Home Forums Hunting & Shooting The Lefty Forum Thoughts: Zastava M85

I had a LH M85 in .223 for a short time but sold it before firing it, so couldn�t answer your questions on accuracy but will give my impressions of the rifle.

It is sized just right for the .223 family of catridges.

The machining on the feed rails and in general inside the action was rough. Bolt cycling was rough and the feeding was rough. It will need to be polished quite a bit. This is not a CRF like the larger Zastava Model 70�s Mauser actions. It has a long rib that looks like a fixed extractor but it�s just a guide rib. It is a push feed with hook extractor but with a fixed blade ejector.

The stock was big and a bit unusual for American tastes but the ergonomics were very good. It has cast on for a leftie and cant and comes to the shoulder nicely. The finish and checkering were so-so.

Mine had a double set trigger and I would recommend not getting one of those. The reach to the front trigger was excessive. The single adjustable trigger on their larger rifles is very good. It can be adjusted down nicely and is very crisp. If their single adjustable trigger is the same one as on the bigger rifles that would definitely be the way to go.

Based on results from my Zastava LH M70 7X57 and reports from others a M85 should be pretty accurate.

Overall:
Needs polishing.
Stock may need work to slim it down some if you want a compact feeling rifle.
Trigger and accuracy ought to be good.
It can work out of the box but from my sample of one it is a project rifle that will need a little work to get it really right.