putting a Mauser on a diet....

[Kaylee]

Wow -- been playing with that Yugo M48 lately... YOW that's a lot of work put into one rifle. I have to admit, I'm really impressed looking at all the work they put into building these things, compared to say my ol' 700.

But um.... she is kinda a porker.

When I had the action/barrel assembly out of the stock to get some of the goo out, I was shocked how light and handy it seemed once free of all that wood. Milled magazine and everything... not bad at all. But once back in that club of a bayonet-handle, wow... massive.

So um... first, let's presume I DONT want to do a straight sporterizing job on this thing. There's enough of those out there already. That said.. is it possible to trim down the existing wood a tad without dangerously weakening it? I mean, I don't plan to get into any bayonet duels with the thing, and that wrist is just MASSIVE. I was thinking of shaving that down a touch,slimming the wood along the action, maybe slimming the forearm area as well. Not chopping anything off -- just trimming the whole thing up some.

Would the rifle still handle recoil okay? Or -- even if I stick to more-or-less sporter "thickness" am I just setting myself up for a shattered stock on firing?

-K

 

[Gewehr98]

Kaylee, just remember...

The lighter you make that 8mm, the more recoil gets transmitted to your shoulder. I've got a Bishop-stocked, 22" barrel 1917 Amberg Gew 98 that can demonstrate that physics principle quite nicely.

It's my understanding that Boyd's, Wenig, or Great American Gunstock Company are now making sporter stocks for the intermediate-length Yugo M48 Mauser. Leave the barrel and sights alone, and you've made it easier to carry, and lighter. Without ruining anything if you want to return it back to full issue condition later on.

 

[Tamara]

Perhaps you could lovingly pack all the original wood away someplace safe and temporarily stuff the rest of the gun into a Boyd's stock?

 

[twoblink]

Wood stocks seem to absorb more recoil than synthetics (probably due to weight) but I would assume that wooden stocks also are a bit less stiff, and so that adds to the recoil absorption effect?

most 8mm's that I've shot weren't too bad, but a bit more than 308's.. So I'm fairly curious how "felt" recoil will be after you are finish.. Keep us up to date..

 

[DMK]

With a Boyds or synthetic stock, it couldn't be any worse than a Mosin-Nagant 1938 or 91/59 carbine. Those are pretty light.

Slip on recoil pads work well for little weight.

 

[nextjoe]

First, I'd agree with the earlier recommendations that you buy a cheap drop-in sporter stock instead of hacking down the original. BUT, if you must do it, I suggest you take a close look at the grain of the wood.

If you have nice, straight grain running through the wrist and up forward to the recoil lug, you can probably slim it down quite a bit without much danger of stock failure. If not, it's probably best to leave it thick.

You'll notice most military stocks are really thick through the wrist, and aside from the general need for greater strength in military guns, I think it's partially done to compensate for the fact that every military rifle stock can't be made from an absolutely perfect blank. The extra thickness helps keep the stocks made from bad blanks from failing.

Another thought... I *think*, but I'm not sure, that the Yugo stocks are teak (the ones I've seen definitely aren't walnut). I don't know much about the strength properties of teak, but it's worth researching before you dig out the wood rasp

Best,
Joe