Zastava.

Moonraker68

Well-Known Member
I've seen a couple of S/H Zastava's advertised, and would be grateful for any comments from those who have used them. They look like a good rugged rifle for not much money, and assume they are similar to BRNO/CZ's?
 
I've always been told that Zastava bought the old machines on wich FN used to make their world famous FN Mauser rifles. They're at least build the same way. A barreled action in a very light classic stock could make a beautifull lightweight classic stalking rifle.
 
+1 to that. It is a classic Mauser 98 action. My only question would be how well finished it is.

David.
 
I own one now and have owned several in the past. They are your proven Mauser. They are made in some part of the old Yugoslavia. I believe that they are made using FN tooling. If not they are an almost exact copy of the FN commercial Mauser. I am a huge fan of these and the FNs. BTW the Remington 798 is made by Zastava. They are not 'high dollar' rifle/actions, but rugged and dependable. When I built my 280, I chose a Zastava action with double-set-triggers. I suppose if I were building a high dollar or super accurate rifle I would choose a different action, but for a dependable hunting rifle they can't be beat for the price.My only complaint is that the new rifles/actions can be a little stiff but, with use or polishing, they become slick. capt david
 
Zastavas are made in Yugoslavia i.e. Serbia. I used to have an M-85 .223- lovely little rifle and a tack driver to boot. The only ammo it didn't like was SA milsurp. The metal work was not finished up to western European standards, but it was certainly fit for purpose. The stock was a bit of a disappointment- dimensionally it was good, but the wood (beech?) was very dry and needed a lot of oil. The chequering was a bit agricultural too. Still, it shot fine and I liked it.

Later I bought one of the full sized Zastava actions with a view to building a 9.3x62- again the finish was good, if not brilliant, but considering the barreled action would have been refinished anyway it didn't matter. I also had an original M-98 action on hand to compare it to, and it was dimensionally identical in most respects. The biggest differences were the adjustable single stage trigger and associated safety, the omission of the clip and thumb slots and I think the rear bridge had a different profile to a standard 98. For the life of me I can't remember if the collar had a single slot as per true 98, or two, as in later FN Mausers.

So if you're in the market for an honest, well made '98 style rifle you'd do well to look at the Zastava. No doubt someone here will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the Zastava is the only newly manufactured M-98 action around these days. 111 Years of continuous manufacture- that's even better than Ol' Slabsides!
 
They are not all plain Jane rifles, here is a photo of a pimped up model I took on the Zastava stand at the IWA in Germany.

Zastava.jpg


ATB

Tahr
 
ive been after one for quite some time , but after speaking to the guy who is trying to import them its seeming to be a long winded thing !

im particularly interested because they do a left handed rifle in just about every calibre .
 
Trevor Proctor builds some of his PH stuff on Zastava actions, I bought one in 270 a while back for a friend second hand.

Bit clunky but its a ronseal rifle.
 
hi there

my old man has a "stutzen" zastava in i think its.243 "stutzen" = full length stock along barrel length? think thats what its called

it sees light of day once every few years but i always remember it being a very good rifle

ill have to get him to get it out the cabinet have a nosey.

i remember working offshore not long after all the trouble in former yugoslavia started and a guy was working onboard who used to work in the zastava factory....he'd fled and was here to escape the war

he told me that if your rifle went back for any work / repair it was always allocated to the guy in the factory who assembled your rifle in the first place.

maybe he was blowing smoke up my ass but a nice old gent he was regardless

sauer / paul
 
"Bit clunky but its a ronseal rifle." I had to look that one up. "Does exactly what it says on the tin." That's a great description of the '98.' Speaking of British quotes I have to find some thread to use: "You might very well think that; I couldn't possibly comment." hehe! capt david.
 
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