I�ll try to keep this succinct, but probably won�t:

LK70 in 7X57. Very first impression out of the box is �crude�, and that is solely due to the lack of finish on the stock. I think there is a finish somewhere in there, I can smell it, but it looks like raw wood at first glance.

Bolt travel is a bit rough, trigger pull is a l-o-n-g grating creep. The stock is huge, there is enough wood here for about 1 � nice stocks. LOP is 14 � �, those Serbs must have really long arms. Checkering is amateurish at best, a bordered line checkering with several overruns, some areas deeper than others and so forth. Metal to wood fit is so-so, lots of gaps but nothing too horrendous. The barrel is free floated.

The wood itself is great, I�d say terrific for the price, it is a very, very nicely figured and laid out piece of walnut. It will be beautiful with some Tru-Oil or any kind of decent finish on it.

The bluing is also very good, it has a nice polish to it. Rear sight is adjustable for elevation and drift adjustable for windage, front sight is a ramped bead with the typical mailbox hood.

Second impressions: I took the rifle apart and it is a real Mauser � all forged and milled steel. The floorplate and magazine box are one piece and that mag box is thick walled and Strong. The follower is a bit shorter than the mag box as there is a slight gap at the front. The box will hold a .30-06 length round but the follower is sized just right for a 3.1� OAL 7X57. The stock is pillar bedded. Inletting is good but rough, the barrel channel in particular is very rough, they didn�t bother to sand it out after hacking it out with a chisel or some similar tool.

The stock has a rollover monte carlo and thick cheekpiece and it has the proper cast-on for a left hand shooter. Except for the extreme LOP it feels very comfortable.

The trigger is fully adjustable, you need a 7mm and 8mm wrench to loosen the lock nuts, but just turning a couple of screws quickly took it from a long, grating 5 pound pull to a crisp, 2 � pound pull with just enough overtravel to be reliable. Very nice.

It holds 5 down. Feeding the first one is rough and takes some effort, the remaining four feed up slick. Rails and some other areas will need some 600 grit work, the cases are scratched as they come out. This is a genuine Controlled Round Feed, better than my Winchesters. That extractor takes control properly. I think the bolt travel and feeding will slick up a whole lot with some polishing.

Throat is long, a Hornady 139 grain Spire Point seated to the lands only has about .1� inside the case, maybe a bit more.

Summary: First impression - a bit disappointing. Second impression � hmm, this might have potential. Third impression � jury is still out, really need to see how it shoots first. I wasn�t spectacularly impressed with some other rifles out of the box but with some tweaking they became among my favorites, so we�ll see.

PS - this thing cost $589 so that should probably be taken into consideration. You don't see many forged, 100% steel rifles for that price.

Where did you get it?



Travis

It was a group buy of left hand Mausers arranged on accuratereloading.com. We ordered them last February. They were supposed to be here in 90 days but it ended up taking about 190. Lots of neat calibers � the American standards plus 7X57, 9.3X62, 6.5X55, .375 H&H, .458 WM, plus mini-Mausers in .223, .22-250m even 7.62X39.

They were manufactured by Zastava in Yugoslavia and imported by K-Var in Nevada.

Congrats on getting one. That seems to be a coveted item for wrong-handers.

Go shoot it!


Travis

I felt the same about my mini, but I did some polishing and tuned the trigger a little, and it has become one of the few guns that won't see the revolving door that covers my gun collection.

Send that puppy to Karnis and let him whittle it down to pleasing proportions

I had thought of exactly that and am kind of torn here. On the one hand, the wood itself is very nice. A little slimming (and sanding off that awful checkering job) while keeping the overall lines, recheckering,a nice finish and maybe a forend tip would turn it into a real beauty. But then the inletting would still be a bit �off�. It�s not horrible but has gaps around the rear of the trigger guard and around the barrel, that wood is gone and can�t be put back.

It�s a bit premature to mention this, but kk alaska put me in touch with a stockmaker in Idaho real close to me and I've emailed him. He says he has almost 250 patterns with many of them being old historical classics. He�d like to create a pattern and supply semi-inletted stocks to a lot of us who bought these left handers. I�m going to drive over and visit with him sometime soon to see what his work is like and what he has.

