Gentlemen,

New to the forum here, amateur history buff and military arms collector.

I have a question about a rifle I acquired last summer. It is as follows:

Mauser bolt action in original (as far as I can tell) condition.

8X57mm Caliber

Marked on top of front reciever ring M48 along with a Yogoslavian(?) crest

Marked left side of front reciever ring 0HPJ

Marked on left side of reciever, forward of the thumb slot, best as I can translate with the keyboard NPEAY3ER(K?)E 44

All serial #s match except for the floor plate

Cleaning rod and front sight hood intact

Teak (?) stock and cupped metal buttplate, in the white. Not in "unissued condition" such as those offered for sale by "Mitchells Mausers". There are a couple of minor repairs in the stock and many scratches and dings.

As I understand the M48 story from my (limited) reading. These were made in Yugoslavia on German Machinery?

SO:

Was this rifle made in 1944??

Could it have been used in battle? The finish certainly looks as though it could have.

Any more info on the history of these pieces?

I almost bought a K98 today at a local gun show, but spent my $$ on other things.

All help is appreciated.

SSB

Hello, singleshotbuff, and a very warm welcome to these forums ! [img]smile.gif[/img] Having said which, before the end of this post I'll redirect you to another one - but you're welcome here anytime....

Congratulations on your purchase. The world of reworked/remanufactured K98s is unbelievably confusing but all is not lost !

Firstly, your rifle most probably was not made in 1944. This is a common assumption, but virtually ALL Yugo K98s/M48s are marked on the left side of the receiver with 'Preduzece 44' - which is the code of the Yugo arsenal, not the date. Sometimes - and this is highly unscientific - if you hold the rifle to the sunlight you can just make out the original German codes underneath the Yugo crest, where they have been lightly milled over and re-blued.

After WWII, many K98s were supplied to Yugoslavia where they were refurbed and re-blued. Great fun can be had searching for original German markings on these. The M48 was manufactured in Yugoslavia with many new parts, especially the stocks which weren't a s good quality as original K98.

Now - the other forum which I always refer people to is the Curio and Relic Firearm Forum. This contains an incredible wealth of knowledge and the guys there will answer any questions you may have in much greater detail.

You can find them at ; -

http://p223.ezboard.com/bcurioandrelicfirearmsforum

Why not let us know how you get on ! [img]graemlins/salute.gif[/img]

__________________
"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Many M-48's were also produced post war. These are fine rifles, although I still prefer my Russian-capture K98. Just knowing it was used in actual combat is a big plus to its historical value for me.

__________________
"If your gonna buy the angel s**t, you might as well go for the zombie package as well."
-George Carlin

Welcome back, dasreich ! [img]smile.gif[/img]

We were going to send a search party out into no-man's land to look for you.....

__________________
"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

I was interned in a POW camp for a while. At least thats what going to class feels like!

__________________
"If your gonna buy the angel s**t, you might as well go for the zombie package as well."
-George Carlin