Thought I would chime in & let you men know about these cheap solid pure M98 rifles that are getting around now.
Zastava have had their ups & downs over the years but their current production looks to be outstanding for the coin$.
I recommend you seek these out if you are in the market for an M98 with KEEP IT SIMPLE written all over it

Mine wears the monty carlo stock.

http://www.zastava-arms.rs/cms/index.php?id=231

Have you actually seen these for sale?

Yes, I have one.

Where do you live?

Australia?

Yes mate

Ok, That explains why nobody in the states can relate to your post.

The Zastava m70 centerfires have really not been imported here yet. Just the m798/799 dregs left over from the USSG/Remingon fiasco.

Hopefully they will be improted again soon.

The 9.3x62 looks good.

Beretta Australia is importing the Zastavas. no?

Yes Beretta Aus.

They're IMO the bargain rifle that can be had here in Oz ATM. About $650, which probably sounds like allot for you blokes but that not for us....... A comparison rifle in Oz is the Sako 85 Finnlight which costs $2600Aus

We still think pretty highly of the old Intearms Mark X Zastava actioned Mausers here in the states.It would be nice to get some of the latest version Zastavas into the country.

In the US, the Tikka and Sako A-7 rifles pretty much fill the need for a less than $1,000 Finnish made rifle.

Those Aussie prices for Sako 85s sound painfull.

What do CZ 550 rifles cost down there?

About $1200-$1400 from memory.

I've had a few 550's & one 527. I like them!

Howa's are around $500-$700. T3's are $1100 odd. Remington SPS is $900.

Holy Sh%$#.. Those prices are about double what he pay here!

Yup the importers are screwing us silly! Then the gun-dealers(shops) hit us hard too. Then say. "There is no money in rifles these days" HAA yeah right....BS!!!
But there is nothing we can do unless we import our own, which is getting ALLOT of attention from aussies these days, but there is a bit of paperwork involved & much rooting around/more paperwork

http://www.zastava-arms.rs/cms/index.php?id=235

I could stay broke for a while longer buying some of the versions above.

Read some of their history. Rough.

" On July 22, German Headquarters decided to evacuate the factory againg and to take the workers to the Reich, because they refused to do the tasks that the Vermach set.



On October 21, there was a mass shooting of people from Kragujevac in Sumarice. Among them, there were about 300 grammar school students and a large number of workers of the Military-Technical Works
"

Zastava history link

All kinds of them up here now, most are going for $400-$500. Beretta US are way behind...

" All kinds of them up here now, most are going for $400-$500. Beretta US are way behind..."

Yep + 1 as usual

340,
hi mate, a fellow Aussie here (SA) . I have a Zastava M70 and what sold me was the huge availability of calibres - I managed to get the last 7x57 Beretta Aus had (walnut stock). The metal work and hammer forged barrel are superb but the timber needed a bit of cleaning up - the inletting was smoothed out and the action bedded and barrel floated.
My 7x57 wears a japanese tasco 3-9x in custom mounts / rings. It shoots very well with factory Winchester 145 g SP loads.


Sambar Country - where abouts? Mansfield??

Cheers
Gus

Gidday

I often hunt near there. Dargo too....

Merry Christmas fellas!

I look forward to seeing some of those here, hopefully soon.

Well, the stocks leave me cold (outside of the Mannlicher) but look at some of the chamberings...
6mm
6.5x57
7x57
6.5x55
7x64
.264 WinMag
9.3x62
If Beretta saw fit to install a proper 'American Classic' handle, I could see me picking up nearly all of the above.

a 6mm Rem and a 6.5 x 57!

I'd be all over those two!

after re looking at the site... make that I'd be all over all 4 of them... two with the Mannlicher stock also...

I can see why the powers that be would forbid import to the USA... with those kind of prices and availability, they would be the hottest selling things in the gun racks..

Any chance of these hitting our shores?

I see they offer a barreled action in 25-06.

Wouldn't mind getting one and screwing on a 23" Pac Nor tube and dropping it into a Pendleton stock.

JM

Bump

I really like the Mannlicher stocked one and I've never had a 6mm.

the Mannlicher in .375 looks nice... ~20" barrel and sub 8# seems about right

They are decent enough for me to, with a

6.5x55
308
270
7x57

all added to my collection

Regards
KRC508

I want one in stainless, but I don't know which one:

6.5x57
8x57 JS
6.5x55 SE

The US Importer is showing the 7x57 and 9.3x 62 in stock. They are on page 2 in the link.


http://www.k-var.com/shop/M70/

Impact Guns shows some in stock. And some on sale (hard to beat the price for a plain-Jane Mauser).

http://www.impactguns.com/firearms.aspx?Manufacturer=Zastava+Firearms

They are available in the US but I haven't seen Euro chamberings except the 9.3. I've been resisting the 270 mannlicher. If the 7x57 is available in the US I will have one.

