9.3x57
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Reged: 22/04/07
Posts: 5561
Loc: United States
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As the basis for a "user" rifle, what say ye about the quality of the Zastava M98 action?
Experiences?
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What are the Rosary, the Cross or the Crucifix other than tools to help maintain the fortress of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
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kamilaroi
.400 member
Reged: 18/12/04
Posts: 1803
Loc: sydney, new south wales, Austr...
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Best contemporary action there is for us plebs (except for Prechtl etc if you have the walung).
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500Nitro
.450 member
Reged: 06/01/03
Posts: 7244
Loc: Victoria, Australia
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Quality ?
If your going to buy a Zastava, why wouldn't you buy a genuine
ex military Mauser 98 action ?
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DGR375
.300 member
Reged: 04/10/07
Posts: 131
Loc: Gold Coast, QLD
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Any Mauser 98 action that functions as it should is great, in my humble opinion. Who cares if it doesn't have a fancy name? I'm extremely happy with my CZs, and Zastavas would be in the same category. You don't NEED fancy metalwork, woodwork or prestigous brands. Just enjoy it.
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500Nitro
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Reged: 06/01/03
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Loc: Victoria, Australia
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Their are some pretty crappy Zatava's out there, just as there are mauser 98's but more crappy Zatava's than other IMHO.
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9.3x57
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Reged: 22/04/07
Posts: 5561
Loc: United States
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500;
Great question.
There are lots of them around and they are sometimes cheap but then I have to alter bolt handle, buy a stock and fit, etc. Cost for the little stuff goes up and since the gun will have no collector or resale value more-or-less anyhow, I'm not looking that direction. Not ruling out a milsurp 100%, or an FN or FN/HVA, either.
Cost-wise, some Zastavas with a factory stock can be had for the cost of a beater Heinie 98 and I can do the stock-work myself {refinish, set up comb for lefty-shooting, etc}, plus the Zastavas are set up for the cartridge I'm mulling over using as a basic for my possible project, have a scope-friendly bolt handle, etc.
I have seen Whitworth's over the years that were very nice, action-wise, and I think the Whitworth used a Zastava action...{???}
Anyway, are the Zastavas reliable feeders? Any regular and frequent problems with them?
Thanks for the responses.
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What are the Rosary, the Cross or the Crucifix other than tools to help maintain the fortress of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
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9.3x57
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Reged: 22/04/07
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Loc: United States
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Just saw your post 500. What do you mean by crappy; stocks etc or actions as in badly made, excessive wobble, bad feeding, what are the buggers to look for?
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What are the Rosary, the Cross or the Crucifix other than tools to help maintain the fortress of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
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500Nitro
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Reged: 06/01/03
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Loc: Victoria, Australia
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Quote:
Just saw your post 500. What do you mean by crappy; stocks etc or actions as in badly made, excessive wobble, bad feeding, what are the buggers to look for?
Actions badly made. Rough, excessive wobble. Made to a price.
If it's going to do what you want, then give it a go
- but don't expect a silk purse out of a sows ear !!!
Some were good, but anybody who seemed to want to use Zatava's was because they were cheap - and they were cheap, or at least the one's over here were because they were known as crap.
What to look for.
A military Mauser 98 made pre WW1 or pre WW11 ie don;t buy things made nearer the end of the wars !!!!
God, there must be millions of Mausers to choose from at gun shows in the US, surely you can find one that hasn;t been totally stuffed ?
After all, what do you want, the action only, the action and stock and then rebarrel it ?
I don't know about Whitworths.
Edited by 500Nitro (25/07/09 11:18 PM)
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9.3x57
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Reged: 22/04/07
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Loc: United States
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More or less a simple rebarrel.
Thanks for the info. I just read deHaas and he has mixed reviews, too.
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What are the Rosary, the Cross or the Crucifix other than tools to help maintain the fortress of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
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500Nitro
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Reged: 06/01/03
Posts: 7244
Loc: Victoria, Australia
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Quote:
More or less a simple rebarrel.
Thanks for the info. I just read deHaas and he has mixed reviews, too.
Interesting that someone else has mixed reviews.
Maybe in view of the fact you only want a rebarrel
and can do the stock yourself, Find a good one
and use it. If it's not all that expensive and
doesn't work out, put the barrel back in and
sell it on !!!
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9.3x57
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Reged: 22/04/07
Posts: 5561
Loc: United States
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Quote:
Quote:
Find a good one and use it. If it's not all that expensive and doesn't work out, put the barrel back in and sell it on !!!
500;
Great idea!
deHaas reviewed two; one an action he bought, and the other a Whitworth Zastava-made gun. He said the buffing/polishing was bad on the action, but had much good to say about the Whitworth gun.
Makes me wonder if some are good, some bad.
My trouble with Mauser 98's is that since I'm where I am and can rarely see the guns before I buy them, who knows. I've run into many poor Mauser 98's over the years. As you say, there are gazillions of them so finding a good one shouldn't be hard, but for me sometimes is... Probably ditto the Zastava...
Thanks for the input.
