Is a yugo 48 ( i think) a good rifle?
I was thinking on buying a yugo 48 8mm. It is in good shape and the price is $89.00. Is that a fair price?
Is turkish ammo ok to shoot in it?
What is headspace?[:)]
Is turkish ammo ok to shoot in it?
What is headspace?[:)]
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Yes, it is a good rifle. It is what is called an intermediate sized action (between short and long) and many aftermarket parts like sporter stocks are not as easy to come by as with the standard model 98. Note: I did not say, "Impossible to come by". Yes again, Turkish 8mm will shoot well in the rifle, but don't be too surprised if it's not the most accurate ammo you'll ever shoot, as the powder charges in the cases are (1) hot, and (2)uneven. Some have several grains of powder more than others, which makes for inconsistent groups. Headspace: a big question. In the case of a Mauser-type rifle shooting rimless ammo (what we're talking about here) it is the distance from the face of the bolt to the middle of the shoulder of the cartridge case or chamber. If this measurement is too loose (excessive headspace) the cartridge brass must stretch backward when fired to fill the chamber. Result can be a separated case (rear 1/8 or so broken off from the forward part) and the escape of hot gas rearward through the action. This can result in lots of nasty things like losing an eye, etc. If you are buying an M-48 one way to reduce the chances of getting a rifle with excessive headspace is to make sure that the serial number on the bolt matches that of the receiver. That means that the parts have been matched together to arrive at the proper headspace.
When you shoot it, wear your shooting glasses![8D] Oh--$89 sounds like a good price.0 -
If your buying it sight unseen (C&R), pay the extra money (if possible) for hand pick. If you're buying it in person, check out the extractor. I bought one on C&R and I had to get the extractor replaced. While it was at the gunsmith's I had him check the headspace and test fire it. This is always a good idea. All in all, a good gun. Especially for $89.00
-Marcus
***When the Second Amendment falls, the First will be sure to follow.***0 -
Headspace is always good to check in theory but in practice I have only seen two rifles out of the 50 or so in my collection that have headspace problems sufficient enough to cause trouble. With a nice new yugo I wouldn't worry. Mine shoots Turk ammo ok but not as well as some others. The turk ammo IS hot and sometimes results in a cracked case neck and/or stiff bolt operation but don't worry, the action is up to it- just don't use the turk ammo in a semi auto. Beware of the turk ammo in one sense though; most surplus ammo uses a mercuric primer and contains salt. this means that the primer is corrosive. The upshot is that you MUST clean your bore with some sort of water compound within a few hours (preferably right at the range) of shooting. IN fact, soap and hot water works great if poured via funnel through the bore; and wipe the bolt face. Other mixes that work are WW2 GI surplus bore cleaner if you can find it, ammonia, windex, and mixes of the above. Supposedly, Hoppes 9 also works on corrosive primers- indeed it must as for a number of years I didn't know about corrosive primers and only used Hoppes and my guns suffered no ill effects- but I always use water first to make sure. This washes out the salt. Then dry, and clean as normal. Nothign hard, just make sure you do it.
"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conf0 -
Great rifle at apparrently a great price. Recommendations:
1. Do not "sporterize". Doing so destroys history. Every Dollar that you invest in modifications or alterations will REDUCE the value by $2.
2. It will handle any of the surplus ammo out there, but as previous comments: the ammo is corrosive, so clean accordingly.
3. Don't worry about headspace. The Yugos are remarkably uniform, but also realize that headspace problems are largely imaginary!
4. Matching numbers mean NOTHING! Any idiot can alter the number on the bolt in less than 5 minutes!!
Good luck with your Yugo.
Morty
Have fun, be careful!0 -
there good rifles i own the m-48 and the m-48 a and have no complaints
the thing that scares me is that we could be living in someone else's own reality0 -
Wow! Here's a primary example of an irresponsible and dangerous post. We have a new member asking about "what is headspace" and another member telling him it's largely an imaginary problem. In this case the new member's curiosity and sense of caution serve him better than the "expert's" lack of knowledge. In fact, excessive headspace can (and does) exist in many bolt action rifles, and firing such a weapon can result in dire consequences. Certainly numbers can be altered, but seldom without evidence that his has been done, and to what end? What, I wonder, does the person offering this advice believe that the purpose of matching numbers are? Why have numbers at all, if not to attempt retention of critically fitted parts to the firearm to which they were originally assembled? Beware, Artic wolf. 0 -
glad both my rifles have all matching and on a set of go and no go headspaces gauges for 8mm rifles cant be to careful
the thing that scares me is that we could be living in someone else's own reality0 -
I can't agree with King999's assertion that sporterizing a Yugo 48 would "destroy the history" of a rifle which is so plentiful that out-of-box models with perfect barrels are frequently seen in PAWN SHOPS for as little as $180.00. The truth is, right now you can't swing a dead cat in a gun store without hitting a box Yugo, and while they're wonderful for iron-sight shooting, there's certainly no harm in scoping one either. (The rifle, not the dead cat.) Me, I scope my Mausers taking care to leave ALL the wood intact on 'em. They look really sweet.
The only time you should hesitate to scope or sporterize is with a more "scarce" or expensive rifle, like any of the old WWII Springfields. If it's not that expensive or scarce, then have at it. I may pick up a decent SMLE and scope it someday, if I'm feeling ambitious enough---it'll be a nice companion for my unscoped 1918 one.
Truly, though, the upshot is: It's YOUR firearm. Do whither what thou wilt.0
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