Zastava M70 commercial Mauser opinions.

Isobar1999

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Looking for opinions on the Zastava m70. I ordered one already as it was in my price range and the calibre I wanted (9.3x62). They have a reasonably decent reputation on the net , a little rough in fit and finish is the most common complaint.
Just wondering if anyone has one , in any calibre , and could shed some light on their out-of-the-box functionality & accuracy or any other opinions observations or experiences.
 
I have one in same caliber with the rubber hogue stock on it. I have no issues with it and find that it balances nice and has right amount weight for the cartridge that has very mild recoil
 
I do not know if they are all milled out the same? I bought a new one in 2013. The wood wall (bulkhead) between rear of magazine well and front of trigger mortice was very thin - like 1/8" - so after a year or two in the gun cabinet, wood must have dried a bit and that area cracked out. You will find the trigger is a very large assembly, and the space that is milled out for it is also very large, within the wood stock. In this case it is a 458 Win Mag, so not really very much to hold the sides of stock together from front of magazine opening to rear of trigger mortice. There was no cross bolt ahead of the trigger, nor was there a secondary recoil lug on the barrel. I do not know if current production has the same characteristics, and they may be less of an issue in a 9.3x62. I also have a 9.3x62, but on an FN Commercial action, by Husqvarna - a Model 649, I believe, with what is likely a beech stock. It does not have a cross bolt neither at the recoil lug nor in front of the trigger, but seems to be holding up fine. I did glass bed that recoil area, though.
 
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Through my own klutziness / carelessness, I discovered that the front sight ramp attachment on the Zastava M70 was unusual to me. I thought it would be soldered to the barrel. It is not. (or at least mine was not). When the front sight insert is tapped out (and I didn't support the ramp sufficiently - hence my discovery!!) that exposes a screw head. That screw threads into a "top hat" type of attachment - it is set into very shallow dovetails cut into the barrel. That front sight ramp is held by some sort of epoxy or "glue", in addition to that top hat. The ramp lifts straight up to remove. The rear sight was attached with similar glue/epoxy and two small screws - they are a metric thread, for which I have yet to find slotted "plug screws" to match - "making do" with some allen head metric set screws for now.
 
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I think I'm at a 20% failure rate for out of the box Zastava's but I'm always tempted to get back in there.
 
Years ago, the Zastava actions and rifles were marketed as the Mk. X. Very nicely done. I considered them superior to the PH Mauser actioned rifles.
Then Yugoslavia disintegrated, and eventually NATO bombed the crap out of Serbia. I don't think the Mauser actioned sporting rifles are as nicely done as they once were.
Should you encounter a used Mk. X for sale take a good look at it.
 
I’ve heard it suggested that Zastava produces rifles in various grades, and those that are currently imported under the current grade are there worst? Anyone know if there’s any truth to this? The rem and CD imports certainly appear to be in better shape but it could just be quality control by the importer.

I wish they would do more runs without the obnoxious rollover combs
 
i have two of those here: one in left handed where i changed the stock for a boyds laminated stock that was glass bedded by our why not? and then a stainless with synthetic stock in right hand.

they re maybe not as good as the mkx but they re made of steel and they work good, they re not fancy but again more a tool to use than a show gun.

for those that think they re crude try to move the action 1000s times in front of a tv.
 
On the 9.3 it looks to be a factory one as the push bottom for the trap door looks factory. As I did buy it used I can’t be sure
 
I have the same rifle in the same caliber as you. I found the bolt and the trigger quite rough. It would not shoot well PPU either.
I took it to my gunsmith. He smoothed the bolt and trigger and action-bedded it. It felt much better then. I developed loads for it with 3 different bullets. They all shot sub-moa. I will take it hunting this year. If you want to handload, get some H4895, Lapua brass, PPU 285 and/or Norma 232 bullets, and Fed210 primers and you are good to go.
 
