Is this a surplus action?

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Slamfire

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Local gun store had this used Zastava M98 Mauser on the rack. It is in 8 X 57 Mauser. Not a GI barrel, absolutely new barrel, almost feather weight contour. New wooden stock.

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typical military notch on left side of receiver, so you don't jam your thumb using a stripper clip.

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military bolt stop.

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stripper clip slot on top of receiver.

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clearly a military floor plate

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I removed the bolt and disassembled the bolt. The bolt was new, it was not a military bolt converted to a bent bolt handle configuration. The firing pin and shroud are pure M98 military, similiar to this FN Mauser bolt and firing pin but with the standard military wing safety.

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The bottom of the bolt handle had been flattened and checkered, similar to my FN Mauser. When I looked in the receiver, it had the military C ring, not the cut ring, used by FN and Dumoulin

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If there were military markings they had so been removed that nothing was visible. But, looking at the polishing of the action, and the milling on the feed ramp, it really did not look like a used military receiver. It looked very good.

So, did Zastava make duplicates of M98 actions, or did they re use surplus M98/K98 actions?
 

Hard to see the proof marks on the receiver and barrel, any way to get a better picture of those. Your picture is pretty good, but still hard to make out, might give some additional details in figuring out.

Is the floor plate milled or stamped, looks milled to me.

Weren't some of these made from scrubbed K98's; meaning they were left by Germans or captured and scrubbed of German markings? That might be what you have.

Judging by the front of the receiver where it has been tapped for scope bases, either they did a really good job removing the German cartouche or that it's a commercial receiver with all the military features, which is odd. I think you would notice if the cartouche was scrubbed, based on how deep those k98 cartouches were.

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Nevermind reread your post and you said not a GI barrel.
 
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I know during the 1990's that the former Yugo countries were in a world of hurt on finances. Maybe Zastava found some old receivers cleaning up the factory and put them to work for exporting them as sporters.

From the markings, your importer might be connected to this company, Foxtrot LLC, I believe which was formerly, Foxtrot Sporting which is a firearms importer with an 08 license.
https://www.gunsinternational.com/g...reet----insured---bonded.cfm?gun_id=100933891
 
Hard to see the proof marks on the receiver and barrel, any way to get a better picture of those. Your picture is pretty good, but still hard to make out, might give some additional details in figuring out.

Is the floor plate milled or stamped, looks milled to me.

Weren't some of these made from scrubbed K98's; meaning they were left by Germans or captured and scrubbed of German markings? That might be what you have.

Judging by the front of the receiver where it has been tapped for scope bases, either they did a really good job removing the German cartouche or that it's a commercial receiver with all the military features, which is odd. I think you would notice if the cartouche was scrubbed, based on how deep those k98 cartouches were.

View attachment 876265

Uploaded a larger version of the proof marks. I would say the 92 means 1992, and that would be the proof year.

The proof marks are Yugoslavian based on the identification of Yugoslavian proof marks at this website: https://www.cip-bobp.org/sites/default/files/2017-04/D-1-4-14.pdf
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4268 Zastava M98 8 X57.JPG
    IMG_4268 Zastava M98 8 X57.JPG
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Uploaded a larger version of the proof marks. I would say the 92 means 1992, and that would be the proof year.
The year of 1992 would figure for an odd duck import, that is close to the time that Yugoslavian imploded as a country due to Tito's death and huge foreign loans to the government. This is what Zastava has to say on its website, "On May 19, 1992 UN Security Council brought sanctions to import and export of weapons for Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia. That stops the placement of Zastava's weapons to foreign markets and the factory falls into a new crisis. " http://zastavaarms.com/en/history/1992.html The bolt looks to be from an M70 commercial Mauser series that Zastava made. Could be one made up to evade export sanctions or due to severe cash crunch at Zastava. Might have come over later.
 
I'm confused your post made it seem like you saw, bought and took the rifle apart based on the pictures.

Not my rifle. I was interested in the rifle and took pictures of it at Cabelas. I took the bolt out, removed the firing pin. But the disassembled bolt picture I provided is from my FN Deluxe. The receiver ring picture is a Dumoulin Mauser action.

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The year of 1992 would figure for an odd duck import, that is close to the time that Yugoslavian imploded as a country due to Tito's death and huge foreign loans to the government. This is what Zastava has to say on its website, "On May 19, 1992 UN Security Council brought sanctions to import and export of weapons for Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia. That stops the placement of Zastava's weapons to foreign markets and the factory falls into a new crisis. " http://zastavaarms.com/en/history/1992.html The bolt looks to be from an M70 commercial Mauser series that Zastava made. Could be one made up to evade export sanctions or due to severe cash crunch at Zastava. Might have come over later.

Interesting context. Except for markings, the receiver is clearly military. As pointed out in one post, Yugo M48 markings are stamped deep and this receiver ring did not appear to be greatly ground down. Wonder if the Yugo's were making military actions that late.
 
Not my rifle. I was interested in the rifle and took pictures of it at Cabelas. I took the bolt out, removed the firing pin. But the disassembled bolt picture I provided is from my FN Deluxe. The receiver ring picture is a Dumoulin Mauser action.

Ok, that surprises me the let you take the bolt out and remove the firing pin at Cabelas. Makes sense that the disassembled bolt is your FN.
 
