Brno 22H

[7x57Joe]

That is a lovely rifle and chambered in my favorite round, EFR. I would try the 160 Partition or a 175 and maybe a 150 mono to see which is more accurate. The 7x57 has proven itself and, no doubt will continue to do so.

 

[Arctic97]

My Daughter used a 7x57 for Blue Wildebeest, Mt. Zebra, couple of Oryx, Springbok, Steenbuck, and Jackal. All with handloaded Barnes 150 gr TSX. It worked great, but she is a way better shot than most and doesn't let excitement push her into taking a marginal shot. That is key with any round really.
You will have a blast with that beautiful little gem you found there!

 

[ZG47]

Longwalker makes a good point there on ammunition. American factory ammo is rather pathetic. This is/was to avoid the older Mausers, 95,96, caving in under more robust loads.
European ammunition is loaded more to the full potential of the 7x57.

It might have had more to do with the Remington Rolling Block military rifles that were chambered in 7×57 for South American customers. I have read a comment, possibly in Rifle or Handloader magazine, to the effect that some of those rifles had grossly excessive headspace. I am currently in the early stages of reshelving my book/magazine collection and need to do more work on my list of references in order to better access such entries, on demand.

 

[BC.Pat]

I'm currently shopping for scope rings

Have a look at Rusan Rings, I get mine from optic trade. nice rings reasonable price. It will just take a bit to get them in the mail.

Pat

 

[Shootist43]

EFR, I just did a little "googling" myself. It appears that your rifles trigger pull is characteristic of that model. My search showed that the trigger should probably be replaced with an aftermarket i.e. Timney or similar. I titled my search, " how to adjust the primary trigger on vintage BRNO rifles."

 

[Clodo Ferreira]

Hola Shootist,

Agree. All those BRNO 21/22 I know have a trigger, double triggers, that are made tu use as such. For people who like double triggers they are very good. As I don't like, I would change them to a good single trigger. The thing is, to do that, it must be changed all the magazine-trigger guard system. Fortunatelly, any military or sporting Mauser magazine will fit. The only thing would be to cover the trigger guard inleting of the BRNO.

 

[Longwalker]

Clodo offered some good advice. But perhaps there is a more elegant solution. A few years ago, I sent my Brno 22F away to our wonderful Canadian Gunsmith/Artist Ralf Martini. He not only fitted a new three position Dakota ( model 70 style) safety and bolt shroud but also installed an adjustable Recknagel single trigger in the existing trigger plate. He had to mill out a wider slot for the new trigger to fit. The result preserves the lines of the original beautiful trigger guard. Ralf is no longer doing this type of simple modification so he can concentrate only on full custom rifle building. But other skilled smiths could emulate his efforts.

 

[shark_za]

I have played with getting the trigger on my friends 6.5x57 version, bottom line is you can polish it as much as you want but you will only get an acceptable trigger in the set position. Harden up the set position and use it all the time.
Replacing involves cutting the bottom to fit like @Longwalker shows above.

 

[EFR]

Gentlemen, again, thanks for your help. All components to start loading have been ordered. Before I touch the bedding (which I intend to glass bed) I want to get a baseline. As for the trigger, I'm going to use it as is for now. I have a CZ 527 with a set trigger which I really like.

I did not realize the bolt handle had been modified, Longwalker has an excellent eye for detail.

BC Pat, I found those Rusan rings, they look nice. I was mocking up scopes (leupold 1.5-6) last night to try to find out what ring height I need; looks to be really high. Longwalker, would you mind posting more photos of your scope/mount combo? Is that using the Leupold rings/Meopta base?
Again, I appreciate all your help. Its really nice to get so much help from around the world.

 

[Clodo Ferreira]

Hi,

Yes, I think Longwalker´s solution is the best. Anyone with some skill can do that, including a new trigger instalation. Of course, almost any gunsmith would do that. A different thing is the instalation of a M 70 type bolt shroud...By the way, I like very much the original BRNO 21/22 bolt shroud an safety design!!

 

[Longwalker]

EFR, here you are... Leupold 2.5x compact, Meopta "skeleton" base, Leupold QR rings modified as I posted previously. The combination is a VERY close fit on my rifle, as low as possible! And I put a couple of Talley 1" and 30MM rings along with a ruler for your comparison. Hope that helps!

 

[Longwalker]

Just for "fun" and comparison I've included a couple pictures of my BRNO 21H 8x57IS rifle with the very rare factory original round knob Oberndorf-style bolt handle and an original single adjustable trigger. The bolt shroud / safety was replaced with a Recknagel 3 position, locking tab safety otherwise it is original. This rifle can accept any modern scope mounted quite low because the bolt handle has good clearance compared to the flat bolt style. It may be possible to find a Brno rifle with this configuration if a person is persistent and lucky.

 

[Clodo Ferreira]

Hi LW,

Bery nice! This is one of the last M21/22! My favorit of this model!

 

[EFR]

Longwalker- thank you very much. That is very helpful.
Clodo- I am going to use the set trigger as intended. With sufficient practice it shouldn't be an issue. This rifle is so fine in its original form, I think it would be a shame to alter it. Some day many years from now, someone else may be working up loads for this rifle in anticipation of a trip to Africa.