Eric needs help with ID an usual rifle~~

[rolandtg]

The stock is made of teak or something similar. I have one of these M48's. It's a great shooter.

[George Anderson]

The first rifle shown by Sergio has a laminate Oak stock as was used by the Germans in the latter years of the war. The second rifle he shows has a Beech stock.

[danielsand]

My absolutely favorite "sniper" rifle (actually DMR- designated marksman's rifle) is by far the Yugo M76. In my favorite (and original) 7.92X57 caliber (also known as "8mm Mauser" in the US). They were made (for US market) in .308 also, but I'm a stickler when it comes to "original".

I tried the Moisin-Nagant several times (I don't own one), and for some reason I dislike the 7.62R (don't know why). I also have a FINE #4 Enfield (scoped), and I am not fond of the .303 either (go figure). 8mm Mauser "feels right", I'm good with it to a great distance (scoped or not), and I decided this IS "my" caliber.

I am definitely in the "wrong forum" here, because I prefer ANY rifle over a handgun, ....but I LIKE this forum, and the great people that contribute to it, and I'm ABSOLUTELY in love with my 1918 Erfurt.

[Sergio Natali]

Originally Posted by George Anderson

The first rifle shown by Sergio has a laminate Oak stock as was used by the Germans in the latter years of the war. The second rifle he shows has a Beech stock.

You're right, as the first is a Yugo M98/48n practically an ex K98K 124 cm long with all the German marks erased, while the second is a Yugo M48 ( leght cm 108)
Personally I've always loved oack stocks, the first laminated stocks for K98K were produced by Mauser from 1939 and from 1940/41 had cupper steel butt plates; while if I'm not wrong Zastava M48 had teak stocks.

Sergio

[danielsand]

If some of you want to go into depth of the Yugoslavian weaponry, you should find a book "Yugoslavian and Serbian Mauser rifles" written by retired JNA Col. Branko Bogdanovic.

Branko is active on several mil surp forums, and participates in discussions. After he retired from the military, he searched archives in Belgrade, and Zastava factory in Kragujevac, and wrote a very accurate book about these rifles.

I never had a chance to read his book, and my knowledge on this subject comes from what I was told in school (in Yugoslavia), and my personal experience with most of the Yugo weaponry in the field. The parts of Branko's book I've seen posted on the Internet, and his information is VERY accurate.

As far as TEAK stocks...........I don't know if any of you remember so called "Mitchell Mausers"? Mitchel is known for "embellishing" with fancy words (tales, half truths, and outright lies) everything they sell. They imported THOUSANDS of nice condition M48s, refurbished them, reblued, etc. and called them "Mitchell Mausers" with teak stocks!!! The teak tale then transferred to later imported weapons like M76, M70 and variants, and thousands of people believe yugo rifles have teak stocks!

They don't. The wood is Yugoslavian Birch, and/or Elm. Both type of woods were used, and covered with BLO and cosmolene, they are indistinguishable from each other.

American company by the name "Ironwood" produces replacement stocks for Yugo weaponry, and they made them out of Teak believing the tale started by Mitchell. Then they analized the wood closely (these people KNOW wood, that's their trade!), and couldn't tell the origin from the composition.

To be honest,.....if you put one stock made from teak by Ironwood, next to Zastava original, you can't tell the difference! If it makes people feel good to believe their stocks are teak,....let it be. Teak is VERY expensive wood, and M48s (and everything else made in Zastava) were mas produced in the Communist country "on the budget". Quality? Yes. Exotic/expensive (which Teak is!)? Definitely no.

[rolandtg]

Originally Posted by danielsand

Exotic/expensive (which Teak is!)? Definitely no.

I stand corrected. Whatever the wood is it is very dense and totally saturated with cosmoline. When I got the rifle I left the stock out in the Texas sun for several hours to leach out some of the cosmoline. 20 years later the stock still weeps oil when it gets hot at the range....

[danielsand]

Originally Posted by rolandtg

I stand corrected. Whatever the wood is it is very dense and totally saturated with cosmoline. When I got the rifle I left the stock out in the Texas sun for several hours to leach out some of the cosmoline. 20 years later the stock still weeps oil when it gets hot at the range....

I was present (in Yugoslavia) when some of these were put in reserves. I was shocked to see how they (Yugo conscripts) dunked the WHOLE rifle into the "tub" filled with warm cosmo. Once the rifle is dunked in (one at the time), it's pulled out, and for a good measure MORE cosmo is poured down the barrel with a ladle. Rifle is then put aside in the stack (stacked like cord wood) in the picture seen in Eric's post, and when the cosmo solidifies, rifles were wrapped in the paper, and crated five per crate.

I would LOVE to lay my hands on one of those nifty crates! They were made of birch, with compartments for all the accessories that came with the rifles (bayonets, slings, oilers, ammo pouches). The crate was plain wood inside, and OD painted on the outside, with white and yellow lettering. Rifles were separated from each other with built in spacers, and spacers had felt lining glued over the wood, where spacers made contact with rifles.

Very neat, secure, and efficient.

The best way to get cosmo out of the wood, is to take the action out of the stock, wrap it in the paper towels, place it in the black garbage bag, and put it on the roof of your house. For DAYS! Open the package daily, and replace the paper towels with clean ones. In a week or two, you'll have a cosmo free stock (depending on the climate, of course).