German K98 or YUGO M-48

[tdubya]

1st Post on THR

Looking to buy my 1st Mauser and i have hit a road block.

Do I purchase.....
1) a REAL German K98 they even have their remaining ones listed by factory and built date www.classicarms.us Seen them starting at $250

2) Go the cheaper route and get the post WWII Yugo M-48 which from what i hear is the exact same

3) Get a Yugo M 24/47- which i know is based on the K98...?

Planning on buying after X-mas along with a Swiss K-31

 

[Hoppy590]

id say spend the money on the real deal, so long as its good condition, as it will only go up in value, and you can get the others far more readily than the real one

 

[jame]

The 48 and 98 are not the same, so be careful on that one.

The CZ rifles are quite nice as well, if you're interested.

 

[kfranz]

What do you want to do with it?

 

[tdubya]

What do you want to do with it?

Pretty much just for shooting around, i know eventually i want to get an all matching number K98 because my uncles got me into collecting German WWII guns etc. I was looking to the M48 cause being in College it seemed like a good choice.

http://www.samcoglobal.com/rifles.html

Samco has some Gaurdia Civil Mauser for $129.95 that has been Converted to 7.62 NATO (.308) anyone know more about these and were they originally 8mm?

 

[kfranz]

If its main use will be for plinking, get the 48 or 48a. You should be able to pick up a "good enough" condition shooter for less than $100, and $150 worth of 8mm surplus will keep you shooting for longer than anything other than .22.

 

[Niner]

The way I feel about mine as shooters. Best to last.

1.24/47. I like the straight bolt handle and the smooth action.
2. K98K Works. Smooth function.
3. M48. The 48 has a sticking problem with the extraction of fired rounds. Others have reported same problem. Multiple solutions.... excuses...reasons.

 

[GreyMauser]

I'd take the "real" 98. You can shoot any of them, but if you ever want to modify one, you'll have more options in the way of aftermarket parts with a standard size M98.

I'll be going to the gunshow tomorrow, and I'll take with me a photo of pages 214-215 (dimension table w/ considerations for use in building custom rifles) of Kuhnhausen's "The Mauser Bolt Actions" to help me pick and choose.

 

[sw9f]

It depends on which yugo m48 you are looking at. I believe the yugo m98/48 are remarked german k98. The ones on classic arms are russian captured k98s.

 

[aaronrkelly]

If your collecting then get the real deal....spend the cash only once.

When I ordered mine I was low on cash. I wanted a real K98 but Classic Arms didnt have the K98 deal they have now. I choose one of the remarked German K98's - Yugo captured.

It IS a real K98 but without the German markings, they were mostly scrubbed (except for one eagle they left on mine).

Paid $130 for a mostly real K98....

 

[tdubya]

i have seen some sites that say they have "German K98 but than in the fine print says that it was post war made Yugo, i think Mitchells Mausers are advertised in that way.

I think im going to just wait till the next gun show because the savings online are not big enough to justifiy shipping and than Transfer fees. (20 so i cannot get a C&R)

Think i will prolly go with what i see the best deal on wether it is a K98 or M-48 and keep looking till i get both.
thanks for all the help

 

[Hoppy590]

yes stay away from Mitchell's they ARE NOT K98's they are yugos.

 

[Shane333]

As others have stated, the two are not the same. The Yugo M48 is an intermediate action (the action is a tad shorter than your standard K98 action).

The K98 certainly has more collectable value right now.

The M48 is your best bet if you want a mauser in pristine condition. The M24/47 is your next best bet.

For accuracy, the Yugo's probably have a better chance at being accurate shooters due to their great condition.

I have both an M48 and an M24/47. The M48 action is amazingly solid, but the M24/47 has a slightly smoother action in general.

 

[Janos Dracwlya]

I have an M-48A and it is a great shooter even though it has a rough bore. Most of the numbers match, except the bolt, but it is only a few off from the rest of the rifle, so I guess it came from the same batch. It has never given me any trouble and is more accurate than I am. I think I paid just over $100 (including a $10 Tennessee Instant Check System fee).

All that said, I'd like to get a real K-98, but right now I'm saving my money toward an AR.

 

[JTW Jr.]

I go to the range , take my tricked out AR and my Tikka in 308 , both will shoot sub MOA at 100 yards , what do I enjoy shooting most ? my old Mauser and its just a Turk M38... but it sure is a blast to shoot.

 

[cracked butt]

Aaronkelly has the best sugestion- a yugo captured K98. They don't have much collector value, so they don't cost an absurd amount of money, they have been rearsenalled by the Yugoslavians which means they had a yugo crest stamped on the receiver and may or may not have a new barel installed- all the ones I've seen have the original barrel and are celan and shiny. Best of all, the rifles were made by Germans and Czechs, so you can rest assured that they were put together correctly in the first place, Yugo made rifles weren't very well made and often have issued such as difficult extraction and safeties that do not work.

 

[gunnerman78]

I have a Yugo M-48A and i love it, i would not trade it for any gun in the world

 

[Devonai]

My roomate and I just bought a pair of all-matching M48s, and we're itching to try them out. We paid $120 each for rifles in good condition with shiny bores.

 

[wild billz]

K98 will have a much better action, I have both.

 

[EvisceratorSrB]

I agree with wild. Kar98k has a better action than my Yugo M48. My Yugo can also outshoot the K98K anyday. You want a shooter, go Yugo M48/A. You want a safe queen, the K98K is my favorite.

yes stay away from Mitchell's they ARE NOT K98's they are yugos.

Well...true. However if you can get a good price on Mitchell Mausers, buy it! They are good shooters. I bought my Yugo M48 for $250 (you might say it's high but prices like that are normal in So Cal), and my friend bought his Mitchell for the same price. It's an M48A. Go for the M48A if you want a shooter. Just KNOW that Mitchell Mausers are NOT K98K's. Rgr rgr?

 

[Ivy Mike]

I've got one of the Yugo captured K98s (Yugo M98?) and I couldn't be happier. I got it when my grandfather died and whoever he got it from bent the bolt and put the rifle in a sporter stock. Still shoots like a champ. Never sticks, safety works trigger pull isn't bad either. The stock has a nice thick rubber butt pad so its nice and comfy to shoot all day long.

In your situation, I'd buy an actual K98 or a Yugo captured K98.