M48 Mauser

Puška M.48 7,9 mm (Rifle M.48 7.9 mm)
Type	Bolt-action rifle
Place of origin	Yugoslavia
Service history
In service	1948–present
Used by	Algeria Egypt Iraq Syria Yugoslavia
Wars	Yugoslav Wars
Production history
Designed	1948
Produced	1948–1965
No. built	1,224,000+
Variants	M48, M48A, M48B, M48BO
Specifications
Weight	3.9 kg (8.6 lb)
Length	1105 mm (43.5 in)
Barrel length	597 mm (23.25 in)
Cartridge	7.92×57 mm IS (8 mm Mauser)
Action	Bolt action
Muzzle velocity	760 m/s (2,493 ft/s)
Effective firing range	500 m (547 yd) (with iron sights) 800+ m (875 yd) (with optics)
Feed system	5-round stripper clip, internal box magazine
Sights	rear: standard V-notch, adjustable to 2,000 meters in 100 m increments front: hooded, inverted V

The Zastava M48 (Serbo-Croatian: Puška M.48 7,9 mm; Rifle M.48 7.9 mm) is a post World War II Yugoslavian version of the German Karabiner 98k designed by Mauser and the Belgian designed M24 series.

After World War II, the Yugoslavs took this design and incorporated minor modifications. Although very similar in general appearance to that of the German rifle, many of the parts of these two rifles are not interchangeable, especially the bolt and related action parts. M48s are usually distinguished from the 98k by the top handguard, which extends behind the rear sight and ends just in front of the receiver ring, although this feature exists on other models as well. The M48 was designed with a stock similar to the 98k, but it has a shorter intermediate-length action and receiver, as does the similar M24 series Mauser. The M24 series Mausers were built from prewar Yugoslav Model 24 Mausers and then refurbished with newer Belgian parts, and usually have straight bolts, while the M48s have curved bolts. Most M48 stocks are made from thicker Elm or Beech wood and have a thick stainless steel butt plate at the rear of the stock. The M24/47 stocks are mostly made of thinner Walnut or Beech wood and do not have a milled stainless steel "cupped" butt plate. The M48 was also designed to remove the follower from stopping the bolt from closing when the magazine is empty. M48's are regarded as a military surplus firearm and can be collected in the USA, Canada and Australia at a generally cheap price due to the plentiful numbers recently imported from Europe, most of which had never been used in combat.

Most M48s were put into government storage shortly after they were manufactured. Most M48s that are encountered in the United States and Australia today show only slight wear—usually from storage. Many rifles are sold with accessories, including bayonet, bayonet scabbard, leather bayonet frog, ammo pouches, cleaning rod, and field cleaning kit. The rifles are normally sold coated in the protective grease 'cosmoline' which needs to be cleaned out before the rifle is fired. The condition is frequently excellent due to a Yugoslavian maintenance program that cleaned and inspected the stored rifles in rotation every 5 years until that nation's breaking up.

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Wikipedia