I bought a brand new M70 Zastava 270 the start of this year from Hondo Johnsons Firearms. I put a Bell & Carlson Carbolite stock on mine and bedded it. 5/8 inch 100 yd groups is the norm and the fit and finish is very good.

Shod

Shod, I had a M70 in 30-06 about eight years ago. It had double set triggers and a 24" barrel. Not sure how it came into the country but I bought it from the original owner, unfired. Scoped it and it shot like your 270. They're excellent rifles.

After looking at the specifications online, I'd really like to see one in person. I've been looking for a 9.3x62 for some time now, and at that price it's hard to go wrong.

I had one in 9.3x62 that I only had a few weeks. Bought it and sold it here on the classifieds. I happened onto a Ruger African just after I bought it, so sold it before I had a chance to shoot it. They are solid. The bluing on mine was nice, but the bolt needed smoothed up as it was a bit rough. There is more than enough wood in the stock. I had planned to take a rasp and sandpaper to it to slim it down. They are not as slick or as nicely finished as the old Whitworths or the Mark X's which I've had several of over the years, but they are a heck of a lot of gun for the money.
Bfly

As soon as I get my license I will be buying a stainless one and bed it in the Bansner stock I brought down with the move.

I've been thinking about 1...I'm really trying to decide what to do with a mauser action I have here first...

How are the triggers on the ones without the set trigger. Adjustable? Crisp? Mushy?


Thanks,
Dave.

I would think that it would be the same trigger zastava used on the Mark X and the Remington 798 and the Z98...pretty good adjustable trigger IMO. I could be wrong though.

The trigger looked like the same on as on the Mark X's that I had. It appeared to be the same adjustable mechanism. I dry fired a bit. Seemed OK, but there was a bunch of oil on it that I did not clean off that probably made it less than perfect. That's what I remember, it's been a bit over six months so my memory is not real clear.
For sure, if I were looking for a mauser actioned nonRuger rifle that I could make into a good solid field gun, these would be on the list. They are a big rough out of the box but a great foundation at a great price, IMO.
Bfly
Bfly

Dave,

The trigger on my M70 is exactly the same as the trigger on my Mark X that I have. I adjusted mine down to 2 3/4 lbs. The trigger pull is very Crisp with no noticeable creep. I'm pretty picky about my triggers and this trigger was nice enouph I opted not to change it.

Shod

I have two: A 270 Win in the blued synthetic and a 30-06 in stainless synthetic. Have had the blued 2.5 years and the stainless about 6 months.

]

Both have 23.5 inch barrels and both will put most 3 shot groups around or under an inch.

I would say the finish on the blued version is superior; beaut deep blueing and the bolt slicked right up with a bit of use. Its taken a lot of pigs and goats and the odd deer among other things.

The stainless 30-06 is still slicking up but a little grabby to cycle yet. Its taken about 20 pigs so far shooting 180g Interlocks.

I have a Zastava Model 70 Left Handed version in 375 H&H. It shoots .750 with 270 grain TSXs, no problem. The wood was a little rough, but the metal work is really good. I like the rifle. A lot. Would like to find another one in 30-06, but they are scarce.

Well aside from the fact that the actions are about all that I would be interested in, here's an alternative:

http://www.brownells.com/rifle-part...eivers/30-06-length-action-prod1849.aspx

The CZ even has dovetailed double square bridge scope bases.

Then here's a photo of an old Zastava (Mark X) action built into my never used big game rifle. If you want a traditional classic rifle, a Mauser action is a good starting point. This one has a modified extractor to allow controlled round feed and will close over a round dropped into the chamber. The cartridge is a wildcat about par with the .375 Ruger with a longer neck. 4,500+ ft lbs of energy doesn't do much for my arthritic neck these days, but it was nothing when I was 30 something.

um, isn't the mauser a CRF to begin with?????

Suspect this is what the man meant.

Which is no biggy as 50's era Brno model 21's did this straight from the factory.

They don't want to canibalize sales. They have everyone convinced a Tikka is a $600-$800 gun. Thankfully I can get new winchester M70 for as low as $600 USD if needed so relying on Berretta is a non-issue for me. Not sure how difficult it is to startup an import business but it sounds like there might be an opportunity for more competition down under.

I also managed to get a Zastava 7x57 from a Queensland gun shop here in AUS
Not sure how many more are around here in Australia?
By the Leupold rings and bases and Bushnell 4-12x40 Trophy scope!
Just started to run the thing in last week with some factory rounds I had in safe for a number of years!
Now for some reloading!

Regards
KRC508

My first Zastava was a Z98 270 win. it easily shoots 5/8" with federal ammo. I was so pleased with it I purchased the Zastava M70 375H&H. Again the accuracy is 5/8" with hand loads, " can't afford to shoot this one with factory ammo". I love these two rifles and I set out to get the Z5 in 22 LR. again the accuracy is great. Wouldn't trade any of them. The stocks are very good not a show piece as a weatherby, but very good for the range and hunting.