What I�d like is to sort of duplicate Osa Johnson�s Type A that BFaucett displayed in the African forum and I'm hoping this fellow could do that. I�ve had a real nice piece of quarter sawn walnut sitting in my bedroom for over ten years, Jack Belk picked it out for me at a Boise gunshow. It has a great reddish/brown tint to it with nice figure and would be a perfect candidate for this.

But then I�d waste that nice piece of wood that came with this rifle. It�s not AAA or anything but it�s right up there with some of the nicer wood you occasionally see on Ruger #1�s.

Plus, this rifle has to prove itself before I go spending a lot more money on it.

I�m in no hurry, just thinking of possibilities. Besides, half the fun in these kinds of projects is just dreaming and planning.

Jim,
Much appreciate the comments. Would love to hear about the .223 too.
And how's feeding? My lh Charles Daly/Zasta mini has issues there....

Ella

Picture Jim, pictures.

Here ya go! I cut and pasted this from a post I just made on ar.

Here it is: Zastava LK70. You can see the nice figure of the wood and the fact that it seems to have no finish at all. But the overall lines are nice.



Closeup of the same left side. I tried daubing on a little Tru-Oil to bring out the grain but my bottle was old.
My amateur photography doesn't do this justice, nor does the lack of finish. But in my mind I can picture the highlights coming out of this with a nice deep finish on it.


Right side.


Lots of wood around that barrel. You can see the inletting isn't too close.


Looks like a Mauser bolt to me.


The metal polish is actually quite nice.


It has a slender barrel, it's .555" OD at the muzzle.
[img]http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/IMG_01896.JPG[/img]

Inletting.
[img]http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/IMG_019012.JPG[/img]

More wood to metal fit.
[img]http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/IMG_01918.JPG[/img]

The pistol grip is very pleasing to the hand. Those palm swells on either side and the flare at the bottom make a nice, sure grip.
[img]http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/IMG_01929.JPG[/img]

Continued:

Front sight.


Okay, this branding I don't mind.


And the caliber stamp I really like. But the other part, I dunno, Las Vegas just doesn't strike me as the home of fine rifles.


"Hey, Sergei, hurry up and finish that checkering and let's go get a beer!"


"Okay, okay, I'll be right there, I'll just be another minute!"


"There. Perfect!"




Third impression: Nice rifle. The action needs a little polish but it's solid and well made. The stock has good lines, great ergonomics and nice wood, but they sure didn't put much effort into finishing it

Overall, though, it's definitely worth the low price of admission, and with all of that milled steel I'd almost say it's a bargain. I think I'll keep it for a while.

[img]http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/IMG_01839.JPG[/img]

I'm still thinking on the .223. The stock is definitely more than needed for the trim little rifle that sits in it and the wood is more blonde, not as nice as the 7X57, but the overall shape is the same.

Really busy last night and tonight so haven't had time to even make up dummy rouunds to run through to check feeding or to check the throating.

I'm warming up to that 7X57 by the minute but just haven't devoted much time to the .223 yet.

It looks like it will make a great rifle with the same bit of tweaking and wood finishing as the larger one, but I'm not sure I'm up to two projects like that. Plus, I hold it next to my Kimber of Oregon M84 .223 and, well, there just isn't any comparison.

But we'll see.

Based on the pics I'd say your first impressions were spot on.

I'll be looking for these on the used market in the future.

A few years ago when Charles Daly was closing it's doors I bought one of their zastava mausers in 30-06, right hand, synthetic stock for $260 on closeout. It had some of the problems you described, gritty trigger, fed poorly from the box. The synthetic stock was standard tupperware like you'd find on a remington or winchester and the lines were fairly trim and pleasing, so other than it being tupperware it was OK. The good news is that the trigger cleaned right up with a bit of tinkering, it was pretty easy to get around 3# and get the creep out. I'm no gunsmith, but after feeding a bunch of rounds I was able to trace the feeding problem to some machining flash on the bottom edge of the extractor, a minute or two with a file had the flash cleaned up and it's fed great ever since. The really good news is that right out of the box it shot sub-moa, it's the most accurate big game rifle I've ever bought out of the box, it really didn't take much tweaking at all to get it shooting 3/4" groups.

