Has anyone ever sporterized a M-48? With the "like new" M-48s being sold for $120, this would seem like a good, inexpensive project.

I sportered a M48 some years back. It's an intermediate length action. I rebarreled to 30-06 which is okay, but full length spitzers are too long for the magazine. I use round nose bullets to solve this problem and everything is fine. Trust me, they kill just well as all the fancy ones do. If I were to do it over, I'd go with a 308 or 7x57 lenght cartridge.

Forgot one thing, sporter stocks aren't readily available for intermediate actions. Standard length stocks can be made to work.

Forgot one thing, sporter stocks aren't readily available for intermediate length actions. Stocks for the standard length action can be made to work. I used a Bell and Carlson Duralite.

http://www.rifle-stocks.com/actions_available.htm

These guys will do any mauser.

FAC and Midway have the Boyd drop in fully finished stocks for the Intermediate M98 mauser large ring. lota wood removed in the bbl. channel, looks like a sporter contour not for a stepped mil. profile. Action just dropped in like a mil-surp.
Bob

I am doing one right now. I picked up a stock for a M96. It just needed a little more inletting to accomodate the front ring. The M96 is also a tad wider at the tang but a litle glass fixed that. If you get a 96 stock ask them to leave a little extra at the tang. The 8x57 is a great round in this little rifle.

-M

Safety lever on the bolt needs modification to accomodate/clear the scope. I think there are "drop in" units for this.

Personally, I think these guns are nice looking just the way they were designed for the wars.

More than the safety needs modification to clear a scope, the handle will need either reshaping, welding, or forging too. Either that or you will need some very high rings.

That's why this one is being built solely for iron sights.

I think it's neat idea, as in a compact little 7x57 or 257 Roberts. Even though it's only a little shorter than a standard 98, it's quite noticeable when sitting in a stock.

The only thing that's kept me from it is the atrocious metal finish on most of the guns -- all that draw filing and polishing, yuck. If you can find one that looks nice though, why not?

I am almost done with a 7x57 in a standard 98 that's pretty compact though -- unless my bathroom scale is lying, it's a little over 6 pounds. I don't think you'd save much in weight w/ the 48; plus you can't put a hinged triggerguard on it.

BTW, thanks Craigster for the stock -- you'd never recognize it now.

Todd

Thanks for the replies.

I read where one guy removed the rear sight and replaced it with a wide relief pistol scope.

Has anyone tried this?

El Viejo,

You are probably referring to the Ashley Outdoors scout scope mount, or similar:
http://www.ashleyoutdoors.com/scope_mount.html
There is a paperback Gunsmithing book by someone named Sweeney, with one chapter that is a write-up of how to do a scout rifle.

The 7x57 I referred to has a receiver peep sight; I'm trying to find the proper Ruger #1 quarter rib to fit to my barrel contour, so I can mount an EER scope like you are talking about. It will hopefully end up a slim, nice looking walnut stocked brush rifle.

Todd

I had a Mauser "artist" (much more than a gunsmith) do a custom job on an M-48 action last year. He said he will never work on one again. Too much work squaring everything up. It has a Douglas barrel, Timney trigger and a B&C synthetic stock. This may be the only synthetic stocked M-48 in existence. Nobody makes a true synthetic except that ugly pos from advanced technologies that will supposedly work. Go to Richard's Microfit, Boyd's or Elk Ridge for a decent wood stock. The B&C took way too much work and money to get it to fit.

Fast Ed

$%$^&%$PICTURE SERVER IS ON THE BLINK!

[ 01-03-2003, 07:12: Message edited by: TERRY8mm ]

Are milled floorplates available for the 48A?

Thanks,
Telly

Yes.The M48 (as opposed to the M48A) has a milled rather than stamped floorplate.

I found a yugo M48 in 8X57 that is so fresh that even the bluing inside the magazine plate where the cases ride is 99%. All #s match and a nice crest graces the reciever. I reworked and sporterized the existing stock and added a Mauser emblem where the sling holes used to be, its looking suprisingly handsome. Im keeping the original bbl and did some small improvments to the original sights and intend to keep it as such, I want to still be able to use stripper clips with it and lob cast bullets at far away things. I shot it Saturday with some 197 grn milsurp ammo and intend to use the gun for Elk this year.

Damn nice gun for 100 bucks!

I recall reading a suggestion that a M48 would make a good candidate for a WSM rebbl, the 284 winch case has lots of great wildcats too.

[ 01-09-2003, 09:34: Message edited by: Wstrnhuntr ]

I shot mine, it seems to like the 196 gr turkish more than the 153 gr Yugo.