Refinish stock on M48 BO Mauser???

[Turftech1]

Hi all,

I picked up a Yugo M48 BO (Bez Oznake, or "unmarked"). I did the cosmo removal last night errr, between midnight and 2:30 AM to be more accurate.

The machining, barrel, floor plate, follower and bolt are all marvelous, and all serial numbers match, (oddly, it starts with a "w", not a "v" like other unmarked M48s I've seen). I believe the rifle to have been unissued. The stock is pretty rough though, rougher than I would like. I think the guy who did it was new or something

Anyway, I am not as knowledgeable as I would like to be on C & R, and have read both that the M48 BO isn't really a collectible because it doesn't have the Yugo crest and Zastava stamps. I have also heard the exact opposite, that BO M48s are the most collectible M48s because there were less than 3,000 made for Egypt and Syria and only a few hundred were issued.

So, I don't want to destroy value, but I would REALLY like to sand down the stock and refinish it. None of my guns are safe-queens, I shoot what I own.

What do y'all think? Are M48 BOs collectible? If so, if I refinish the stock, will it really destroy value? Could I sand it smoother, then refinish using a process similar to what they did at Zastava? Anyone know how they finished the Teak wood?

Thanks in advance for any info!

 

[greenlion]

Most of the stocks on those are rough. There are so many of them out there that unless you have some rare specimen, no one is going to care. Just don't sand any marking or numbers off the stock. Sand around them.

 

[JohnKSa]

Good luck on your work.

By the way, the serial number on my M48 BO also starts with a 'W'.

 

[Capybara]

Not that M48s are super rare but by sanding it, you remove any collector value. So as long as you are comfortable instantly removing at least $100.00 to $150.00 in collector value (yes, the BOs are more rare than the A), go for it. Personally, I would not. Here is my stock, untouched M48A after a liberal dose of Henry's Feed 'N Wax

 

[Turftech1]

Not that M48s are super rare but by sanding it, you remove any collector value. So as long as you are comfortable instantly removing at least $100.00 to $150.00 in collector value (yes, the BOs are more rare than the A), go for it. Personally, I would not. Here is my stock, untouched M48A after a liberal dose of Henry's Feed 'N Wax

Capybara, does that stuff make the gun slick or waxy? That is a dang good looking stock!

 

[MilsurpShooter]

I'd recommend a book by Branko Bogdanovic titled: Serbian and Yugoslav Mauser Rifles. I picked up a copy when I got my M48a and it's been an in depth and helpful source of information.

First and foremost, a lot more BO's were made then 3,000. The moniker "bo" stands for "bez oznake" meaning "unmarked" or "without markings." They didn't have a crest or anything and were primarily manufactured for export. Clean finish so whoever bought them could add their own crest and markings. According to the rifle production table 386,022 BO marked rifles were produced in 1957.

So it's a 1957 rifle if it's a traditional BO. The other determination to make with your rifle, is to find out if it's a scrubbed M48B or a True BO. Some of the older production rifles which were in service were re-arsenaled and scrubbed then added to the shipments. The way's to tell what type of M48 you have are with the metal floorplate, barrel band, and the trigger guard

This thread will give you all the information you'll need to determine which model it is.

http://milsurpshooter.net/topic/10363/M48-Model-comparison-photo-analysis#.VlzCD-LvTF0

As far as your question to the stock. Well it's your rifle, if it bothers you to the point where it affects your enjoyment of said firearm, I say do what you have too in order to enjoy it. I'm a purist, so if it was all matching, wood as well as the metal... Well... I'm always hesitant to make them look pretty in conditions like that because the wear and tear in of itself tells a story about where the rifle has been or what it has seen. I've got a well chewed Sino-Soviet SKS I had bought for a project gun but got an all matching accurate shooter so she stays the way she is lol.

As far as the finishing used the book mentions that the Teak stocks were Sanded smooth, and oiled, doesn't say exactly what they used, or I'm just not finding it in the book. Some threads I pulled up on Parallax Bills Forum seem to give the general consensus that Lindeseed Oil

http://parallaxscurioandrelicfirearmsforums.yuku.com/topic/10252/#.VlzE8OLvTF0

Good luck with the rifle with whichever you decide to do though, first and foremost it's yours, do what you like to be happy with it, everything else should come second.

 

[Turftech1]

I'd recommend a book by Branko Bogdanovic titled: Serbian and Yugoslav Mauser Rifles. I picked up a copy when I got my M48a and it's been an in depth and helpful source of information.

First and foremost, a lot more BO's were made then 3,000. The moniker "bo" stands for "bez oznake" meaning "unmarked" or "without markings." They didn't have a crest or anything and were primarily manufactured for export. Clean finish so whoever bought them could add their own crest and markings. According to the rifle production table 386,022 BO marked rifles were produced in 1957.

So it's a 1957 rifle if it's a traditional BO. The other determination to make with your rifle, is to find out if it's a scrubbed M48B or a True BO. Some of the older production rifles which were in service were re-arsenaled and scrubbed then added to the shipments. The way's to tell what type of M48 you have are with the metal floorplate, barrel band, and the trigger guard

This thread will give you all the information you'll need to determine which model it is.

http://milsurpshooter.net/topic/10363/M48-Model-comparison-photo-analysis#.VlzCD-LvTF0

As far as your question to the stock. Well it's your rifle, if it bothers you to the point where it affects your enjoyment of said firearm, I say do what you have too in order to enjoy it. I'm a purist, so if it was all matching, wood as well as the metal... Well... I'm always hesitant to make them look pretty in conditions like that because the wear and tear in of itself tells a story about where the rifle has been or what it has seen. I've got a well chewed Sino-Soviet SKS I had bought for a project gun but got an all matching accurate shooter so she stays the way she is lol.

As far as the finishing used the book mentions that the Teak stocks were Sanded smooth, and oiled, doesn't say exactly what they used, or I'm just not finding it in the book. Some threads I pulled up on Parallax Bills Forum seem to give the general consensus that Lindeseed Oil

http://parallaxscurioandrelicfirearmsforums.yuku.com/topic/10252/#.VlzE8OLvTF0

Good luck with the rifle with whichever you decide to do though, first and foremost it's yours, do what you like to be happy with it, everything else should come second.

Thank you!
Awesome info there! Mine is a true BO, not scrubbed. I have seen scrubbed ones where you could still make out part of the crest, or factory markings if you held it up to the light. But, floor plate and barrel bands confirm that mine is a BO.

I had no idea that many were made.

 

[Scooter22]

If you posted some pics it would be easier to give a answer. I've seen plenty of M48s with beat worn stocks that a refinish wouldn,t hurt. But what looks bad to some is a perfectly collectible to others. The Milsurp market is drying up compared to the 90s and 2000s. Unissued guns were available for 79.00 bucks or so. Now those guns are 4-500 bucks. Less is more on refinishing old collectible guns.

 

[Mayvik]

They are supposed to be like that...don't mess with it unless you want yo keep it forever. Value is low on these as-is. If it that much of a bother, take the factory stock off and replace it with a Boyd's mil style.