Starting in 1923, Brno decided to develop a rifle based on the German "Karabiner" 98AZ, a shortened version of the Gewehr 98 with a barrel. This resulted in the vz. 23, a rifle with a long barrel that was initially produced with parts cannibalized from other rifles. The design was further refined into the vz. 23A, which consisted of newly manufactured components. Further refinements produced the vz. 24, which entered production in 1924. That year, Brno Arms Works, which had been controlled by the Czechoslovak government, was privatized to encourage export sales.