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What are the Rosary, the Cross or the Crucifix other than tools to help maintain the fortress of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
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tophet1
.400 member
Reged: 15/09/07
Posts: 1873
Loc: NSW, Australia
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I've seen Whitworths and have a Parker Hale , all built on ex-mil Mauser 98 actions. The Parker Hale I just rebarreled and took hunting for a very cheap price. I'd look for a sporter on an ex-mil action before a Zastava.
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DGR375
.300 member
Reged: 04/10/07
Posts: 131
Loc: Gold Coast, QLD
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You might also want to try the Voere 2155 or 2165. I have one in 7x57 and it is a good gun at a modest price. The acion is smooth, almost no wobble, and totally reliable. The wood is ok, too.
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Con
.333 member
Reged: 24/05/04
Posts: 261
Loc: Victoria
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Cripes ... at one time I owned a Zastava in 458WinMag with Butler Ck stock. It was fine other than an issue feeding the 510gr Winchester soft with its big lead nose. Was fine with a Woodleigh though. Sold it and later bought a CZ550 in 458WinMag. Guess what ... it also didn't feed and was about 1kg heavier.
There was a a question mark regarding the Zastava rifles in 375H&H as metal was removed from the feed ramp to open the action (possibly weakening it) and I've read that the high level of polish is a nightmare for a custom gunsmith to re-do if the receiver needs a touch up polish for a full blown custom.
As a user rifle ... they're fine. Phil Shoemaker from memory runs an InterArms 458WM as his guiding rifle for Brown bears.
For sure the Zastava will need clean up work just like any other rifle, but the action is inherently suitable for 'user rifle' purposes.
Cheers...
Con
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9.3x57
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Reged: 22/04/07
Posts: 5561
Loc: United States
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Thanks fellows; What are the factory triggers like? Crisp, or mushy and spongy?
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What are the Rosary, the Cross or the Crucifix other than tools to help maintain the fortress of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
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500Nitro
.450 member
Reged: 06/01/03
Posts: 7244
Loc: Victoria, Australia
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Con,
The feeding problem with Winchester 510gn bullets in 458
was not a gun problem, Winchester designed the length / nose differently to any other bullet on the market and very few other guns fed them well without a bit of modification.
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Handloader52
.224 member
Reged: 13/12/09
Posts: 40
Loc: Maryland, USA
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I have two custom rifles built on Interarm Mark X actions. Both are marked Interarms Mark X; Manchester, England; and CZ with the C inside the Z inside a circle. What actions do I have? Do they both come from Whitworths? Interestingly, they are finished inside and out as nicely as any commercial mauser action I've ever seen and are extremely smooth in operation. I'd love to know what I have. By the way, one action has a serial number A2894XX and the other B2961XX.
Keith
410-693-9265
Edited by Handloader52 (25/11/10 09:27 AM)
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pablo_mauser_66
.275 member
Reged: 01/03/07
Posts: 80
Loc: Australia, Sydney
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Well I bought 2 new zastava's recently (6.5 & 9.3) and I'm pleased with what I got ($530 Synthetic blued). Triggers are good but not the equal of a Timney, they are crisp but not light. One of the bolts has machining marks that cant be polished out. Ater polishing the rails and follower both actions are alot smoother now thou not as good as a VZ24 or an oberdorf. Bluing is VG and accuracy is an inch for 3 shot. I'm not really a fan of the light walnut Zastava uses so I saved 15% off the price. I was fortunate enough to score a Voere stock recently just slipped it on this week. This is a worker gun that I doubt I'll ever part with.
Edited by CptCurl (25/11/10 10:24 PM)
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458Win
.333 member
Reged: 15/12/06
Posts: 342
Loc: Alaska
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They have not always been the best finished rifles, but neither were all military Mausers or BRNO's - or AK's - but they are a solid, reliable Mauser action built with good steel. I have had a number of them over the years and have seen plenty more in use by my guides. Everyone has been quite accurate with good barrels
When I bought my 458 Win barreled action it had a few feeding issues as the magazine box and rails were a bit too tight but that was an easy fix. Mine feeds as reliably and slick as any rifle I have ever used.
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Anyone who claims the 30-06 is ineffective has either never used one - or else is unwittingly commenting on their marksmanship
Phil Shoemaker
www.grizzlyskinsofalaska.com
Edited by CptCurl (26/11/10 11:10 PM)
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CWJ1898
.275 member
Reged: 28/01/09
Posts: 63
Loc: LA, USA
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9.3x57,
Virtually all of my recent impressions are those of the posters that reflect negatively on the action, however I do have one very positive experience with a Zastava rifle that occured 15 years ago. While on a chamois hunt in Bavaria I dropped my Heym bolt action on the side of a mountain coming down from the day's hunt. I shot it the next morning and it ended up having scope damage. I swapped and then tested a good friend's Zastava in 7x64 Brenneke before the guide and I hunted again. I remember being surprised at how well the rifle was finished and fit (in both wood and metal) and it functioned perfectly with no undue bolt wobble or roughness and it exhibited 1" accuracy at 100 meters. The rifle was new the year before (no work was done on it with the exception of a claw mount installation) and picked up at Franconia in Wurzburg, Germany. It makes me wonder if the United States exports of late and even the older Mark Xs were made to a price with attention to quality control only for the continental European market? In any case if I were to run across that same configuration again I would be quite tempted to pick one up. The recent run has not impressed me at all.
Best Regards
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