Opinions on Yugo Mausers

[John Allen]

Fellas, I just picked up two Yugo Mausers one is a M24/47 the other has the bent bolt handle and I think it say M48. Both were like new with perfect bores and matching numbers.

Should I order a no go headspace gauge or are they usually ok? Both has small import stamps on them.

What are you guys takes on them I have never dealt with these before I am more an American military collector?

Thanks in advance for all help. John

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Good rifles. Well made. Odds are very good that the headspace is o.k.

[LAGS]

You are going to have fun with those rifles.
I think I have 7 of them right now, most of them are 24/47's
With a good bore, and good headspace they are fun guns to go out and shoot.
Many of mine were not in Perfect condition, and I got them Cheap.
But those are the ones I rebarreled and Customized , or just sporterized.
But many others I rebuilt and restored, and sold off to fund my hobby.
Way more fun then just buying a Mitchell Mauser that was already restored.

[Texas by God]

Pretty barely used Mauser 8x57- what's not to love? My nephew has a Mitchell's and it's like new and very accurate. I've got dibs I hope! Best, Thomas.

[samari46]

If the serial numbers on the bolts match the numbers on the receiver you are good to go. Was at the local range and shooting my almost mint condition M48BO and didn't realize the guy next to me was shooting one of the Mitchell's mausers. After a ceasefire we got to talking and it turns out his mauser was a M48 redone or pimped up by Mitchell's. Think he paid about $400 for his and I spent $265 for mine. He said he should have gotten an original yugo and saved some money. Haven't seen as nice a yugo as mine at the local gun shows. Mine still has what I call the hairy stock because it wasn't finish sanded. Frank

[tomme boy]

I paid $149 for mine. It was a un issued gun when I got it. Mine is a plain M48. I have had about 20 or so of the 24/47's and 48's. A bunch were used for making sporters with a barrel change.

This is one of my favorites. 24/47 made into a 257 Roberts. This was the very first stock that Richards Microfit made for the M48-24/47 actions.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v21/tommeboy/DSC01013_edited.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/tommeboy/media/DSC01013_edited.jpg.html)

[John Allen]

Thanks Guys, I spent $600.00 total for both guns and 700 rounds of ammo. The ammo is all old stuff from the 50's but new in the box. I am sure it is corrosive but frankly that does not bother me at all.

[John Allen]

I paid $149 for mine. It was a un issued gun when I got it. Mine is a plain M48. I have had about 20 or so of the 24/47's and 48's. A bunch were used for making sporters with a barrel change.

This is one of my favorites. 24/47 made into a 257 Roberts. This was the very first stock that Richards Microfit made for the M48-24/47 actions.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v21/tommeboy/DSC01013_edited.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/tommeboy/media/DSC01013_edited.jpg.html)

Tomme Boy that is nice.

[wrench man]

I gave $89 for my M-48, took a week to get all the cosmoline off/out of it!, it's a good shooter, picked up a bunch of Turk? surplus ammo for it, it was $7 for a bandolier of 70rnds on stripper clips, wish I'd bought more of it!?

[3006guns]

Back in the eighties, when the ATF opened the doors to surplus firearms, I bought 81 of these rifles @ $40 each. I got 24's, 24/47's and "Preduce 44's". Of that batch, about twenty were virtually unissued and I shot them a LOT. Great rifles....probably the best bargain out there in a surplus Mauser action. One of the rifles had a counterbored muzzle, but a pristine barrel. I shortened that one and made a carbine out of it that will plop 214 grain boolits into the 200 yard gong all day long. That particular gun is the one that accompanies me out to the wilds of Nevada regularly......short, handy and accurate.

Yes, they are a good gun.

[Mr Peabody]

I had 2 of the 48A's, excellent rifles.

[John Allen]

So comes a new addiction Yugo Mausers, it should fit in well with my contender addiction.

[Kevinakaq]

I have a M48 in hand and have a 98/48 arriving tomorrow. Have had nothing but good luck with Yugo mausers and Yugo firearms in general...

[hc18flyer]

You could do 'much' worse! Love my Hugo's, hc18flyer

[Soundguy]

Agreed with the others.. very rare chance of them having too much head space.

you could always slap some tape on a cartridge and chamber it... etc.

