M-48 Mauser

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cleardiddion

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Well, I just worked out a deal at a local shop for an M-48 for a $135, including the background check and all that jazz.
I'd like to think that I have a pretty good deal there, but it would be nice to hear some feedback on the issue.

It's got a bent bolt (which I've never seen on a M-48), nice sharp rifling, clean wood with only a few dings, and 90-95% finish on the metal. I played around with it for about 20mins and the bolt is smooth (well as smooth as it can be with cosmo) and overall it seems to be a very nice rifle which I'll enjoy for some time to come. :)

I guess the only thing that detracted from the warm fuzzy feeling was a friend of mine who's highly into AR's and whatnot (no offense to the general lot). He went along this whole rant about how I was purchasing a 'fake' mauser and how it was a total piece of crap and whatnot. That just kinda ticks me off....:fire: I'm on a ****ing budget for pete's sake. Anyways I'm getting off the subject.

So, I'm curious as to who owns these little jewels. What are your perceptions of them? How do they shoot and all that other jazz?

Thanks in advance!
 
You friend's an id10t. $135 is a steal, really.

Yea, and a CZ is a fake mauser, as are all the myriad of mauser actions that are out there, all fakes :barf:

Do yourself and get some surplus 8mm ammo - the domestic stuff pales in comparison to the real deal. My should just won't forgive me for it!
 
I think I'm set on the ammo.
The store where I got the rifle has 70rds of surpluse in bandoleers and in stripper clips for 24.99. My friend who has a K98 shot some and when I took a look, this stuff was dated 1943!
 
It's a real Mauser it's a 96 it's pretty the same as a 24/47 except for the bent bolt and the butt plate. I have a 24/47 and it is very accurate with Turk surplus ammo. 135 is a good deal. I think your friend is a fake milsurp collector.

Mike
 
It's a tried and true Mauser the Grandaddy of all modern bolt actions, the rest are copies trying to be Mausers. If it wasn't for the Mauser brothers we could all be trying to live with Lebels Now thats a chilling thought.
135$ in the condition you stated is a steal. Buy up some milsurp 8mm and go out and show your buddy what a real rifle can do.
Before you go to the range make sure to do a thourough strip and cleaning of the bolt, these things have been in storage and are notorius abot have been slathered with Cosmoline it hardens after setting and can cause problems if not removed .
Hope you out shoot your buddy!
 
Great guns. They are 'real' mausers but a slightly shorter action than the M98's. That is of no matter whatever to a shooter. Most shoot exceptionally well (if in good shape as yours seems to be).

Surplus ammo is great to terrible depending on maker, age, storage life conditions, etc. Some are 'hot' machine gun ammo with hard primers. That means, they may need 2-3 'clicks' to fire! (I have some of it!)

BEST choice is to reload your own 8mm ammo to the power level you choose and using bullets to fit your purpose.

Again, good gun. Great price! GET IT!
 
Leave your know it all friend home and hurry back down there and get that M-48 before the price goes up!
 
Oh, I guess I didn't word it right!
I've already payed half of it off! :p

Thanks for all the input guys, I really appreciate it! :D
And keep them coming!
 
The deal with the M48's being shorter is this:

The History of all "modern" Mauser rifle actions actually begins with the 8mm Mauser cartridge (officially 7.9mm x 57mm) which was finalized by the German Infantry Commission at Spandau Arsenal in 1888. This cartridge fired a long, heavy (227 grain!), round-nose bullet, with a cartridge overall length of 3.25 inches, and had a muzzle velocity of 2,034 fps. This cartridge was officially adopted for the Model 88 Commission Rifle, the forerunner of all of the subsequent Mauser bolt-action rifles that we know and love today. This cartridge was unique in that it was a rimless cartridge - all current cartridges being adopted throughout the world during the "smokeless powder revolution", such as the .303 British and the 7.62 x 54R Russian cartridge, were rimmed. For some reason, the action of the M88 rifle was made excessively long - longer than it needed to be. Maybe some "simultaneous engineering" was going on? Anyway, it worked.

In 1903 the Germans adopted the type 'S', for Spitzgeschloss (what today we call the Spitzer) bullet based on new discoveries in streamlining and aerodynamics. The new bullet was much lighter at only 147 grains, a 3.17 cartridge overall length, but had a muzzle velocity of 2,936 fps. It was able to reach very long ranges for a cartridge of the time, and an even smaller-bored version in the hands of the Spanish during our little difficulties with them in Cuba and the Phillipines taught a lot of U.S Army troops the difference between concealment and cover (a lot of our guys were still armed with .45-70 Trapdoor Springfields like General Custer's guys had at the Little Bighorn).

