[Hawkmoon]

This has been described as a "short rifle" version of a Mauser K98. I found a site selling them in "Good" condition for under $100 -- says the stocks are cracked.

Two questions: (1) Are these a good rifle?

(2) In condition "Good" (assuming the description is accurate), would one of these be safe to shoot? Not looking for superb accuracy, just want to know if it'll blow up when I try to send a bullet through the barrel.

TIA

[spacemanspiff]

technically, yes its a slightly shorter version of the k98, however, there are a few more differences.

to begin with, let me say that the yugo m48 and m48a are both very good rifles, and you can find them in pristine condition all across the country. they are often overpriced though. i'd probably pay (and have done so) $200 for one in excellent condition.

if the stock is cracked, i'd pass on it.

we've discussed this countless times here on THR and TFL, but it bears being said again, that the yugo m48 and m48a are the victims of misleading advertising. many retailers will pass them off as 'WWII issue', when in fact, they were made well after WWII ended.
while the yugos are well made, the yugo factories were not the german factories.

with a used yugo that you have no idea of what kind of history its had, i'd not expect great accuracy. if i were selling my m48a, i could tell you exactly what kind of history its had since i bought it, and could even confirm that it was shot very very little before i bought it.

i'd suggest taht you keep looking, the retail sections of this forum regularly have sellers with yugos in various conditions.


edit - forgot the 2nd question you had... is it safe to shoot? well the mauser action is quite strong, so i wouldnt worry too much about that. see if you can check the headspace.

check the barrel thoroughly. may need to bring one of your 30 cal boresnakes to ensure the bores condition.

once you decide if you'll buy it, or whenever you do buy one, let us know, we got some good tips to keep that bore in good-great-excellent condition.

[jefnvk]

Strong, sturdy gun. I paid $79 for mine at Dunhams, sold it for $120 (need money for a 1903). Other than needing money, and already having a German Mauser to cover that area, I'd have never gotten rid of it. It shot good, three shots touching at 50 yards were not all that uncommon.

Definitely the cheapest centerfire to shoot.

[Hawkmoon]

Enlighten me, please: What's the difference between an M48 and an M48a?

[rbernie]

The long answer lies here. (http://www.marstar.ca/Y-E-48+.htm) The 'Cliff Notes' version - milled parts on the 48, stamped triggerguard and barrel bands on the 48A.

[Jim K]

"Slightly shorter" needs some explanation. The receiver and bolt of the Model 48 are shorter than that of the standard Mauser 98 (K.98k, VZ-24, etc.). This means that standard scope mount rails might not fit, Model 98 sporter stocks won't fit, etc. That being said, the Model 48 is a solid rifle, though not as smooth as a VZ-24. They are very strong and good rifles in the 8x57 or anything shorter. Due to the shorter receiver, they are more difficult to convert to .30-'06 or any caliber with a round even slightly longer than the 8mm.

Jim

[cracked butt]

(1) Are these a good rifle?
Yes and no. They are built very strong, but quality and fitting of parts often leave much to be desired. Two common problems are: safties that don't work and rough bolt lugs where you need a hammer to open the bolt after firing. I've had two of these rifles and each rifle had one of these problems, I kept the one with the nonfuctioning safety, its a good, no , great shooter. Another problem That I noticed with one rifle is that the metal seemed to be soft on some of the parts, notably the firing pin- After I dry fired the gun 2 or 3 times, the shoulders on the firing pin had peened back- this should not happen. Maybe this isn't a very good representation of the rifles, but I have doubts as whether or not I'm that unlucky. Part of the equation might be that I'm spoiled on much better made guns from Czechoslavakia and Sweden.

2) In condition "Good" (assuming the description is accurate), would one of these be safe to shoot?
Good can mean lots of things.
Good might mean the stock was chewed on by beavers. Good might mean that the bore is heavily pitted. Good might merely mean that the blueing is badly worn in a few spots. Good might also mean that the stock is cracked- where it is cracked really matters- a cracked handguard doen't hurt much, a crack in the buttstock probably won't hurt anything, a crack in the tang, means that the stock is no good, unless you are skilled and lucky enough to make a good repair on it.

I avoid buying milsurps in 'good' condition. Depending on the seller, 'Very Good' isn't always the same from one place to another as well. There is one importer that I won't buy 'very good' condition guns from because invariably they are in rough shape.

[standingbear]

I paid 225 for an unissued m48 last year,it was from cherrys.imports.it shot fairly consistant and accurate.the downside was the sites-they started at 300 meters and I had to compensate for 100 yard shots.once I figured out where to hold the sights,I was ok but still found myself forgetting to adjust a few times and overshot the target so I sold it.now,I guess folks are putting pep sights on them and such and they like them.I wish IDA known it then,I mighta kept mine.

there is non corrosive ammo available thats still cheap and corrosive ammo thats extremly cheap.its not a big deal cleaning it after using corr ammo,there several ways to go about it.ammonia and windex..whatever floats your boat.

Im certain they are cheaper than what I paid after researching it.personally,I prefer a german 98k to any other mauser.just seems more refined.

[albanian]

I think the Yugo M-48 and M-48a are the best deal on a pure shooter Mauser out there. They tend to be in better cond. than most Mausers and the sell for less. Mine had a rock solid action and good trigger. Best all around Mauser for the money. I am a C&R holder so I have been through a bunch of these military surplus rifles.

Best mil-surp rifle for the money is the Swiss K-31. If ammo wasn't so expensive, this would be the deal of the decade. It is a nicer gun than any Mauser I have seen and the price is right.

[Okiecruffler]

I've just finished my 3rd M48 scout project (well almost finished, I still need to pick up a sling). This one is the least accurate of the 3, but it's still doing right at 2MOA with turk surplus. As soon as I can get some reloads worked up, I figure I can shrink that to at least 1.5". The Mosins are still my favorites, but these M48's are a close second.
However, unless you're just really good at fixing a cracked stock, I'd pass on this one. A few companies are making aftermarket stocks, but thay cost more than the rifle. Better to pay a few more $$ and get one with solid wood.