I have plenty of turk mausers, and only rarely over the last couple decades have I found any that will close on a field gauge. If they won't close on a field 100% into battery, I have no problem firing them. Your yugo will be much better than most turks.

[ballistim]

I've got three, two M24/47's and a M48.
My dad sporterized the first 24/47 and left it in 8mm with a shortened/ crowned bbl & had the bolt bent & jeweled, & hand checkered & finished a Boyd's stock, inst. Timney trigger.
Also did one with a .308 replacement bbl & Boyd laminated stock all else similar to the other.
M48 is still just a beat up battle rifle, probably a future project someday.
Paid $79.00 for them at a local sporting goods store over 15 years ago.
Great guns for the money, and was nice to have Mauser actions to work with at a cheap price.


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[6bg6ga]

You have to ask your self how much is a set of head space gauges when it comes to piece of mind. I always error on the side of spending money so I would purchase the gauges and do a 5 minute check and that way you simply know what you have and that in itself is worth something.

[tomme boy]

Well the headspace gauges for the 8mm are a little off. There was a lot of discussion in the past about this. The europeans used a different angle or something. I can not remember all the facts but it was found out that the USA versions of the 8x57 was different than the European specs.

So take it for what it is worth and do a little research. But as long as the bolt matches the receiver. And it cycles smooth. I would fire a couple and look for case head expansion. Cheapest way to do it.

[John Allen]

Thanks everyone, I just have never messed with the yugo mausers before. I am looking forward to getting them to the range.

[LAGS]

@ tomme boy.
Who's stock is that on your rifle ?
I love it. and the caliber.
I have two barrels for .257 Bob waiting to go on a couple of rifles that are not worth restoring.
( Plus a couple of .308's )

[tomme boy]

Richards Microfit. It was a Monte Carlo with California Claro Walnut. At the time it was the grade under a exhibition grade. They show a lot more grades of wood available now than they did about 10 years ago.

They come over sized so you can whittle it down to what you like. The action area is a drop in fit. But I would still bed the action. The barrel was a Midway barrel. Can not remember the contour but I did not have to do much work for the channel to make it float. They did a #3 sporter barrel cut for mine as it was the very first one for the 48 intermediate action they made. But they no longer do this I see. Only a straight cut.

It took almost 6 months to get this so keep that in mind. And have lots of sand paper on hand.

[LAGS]

Did it come with the nose cap and grip cap, or did you add that on yourself ?
I may have to look into their stocks.
Cutting the barrel channel , or even making a stock from a blank are what I normally do.
But if they have half the work done, and at a decent price, it may save me tons of time on future projects.
But that is a very nice piece of wood and an excellent looking finish.

[tomme boy]

They came with it. It is rosewood.

[Texas by God]

Thanks Guys, I spent $600.00 total for both guns and 700 rounds of ammo. The ammo is all old stuff from the 50's but new in the box. I am sure it is corrosive but frankly that does not bother me at all.
Shoot it, clean them with hot Dawn dishwater, rinse, repeat shoot it! Best, Thomas.

[Texas by God]

I love that stock Tomme boy. Put one just like it on a 96 Swede. A different classic. Best, Thomas.

[Shiloh]

Well made rifles. Made on German machines and tooling. Made by Zastava in Kragujevac Serbia. Been making quality arms a long time.

Shiloh

[higgins]

If your ammo has 55 at 6 o'clock, 11 or 12 at 12 o'clock, and a single star at 3 and 9 o'clock, be careful with it. '55 Yugoslav was for a while very cheap and plentiful; it also has a reputation for the occasional catastrophic case failure (catastrophic for the case, not necessarily catastrophic to a rifle in good shape) that runs from the primer pocket about half way up the case. It happened to me after firing about 200 out of a case. Other than etching the bolt face of my Yugo 98k rebuild, the rifle wasn't damaged, but it sure was a surprise. You might search the military rifle forums here, I think it's been discussed here.

I ended up pulling the bullets on the rest of it and reloading the bullet and a slightly reduced and leveled out powder charge into a commercial case and primer.

