M98 Mauser, best bolt action there is..

[Velo Dog]

Anyone else think that Zastava is a bargain when considering a mauser action? I think they make a reliable platform for a bit of a project build.

Hi Pheroze,

I've only seen a couple of them in Africa.
"Zastava" marked rifles and/or actions rarely seem to show up here in Alaska for some reason but, my impression of them is that they are reasonably well engineered M98s for the affordable price they reportedly sell for.
Seems like perhaps the Remington Model 798 was a Zastava built action (perhaps the whole rifle ?) but of course marked "Remington" and those were available in Alaska for awhile at places like Wall Mart, Sportsman's Warehouse, etc.
They appeared to be OK, if not just a little rough (easy remedy for that is to shoot it a lot, heh, heh).

It is possible that Zastava actions are/were made in Yugoslavia, otherwise under the trade name of "Mark X" ?
They do appear to be about the same action as the Mark X, and I have owned more than one or two Mark X rifles.
They were a little roughly finished, compared to something like the excellent 1950's era FN Commercial M98 Action but, looked to be OK otherwise.

Speaking of Yugoslavian Mausers, their old Model 48 Military (maybe adopted by the Yugo Army in 1948 ?) surplus infantry rifle, is actually a Model 98 and currently available quite inexpensively in N. America, I guess due to large numbers having arrived here over the past ten or so years (probably replaced by the AK-47 or some variant now).
Those appear to be a reasonably decent M98 action for building a hunting rifle on, without spending a fortune on the action before any work begins.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

 

[Clayton Holland]

I just bought a Zastava 458 at my local to use as a loan rifle. It feeds very nicely and is comfortable enough to shoot. I would say they are huge bargain.

 

[Håkon Gjerde]

There is a second real upgrade to the M98 action in addtion to the M70 style safety, and thats a stronger 3rd party fireing pin spring. This upgrade increase accuracy by decreasing the time from the fireing pin is released to it`s hits the ammunition. And as a consequence the time from you pull the trigger until the bullet leaves the barrel !

 

[enysse]

I would have thought those springs would have been strong, one more thing to tinker with I guess

 

[WildRose]

Aftermarket firing pin spring upgrades are easy to come by in the US.

It's funny that the upgrades Mauser is now making are essentially the same done by Winchester long ago with the Model 70 "Classic" controlled round feed action.

Many years ago when talking to a local gunsmith about which actions he preferred when I asked him about the M70 he said, "It's a Mauser Made Right".

The older I get the more it rings true. The Montana 1999 action is basically identical to it, it's just a bit beefier all the way around. I have several of both and I don't mind the extra weight.

Mauser going to the three position M70 type safety I consider to be a great improvement because as someone mentioned above it eliminates the problem of having to mount scopes uncomfortably high to avoid interference.

I also think it's a huge benefit in a situation where quick action is needed even with open sights.