What 7.62 x 39 bolt guns are out there?

The Zastava M85 rifles used to be imported by Interarms (Mini Mauser), Kassnar (Charles Daly), and Remington (799), and sold under the Zastava name by USSG. I am not sure who imports them now, but I have seen them for sale on the AIM and SOG websites not too long ago. Good little guns, very accurate, but kinda rough. I like the Zastavas and the CZs about the same, the Zastava is easier to carry because of the flush magazine, CZs have nicer wood and better finish on them.
 
I have two cz527 a carbine and a varmint. For the carbine I found a used Leupold compact now called the ultralight. Keeps a light gun light to carry.

Depends which model cz you have and how you plan to use it. I always try and keep the weight down on a gun that will be carried in the field.

I used the high cz rings that came with the varmint with a largr scope. I found some low height alloy rings for the carbine. I think they were warne, I would have to pull it out and refresh my memory. I dont necessarily mean low, I mean lower than the cz. I dont remember the height. The compact scope is really small and light.
 
If you handle the current zastava, so-called mini mauser, you see it is a crudely finished push feed. It has a false, imitation, fake, mauser extractor. Words fail me. They took the trouble to make a fake claw imitation control feed. they could have just built it right. You got to see one and pull the bolt. But for the price, it maybe just fine. No cz that is for sure. Not for me.

The OP got it right. I would hate to buy a zastava from the internet, sight unseen. what a shock that would be.
 
yeah, but....

The Zastavia rifle is indeed not a true mini mauser. I'd have to say that their bigger brothers, the full size Mark X rifles are/were of the Mauser pattern (different safety but the military wing was a problem anyhow) and the little brother got labeled "mini" for marketing purposes. My early example has deep blueing, all steel action hardware, and some type of what appears to be mystery walnut, maybe euro. There is some slight checkering on the underside of the bolt handle and the flush steel floorplate release button. I'm pretty certain the pistol grip cap on mine is steel, though likely stamped. About the only thing I don't like about the construction of the little rifles is the plastic butt plate, which could be addressed if I wanted to spend the money. Otherwise mine has some nifty old world features and I can't really think of it as "cheap". I have no idea what the Rem 799's and the current imports are like feature and quality wise.

Push feed v. controlled feed doesn't really bother me that much anymore. The early Ruger 77's were the classic example of the Mauser mock up, they "pushed" until the extracter jumped the extractor groove in the cartridge at the end of the chambering stroke. Ruger fixed that with the MkII of course, likely to resolve the loud outcry of "fake". The Rem 700 is a push feed, and the Rem 7, the Savage 110 also. Of course none of the preport to be "Mauser's" I will admit.

I handled a CZ last week, admittedly a youth model, and chambered in the x39 cartridge. Perhaps the youth stock was intended to be disposable, perhaps it had been altered by a hacker, but finish on the stock was awful. The rifle carried a price tag 1$ short of eight-hundred bucks and was being sold "as new". I did'nt much care for the euro box mag either, it seemed placed right about where I wanted to put my hand for "trail carry" one handed grasp while walking. Maybe that's why all those pics of euro hunters show them walking about with their rifles slung over their shoulder on the way to their stands? I did note that the action was by all appearances a shrunken mauser of sorts.

Anyhow, to each his own,. I like my mini-mauser....., others like the CZ. If Zastavia had called it the Baby-Z and some of this could have been avoided.
 
One thing to keep in the back of your head is that there is a shortage of 7.62X39 ammo that is projected to only worsen. Your reason for wanting the rifle may be going away. There are quite a few good .300 Black Out bolt rifles being built and it appears that the B.O. ammo will be cheaper than any quality ammo for the x39.
 
That may be true, but I've been stockpiling ammo for awhile now. I've also picked up enough brass-cased rounds so that I could reload at a later date.

If ammo supplies do dry up, I imagine there will be a sudden increase in .311 bullets available for reloaders.

Not really worried about it.
 
One thing to keep in the back of your head is that there is a shortage of 7.62X39 ammo that is projected to only worsen. Your reason for wanting the rifle may be going away. There are quite a few good .300 Black Out bolt rifles being built and it appears that the B.O. ammo will be cheaper than any quality ammo for the x39.
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What? Care to back this claim up?
 
I closely monitor most of the common calibers on ammoseek.com

7.62x39mm has stayed at the same price for at least the past 12 months. It has not suffered much at all, and is available everywhere, in every gun store/Wal-Mart I've been in, and hundreds of online vendors.

I think a certain .300 Blackout fanboy needs to check their story.
 
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One thing to keep in the back of your head is that there is a shortage of 7.62X39 ammo that is projected to only worsen. Your reason for wanting the rifle may be going away. There are quite a few good .300 Black Out bolt rifles being built and it appears that the B.O. ammo will be cheaper than any quality ammo for the x39.
Click to expand...

Not in Texas.
Oh and because I own nothing chambered in x39 I purchased a CZ yesterday. Couldnt stand hearing how accurate they are and when my wife looked at it and said "Nice Wood", that sealed the deal.
 
"One thing to keep in the back of your head is that there is a shortage of 7.62X39 ammo that is projected to only worsen."

HUH??? I get emails daily offering 7.62x39 at sale prices. Often in the $250/1000 range. Given ample funding, I could load a boxcar in short order.
 
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