VZ-24 Floor Plate will not budge

efendi007 · March 10, 2010, 10:15 AM

Well, this is my first post and it is done more out of necessity than anything else. I bought a (E4) Povazska Bystrica Vz-24 from a local gun shop. The gun is nothing special. It has pitted rifling, missing cleaning rod, but it has the lion crest and it is my first Mauser. I got to cleaning the rifle to get rid of the decades old grease, dust and gunk and got stuck on the floorplate. I kept pressing the catch and pushing on the plate but it will not budge. The darn thing holds as if it was soldered. It looks as if someone prior to me beat on it with the butt of a screwdriver or something similar. I read that some of the post-war Vz-24s were made without the detachable floorplate but mine, according to the markings, indicates that it was accepted by the Czechoslovak military in 1937. Besides, I suppose that if the floorplate wasn't detachable then it wouldn't have the little hole to depress the catch. Well, anyways... I am stuck and any advice will be forthcoming. Please be descriptive and detailed. I don't have much experience. Thanks guys.

Rcinit · March 10, 2010, 11:45 AM

It's probably full of dried hard cosmolean. Put some oil or solvent inside of it to help loosen it up. Then get someone to help you with taking it off. I had to get my son to tap the floor plate towards the rear with a 3/8th's wooden dowel while I held the rifle and compressed the latch. He slide back kinda hard but after I cleaned all the old caked on cosmo off and oil everything up it worked pretty good.

Magnum Wheel Man · March 10, 2010, 11:50 AM

can't offer up much, as you seem to know what you are doing... I think originally a military FMJ bullet was supposed to be used to depress the recessed button, so it shouldn't take that much effort to open it... if it's stuck...

does it look like all the parts match... could an earlier floor plate have been added later ???

is it dry, rusted, or full of hard lube ???

might suggest... soaking down the area of the inside of the floor plate latch with gun scrubber or break cleaner, then a good soaking with Kroil or WD-40 & let it sit for a day or so...

Scorch · March 10, 2010, 11:52 AM

When they get just a faint film of rust in there, it's almost like they were welded on. As above, push in on the latch while tapping on the front edge of the floorplate with a wooden mallet or a dowel driven by a small hammer. Once you get it out, scrub it well and oil the metal before you put it back together.

efendi007 · March 10, 2010, 12:15 PM

Well, it seems that I will need to get a buddy to help or grow an extra pair of arms out of my ?@?#?$! "Welded on" pretty much describes it. I will try to take the stock off and then, as you suggest, let it soak for a few days. We'll see how it goes then. This makes me wonder about the bore. Maybe the rifling is not as bad as I thought. Maybe it is just full of old dirt and rust that can be removed after soaking. Worth a try I guess...

March 10, 2010, 10:15 AM	#1
efendi007 Junior Member Join Date: March 10, 2010 Location: (L. A.) Lower Alabama Posts: 12	VZ-24 Floor Plate will not budge Well, this is my first post and it is done more out of necessity than anything else. I bought a (E4) Povazska Bystrica Vz-24 from a local gun shop. The gun is nothing special. It has pitted rifling, missing cleaning rod, but it has the lion crest and it is my first Mauser. I got to cleaning the rifle to get rid of the decades old grease, dust and gunk and got stuck on the floorplate. I kept pressing the catch and pushing on the plate but it will not budge. The darn thing holds as if it was soldered. It looks as if someone prior to me beat on it with the butt of a screwdriver or something similar. I read that some of the post-war Vz-24s were made without the detachable floorplate but mine, according to the markings, indicates that it was accepted by the Czechoslovak military in 1937. Besides, I suppose that if the floorplate wasn't detachable then it wouldn't have the little hole to depress the catch. Well, anyways... I am stuck and any advice will be forthcoming. Please be descriptive and detailed. I don't have much experience. Thanks guys.

March 10, 2010, 11:50 AM	#3
Magnum Wheel Man Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern Minnesota Posts: 9,333	can't offer up much, as you seem to know what you are doing... I think originally a military FMJ bullet was supposed to be used to depress the recessed button, so it shouldn't take that much effort to open it... if it's stuck... does it look like all the parts match... could an earlier floor plate have been added later ??? is it dry, rusted, or full of hard lube ??? might suggest... soaking down the area of the inside of the floor plate latch with gun scrubber or break cleaner, then a good soaking with Kroil or WD-40 & let it sit for a day or so... __________________ In life you either make dust or eat dust...

March 10, 2010, 11:52 AM	#4
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	When they get just a faint film of rust in there, it's almost like they were welded on. As above, push in on the latch while tapping on the front edge of the floorplate with a wooden mallet or a dowel driven by a small hammer. Once you get it out, scrub it well and oil the metal before you put it back together. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

March 10, 2010, 12:15 PM	#5
efendi007 Junior Member Join Date: March 10, 2010 Location: (L. A.) Lower Alabama Posts: 12	Well, it seems that I will need to get a buddy to help or grow an extra pair of arms out of my ?@?#?$! "Welded on" pretty much describes it. I will try to take the stock off and then, as you suggest, let it soak for a few days. We'll see how it goes then. This makes me wonder about the bore. Maybe the rifling is not as bad as I thought. Maybe it is just full of old dirt and rust that can be removed after soaking. Worth a try I guess... __________________ In this world there are two types of people my friend, Those Who Have A Gun And Those Who Dig.........You Dig.

March 10, 2010, 11:45 AM	#2
Rcinit Member Join Date: July 21, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 40	It's probably full of dried hard cosmolean. Put some oil or solvent inside of it to help loosen it up. Then get someone to help you with taking it off. I had to get my son to tap the floor plate towards the rear with a 3/8th's wooden dowel while I held the rifle and compressed the latch. He slide back kinda hard but after I cleaned all the old caked on cosmo off and oil everything up it worked pretty good.