As a side note, and after our learning experience at the hands of the Spanish, the U.S. adopted a "Mauser", the 1903 Springfield, and a new cartridge to go with it. That would be the .30-03, which fired a big ol' heavy, slow, round-nosed bullet just like the 88 Commission rifle cartridge, and shows it's mauser heritage in the fact that the case head dimensions are exactly the same. Of course, at the same time, the Germans were moving ahead with the spitzer-bulleted cartridge, leaving our guys standing at the platform watching the train leave the station without them. Back to the drawing board, and eventually what emerged in 1906 was our own spitzer-bulleted cartridge, the .30-06. That's why our 1903 Springfield rifles fired a 1906 cartridge!

All of the German Infantry rifles were subsequently "converted" to chamber and fire the new type S cartridge - mainly re-barreling them (Just like the U.S. was doing, three years later, with the Springfields). Later, during WWI, the bullet weight was increased to 198 grains, but the same cartridge overall length of 3.17" was retained.

By then, of course, the 1888 rifle was "modernized" up to a model 1898 version, and later shortened (Kurz, meaning short) to become the Mauser 98K of WWII fame.

By this time armies all over the world were adopting Mauser rifles, and many factories were built to make what was basically a 98K Mauser, including the one in that tongue-twisting named-place in Yugoslavia where the M24's (in 1924), and later the M48's (in 1948), were built.

After WWII the Yugoslavians continued building model 24's for a while, then eventually re-tooled for a modernized version in 1948 as a kind of "National Guard" or "Militia" rifle. (The "real" army got SKS's and AK47's.) At this point, they decided to redesign the Mauser for the "optimum" length necessary to work with the 8mm Mauser cartridge, which they were still using. (They made a sniper version of the AK47 in 8mm chambering, which some folks confuse with the Russian Dragunov.)

Anyway, that's why the M48 has a "short" action compared to Mauser 98K.

It's an excellent rifle, and every bit a Mauser.
 
The fun of milsurps is in the trying out of older designs that were built to last and take abuse, used to have a 24/47 and now have a mod 48. I shoot and reload for a Mod 1917 thats 91 years old, thats the fun of these things. Are there going to be any AR's or other black guns that will do the same, I hope so. Your friend needs to realize what matters is that we shoot what we like, I'll try yours and you can try mine. As shooter's we need to support each other, so much for my ranting but I feel better.
 
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It is a woderful rifle. When dealing with those who do not know or refuse to know a subject, use your ears the way God intended--one for in and one for out. If yours is one of the "new" ones that has not been used much, the trigger may be a little gritty--use will solve that. Mine are very accurate and they are true mausers. $135 for it is an exceptional price. I would buy it in a heart beat.

The Turk ammo in the bandolier is corrosive. So when you are finished shooting it be sure to clean your rifle right away. I use windex or the cheap substitute followed by a normal bore cleaner. I have shot some of the 1943 and it was reasonably accurate and not a nearly as hot as the 1947. I bought a lot when it was less than $5 per bandolier. :D

You will love the rifle.
 
Honestly, I don't get this guys sometimes.
He's a rather good of mine but when it comes to guns he can be a bit of an arse. Went onto tell me that all CZs were POS because they were made in a former soviet country...
Silly.

Anyways, any idea what these little beasts like to eat?

Oh, and I think I'll go ahead and pay off the rest of the rifle tomorrow and spend an evening cleaning it. Cosomline removal, it should be an olympic sport.
 
The Yugo mauser is a great little gun, not interchangeable with the J98 parts and pieces but usually newer, in better shape and with very good bores due to when they were made. If you really want to know all there is about these I suggest picking up a book by a gentleman named Branko Bogdanovic. Serbian and Yugoslav Mauser Rifles, done by North Cape Publications. Most of the information I know of these rifles are what I read in this book and what I've read of his posts over on Parrallax Bills forums.

There are 3 different types of M48, the original M48, all parts are milled. The M48a, no difference from the M48 with the exception of a Stamped floorplate (Possibly stamped barrel bands as well can't recall 100%), you'll see small rectangular markings around it. Then there's the more rare M48BO. the BO stood for Bez Oznake, meaning unmarked. It's the same as the other M48's except no marks, crest. Originally made to be sent to Egypt IIRC.

For cleaning and everything else you might need to know I suggest this websight http://www.surplusrifle.com/yugom48/index.asp

Just remember to clean the firing pin and bolt well.

