M48

[4110mm]

Tell me all about the Zavastava M48, looking at a very nice near new looking. Action feels nice, stock looks original and excellent. They are subpar to the K98s, why? How are their barrels (quality of steel, hammer forged, tolerances, accuracy potential etc.) Looking for real shooter knowledge beyond wiki. Looking to load for and shoot these.

Thanks very much

4110

 

[Fulton bulldog]

M48 are good shooting guns. The collector value isnt there yet. Parts do nor interchange with k98s. They are still available in the 500 to 600 dollar range and they look like new

 

[Pat]

They were military issue rifles made for a population diverse in ethnic background and technical ability in a nation trying to rebuild itself from WWII. You won't see superior steel or other components, precision of construction or the tolerances of a pre-war or even early war K98k. They're good shooters, but a bit overbuilt. I personally didn't like the very beefy stocks, something that was carried over to both their M1959 and the M1959/66 SKS rifles.

Mine shot well with appropriate weight (196-198gr.) surplus and commercial ammunition, with expected factors like trigger pull, iron sights and stock fitment all playing a role either way.

 

[Stan]

Personally, I like the M24/47 rebuilds a bit more than the M48. Pre-war quality receivers and a new barrel in most cases. Early M48's seemed to be rather crude machining, understandably given the circumstances. Some of the later M-48A marked rifles seemed like they were finished better.

 

[Sexton]

From what I have read, and someone correct me, it's been years since I read up on them, the M 48 is kind of a dumbed down version of the M 24 and M 24/47, corners were cut to expedite production in a country recovering from war. Quality and attention to detail got a little better with the M 48A, then with the M 48B, stamped vs. milled components began to appear, again to expedite production. You won't find a rifle marked M 48B because they used receivers that had already been stamped M 48A, and true M48A's are scarce because they were never released for sale.
Parts won't interchange with a 98k because the M 48 uses an intermediate length action as opposed to the 98k's long action.

 

[JimF]

Yes, lousy tolerances . . . . .
When I attached the bayonet to mine, I couldn’t remove it without a rubber mallet!

 

[mos]

I own two and am fond of them for collector reasons only. The last military K98 derivatives ever made and issued.

Zastava M48 23.25” 8x57 #M907xx (‘50-‘52, GPC Import, 99% w/ Factory Penciled Serial)
Zastava M48BO 23.25” 8x57 #V550xx. (‘56-‘65, Intrac Import, 99% w/ Factory Penciled Serial)

But that’s just me… I dig the post-war / Cold War period quite a lot and collect accordingly.


mos

 

[Cyrano4747]

They're fun rifles. Good shooters although, yeah, not as well put together as a pre-war k98k. I've always had them be pretty solid accuracy-wise. A lot of them had very little wear to boot.

THey're also a lot of fun for the giant crest on the receiver.

 

[Old School Guns]

Some had scopes mounted to them in the early 1990s and were used as sniper rifles in the conflicts in the Balkans.

 

[Stan]

From what I have read, and someone correct me, it's been years since I read up on them, the M 48 is kind of a dumbed down version of the M 24 and M 24/47, corners were cut to expedite production in a country recovering from war. Quality and attention to detail got a little better with the M 48A, then with the M 48B, stamped vs. milled components began to appear, again to expedite production. You won't find a rifle marked M 48B because they used receivers that had already been stamped M 48A, and true M48A's are scarce because they were never released for sale.
Parts won't interchange with a 98k because the M 48 uses an intermediate length action as opposed to the 98k's long action.

Yes, they are basically a post war made version of the M1924 (intermediate action) with some K98k features added, such as a bent bolt, cupped butt plate, and a German K98k style side sling mount. The Yugoslavs must have liked those features of the K98k!

 

[Sexton]

Yes, they are basically a post war made version of the M1924 (intermediate action) with some K98k features added, such as a bent bolt,

Didn't some of the very last 24/47 reworks come with a bent bolt, or was that a myth someone started?

 

[Pat]

Some did, typically those that had cavalry carbine sling slots (at the rear barrel band and on the left side of the stock wrist). They also got mixed around some, but the M.24-52C's and the M.24/47's are all rebuilds, anyway.

 

[Stan]

Didn't some of the very last 24/47 reworks come with a bent bolt, or was that a myth someone started?

The original M1924's came as both bent and straight bolts as Pat mentioned. One would suspect that the bent bolts from those would have gotten reused during the refurb, but I have not seen a M24/47 with an original, pre-war carbine bent bolt. There was an importer several years ago that was offering bent bolts in their M24/47's for an extra charge, but those looked like they were straight bolts that were bent down (by the importer?) and not the unique, original bent pattern.