Yugoslavian Mauser bolt action junk?

Status
Not open for further replies.
C

coloradogunguy

Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2009
Messages
19
Hey all,

My local BIG 5 sporting goods has some Yugoslavian Mausers, they want $250 for them. The rifles all vary in condition..

I've heard these are....Junk?
 
Definitely not junk, and definitely not at the lower end of the spectrum either. You can find them for cheaper, for sure.
 
They are cheaper because they are more plentiful and less interesting to military collectors than WW II veterans. The Yugos are well made variations of the 98.

I've had mine for about 20 years and I am still quite happy with it.


standard.jpg
 
The Yugo Mausers are cheap and plentiful because they are the SKS of the bolt action world. There are plenty of them to be had, and they all vary in degree of wear. I got my M24/47 In feb of '06 for $100. It's a great shooter, and I've only heard good from others in their experience with them. In today's market, $250 sounds a bit high, for that much I might as well buy a VZ24 Mauser. But for $150 or so, I'd say go ahead and give the rifle a try. You can always sell it for at least that much.
 
The mismatched and worn examples are not so good, but when found in matching, little-used condition they are an excellent value. I can't think of a better bolt-action milsurp for the price.
 
I love mine, but bought from Big 5 at 65 dollars and was one of my first rifles.

Pros: Love the yugo, beautiful stocks, you can use them for other projects, shoots a great powerful hunting round, very accurate, a joy really to shoot, trigger pulls clean still today.

Cons: I have a straight bolt, you want a curved bolt. Ammo-expensive for factory rounds, you have to reload unless you want to shoot surplus.

With Big 5, Good condition doesn't mean sh-t. Expect to take said rifle to a gunsmith to check headspace.
 
Yugo M48's vary in condition. The worst are very rough, the best are OK.

I have a Yugo M24, a prewar rifle. It is a much better built rifle than the post war Yugo's. In terms of workmanship, the machine work is on a par with the better pre war M98's.

Every M48 I owned needed to be bedded. I needed to change the front sight height to get the things to shoot to point of aim.

I pushed a cleaning rod down the barrels and picked rifles with like new barrels.

A Yugo K98 rebuild had a replacement barrel what was .327" instead of .323" if memory is correct.

None of them had a clean trigger release, so I worked on the two stage humps, or swapped sears around.

One had a very rough cocking cam.

Once bedded, the things will shoot inside a four inch circle at 100 yards. The better ones will shoot within three inches. These are not MOA rifles. Nor do they need be.
 
When shooting milsurps, it's important not to get caught up in the area of accuracy as compared to modern rifles. Accuracy was more likely defined as "minute of body". Milsurp rifles aren't built with the details in mind as the more modern rifles are. Durability and reliability were far greater factors in the consideration of creating the rifle. Will it have a crips trigger? Will the action be as smooth as melted butter? Will the internals be polished, lapped, or honed? Of course not, and to expect otherwise is to expect that a bulldozer will have as smooth of a ride as a Cadillac. The intended uses and design are totally different.

Any gun that has been neglected could be spoken of as "junk". However, to use that term to define the Yugo Mauser collectively is a severe misjudgement. When hearing information like that, you first have to consider the source.
 
Thanks everyone for your replies, They are quite helpful as I am learning more everyday about military surplus rifles.

I used the term "junk" because at the last gunshow a couple guys were "ripping" on the Yugoslavian mausers saying they are a cheap "ripoff" of the Kar98...

Since I didn't have the knowledge at the time I stayed away from the rifles.

I really wanted a kar98 while I was there but everyone seemed to be asking around $450 for them which I thought was a bit high...

Again I'm still getting "my feet wet" with these older rifles.

I did see a sniper kar98 but the guy wanted $1200 for it!!:what:

That same guy wanted $3600 for his BREN light machine gun, which I knew nothing about except that it couldn't have been fully automatic as that is highly ilegal in colorado to my knowledge.
 
450 for german k98 is really high unless it has matching numbers or something that makes it worth 450. russian captures usually run about 250 which is how much i paid for mine and i bought another for the same price 3 months ago (i can order from my work at dealers cost ;) )
 
not junk, but for that price i think you could get a serbian made m48.

very high quality, and made by free people.

then again you could get a real german k98 russian capture. i think mitchells has them in great shape, barely fired, and only dropped once.
 
I recently decided to begin shooting my Yugo Mauser after many years of my particular rifle sitting in the back of the closet. A Yugo is a great rifle to set aside as a "corrosive ammo gun." With the large amounts of cheap (but reliable) Romanian corrosive 8mm hitting the store shelves you can take 100 rounds to the range without having to refinance the mortgage on your house. My last range visit with this combination was a hoot.
 
Last edited:
I used the term "junk" because at the last gunshow a couple guys were "ripping" on the Yugoslavian mausers saying they are a cheap "ripoff" of the Kar98...
Click to expand...

Well there's your problem right there. Gun shows are a great social event for those that deal in bull#%#*. Unless you know someone personally, take everything that you hear at a gun show with a grain of salt.
 
Are there M48's in unissued or "used but not abused" condition still around at gun shows...or is it mostly the really beat up ones left on the market?

Im considering one as a mosin-nagant alternative and theres a pretty big gun show coming up in a couple weeks.
 
In my area, you can occassionally find a good M48 at a gun show. But milsurps aren't as popular because of the AR/AK craze that is still lingering. I don't see hardly any that are in unissued condition. But if you keep your eyes open, you can find one that has been well taken care of.

If you're not dead set on the M48, the Yugo 24/47 is probably a better alternative in my opinion. If you don't mind the straight bolt handle, the 24/47s will be cheaper. Basically the same gun as the M48, but the actions on the 24/47 are generally more smooth than the 48. Just a thought to keep in mind if you're browsing at the gun show.
 
I used the term "junk" because at the last gunshow a couple guys were "ripping" on the Yugoslavian mausers saying they are a cheap "ripoff" of the Kar98...
Click to expand...

“Gun Show Experts” : Opinionated idiots.
 
I have a Yugo M24, a prewar rifle. It is a much better built rifle than the post war Yugo's. In terms of workmanship, the machine work is on a par with the better pre war M98's.
Click to expand...

+1 on the Yugo M24. I just picked up one today ($250) and so far I'm very impressed with what I see. I'll be comparing it to two 1941 RC K98, a Swede, a 24/47, and two Spanish 1916.
 
Would a Yugo action be a good platform for a custom rifle? It is a Mauser action after all - can it handle modern (not our of control, but hunting level) pressures?
 
It's an excellent action to build a custom rifle out of! I've built a heck of a shooter from a Yugo M48.
 
nothing wrong with a yugo solid gun i would say great for most north american game anything in my neck of the woods that is for sure
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

MtnCreek
  • Locked
Yugoslavian 24/47 Mauser
Replies
7
Views
440
madcratebuilder
M
D
  • Locked
8mm Mauser? A Mil-Surp Question
Replies
4
Views
777
DougB
D
B
  • Locked
M47 8mm yugo mauser
Replies
17
Views
2K
bill larry
B
O
  • Locked
How well does a Yugoslavian 24/47 Mauser shoot?
Replies
17
Views
7K
tube_ee
T
K
  • Locked
Mausers
2
Replies
27
Views
2K
hang fire
H
Back
Top