• Romanian Vz.24 I.O.R. sniper scope

    Here’s another sniper rifle that’s quite well-known among sniper rifle and scope collectors: the Romanian Vz.24 paired with its I.O.R. scope.

    The Vz.24 is a bolt-action carbine manufactured in Czechoslovakia between 1924 and 1942. It was developed from the German Mauser Gewehr 98 line and features a similar bolt design. In 1939, following the occupation of Czechoslovakia, Germany acquired hundreds of thousands of these rifles and pressed them into service.

    In 1942, factories were converted to the German Karabiner 98k. Several hundred thousand rifles were also produced for the Romanian Army. Since Romania was part of the Axis for from 1941 to 1944, the Vz. 24 saw widespread service, most notably with German and Romanian forces on the Eastern Front. Romanian-contract Vz. 24 rifles feature a two-letter prefix in their serial numbers, with the first letter varying and the second being “R” to indicate “Romania”.

    Romanian-contract Vz. 24 rifles feature a two-letter prefix in their serial numbers, with the varying first letter represents different periods of manufacturingand and the second letter being “R” to indicate “Romania”.

    The 4,25 x 28 scope was developed by I.O.R. (Întreprinderea Optică Română – Romanian Optical Enterprise). When Romania joined Germany into the war, the production shifted from civilian use to military scopes, especially for the Romanian army and their standard Romanian sniper rifle at the time : the Vz. 24.

    I.O.R. scopes were used on two types of mounts : a bracket type mount (see first picture) and a two parts mount (above picture). The split rings mount seems to be the later model. The scope & mount assembly is pretty heavy, compared to other sniper scopes of the same period. When looking at the adjustment block, you can see a clear resemblance to Soviet scopes such as the PE and PEM.

    Different canvas / leather carrying cases were issued for the Vz.24 I.O.R. scope :

    Rare picture of a sniper holding a VZ.24 rifle mounted with I.O.R. scope. The soldier behind is holding an Orita 1941 smg. Context is unknown.

  • Romanian VZ24 I.O.R. sniper scope

    Here we have an early I.O.R. 4,25 x 28 sniper scope used on VZ.24 rifles. I.O.R. is the acronym for Întreprinderea Optică Română (Romanian Optical Enterprise). This major optics company established in 1936 in Bucharest, Romania.

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