For the money I paid it's probably the best firearm bargain I've ever found. I'd say yours is also. They're a bit of a diamond in the rough, but I'll bet it'll shoot well like mine did after you fix the minor issues. The stock does have nice wood, it reminds me a lot of the stocks you get on a CZ, too heavy and poorly styled for the american market. It looks like a project for someone with a rasp and some patience, but I'll bet it could be made nice.

Yep. I'm not making any snap judgements but unless the .223 really impresses me on the range it might find a spot on gunbroker.

But you can see my dilemma on the 7X57 stock. It only needs a 1" shorter LOP and it would fit me perfectly, the pistol grip is round and full and fills the hand nicely (hmm, images of a woman's breast somehow come to mind right now, not sure why. ) Anyway...maybe slim down the forend just a tad and it would be perfect. And it does have really nice figure to it. A little bit of magic by one of our talented folks here on the fire and it would be a beauty. But that inletting...

But then again - it's mostly paid for. New stocks cut from blanks can get expensive, and even though the basic rifle is good it will never be an Oberndorf Type A so I'm only dreaming to think I can make it one or even close to one without a lot of work. And I appreciate inexpensive solutions (translation - I'm cheap).

Decisions, decisions...

Much appreciate the photos. I'm feeling kinda torn now. That IS some nice wood grain, lotta potential in that guy...

...but does it shoot?

Could be as fine a rifle as you want. Someone on this website had done an awefully nice custom by Someone Anderson? on a Zasta lefty action. I'm talking serious
nice....

(Here's the link: http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/4344508/1)

Ella

I had a Zastava Yugoslavia Mauser many moons ago. It was a RH 270Win. Me being a southpaw, I let it go, despite it being a gift from family.

Anyway, it was a well finished piece of metal, and built like a tank, action, and bottom metal. The action was not smooth, you had to manhandle the hell out of it.

Mine was in a custom myrtlewood stock, so that fit well. It was a shooter. Had a custom 27" bbl, so velocity was good. I just couldn't like a RH rifle.

Wow Jim, I like the wood what did the 223 look like and was it as ordered, with double triggers? If my wood on my rifles are that nice I am going to send them to make over school! Mine are to be delivered Thurs. adnd FFL is hunting. Sure hope they don,t get sent back, UPS is a pain to deal with up here.

If I was born with the left handed issue, liked Mausers, and wanted a 7x57, I would say that rifle has a lot of potential.

Karnis would be my first call. After shooting it of course.


Travis

I have the synthetic version, right handed in 270. The action is indeed made like a tank. Mine has always fed and extracted flawlessly. With a decent handload it occasionally will put 3 shots into half moa.

You are right, the blueing is really good. On the synthetic version the barrel has a pressure point at the front of the stock.

These are cheap rifles even here in Australia, where not much else can be described as cheap.

Jim,
i agree 100% with your comments regarding the LK M70. I purchased mine specifically beacuse of the calibre (7x57). I wouldnt have normaly bought one.
What I did to mine was the following:
1. sanded out the barrel channnel as there was a point where the barrel touched.
2. refinished the wood with tru-oil/mineral turpentine 50/50. Sand with 0000 steel wool between coats.
3. fitted a new recoil pad.
4. bedded the action.
5. scrapped the iron sights.

As the gun is a hunting rifle I aint too worried about its aesthetics. It shoots well with factory 140 grain loads.

For those who have managed to pick these rifles up, what are your impressions of the barrel contour relative to chambering? I went to pick mine up today (9.3x62) and K-Var had sent the wrong rifle (a completely different story) but the barrel is noticeably thin at the muzzle. When they get me the correct rifle, hopefully that won't be a cause for concern.

For my 7X57 the contour is light but not what I'd call too light, it really looks just right. .555" at the muzzle is almost the same as a Remington mountain rifle contour but the Remington has a different taper and is a lot light barrel.

Just put a scope on mine, Leupold FX-II 6X in Weaver mounts (only ones I had) and the rifle weighs 8 1/4 pounds, same as my Winchester 70 LT in .30-06. I first tried some low Weaver bases and the bolt handle would not clear the ocular bell, so I switched to some high bases I had. The scope sits too high now so I'll have to remedy that but it's okay for range work to see what loads the rifle likes.

