The M48 Yugoslavian Mauser

[FAsmus]

Gentlemen;

My son bought one of the M48s that have recently appeared on the surplus market. He brought it home from where he is stationed and left it with me, saying that he couldn't figure out how to dis-assemble it.

Indeed - when I tried later on it was really troublesome. It turned out that the upper and lower bands had to be removed in what I thought was reverse order - that is the lower band had to come off first. Once the barreled action was out of the wood I found that the trigger guard/magazine wouldn't come out of the wood at all. I was finally reduced to my 2 pound hammer and copper "beater" before it came off. But it had been in so tight that a chip of the stock came with it. Yuck.

Well, I took everything to pieces, digging out cosmoline down to the last little screw. Then I re-assembled it and waited until he returned home on Christmas leave.

He brought 100 8x57 new made-in-Serbia cases and a set of LEE dies with him. ~ We loaded them up with SAECO 62081, Lyman 321297 and the 243 grain LEE "8mm Max".

The rifle didn't shoot well with any load. Just light experimental stuff that had proven accurate in previous 8mm shooting. I could see that it 'wanted' to shoot since now and then a semi-visible group formed before being spoiled by flyers.

My son was deeply disappointed.. I knew we had only begun to shoot.

I recommended that we toss the wood and start fresh with a commercial wooden or composite stock. He wouldn't have any of it - he wanted to preserve the 'piece of history' that it represented. ~ But he did go so far as to allow me to install a nice old Lyman 48 receiver sight and one of my home-made Mauser blade front sights.

In process of this work I first thought I'd epoxy bed the rifle. But I thought it over and realized that all that wood it carried would most likely neutralize anything good I might accomplish by doing so. Instead I went to inspecting the fit more carefully.

My! I soon found why it didn't shoot: There was a 0.030 gap between the stock's steel through-bolt and the receiver's recoil lug! No wonder!

But, I still didn't like the idea of messing round with epoxy in this situation so I carefully measured the gap by using number drills and feeling up through the front screw hole of the stock where I could get at the gap. Then once I had the gap measured I made up a steel shim of 0.002 greater thickness than my measured gap so it would all fit together tightly and reassembled the whole works..

This worked. The rifle now shoots as well or a little better than the usual as-issued military rifle does. That is about 5x2.000 groups.

My son now has his 'piece of history" and it even shoots fairly well.

Forrest

[WILCO]

Pics?

[FAsmus]

Wilco;

Lemme see if I remember how to do that..



Over-view of sight & receiver markings



Profile view





The front sight.

I don't know why they're so small..

[Wayne Smith]

... cause soldiers have young eyes!

[lpspinner]

Beautiful Rifle.

[lefty o]

thats actually a fairly nice looking 48, too bad for me the reciever sight destroys it. nothing wrong with modifying a rifle you own, ive done a few myself . lol

[FAsmus]

Lefty;

Well, a receiver sight is a long way from optics so far as "destroying" the rifle..

Besides, out here, when I and my son shoot silhouettes out to 800+ you really do need something to adjust for windage..

Forrest

[tdoyka]

nice!!!!

and wayne smith is right.....cause soldiers have young eyes!

​i hate it when people are right!!!

[Mauser48]

great shooting rifles. I only have experience with jacketed bullets in mine but it shoots them well. Have fun!

[lefty o]

Lefty;

Well, a receiver sight is a long way from optics so far as "destroying" the rifle..

Besides, out here, when I and my son shoot silhouettes out to 800+ you really do need something to adjust for windage..

Forrest

for me, if you put holes in the reciever, doesnt make a difference if its a couple for a reciever sight or 3 or 4 for scope bases. again, not judging as ive cut up a few rifles, ive just become more selective of the rifles ill do it too now days. if the rifle does what you want, more power to ya!

[Combat Diver]

I still have my M48 BO that I picked up in a trade back in the early 90s. Never did anything to it but shoot it at iron maidens out to 675 yds with irons and surplus Egyptian/Israeli ammo. Love hearing that "thwack"!


CD

[Frank46]

I've shot my M48 BO with some sellier and bellot 196 grain fmj's. Found to have it shoot high. So got the higher front sight blade from Brownell's and through some trial and error and some slight filing did get it zeroed @100yds. Funny thing I can remember standing in a gun shop years back and seeing these rifles new in the box. And even today still see one now and again. I paid $265 for mine some years back with the bayo,and cleaning kit. Curious as just as to how many did they make. Don't hunt anymore but definitely would not feel undergunned if I ever did go hunting. No flies on the 8mm cartridge. Frank

[Adam Helmer]

FAsmus,

I have several mint condition M48A 8mm rifles and they all prefer the Lyman #323471, 210 grain semi-spritzer bullet and 25 grains of IMR4198 powder. I elevate the rear sight to "500" and get point of aim/point of impact hits at 100 yards. My bench groups average 2 inches at 100 yards. I shoot this cast boolit exclusively in the M48A and consider it "Ball Substitute" for target shooting at my gongs out to 400 yards in my hayfield.

