Yugo 8mm Mauser, Any good?

H

HerrJaegermeister

New member
A local sporting goods store had a Yugo 8mm Mauser in an ad for $119.99. They are supposed to be old military guns that sat around in storage for years packed in grease. Mitchell Sales also has these rifles for a lot more money.

Are these M-48 rifles any good? I like old bolt-action rifles. Dad back home in Minnesota has a Springfield 1903 that was sporterized. That one had a Lyman peep site and was supposed to be a competition gun before someone put a monte carlo stock and scope on it. That Springfield. in .30-06 will outshoot any modern rifle except custom or heavy-barrel Remington or Savage.

Are the M-48s solid rifles with decent accuracy? The price seems good. What should I look for if I pick one up next week. I'd like to have it get about two inches at 100 yards if scoped. Am I crazy?

Thanks
 
Hi, I've got a Yugoslav M48A that I'm very happy with. For the price, it's pretty hard to beat. Be sure to check that the condition of the barrel and try to find one with matching numbers if possible. I haven't really tested the accuracy on mine yet, so I'm afraid I can't help you in that regard.
 
I consider mine a great gun for the money, but you may run into trouble if you decide to scope it. The M48's have an odd receiver length, so standard large ring Mauser scope mounts and aftermarket sporter stocks don't fit. IMH they are best left in their original state.
 
Just saw some at a gunshow on saturday for $189 in new condition. They looked really nice. If I would have had the cash I would have purchased one.
 
Just took my M48 to the range last weekend for the first time. Purchased the rifle and 350 rounds of the Turk 8mm from AIM last December. Accuracy at 100 yards was much better than I expected. So was the recoil. :) Did have several rounds that didn't fire with the first trigger pull.

Overall, a good shooting rifle.

--
Mike
 
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Halo wrote:

"Just -assume- all surplus ammo is corrosive and you will never have a problem."

This is ESPECIALLY TRUE of all 8mm ammo. Most of it was either made before non-corrosive became common with military ammo, or was made in countries that did not make the change to non-corrosive until many years after the rest of the world.

The Turk ammo IS corrosive.

So far as I've been able to determine (from BBS heresay), the ONLY non-corrosive mil-surp 8mm ammo available today is that made by FN in Belgium. Please note that I've never used any of the FN ammo, nor personally know of anyone who has. I'm just repeating what I've read on various boards.

Best regards,
Swampy
 
I have M48 from Yugo too, I love it, it's totally new, believe me, just check every gun in store before buy it, much more beautiful than my savage 10FP, just a little less than my AK47, hehe,
my case, I went local BIG 5, and saw one in the display, and I asked employee if there's more in the backroom, she brought one back with saying it's last one, it's unopened box with sticker saying "excellent condition" i opened it, all matching beautiful new condition, I bought it right away of course,
buy S&B 8mm ammo, non-corrosive, and seems more accurate, for me anyway,
 
Love it!

I picked one up some time ago, and it's fast becoming my favorite rifle. Some have had extraction problems with the Turk ammo, but I suspect that stuff has gotten a little too potent with age. I've also find that mine is extracting better as it gets broken in. These are, after all, new rifles. They're just fifty years old.
 
Hirtenberger has NC surplus 8mm, too.

I've had my 48 almost 2 years, and I think it's a heck of a value. It really came into its own when I lost the cruddy rear tangent sight and put on one of Tim Jones' Mojo apertures. It's a keeper.
 
Our buddies at SAMCO . . .

Hirtenberger makes/made everything.

http://www.samcoglobal.com/ammo.html
8mm MAUSER BALL (7.92x57JS)
Mfg. Hirtenberger Patronen, Austria, '80s, FMJ, NC/BO (reloadable) 197 gr. Boattail. Packed 20 rds per box. 1920 rds per
case. Wt. 132# per case.

36.9 cents per Round
200 rds $ 73.80
$ 708.48 per case

They also have NC Portuguese stuff, but Berdan-primed.

(Buy a case!) :)
cheers, erich
 
I thought a lot of the appeal of the M48 was the ammo. When I bought the original 350 round, it cost me 24.75 IIRC. That works out to ~ $0.07 a round. I really should have bought more when AIM had it on special.

--
Mike
 
FYI ...

J&G at www.jgsales.com also has 8mm Surplus

Turkish $79.10/1400 ... FWIW ... This stuff has always gone bang for me on the first fall of the firing pin.

S&B 8mm Soft Point NC/Boxer for $10.95/20 ... not quite as cheap as the Hirtenberger but an option, especially if you are a hunter.

I agree that one of the fun parts of the 8mm is the 6 cents per round that it costs to shoot it ... I'll be shooting primarily corrosive at this price ... I clean after every range session anyway, this just means that I now have a reason to clean immediately after returning.

Saands
 
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