Gus K - what scope mounts are you using? The only ones I can find on line are Weavers, Millet and Warne which are all Weaver style cross slot bases(and I've read the Warne's don't fit properly), and then the rear screw adjustable "standard" Leupold type bases. Talley makes some but apparently there are some issues with the fit of those as well due to so many variations of Mauser actions made over the years.

There are lots of these leftie Zastavas around in Australia at the moment. They certainly are tempting for the money.

The 9.3 barrels are very very light, but seem to shoot ok.

The Talleys fit perfectly. I believe the correct ones are part 930709.

Morning Jim I got a 9.3x62 and put Leupold bases on but had to re contour the rear side of the rear base as the bolt hit it. two min with a fine file and some sandpaper. Some cold blue till I can get it reblued. If you move the .223 let me know please Clint

That 7x57 seems a real bargain to me. It is hard to get a piece of would like that for the price. As fodder for a project rifle it has endless potential, from just some rasping and honing to full blown custom. I want one.

As for the bedding it is possible to almost match the wood with epoxy bedding. It is tricky when you mix in the sawdust it turns out the color of wet wood so you have to mix in lighter colored saw dust with some from the stock wood itself. Do several tests on scrap as the dry color is different again. May take several tries before you find the right mix of saw dust and pigment but when you do most people will have to be looking closely to notice it.

Jim,
the bases on my 7x57 were custom maade by my 'smith to ensure proper height.
I was unaware Talleys did fit!
Gus

Couple of pictures of my very first load workup yesterday afternoon. Two bullets, four charge levels each from 46 to 49 grains of H4350. This rifle has a long throat so instead of chasing lands I just seated the bullets .284" deep, that left them approx. .230" off of the lands. Miles and miles away by looney standards.

These are the third through sixth shots from this brand new rifle, the first two were getting on paper. Hornady 139 BTSP, 46.0 H4350, just over 2700 fps. One shot out at 11:00, then the other three are in the cluster measuring 9/16", i.e. just over a half inch.



The very best group of the day is at top here and measures 3/8" (I'm using a ruler, haven't dug out the calipers to get down to three decimal places yet.) Hornady 139 Spire Point, 47.0 H4350, just over 2750 fps. It did shoot some groups like the one below, that's another 139 SP with 49.0 H4350 avg. 2828 fps, but even that group is 1 1/8" which ain't horrible for a hunting rifle.



You can see the groups all trended toward 2 close together and then one shot out. The light barrel does heat up fairly quickly in this Idaho summer heat and it is not free floating, it is bearing on the bottom of the channel for sure and there may be some side pressure.

But enough excuses, this rifle does not need to apoligize for not shooting 1/4" groups all day long out of the box. It definitely wants to shoot, now to get down to seeing what it likes to shoot its very best.

My attraction to these LH Mausers is getting stronger all the time!
Got my eye on the one available in 6.5x57. Hope it sells before I do something rash.

In the interests of being as objective as possible, the actions are rough. I thought of taking some 600 grit paper to the rails and such, but when I got out my magnifying glass I realized sandpaper wouldn't cut it (literally) so I started with a file. We're not talking machining marks on teh rails, we're talking irregular sawtoothed surface. After dulling down the sawtooth edges on the back half of the rails I got out the 220 wet/dry and went to work on their bottom edges to break the edges.

I also hit the feed ramp, the raceways, the cocking cam and nose of the cocking piece, bottom of the extractor and outside of the lugs. They weren't too bad, really, they did have machining marks but they polished out pretty well. Went over everything again with 400 grit and also polished the surfaces of the follower with that.

After about two hours of fine sanding I can tell a difference in working the action but to be honest not a really big difference.

It's not like it doesn't feed, it's very positive in feeding, but it makes an out of the box Ruger 77 seem like a velvet smooth snick-snick action by comparison.

Later today if I have time I'm going to smother everything but the lugs in some lapping grit I have and work the heck out of the bolt. I have 220, 320 and 600 grit, will probably go with the 320.

Those Serbs did put the effort where it counts. The barrel is a good'un, obviously, and both lugs have pretty full contact, about 75 to 80% on both going by the magic marker test.

Diamond in the Rough, for sure.

More good news for reloaders. Headspace is about minimum as well.

Unfired R-P brass measures 3.796" to 3.797" using my Stoney headspace gauge - that's the measurement on the caliper with the tool in place.

