The puška vz. 33
[Československé ruční palné zbraně a kulomety, Miroslav Šáda, Praha, Naše vojsko, 1971] ("rifle model 1933", sometimes referred to as krátká puška vz. 33 – "short rifle model 33") was a
Czechoslovak
Czechoslovak may refer to:
*A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93)
**First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38)
**Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39)
**Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60)
**Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...
bolt-action
Bolt-action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by ''directly'' manipulating the bolt via a bolt handle, which is most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon (as most users are right-handed).
Most bolt-action ...
carbine
A carbine ( or ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges.
The smaller size and lighter ...
that was based on a
Mauser
Mauser, originally Königlich Württembergische Gewehrfabrik ("Royal Württemberg Rifle Factory"), was a German arms manufacturer. Their line of bolt-action rifles and semi-automatic pistols has been produced since the 1870s for the German arme ...
-type action, designed and produced in
Československá zbrojovka in
Brno
Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...
during the 1930s in order to replace the obsolete
Mannlicher vz. 1895 carbines of the Czechoslovak ''četnictvo'' (
gendarmerie
Wrong info! -->
A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...
). The manufacturer's designation was vz. 16/33 (model 16/33). Another version, the Vz. 12/33, was also produced for the Latin American market.
Design
The design of the Vz. 12/33 was partially based on the
Mauser Musketon M12, produced by
Steyr
Steyr (; Central Bavarian: ''Steia'') is a statutory city, located in the Austrian federal state of Upper Austria. It is the administrative capital, though not part of Steyr-Land District. Steyr is Austria's 12th most populated town and the 3rd l ...
prior to
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
but this carbine was also mostly a shortened version of the standard Czechoslovak Army
vz. 24
The vz. 24 rifle is a bolt-action carbine designed and produced in Czechoslovakia from 1924 to 1942. It was developed from the German Mauser Gewehr 98 line, and features a very similar bolt design. The rifle was designed in Czechoslovakia shor ...
rifle. The action was a "small ring" design similar to that found on the German
Karabiner 98AZ issued during World War I. As the name implies, the receiver ring is of slightly smaller diameter than the standard Model 98 action, intended to lighten the weapon at the expense of a slight reduction in action strength and safety margins. Most small-ring variants are readily distinguishable as there is no step between the ring and the left receiver wall. However, the vz. 33 has a lightened, thinner left receiver wall, so the step is present making it superficially resemble the standard, 'large ring' action. Excess metal is removed from the rear receiver bridge around the stripper clip guide, and there are other lightening cuts. The bolt is the same as that of the standard Model 98, with the exception of the bolt handle which has a different profile and a hollowed-out ball. The tangent rear sight of the Vz. 12/33 is graduated up to while the Vz. 16/33 was graduated from in increments and with in .
The significant lighter weight of the vz. 33 carbine compared to the vz. 24 rifle increased
free recoil
Free recoil is a vernacular term or jargon for recoil energy of a firearm not supported from behind. Free recoil denotes the translational kinetic energy (''Et'') imparted to the shooter of a small arm when discharged and is expressed in joules ( ...
and the shorter barrel increased muzzle blast and flash during firing.
Use
Vz. 12/33
![Mauser 08-34 (Vz](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Mauser_08-34_%28Vz._12-33%29.jpg)
The designation vz. 12/33 was probably not used outside Czechoslovakia.
In the 1930s, many Latin American countries ordered vz. 12/33 carbines.
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
and
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
ordered some in
7×57mm Mauser
The 7×57mm Mauser (designated as the 7 mm Mauser or 7×57mm by the SAAMI and 7 × 57 by the C.I.P.) is a first-generation smokeless powder rimless bottlenecked rifle cartridge. It was developed by Paul Mauser of the Mauser company in ...
. After 1945, some of the Colombian carbines may have been modified to fire
.30-06 Springfield
The .30-06 Springfield cartridge (pronounced "thirty- aught-six" ), 7.62×63mm in metric notation, and called the .30 Gov't '06 by Winchester, was introduced to the United States Army in 1906 and later standardized; it remained in military use ...
.
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
ordered vz. 12/33s in
7.65×53mm Mauser
The 7.65×53mm Mauser (designated as the 7,65 × 53 Arg. by the C.I.P.) is a first-generation smokeless powder Rim (firearms), rimless bottlenecked rifle Cartridge (firearms), cartridge developed for use in the Mauser Model 1889 rifle by Paul Maus ...
and used them during the
1941 war against Peru.
