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Fjold Offline OP
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I'm surprised that I didn't see this posted here already. The newly formed Zastava USA announced that they'll be importing the left handed Mausers in the next couple of months.


https://zastavaarmsusa.com/pap...u-s-based-operation/

Here's their website.

https://zastavaarmsusa.com/

Last edited by Fjold; 08/21/19.

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Choices are good. Thanks for posting.


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Good news, I missed them the last time around.


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I didn’t see caliber selection on their website...any ideas on choices?


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Catalog states they make lefty M70's in:
.22-250 Rem., 6mm Rem., 6.5x57, 7x57, 8x57 JS, 6.5x55 SE, .270 Win., 7x64, .30-06, .25-06, 9.3x62

Just hope they import all of them.


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Zastava has a bunch of good looking pictures in their catalog and on their website, but the wood work on all of the M70s and M85s that I have seen and/or held has been so poor that it shouldn't have passed their quality control inspection prior to being shipped. The wood is so bad that I have to wonder what other production short cuts they are taking.

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They are a mixture of good exterior polishing/bluing with good accuracy and a good trigger, but the wood and especially the checkering (I'm being kind to use the word "checkering") can be pretty horrible, and the metal work inside the action might be pretty rough.

So, good on them for importing LH rifles, more choices are always better but I'd have to see one in person before getting too excited.



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Their QC can be severely lacking at times. I purchased a 7x57 during a group buy and never shot it. Sold it to another member here and he told me he was able to unscrew the original barrel by hand.


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I saw rifles with sights in the catalog!

I think the quality is directly related to whatever their US importers would tolerate. Just saw a Remington 798 about a month ago, and the quality was quite good. If they want to succeed, they'll get a handle on that.


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Originally Posted by Jim in Idaho
They are a mixture of good exterior polishing/bluing with good accuracy and a good trigger, but the wood and especially the checkering (I'm being kind to use the word "checkering") can be pretty horrible, and the metal work inside the action might be pretty rough.

So, good on them for importing LH rifles, more choices are always better but I'd have to see one in person before getting too excited.



Jim, if you still have them available, it would be helpful if you'd post before and after pics of the 7x57 you had. I found the thread, but the pictures are gone.


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Originally Posted by Pappy348
I saw rifles with sights in the catalog!

I think the quality is directly related to whatever their US importers would tolerate. Just saw a Remington 798 about a month ago, and the quality was quite good. If they want to succeed, they'll get a handle on that.


Agreed, the Interarms, Charles Daly, and Remington branded Zastavas were exponentially better quality, fit and finish wise, than the M70s and M85s that are currently being imported.

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Have always been a fan of the Zastava Mausers. Currently have three and the fit and finish out of the box is lacking on both the metal work and especially the stocks.

If their online catalog is to be believed, it looks like they will be offering the barreled actions in a couple of configurations. That would be the best option to pick up and then install it in whatever aftermarket stock you prefer. My 9.3x62 dropped right into the McMillan Interarms Mark X model.


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Don't have a lot of the "before" but hopefully these will show what can be done.

Link to the whole gallery if you want to see larger images of these. Zastava LK70 before and after

The original rifle. Finish and checkering look like afterthoughts but a good piece of walnut there. Note that big pancake rollover cheekpiece.

[Linked Image]


What it turned into. Had a local general purpose gunsmith slim down the stock and cheekpiece, stain it with French red which I thought would be darker - really should have gone with a dark walnut in retrospect - and cut new checking.

[Linked Image]


Don't have a good picture of the inside of the action but these show the wood and "checkering".


[Linked Image]


[Linked Image]


[Linked Image]


[Linked Image]


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More pics of the reworked stock. The basic geometry of these is very good, the pistol grip had palm swells and the butt has proper cast on and cant for lefties.


[Linked Image]


[Linked Image]


The gunsmith described his checkering ability as "okay" but he did a pretty good basic pattern.

[Linked Image]


[Linked Image]


This is the one I really wanted to show. I took various grits of sandpaper wrapped around a rubber eraser and wore out the inside of that action trying to get it smooth. After two hours of that I had had enough. Look at the top of the action and the bottom along the stock line, the rough machine marks are still plainly visible. I just got it to a state where it would feed rounds without scratching the hell out of the brass and the bolt would go back and forth with some measure of smoothness.

[Linked Image]


Despite that machine work the rifle was still pretty accurate, as in definitely sub-MOA for 5 shot groups. The trigger adjusted down to a nice, crisp pull. And you can see on the before and after pics that the external metal finish and polish are very nice.




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They've been listed on GB for awhile already. Not many but some.


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Very nice indeed.


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In the hands of a gunsmith who knows his elbow from his armpit these commercial Mausers come out quite nice. I have a 375 in the closet and a bunch of new Norma 404 brass calling to me.


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Originally Posted by javman
They've been listed on GB for awhile already. Not many but some.

Thanks for that, just went and looked at the newer models. There's a 6.5 Swede, .30-06, 9.3x62 and even a .375 H&H for sale. The checkering seems to be slightly better on the forearms but they're using pretty much the same wood finish. Kind of frustrating to look at these since whoever does those ads for Greene Sporting can't take pictures worth a sh*t, bad lighting and out of focus.

Just sent a message to that seller telling him, in hopefully a polite way, that if he's going to ask $750-800 for a rifle he needs to learn how to take a picture.


Trying to be objective here, they are indeed solid rifles and real Mausers, all milled steel throughout. Maybe the factory has listened to some feedback about the total lack of internal polishing but I still wouldn't risk those asking prices unless I could examine one up close and personal.


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There is a reason the photos are out of focus.


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Application of enough time, effort and $$ moves them well beyond their initial limitations...

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