I have the same rifle in the same caliber as you. I found the bolt and the trigger quite rough. It would not shoot well PPU either.
I took it to my gunsmith. He smoothed the bolt and trigger and action-bedded it. It felt much better then. I developed loads for it with 3 different bullets. They all shot sub-moa. I will take it hunting this year. If you want to handload, get some H4895, Lapua brass, PPU 285 and/or Norma 232 bullets, and Fed210 primers and you are good to go.
Thanks for the info , I would like to reload for it , I’ll keep that all in mind!
 
I have one in 458 Winchester. Scope mounted easy, little adjustment. Blueing is great on it, stock is a bit plain. Action isn't smooth yet, but will get better with use.

Well worth the price for what you get .
 
I have a pair, blued/wood 7x57 and a Stainless/Syn 7x64. The triggers are very good once adjusted properly, the blued one is a little rough in the action, the stainless is smoother by a wide margin. They both shot good out of the box, but shot much better with a pressure pad added to the forestock.
20190807-173934.jpg
 
I had one back in 2015-2016. Production year was 2013. Had a smooth action and shot MOA out of the box, no bedding done to it. Used it that season and filled in my tags.

Currently own a few in 8x57 and 7x64. All of them are good shooters, those ones are bedded and have smooth actions. I have found that the ones that came with a monte carlo stock had better finishes compared to the current euro hog stock.









 
I have a old 50-60’s one and it’s beautiful I’ll have to upload some pics later on today.
Double set triggers and lever floor plate and mirror like bluing.
 
My 9.3 had an issue with its chamber and would not fire chambered rounds. I sent it off to another user and he figured that out and I believe he is currently reforming brass to shoot it. Unsure if the chamber could have been cleaned up.

I found all this out after I had the stock shortened, new pad installed and glass bedding done lol.
 
Looking for opinions on the Zastava m70. I ordered one already as it was in my price range and the calibre I wanted (9.3x62). They have a reasonably decent reputation on the net , a little rough in fit and finish is the most common complaint.
Just wondering if anyone has one , in any calibre , and could shed some light on their out-of-the-box functionality & accuracy or any other opinions observations or experiences.


I have had a very nice, used Zastava for about 6 months. It came from a good CGNer, off the EE. The blueing is deep, the sights are properly aligned, the bolt runs smoothly, and the trigger is crisp. It did come in a Boyds??? laminated stock. Maybe that was a hint of things to come. Well, I decided to try another Zastava. So I read a bit more internet poop/ drank some Kool-Aid so to speak.

Then in July, I ordered a new, left hand Zastava, paid the bill including shipping, by EMT. Before I placed the order, I spoke to the seller and explained that this was to be a shooter and used lots. I asked to have a rifle selected with a straight grain through the wrist, hoping to avoid what happened. Beware buying a rifle on the net where the sales pics are grainy or questionable as to the exact rifle. What I got was the rifle with the lowest SKU number, meaning it was the first to go in stock, therefore the first out, selection be damned. FIFO for those who understand.

The rifle arrived a couple weeks later with 3 faults I was not prepared to overlook:

First the stock, at the wrist, was a little too spooky for a large caliber. You be the judge, check out the pictures.

Second, the barrel was over rotated to nearly 11:00 o' clock, looking from the rear. Again see the pics.

Third, a check with a no-go gauge had the bolt rotating down to roughly an inch of closing. Another pic.

These and other pictures were sent explaining my dissatisfaction.

On the phone, an employee told me that there was an upcoming facility shutdown and that if I shipped it as soon as possible ($$$), they would get another rifle off to me before the closure. I was trying to be agreeable, so I sent the rifle air freight.

Well the communication stopped, the closure occurred, and I waited for a tracking number. What I got instead was an email stating:

"I received your Zastava. I inspected the other Zastava that we had put on hold for you. It has similar wood grain pattern as the one that you returned. The sights are like on the one that you sent back. So rather then sending guns back and forth, I decided just to EMT you a refund."

Without getting into numbers, the purchase price refund was in full, but the original shipping portion was only about half of what was charged initially, and of course I am out a large return air freight bill. My out of pocket is over $150.00, but I consider myself lucky as I was in the logging business since the 70s and saw some people taken for tens of thousands.

Please don't ask here or PM me as to the seller. Caveat emptor.

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