Fired cases are coming out from 3.797" to 3.799", this from the lowest charge to highest. So even at top pressure unfired cases are only stretching .002" in their headspace measurement.

I wonder if, on the next group buy, we could ask Zastava to put as much effort into finishing the actions as they did into the barrels and chambering? Those would be some real fine shootin' irons.

I've heard that a finer fit and finish from Zastava is available. One their website, they also list the M98 which, I believe, is a more polished model. This comes with the more traditional "flag"-type safety. I'd be interested in checking into different options as well - other stock configurations (Mannlicher, hog-back), possibly SS, and barreled actions.

I've read the same thing, they will produce a rifle to a certain price point whether low or high. In this case the attraction was a pretty low price as evidenced by the wood and lack of almost any polishing inside the action.

However, they will definitely slick up. I slathered lapping compound on my bolt and any possible contact points inside the action earlier today and worked the bolt about 150 times. Started with 220 grit - 150 cycles, cleaned that off, went to 320, another 150 cycles, cleaned that off and finished up with 600. Then I went over the more obvious surfaces again with 1000 grit wet/dry paper. My hand is sore but all the places that had rough machining marks now have a smooth mirror polish.

That definitely did the trick, the bolt glides very smoothly now. It still has the famous Mauser wobble so it will bind some if you put a lot of sideways pressure when closing the bolt, but even then it takes a lot more pressure than it used to. And with just a little practice you learn to push it in straight and clean.

If a fellow just wanted to be practical he could buy a Ruger 77 in 7mm-08 and have a bullet proof, accurate rifle without all of this labor. But I have to admit it is kind of fun to put all of this elbow grease into it and get these results. You might say the rifle and I are bonding...

I did just about the same as you Jim and I like what I have, next I redo the stock going to take off alot of wood. as far as the ruger go's it would be easier but in the end you still would have a ruger not a LH mauser. Oh and both of my 6.5x55 shoot very good uder 1 moa

Received a rifle a lot like Jim's for another poster and here are a few shots for comparison. The wood is truly nice throughout and hiding inside it is a very nice stock. The inletting is quite a bit better than Jim's.







The owner should be along shortly to describe his reactions...

They messed up shipped Jim in Idaho my 7 X 57, but got it right on the 223.

There is a nice stock hiding in all that wood. Thanks Art for posting the pics. Kurt

I have a couple on the way myself. An LK70 in .25-06 and a Mini in .223.

I figure a couple trips down the Tanana and Yukon Rivers with the blowing silt will smoothen them up with a little working of the actions.

This Mark X from Zavasta (circa 1970s or 80s?) is not a lefty but I have a chance to buy from a local FFL for $350. It's chambered in .243 with a 20" barrel. Stock seems in great shape as is bluing. No Pulitzer for these shots but you get the idea...Any comments?

The rifle in these pics is a Model 85, this one's serial number is 3 digits from mine. The inletting on my Model 85 is also considerably better than the Model 70.

My 7 X 57 Seems to shoot well also group size at 100 yards with a 4 X Leupold never adjusted trigger

2 groups with 140 gr fact RP (5 @ 1.56" 4 @ 1.65")

(3 @ 1.962" ) 175 gr Hornady RL 22

140 Nosler AB 3 @ .89"

140 Nosler Part 3 @ 1.22"

154 Hornady 3 @ 1.97"

The Pretty 223 LH Zastafa shoots well also also shot at 100 yards 4 X Leupold Bedding not that great surprised it shot that well. Never touched trigger.

Factory RP 45 gr 3 @ 100 yards 3 @ 1"

53 Gr Hornady Match 3 @ .66"

Those groups sound pretty good. These rifles definitely want to shoot.

After polishing the heck out of my 7X57 and working the bolt a zillion times the action is getting real slick. Going to free float the barrel tonight and see how it does this weekend.

What kind of rings and bases are you using with your two rifles? Those look like Talley's on the M85.

Also, how's the double set trigger on yours? Mine is okay when set but the reach to the front trigger is excessive. The single pull (front trigger only) is very long with about 1/8" or more of creep. Does anybody know how to adjust those? The single M70 trigger is easy, that double set one I haven't figured out yet.

(What kind of rings and bases are you using with your two rifles? Those look like Talley's on the M85.)