Adam

[FAsmus]

Adam;

Today I had this M48 out for its fourth time on the range.

I've worked over the bedding to some degree and it now shoots about as well as any 'as-issued' military rifle will.

My initial test loads were the SAECO 62081 over 21 grains 4759. This sufficed for the work I was doing at the time.

Then, having become familiar with the rifle I loaded up a box of the SAECO bullet over 32 grains of Varget and went to the range in beautiful late winter weather.

At the bench this new load had performed quite well - nothing over 2 inches and usually four shots of the groups around 5x1.500. I am satisfied.

Then I took it up to our long range facility where we have silhouettes out to 835 yards. I didn't have a lot of ammunition remaining from shooting groups but I wanted to record some elevation numbers for the distances up there.

First I had to "find" the 350 yard target. Doing so would give me a starting point for the remaining distances.

I dialed in 20 MOA above the 100 yard setting to begin and as each shot was fired I tried to see where I was missing, increasing elevation gradually, searching for the steel. Finally I spotted mud-splash low and left, corrected the sight and began running hits.

About then a shooting buddy showed up and he spotted for me, allowing me to move through the targets quickly - this was a good thing since I was down to my last 15 rounds.

I was happily surprized to find that the M48 would move from one target to the next and would in many instances get hits on the succeeding target with only my estimated addition of elevation. ~ First shot hits are some of the best!

Together we worked the rifle out through four additional distances, on out to the 500 yard square before running out of cartridges. ~ Getting a hit with the last round I had along was nice!

This rifle belongs to my son - but as long as I have it - it'll be fun.

Forrest

[Bob S]

Greetings Forrest,

If you like the M48, try a 24/47. I purchased a M48 when they were $79, and I discovered as you did, that nothing fit properly. And the receiver seemed rather soft. Then I got my first 24/47. What a difference! Prewar quality in assembly and materials. One of the 24/47's now wears a .308 Winchester military profile barrel, but other than that, it looks like the standard Mauser short rifle. The other 24/47 I left alone. The M48 ended up with a fairly heavy barrel in .260 Rem, a "position" stock, and Redfield match sights. Now it's fun to shoot. They were inexpensive and plentiful ~ 15 -16 years ago, so I didn't feel guilty about using them as "project material". They are neither plentiful nor inexpensive now, however ....

Respectully,
Bob S.

[FAsmus]

Bob;

Thanks for the post.

Like I indicated - this rifle shoots quite well considering the amount of wood it carries.

I lapped-in the locking lugs because, as you say, the receiver seems a little soft and the lugs were somewhat galled. Also the stickiness of the bolt-throw indicates softness. But, from the way it shoots I think the barrel must be quite good. ~ If it were mine I think I'd restock it one way or the other, then just sit back and enjoy 8mm for awhile.

However, my Son wants it to remain basically 'as-issued'. ~ I did convince him that the issue sights weren't good enough to shoot over except if you happened to be a soldier; even with his young eyes my old 71 year-old groups were better.. So I got out the nice Lyman M48 and my own work on the front sight.

The only trouble with the Lyman M48 is that it is a short-staff and the action does not lend itself to my usual extensions that would allow it to reach the 835 yard target.

Thanks for the recommendation for a 24/47. I like these old rifles - I'll go check and see what I might have to choose from - and how much they're asking these days.

Good morning,
Forrest

[tdoor4570]

I got an M-48 several years ago and hated the sights. I built an adapter and mounted a 2X pistol scope on it what a difference. With my handloads both jacketed and cast this rifle realy shoots. I get 1 in or less with jacketed and 1 1/4 in with cast.

[Adam Helmer]

I must disagree with Bob S about the M48A Yugo Mausers, I have quite a few that cost $80 New and ALL shoot my jacketed and cast handloads well. The M24/47 is fine IF you like a horizontal bolt handle. I have a few and they are NO better, or worse than a M48A.

All my M48A fit just fine. They are all mint in and out and far better than the WWII junk Mausers available locally.

Adam

[FAsmus]

Adam;

Would you like to sell one?

After all, this one I have belongs to my son..

Forrest

[Adam Helmer]

Forrest,

All my M48As are spoken for, unfortunately. My wife hit the 100 yard gong first shot a while back with the cast boolit and one became her deer rifle. My son and three grandsons like the M48A because they were new when purchased and all shoot cast loads well. There go the excess four rifles and I only have two left.

Adam