Salvador
Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to:
* Salvador (name)
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
*Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music
** ''Salvador'' ( ...
bought 5,6000 carbines in 1937 and used them until they were replaced post-WW2 by American weapons.
Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
bought some vz. 12/33 carbines (mostly with Spanish markings but some with Czech markings) alongside vz. 23 short rifles.
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
also fielded some vz. 12/33 during the
Chaco War
The Chaco War ( es, link=no, Guerra del Chaco, gn, Cháko Ñorairõ[Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...](_blank)
ian government to manufacture 100,500 ''Model 08/34'' police carbines (not to be confused with the
Model 08/34 rifles made in
Itajubá
Itajubá is a municipality in southeastern Minas Gerais state of the Federative Republic of Brazil. It lies in a valley by the Sapucaí river and has terrain elevations ranging from 827 to 1500 metres, occupying an area of 290.45 km2 (112.14&n ...
). After 1945, many ''Model 08/34'' were converted to .30–06 Springfield and designated ''Model 08/34.30''. The Czech-made carbine was later produced in Itajuba as the
Mosquetão M954, also chambered in .30-06. This upgraded carbine incorporated a sight hood similar to the German
Karabiner 98k
The Karabiner 98 kurz (; "carbine 98 short"), often abbreviated Karabiner 98k, Kar98k or K98k and also sometimes incorrectly referred to as a K98 (a K98 is a Polish carbine and copy of the Kar98a), is a bolt-action rifle chambered for the 7.92×5 ...
and threaded muzzle to fire
rifle grenade
A rifle grenade is a grenade that uses a rifle-based launcher to permit a longer effective range than would be possible if the grenade were thrown by hand.
The practice of projecting grenades with rifle-mounted launchers was first widely used du ...
s.
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
ordered some vz. 37 short rifles and carbines just before the German invasion of Czechoslovakia. The carbine model was very similar to the vz. 12/33.They were marked ''937'' and bore manufacturing markings in Czech.
Vz. 33
This rifle was designated vz. 16/33 by its manufacturer, while its designation in Czechoslovak service was vz. 33.
For the Czechoslovak army, Gendarmerie and ''Finanční stráž'' (literally Finance Guard, which was a custom and border protection armed service under the command of the Czechoslovak Department of Finance) some 25,300 vz. 33 rifles were produced until 1940. Of these 20,011 were issued to the Gendarmerie and 4,300 to the Finance Guard.
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
ordered some ''vz. 32'' short rifles, similar to the vz. 33 with some modifications according to Peruvian requirements.
In 1954, Czechoslovakia shipped some vz. 33 rifles to
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
.
Gewehr 33/40
![G33-40 total noBG](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/G33-40_total_noBG.jpg)
Production of a modified version continued under the manufacturing codes "945" in 1940 and the letters "dot" in 1941 and 1942 during the
German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
for the ''
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...
'' (German armed forces) especially for use in the ''
Gebirgsjäger
''Gebirgsjäger'' () are the light infantry part of the alpine or mountain troops (''Gebirgstruppe'') of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The word '' Jäger'' (meaning "hunter" or "huntsman") is a characteristic term used for light infantry in ...
'' (German mountain troops). Although this rifle is one of the shortest of the German-used Mausers, it was designated ''Gewehr'', meaning rifle.
Compared to the vz. 33 the Gewehr 33/40 stands out by the following features:
* Significantly shorter overall length than the
Karabiner 98k
The Karabiner 98 kurz (; "carbine 98 short"), often abbreviated Karabiner 98k, Kar98k or K98k and also sometimes incorrectly referred to as a K98 (a K98 is a Polish carbine and copy of the Kar98a), is a bolt-action rifle chambered for the 7.92×5 ...
(about shorter)
* Steel cupped buttplate that added 5 mm overall length and a protective metal plate on the left side of the
gunstock, against damage by the metal shoe nails of
mountaineering boot
Mountaineering, expedition or high altitude boots are a type of footwear used in mountain climbing. They are designed specifically for moving over harsh terrain.
Design
Not to be confused with hiking boots, mountaineering boots are usually taller ...
s when using the weapon as a climbing tool or hiking stick.