I've seen those for sale by Sarco for awhile--how do you like your Dumoulin?

Get one while you can. It fed a 30-06 cartridge. Getting scope mounts was expensive and a search, but try to find a real Mauser action with those features at that price. Adjustable trigger, flat top receiver, M70 type safety, hinged floorplate. If I remember, Sarco claimed the steel to be A2, if they are made in China, that could be a could be. Regardless, if made by the Chinese, they have real material experts and they have a huge steel industry, and they would have picked modern alloy steels instead of those plain carbon steels in vintage Mauser actions. What I have read is that these actions were made for Dumoulin not made by Dumoulin. The only markings are Herstal Belgium. It makes sense that Dumoulin would have subcontracted their actions, imported them, finished them into final weapons, and given watered down content laws everywhere, let the buyer think the whole thing had been made in Belgium. There are absolutely no Chinese stamps on anything. Maybe the company went bust and the receivers were sold to the regular market. Search for Dumoulin and see what one of their completed custom rifles cost.
 
Ok, that surprises me the let you take the bolt out and remove the firing pin at Cabelas. Makes sense that the disassembled bolt is your FN.

I was around the corner, the clerks were busy, I got away with it before anyone could have a hussy fit about me removing the firing pin mechanism. I did not have a table to lay the cocking mechanism down and I reassembled the bolt and put it back in before I was noticed.
 
Without knowing more, I look at it like I do my Browning High Power.
Probably was originally from un-used stock intended for a Service rifle but ultimately built into a sporting firearm instead.

I also have a CZ - VZ 24 that while retaining the stripper clip guide and thumb cut out was clearly never a Service rifle.

So... "surplus" as in a re-worked Service rifle? But, maybe/probably not, even though the original manufacturing intent of the receiver may have been so.

Todd.
 
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Without knowing more, I look at it like I do my Browning High Power.
Probably was originally from un-used stock intended for a Service rifle but ultimately built into a sporting firearm instead.

I also have a CZ - VZ 24 that while retaining the stripper clip guide and thumb cut out was clearly never a Service rifle.

So... "surplus" as in a re-worked Service rifle? But, maybe/probably not, even though the original manufacturing intent of the receiver may have been so.

Todd.

I'm curious to know how this was determined?
 
As to the FNs - FN/Browning themselves noted the issue of NOS receivers originally being used before going over to the Sakos.

On the VZ24 - the quality of the action's lettering, the style of the lettering and the complete lack of any service markings and lack of sign of their removal. Unfortunately, it is almost completely obscured by a bench-rest stock and optics or I'd have posted photos of the most beautiful *Mauser* receiver I have ever seen on any rifle in my life.

Todd.
 
As to the FNs - FN/Browning themselves noted the issue of NOS receivers originally being used before going over to the Sakos.

On the VZ24 - the quality of the action's lettering, the style of the lettering and the complete lack of any service markings and lack of sign of their removal. Unfortunately, it is almost completely obscured by a bench-rest stock and optics or I'd have posted photos of the most beautiful *Mauser* receiver I have ever seen on any rifle in my life.

Todd.

OK, thank you......
 
Zastava was making M98 actions in various configurations right through the civil war and other such unpleasantries. Various versions of the M98/M48 were in service with military, police and Gendarme units while I was there, many were issued with UN/NATO sanction to "friendly" police/peacekeeping units in lieu of modern assault rifles. We'd find everything from M48s, to modern M70 style sporting rifles and hybrids, depending on the end users specifications and what parts were available to assemble that day. All were catalogued and inventoried for issue to friendly units or sale abroad as C&R or sporting suitable. Not surprising you would find an export rifle with those military proof marks and parts from around that period.
 
Zastava was making M98 actions in various configurations right through the civil war and other such unpleasantries. Various versions of the M98/M48 were in service with military, police and Gendarme units while I was there, many were issued with UN/NATO sanction to "friendly" police/peacekeeping units in lieu of modern assault rifles. We'd find everything from M48s, to modern M70 style sporting rifles and hybrids, depending on the end users specifications and what parts were available to assemble that day. All were catalogued and inventoried for issue to friendly units or sale abroad as C&R or sporting suitable. Not surprising you would find an export rifle with those military proof marks and parts from around that period.

I was real tempted to buy the thing. There are several expensive issues against buying the thing. Not the 8 X 57 cartridge, that cartridge is a great cartridge, shoots a heavy bullet fast, nothing really wrong with it outside of the recoil. But, the action came with a military safety and I would have to put money into finding a low scope version. And then, nothing is drop in, a low scope safety might drop in or require filing, or might not drop in. And I would have to spend a lot of time bedding the action and free floating the barrel. I did not run a dollar bill down the barrel channel, but it looked as though the barrel was touching the channel. Every wooden stocked factory rifle I own, they all have bedding problems as they came from the factory. The inletting must have been chewed out by angry beavers, and no matter how tight you make the action screws, the action is not only bowed, but slides left to right. And of course, the barrel touches the channel and that is never good.
 
The local Cabelas (Allen, TX) had six or seven of these on the rack. The receivers looked heavily buffed and scrubbed, so I'm suspecting surplus receivers that were refinished and not new production. The stock looked like a throw-away, but maybe you could spiff it up and use it. For $299, it's probably a fun project.
 
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