Just a question here:

the zastava is cut on fn commercial equipment which i suppose would make it a commercial mauser action. perhaps debatabel but...

at any rate, a gunsmith who knows what he is doing can make a standard such as an 06 into a 375 H&H as we all know. if proper modifications are made for feed/function and the action were to be surface ground shall i suppose the action would cycle like a ruby and be as good as any other mauser made to 375H&H?

Since the zastava came from the factory in a 375 H&H the answer to your question would be a yes.

Like most 98 conversions the 375 is made to fit by removing as much metal from the rear plate in the mag box as possible then removing the rest from the front feed ramp area. While it does remove metal from the feedramp thus lower locking lug backing I have never heard of that resulting in a major issue.

I believe that some actually alter the back of the mag box, action opening as well as bolt stop and ejector to capture a little more distance in the rear. Resulting in reduce metal removal in the front.

All of the zastava 375's I've seen only took metal out of the front- A LOT OF METAL out of the front. Don't know if that makes a hill of beans.

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All of the zastava 375's I've seen only took metal out of the front

If you look real close I bet you a the rear panel had been thinned from it's normal thickness. But you are correct the vast majority of the removal was the front.

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Originally posted by bluefish:
the zastava is cut on fn commercial equipment which i suppose would make it a commercial mauser action. perhaps debatabel but...

To be clear - these are commercial actions, regards of the "debatable" portion of it if is relevant as to whom designed the mausers.

Yes, they are 100% commercial,, but I I have never heard that they were made on FN equipment. For the record, I don't like to remove all the metal from the front locking surface; I move the rear wall back as far as possible first (removing it and re=welding a new one) before taking any from the front.

does that step become irrelevant if one uses new bottom metal unit such as a blackburn or a wiebe?

a second question is could a lh mauser have a right hand 3 pos safety put on for a more natural operation or, what would be necessary to extend the tang a bit to make a tang safety?

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Originally posted by jeffeosso:

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Originally posted by bluefish:
the zastava is cut on fn commercial equipment which i suppose would make it a commercial mauser action. perhaps debatabel but...

To be clear - these are commercial actions, regards of the "debatable" portion of it if is relevant as to whom designed the mausers.

Sure glad we cleared that right up...

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a second question is could a lh mauser have a right hand 3 pos safety put on for a more natural operation or, what would be necessary to extend the tang a bit to make a tang safety

I "believe" the shroud threads are in the wrong direction.

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Yes, they are 100% commercial, but I have never heard that they were made on FN equipment.

Zastava did purchase at least one entire commercial M98 production line (if not all of the commercial M98 production lines) from the FN factory. The equipment was relocated to the Zastava factory and it is/has been used to produce Zastava's M70 action which for all practical production purposes is identical to the commercial FN M98 Mauser action.

I've taken no effort to verify, but have heard that the M70 designation is representative of the year the FN' commercial M98 Mauser equipment was put into production by Zastava.

Perhaps others with more updated information could pipe in.

As that Zimbabwe PH training officer observed, changing calibres to make dangerous-game rifles is always fraught with danger. Adapting a standard-length Mauser action to the .375 H&H can be done but takes the danger beyond feeding into the area of possible action failure, as well. Thank God for the third lug and Mauser gas management - and professional hunters with reliable stoppers.

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As that Zimbabwe PH training officer observed, changing calibres to make dangerous-game rifles is always fraught with danger. Adapting a standard-length Mauser action to the .375 H&H can be done but takes the danger beyond feeding into the area of possible action failure, as well. Thank God for the third lug and Mauser gas management - and professional hunters with reliable stoppers.

Then I reckon the simplest thing to do would be to purchase the Zastava M70 chambered for the .375 H&H by the factory. The action is virtually identical the the factory Browning FN .375 H&H chambered action and I don't recollect any complaints about its durability or reliability. The principal difference is Zastava eliminated that funky Browning 'spring' bolt release in favor of the traditional M98 bolt release.

Yep, simple solution...

Otherwise, better insure you're using a truly M98 Mauser knowledgable gunsmith for your action modifications else trouble is brewing on the horizon.

I remove most of the metal from the rear and just a tad from the front and it works fine..

Mark 10s, Whitworths take all the metal off the front feed ramp, and some keep the old rumors flying about it being a dangerous practice..

I have never known of either a Mark 10 or Whitworth to blow up or even have a problem of any kind and they have been around for a hell of a long time.

Someone once said in print it was dangerous, but the facts prove it is safe, end of story..just another scribed rumor by someone who said "it must be so". but had no knowledge other than what someone said...all to common in the world of gundome!