iam thinking of buying a yug m48 any opinions on this rifle they are mint ,but have shorter action which i dont like .any opinions on why they did this ???? i would also like one of czech 98 8 mil offered by samco but there is the drama of getting it into AUS [oz]

Hey kos,

The M-48 is a fine action. It is essentially a medium length large ring M-98, very strong but the length limits their potential for customizing. Im currently contemplating having mine rebarreled to a 358 Winchester. Thought about a 350 Rem Mag, but dont want the potential feeding problems.

If your just looking for something to shoot 8mm from they are a good choice.

The M48's are crap. In general. A few nice ones slipped through but in general the machining is very rough. Look at any milsurp board and you will find endless tales of hard bolt lift and operation. The tolerances on these actions were bad at best.

I have one very nice one and three that were rough as sandpaper. All were like new.

Get a decent 98 action and have at it. Or be prepared to do a lot of slicking up.

I've got an M48 that is just ready for a new scope and barrel. Things to watch for--

Some of the nice looking ones are "parts guns" that the arsenal stuck together out of spare parts. Don't plan on those working without a little rework.

Mine shoots decently, but not well enough that I want to keep it as an 8mm. I get about 4" groups at 100 yards.

Mine worked out very well. Machine work wasn't as good as the Swedes, but not near as bad as the Turks. It took some work, but it's a pretty nice gun now. Action works well. Still needs a little bead blasting and rebluing for cosmetics.

The action is short enough to be too short for a lot of 30-06 loads, and really just a trifle long for 308, 243, and 7mm-08. The two best cartridges I have found for a custom job are the 8x57 (who would have thought??) and the 6.5x55.

It's looking more and more like my Yugo will end up with a 6.5x55 barrel.

It all depends on what you want to do with it, and how much work you are willing to put in. If you have a good set of tools, and some spare time, and if you want a project, you might go one way. If you want an operating rifle, spending an extra $100 for a nicer starting point might be a better deal.

Hope this is helpful.

I have a M48 and am pretty pleased with it. I got the "as new, unfired" one with matching numbers. And I intended from the beginning to leave it as a 8x57 and as it came from the armory. The sights are pretty cheesy but the rifle seems pretty accurate. If you are looking for a customizing platform, I don't think you would have to go to the expense I did. I think you are able to buy just the actions.

I bought an $80 M48 that had a dark debris filled bore that cleaned up pretty good after about 2 weeks of cleaning. The bore is still dark but the rifling is good and strong. This rifle came with matching serial numbers. With my old 60+ year old bifocal wearing eyes, I was able to get a best 3 shot group at 50 yds of .75". I thought this was remarkable for this iron sight rifle. The action works just fine. I intend to keep it in it's original configuration. I love to develop loads for my old Milsurps and spend the day plinking with them.

I bought one of the 'unissued' m48's as well, all milled steel, and all matching numbers for $150usd. It's far more accurate than I am, and with all the wood and extra steel on it hardly kicks. Plus it looks pretty spiffy! Not all grimey like my Turk used to.

I really want to stick a .358 Win or .260 Rem barrel on it someday, but for now it's just used as-issued (except I took off the front sight hood and put on a Bold trigger).

Boydboys.com offers inexpensive aftermarket stocks for them, and also Advanced Technology has a polymer one that is just plain ugly (but works nicely, I'm using one now for hunting).

The VZ-24 action is a better choice if you want to make a fancier type custom rifle, a lot more accessories are available for regular length mausers, and of course you can cram more powerful rounds into them because of the longer action.

Shoot straight, shoot safe!
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