that 7x64.

those are very nice.Ihave a full stocked 22f in 8x57.
thanks for the pics

Beautiful collection.

Terry

Very,very nice. I love the old 21 & 22 Brno's, especially in 7x57.

Greg

Very pretty rifles and some nice deer!!!

I be likin 'm too....

Wow, beautiful rifles and beautiful bucks! Been searching for a nice 21H in my price range for several years, getting the one you got for $800 here in the states doesn't happen!

THOSE are some serious hunters/stalkers rifles! Striking and CLASSY.

I did the model 70 style safeties on my FN MAuser of the same era and my simlar CZ 550 Safari Magnum in 416 Rigby.

Great deer, too.

rifle, please tell us a little about your Brno's!
A ZG47 would be a great addition to my little group, I see you have one there, but I don't know much about them.

The ZG47 in my mind are the ones to keep/buy/steal/trade,whatever need to get a hold of. I have traded P64's Win/M70 to aquire my two.They are in 7x57 and 7x64,I know they are close to the same,but well worth the effort.

Plus one!

Nice rifles! When I lived in Montana I spent a lot of time in Alberta, I used to droll over the Brno's that Canadians had available to them (at that time Brno's were not allowed to be imported in the U.S, because they were made in a Communist country). I have always admired the workmanship and styling of them - Brno's are one of the great "bang for the buck" values out there - and they do it with style.

drover

Beautiful rifles and great pictures.

I have a 22F chambered in 8x57, and it is unquestionably my favorite rifle.

Weagle

Terry

Thanks for those pictures Terry. I have not seen an ad for the Brno 21-22 rifles before. $167.50 looks pretty good today, but I bet that was some serious coin back in 1950!
Your Zeiss Jena scope looks good on your rifle too. I had one on a ZKK601 equipped with the same mounts, they were reliable for maintaining zero when removed and re-attached.

Nice collection!

The price was in line with a pre-64 Winchester M70 back in the day. A run of the mill Sears JC Higgins model 50 (with a scope) would have run you $95. It was considered a lower end rifle.

Terry