A little M48 help

[Trevorusn]

Hi all, new to the forum!!! I have several milsurps, and recently bought a Yugo M48 BO. I'm curious on a few things though, namely was the front sight hood missing from quite a few of these rifles?? Mine does not have one nor looks like it did. Though the sides of the sight are scratched, there are no grind marks nor anything to suggest hood removal. Also, what was the original finish of these M48s?? I plan on refinishing mine to get out some of the minor flaws, and the finish currently is a deep brown-purple, almost like old 1903s. Any helpful hints or insights would be appreciated, thanks!!! One more question...is it even possible to pin a specific build year on a M48 like it is on, say, a Mosin Nagant m91/30??

 

[Sam1911]

The front sight hood was a simple piece of spring steel sheet metal that just snaps on and off: https://www.buymilsurp.com/sight-hood-k98-yugo-m48-p-3213.html

 

[MilsurpShooter]

I highly recommend a book by a gentleman named Branko Bogdanovic called Serbian and Yugoslav Mauser rifles. It's given me all sorts of history, information and research help for my M48a.

M48 BO according to the book was made in 1957, 386,022 produced. BO literally stands for bez oznake which means without markings. They were made under contract for Egypt if I recall correctly.

As far as the front hood, probably someone took it off to adjust the site but found out how much of a pain it was to get on and off so just left it out. Piece of spring steel that can be a real hassle if you don't have the proper tool.

 

[Trevorusn]

I highly recommend a book by a gentleman named Branko Bogdanovic called Serbian and Yugoslav Mauser rifles. It's given me all sorts of history, information and research help for my M48a.

M48 BO according to the book was made in 1957, 386,022 produced. BO literally stands for bez oznake which means without markings. They were made under contract for Egypt if I recall correctly.

As far as the front hood, probably someone took it off to adjust the site but found out how much of a pain it was to get on and off so just left it out. Piece of spring steel that can be a real hassle if you don't have the proper tool.

Fantastic. I'm guessing this book is available on amazon?? I've heard that the BOs were meant for Egypt only was an urban myth, but who knows. I'm definately going to look this book up, thanks for the info!

 

[MilsurpShooter]

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/793617/serbian-and-yugoslav-mauser-rifles-book-by-branko-bogdanovic

as far as the finish, the indication i have from the book says oiled. As far as what it's oiled with I can only guess, more common one seems to be Boiled Lindseed Oil. Tung oil is popular as well but I hear more of BLO then anything else.

 

[Trevorusn]

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/793617/serbian-and-yugoslav-mauser-rifles-book-by-branko-bogdanovic

as far as the finish, the indication i have from the book says oiled. As far as what it's oiled with I can only guess, more common one seems to be Boiled Lindseed Oil. Tung oil is popular as well but I hear more of BLO then anything else.

Interesting, as I doubt both BLO or tung oil would leave a finish this dark, so perhaps I should refinish it one of these two. Which would look most "period correct" I wonder?

 

[Sam1911]

All woods darken with age. If you strip and sand the stock, it will lighten quite a bit because you're removing that aged surface and exposing bare wood. Oiling it with either Tung or BLO will protect it and make it look nice, but not darken it back to the current tone.

(Look at the difference between a K98 Mauser in un-resored, original condition, (like THIS) and a new one made or refurbished by Mitchell's Mausers for example (HERE). Same stock, more or less same finish. Age gives the wood's surface that rich dark color.)

From a historian's perspective, the "patina" or authentic aged surface, is a valuable part of the rifle's character and should not be stripped off.

If you want to remove it, and then put that color back, you can use wood stains or dyes, but doing so WELL is a science and an art. It is very easy to strip a stock to bare wood, douse it with stain, and have a blotchy "muddy" mess that never really looks right.

 

[Trevorusn]

Good points Sam, though my stock is even darker than the pics, but it would seem that yes, age has done much to darken it. Does cosmoline have darkening agents in it as well? I'd like to get all the old patina and grime off the bolt, buttplate and front sight band as well as redo the stock, though keeping the proofmarks is a must. Once again, thanks for the great info! I suppose then I should go for a lighter finish as trying to achieve the same dark finish will require LOTS of aging then.

 

[Sam1911]

Cosmoline and grease do darken as well, and will give the wood an even darker tone than just the bare wood. A good cleaning first is a great idea. There are lots of tutorials around on removing cosmoline.