[Blammer]

Thanks Guys, I spent $600.00 total for both guns and 700 rounds of ammo. The ammo is all old stuff from the 50's but new in the box. I am sure it is corrosive but frankly that does not bother me at all.

you got a good deal! that 1950's stuff is the most accurate I've found. the 1970's is good but the 50's, well it works better than me. :)

save the brass, (yea most likely it's the wrong primer type) but brass for recycling is worth money. :)

[Donor8x56r]

I had M48A.Excellet rifle.Out of the box needed only trigger parts fine polishing.

[John Allen]

If your ammo has 55 at 6 o'clock, 11 or 12 at 12 o'clock, and a single star at 3 and 9 o'clock, be careful with it. '55 Yugoslav was for a while very cheap and plentiful; it also has a reputation for the occasional catastrophic case failure (catastrophic for the case, not necessarily catastrophic to a rifle in good shape) that runs from the primer pocket about half way up the case. It happened to me after firing about 200 out of a case. Other than etching the bolt face of my Yugo 98k rebuild, the rifle wasn't damaged, but it sure was a surprise. You might search the military rifle forums here, I think it's been discussed here.

I ended up pulling the bullets on the rest of it and reloading the bullet and a slightly reduced and leveled out powder charge into a commercial case and primer.


Thanks bud. I will check in the morning.

[waksupi]

I shot mine today in the local military matches. Won two out of five.

[John Allen]

I shot mine today in the local military matches. Won two out of five.

Waksupi, good to hear buddy.

[Shiloh]

I shot mine today in the local military matches. Won two out of five.

Good for you!!

Shiloh

[TacticalGarand44]

I can't recommend Yugo Mausers enough. In my opinion, the only reason not to own one is if you don't want to stock the cartridge it fires.

Mausers are the perfect bolt action rifle.

[Shiloh]

I can't recommend Yugo Mausers enough. In my opinion, the only reason not to own one is if you don't want to stock the cartridge it fires.

Mausers are the perfect bolt action rifle.

Mine shoots well with cast.
Continuing to develop.

Shiloh

[Trinidad Bill]

Thanks Guys, I spent $600.00 total for both guns and 700 rounds of ammo. The ammo is all old stuff from the 50's but new in the box. I am sure it is corrosive but frankly that does not bother me at all.

I hope you have better luck with the ammo than I did John. My Yugo and that old ammo did not get along. The first time out I got 2 out of 10 to fire. I thought something might be wrong with the firing pin/springs, so I purchased some new springs. I still had lots of misfires and the new springs caused the safety to be very difficult to operate.

I went to reloading the 8mm Mauser, after all that what we are all about! I still have lot of that old ammo, just too frustrating to use, and... the stuff I have, you cannot reload it.

Good luck with the rifles, let us know how the ammo works out.

[tomme boy]

Bill, use the bullets and powder in your reloadable cases. Thats what I did for a bunch of the one I had. It is the primers that are the problem. They are set a little deep, but the machine guns have a deeper pin depth than the rifles do so it was not a problem for them to shoot them.

[TNsailorman]

I had some of the 55 surplus ammo that I bought several years ago. I was getting an average of 3 misfires out of 5 rounds in both my Yugo's and German 98. After 2 frustrating trips to the range, I pulled all the bullets, saved the powder(weighing each and every powder charge from the pulled case), divided the number of pulldown cases by the total of the powder weight to get an average. Reloaded the powder and bullets in some Canadian MM marked brass and Federal Large Rifle primers. Turned out to be excellent shooting ammo. I did some surplus Turk ammo the same way and it turned out to be the most accurate ammo I ever put through a mauser. I think the storage method used is the important factor in surplus ammo; at least as much as the factory loading it. Ammo stored improperly for 50+ years is likely going to have a fairly high rate of misfires/ My experience anyway, james

[Shiloh]

That's what I'm going to do with my stash. Bullets and powder will be loaded into formed .30-06 cases at about 10% reduction.

Shiloh

[prsman23]

They weren't in service very long at all. So they weren't shot a ton or banged up. They are about as close to factory new mausers you are going to get today. Made on German tooling. I've got a few. Love them.


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[pworley1]

I bet you will not be disappointed with your yugo's.

[303carbine]

I have always had good luck and accuracy with the Yugo Mauser rifles I have owned, well made and usually in good shape.