Warne bases on both rifles. Rings are Leupold Rifleman on the 85 I had accumulated. And Weaver steel detachable with 2 pieces of black tape on inside of bottom rings for bolt clearance.

I switched the levers to the opposite side last night. Let me know when you are going to visit the stock guy.

If you figure out the double trigger adjustment let me know I wish I would had of opted for the single trigger. Nice for the range but field application I dont know.

I spoke to Robert at K-Var about getting a single adjustable trigger to replace the double set ones on the Model 85. He emailed Zastava but hasn't heard back from them about what parts might be available.

I'm really happy with the trigger on the 7X57. It's settled in at about 3 pounds but it breaks cleanly.

I'll go visit the stock person but after seeing this stock with the cast-on and cant I'm pretty sure I'll use it and just have the comb, cheekpiece and forend reshaped some. Even though the inletting is not top quality I can live with it, plus the wood and overall configuration is just too nice to discard.

I received my LH Mauser tonight in 6.5x55. I'm very happy with the finish on the metal, but the stock definitely needs to be refinished. The front action screw on mine was stripped from the factory, someone rounded off the allen head when assembling. I emailed Elliot and hope to get a replacement.

Need some advice... I purchased a 6-24x44 scope with a set of Talley lightweight mounts. The rear sight interferes with the scope and I can not mount it. I attempted to punch out the rear dovetail but it won't budge. I was able to remove the blade but still don't have enough clearance. Does anyone have this problem? How did you remove the rear sight?

How much clearance do you need I put a couple pieces of black electrical tape on the inside of the bottom ring on my 7 X 57 for bolt to clear scope bell.

I need more cleanance than shimming will allow. If the dovetail comes out might be able to clear it, if not I will need to remove the 2 screws and take of the sight base.

Finally got MY rifle and in its current state, appears to be a solid, workman-like Mauser 98 clone. The metal work looks very sound though, which is the most important thing to me. I mainly picked one of these up to use as the basis for a "partial" custom.

Here are my planned mods:

- Install a Mod. 70, 3-pos. safety

- Install a Mod. 70-style trigger

- Fit a new walnut stock and recoil pad

- Swap the factory bottom metal for a new Oberndorf-style unit

Plan on using IOR Valdada's version of EAW scope mounts/rings and top it with a Zeiss Duralyt 1.2-5x36 (non-illuminated).

Glass bedded both of mine am going to get them shooting well then prob. have wood redone. To a more classic english style.

I just received today a LH Zastava in 458 Winchester Magnum. I'm familiar with Zastava, having owned two rifles made by the company in the past.
In the coming days I plan to photograph, disassemble, clean and evaluate it to the best of my ability and then post the info.
My first impresion is of a hastily and carelessly put together rifle that reflects the incredibly low price I paid for it.
My plans are to improve it cosmetically little by little as a hobby. Let's see what happens.

Thanks for posting this thread and review Jim in Idaho.

Thanks for all the info.....

I just bought the same rifle in RH. You're right about the stock. It looks like it was finished with a wet Lipton tea bag. As single wet Lipton tea bag.

With a bit of help from Bobnob17 (evidently the Serbs aren't too keen on owner's manuals) I took all of the creep out of the trigger but haven't yet adjusted the pull as I want to do a bit of range work first. Nevertheless, unadjusted the trigger is just a tad over 3 pounds. I'll probably wind up leaving it alone, at least until I've run enough rounds through it that it settles down.

But I haven't shot it yet as I'm waiting for bases/rings to come. I'm going to mount a Burris Fullfield 30, 3-9x40, with 3P#4 illuminated reticle in a set of low Warne QD rings on Warne bases. I built a mock-up of the base/ring height and it looks as though the bolt will clear the ocular. I'm not worried at all about the objective.

Yesterday I put the first coat of Timberluxe finish on the stock. The walnut was so dry that it soaked right in. I used a small brush to brush it into the action/barrel inlays, and hand rubbed the rest. But you're right about the wood: there is a nice piece of walnut under that Lipton finish. Too bad about the checkering, though. I'd almost rather it had none at all than, as you put it, "Hurry up, let's go grab a beer." But this is going to be a working rifle, used almost exclusively on wild/feral hogs; which means that it's not going to get particularly babied climbing up and down stands, etc. Anyway, I expect it's going to take several more coats of Timberluxe before everything is sealed and finished. I'll do the range work once I have everything back together.