Good luck with it, M48 was one of the first guns I bought when I was "of age" and it's still fun
 
Never fired one, and who cares if its a "fake mauser" (whether thats true or not, and it certainly doesn't seem to be true from what I know), but the couple I've seen looked nice, and I cant imagine why they would't be a really good, solid rifle in a potent round, and that price seems plenty reasonable to me, especially if its a good, accurate shooter (which it seems they would be).Screw your friend, and be happy.You're on a budget (who isnt right?), werent really looking for a "collectable",but a good, solid shooter, so I'd say you did very well.Boo hoo, it's not an AR.So what. It's got way more punch than a 5.56 AR, and being a bolt gun, is 99.99% likely to be WAY more reliable than ANY semi-auto,so he should be careful what he's whining about.(also, no offense meant to any AR owners, or Mauser lovers/collector's as I'm both myself)
 
I have one (M48) and it is acurate for a older mil-surp. Never used in combat per se. They come with the bent bolt, are intermediate length action. Good gun in good shape can be a lot of fun and even a good hunting rifle.
 
Clear,
If you see that it is going to shoot well, buy one of Lees Classic Loaders, the one you use the hammer to resize! They're less than 30$. Then you can custom load for the '48. Custom loads really wake up those old military rifles.The other plus is the different weight and designs of bullets that are offered. It's not as great a selection as .30cal.,but the choice is better than what is available in milsurp. It could make the '48 a deer rifle, if your into hunting.
 
I will agree with everyone here, $135 was a great price. Average now for a M48 is in the $150-200 range.

If you want to know anything and everything you can about the Yugo mausers check out Parralax Bill's site-- It's a vast site with days worth of reading on the subject

Parralax Bills Yugoslavian Mauser forum
 
Based on what is recorded and written about them by various convincing folk, the M48 is no less a Mauser, and no less a very, very well made and servicable rifle.

A military Mauser is somewhere in the upper portion of my shopping list; if I ever stumble across a clean servicable M48 at a time when I have a surplus in my pocket I will not be passing it up. And if any Mauser enthusiast can cite any specific and verifiable shortcoming in materials and fabrication of these pieces I'd be very interested in hearing about it.
 
I have a question for all those who like to dabble in 8mm magic:
What is the genearlly recommened ammunition that I should use?
And where can I get the said stuff?
 
Cleardiddion,

What shop in the Daytona area had such a deal?

It amazes me when some jerk that happens to be a Kalshnisnob rags on some one about a military rifle built for use by a real Military or Police Force while they make love to their castrated to semi auto fake AKs made for the civilian market.

Your M48 is more "real" than ANY semi only AK and from what I understand 99 percent of registered select fire AKs in the US as they were conversions of made for civilian guns.

Make sure your friend is on his meds before you take him gun shopping again.

Of course he is not as bad as a friend I had that as a seller was starting to get that dejected "I better sell it for what this guy is offering and have gas money to get home with look" made a disgusted pishaw and commented "Bob, you are stealing that gun form this poor guy"

He almost walked back to Gainesville from Orlando on that one.

Freinds are folks we put up with crap we would take from anyone else from I guess.

-Bob Hollingsworth
 
Well said kBob!
Do you know Florida Gun Exchange down in Port Orange? I'm rather fond of the place.
And, it definitely helps that I'm in there one/two times a week and know a lot of the employees by name and likewise :)

And if anyone's interested, they have an M9/30 and an M44 or $89 each. Almost bought up both but couldn't really justify it since it would've been my 3rd purchase this month on a student budget :(
 
I have a question for all those who like to dabble in 8mm magic:
What is the genearlly recommened ammunition that I should use?
And where can I get the said stuff?
Click to expand...

Like most guns it's all going to be that gun specific. I got my M48 back when 8mm surplus was plentiful and easy to find so I'm sitting on about 2,500 rounds. The pre-made route, well that expensive but my M48 seems to like the S&B loads
 
I guess the only thing that detracted from the warm fuzzy feeling was a friend of mine who's highly into AR's and whatnot (no offense to the general lot). He went along this whole rant about how I was purchasing a 'fake' mauser and how it was a total piece of crap and whatnot. That just kinda ticks me off.... I'm on a ****ing budget for pete's sake. Anyways I'm getting off the subject.
Click to expand...


Tell your friend that near the end of the war, the Germans were low on steel and manpower, and that the later produced Mausers made by CZ and those made in Yugoslavia are made from better materials and are aside from collectability, they are better shooters.

Tell him that if he doesn't know what he is talking about, to shut his trap instead of harshing someone else's firearm.

Your gun is JUST as good a firearm as a German marked Mauser. In fact, since it much likely has a far better bore. It is superior.

Enjoy. You made a fine choice. My Yugo is a great shooter, and it looks great too.

Tell your buddy you will trade him buttstroke for buttstroke. You use the mauser. He can use his AR.
 
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