* Reduced measures for weight reduction (receiver, cutouts - outwardly invisible, no hollowed out bolt handle ball, modified magazine box and trigger guard)
* Continuous wooden hand guard protection to avoid burns when the gun gets hot from extensive firing
* Modified tangent sight graduated from in increments
* Modified upper ring
* German-type bayonet mounting
* German-type removable hooded front sight protection
* German-type
sling attachment with shaft opening and metal disc inlay in the stock that functions as a bolt disassembly tool as in the Karabiner 98k
Markings are of the German type, with code letters on the receiver ring in place of the Czech rampant lion. German soldiers used the carbines in harsh mountainous conditions throughout World War 2 and often complained regarding the heavy recoil.
From 1940 until 1942 another 120,000 to 131,503 of the Gewehr 33/40 variant were produced for the
German army
The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...
: 29,000 to 40,000 Gewehr 33/40 were produced in 1940, 35,000 to 48,049 Gewehr 33/40 were produced in 1941 and 45,000 to 54,454 Gewehr 33/40 were produced in 1942.
The German armed forces also used the rifles previously issued to the Czechoslovak military, also under designation Gewehr 33/40.
A few prototypes of G 33/40 with wooden folding
stock
In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...
s were also produced for the
German paratroopers, these are not included in the totals as this variant never went into serial production.
During 1942 the Gewehr 33/40 production ceased when the Československá zbrojovka factory was converted to produce German-designed Karabiner 98k standard service rifles.
After World War 2 captured Gewehr 33/40 were used by the
Norwegian police
The Norwegian Police Service ( no, Politi- og lensmannsetaten) is the Norwegian national civilian police agency. The service dates to the 13th century when the first sheriffs were appointed, and the current structure established in 2003. It co ...
. Besides the original German markings Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk marked "POLITI" (which translates to "police" in Norwegian), the Norwegian national coat of arms and new serial number in a separate Norwegian police series on left side of the receiver ring.
Variants
The Germans also produced a small amount of prototype and pre-production test batch of the g33/40 equipped with the
ZF-41
The ZF41 was an optical sight produced in Germany during the Second World War.
History
Starting from 1941, the short 1.5× Zielfernrohr 41 (ZF41) telescopic sight was fitted to some Karabiner 98k rifles for designated marksman use. The ZF41 ...
sharpshooter scope. These were photographed for inclusion in the ZF-41 manual in 1942. However, the BRNO factory switched over to the Karabiner 98k in 1943. Approximately 350 to 400 scoped Gewehr 33/40 rifles were made total. As of 2013 only one has been examined and found to be a real test batch scoped rifle: it has serial number 3962C. It is a late dot 1942 production rifle. A fifth of the zf-48 alba crossing production units produced were struck from factory listings in the style of the former model, the gb 11. Recreations of this rifle using Karabiner 98k ZF-41 mounts sell for about US$5000. Of note is the recreation rifle's scope base is as the Karabiner 98k, which differs from the original g 33/40 base, and so is easy to distinguish real from reproduction. Reproduction mounts have been welded or screwed onto Gewehr 33/40 scope bases; this is incorrect both in size and construction of the original
scope base mounts. The real mount places the ZF-41 scope in a very specific location on the rifle; re-creations are either too far forward or too far back from the original. The original rifles with ZF-41 scopes have their stock and handguard specifically cut and fitted for the ZF-41 scope and mount combination. The scopes are outfitted automatically with a f-range from 2 to 11.
Users
* : Model 1908/34 (Vz. 12/33), Model 1908/34.30 and M954
* : Vz. 12/33
* : Vz. 33
* : Vz. 12/33
* : Musketon (Vz. 12/33)
* : Gewehr 33/40
* : Vz. 33
* : Vz. 12/33
* : Vz. 12/33
* : Gewehr 33/40
* : Vz. 12/33
* : Vz. 32 short rifles (similar to the Vz. 16/33)
* : Vz. 37 ("937") carbines (similar to the Vz. 12/33)
See also
*
vz. 24
The vz. 24 rifle is a bolt-action carbine designed and produced in Czechoslovakia from 1924 to 1942. It was developed from the German Mauser Gewehr 98 line, and features a very similar bolt design. The rifle was designed in Czechoslovakia shor ...
rifle
References
;Bibliography
*
*
*
*
External links
{{Weapons of Czechoslovakia
7.92×57mm Mauser rifles
Bolt-action rifles
World War II infantry weapons
Rifles of Czechoslovakia
World War II infantry weapons of Germany
Mauser rifles
Military equipment introduced in the 1930s
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1933