Oh yes, and this one is in 7x57 as well...number three in the cabinet.

By the way, and I know this is an ancient thread, but did you ever float the barrel? Any change in accuracy, especially as the barrel gets a little warm?

Of course, the real question is: Did you keep the rifle and the factory stock?

Yes, I still have it and it still has the original stock, but modified. I took the stock to a local gunsmith and he slimmed it down quite a bit and refinished it. He kept the original lines but just took off some wood most everywhere. Then I sent it to a fellow over in Eastern Idaho to re-checker, he did a simple two panel checkering on the forend and pistol grip.

The smith asked if I wanted Walnut or French Red stain and I chose French Red, thinking it would be that deep reddish hue of old Winchester Model 70's, but it turned out much lighter than I imagined. Should have gone with walnut.

But all in all it's still a nice rifle. And it still shoots great. I free floated the barrel and it keeps 5 shots under an inch which is all I can ask.

Jim, the bottom rifle is a lefty .223 AI that new looked rougher than your new one. James Anderson did the stellar work.

And, yes, meant to add, it is a Zastava Mini Mauser!

Finally got the .25-06 up and running.

This is what it does with off-the-shelf 100gr Remington junk.

The three horizontal shots are 120 grainers. The holes with the ink whiskers are where I walked the cross-hairs in one shot at a time.

If a wolf or caribou gets away from me, it won't be the gun's fault.

Nice! What have you done to it "out of the box"?

Thanks for the info. I'm about to order a mini in ..223. What I really want is an XS size action Sako, but at my age, it just does not amortize all that nicely. Anyway, it will live on a Kawasaki Mule, and there is lots of iron to bump against and beat up guns, except those cased until the shooting area is reached. Left cased, removes targets of opportunity such as predators and vermin. Old Scouts got to be prepared.

Jack

Tonight I put on the second coat of Timberluxe. That dry old piece of walnut is starting to come to life. Pics to follow once things begin to set up.

Mike I just received an unfinished Boyds Classic in walnut to put on my synthetic blued 270 Zasty.

Going to finish with hand rubbed oil and free float and bed this one straight away, seeing how my stainless 30-06 synthetic shoots now I floated it.

And it took 4 good pigs all with one shot kills this week so its the #1 pupil at present!

Here's how the Zasty came up with the Boyds walnut Classic today.



The barrel is clear free floated all the way to the receiver without any wood being relieved. Going to shoot it as it - haven't bedded it yet. Just wondering if floating all the way to the receiver is best or should there be some material touching under the chamber area of the barrel?

Anyway will see how it shoots this week.

is the walnut one as heavy as the laminates?

This walnut one weighs the same as the plastic one that came off it, so I would assume its less than the laminate version.

Quite a nice slender stock, perhaps I'd prefer a more oval shaped fore end as I tend to make most of my shots offhand or leaning off the side of a convenient tree when there is one for longer shots.

Glad this thread returned. I bought a stainless synthetic M70 in 9.3x62 month ago. Still awaiting my license so I can pick it up. The barrel seemed to be very lean. Seems the rifle goes a bit under 7#. I am going to finish it off with a High Tech Specialties stock, Talley Lightweights and likely throw a 2-7X VXII on it. Should be a nice light thumper that will be what I use on my 2016 brown bear hunt.

I put a Butler Creek leather military sling on it, mounted a Leupold 3x9-40mm VX-II or III scope with a weird finish I bought used from a friend with a fine duplex reticle in Warne Maxima rings and mounts and I took the factory irons off of it.

The trigger is a little long creepy and needs adjusting, but its smooth and about as light as I want to go with it.

Bob:

How did it shoot? What's the barrel length, anyway? Looks a tad shorter than mine at 24 inches.

Mike

Mike, I shot this group at 120y yesterday which is what my private range is presently set up at. That is 3 shots of PMC 130g soft points loaded over 61g of H4831...


A bit of a flukey group but it is consistent around 1.1 moa for 5 shots when I hold still. I shoot my groups as fast as I can reload and take careful aim. No waiting for extended periods between groups.

The barrel is 600mm which I believe is about 23.6 inches. They're good barrels.