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Last spring, I bought a new Zastava Z5, .22 rimfire rifle for a reasonable price. While setting up the scope, I found I was not happy with the trigger pull and overtravel. Also, the rifle came with one five round magazine and when you live in an area where 300 shots at Gophers on a good day is not an unreasonable amount to fire, then having only one five round magazine creates a lot of loading. The Zastava magazines were scarce here in Canada, and when found, ran into the $35 range.
I disassembled the rifle and adjusted the trigger so that it is now a three pound trigger with a small sear engagement and very little overtravel. I was looking in my “goodie” box for a set of detachable sling swivels when I noticed two Mossberg 702 Plinkster magazines that I had bought in a “box lot” at an auction, along with some other gun parts. I put the Zastava magazine alongside one and it looked very close, so I got out the vernier caliper and measured it. Then, I tried it into the magazine well and it was like it was made at the Zastava Factory in Serbia. Almost perfect.
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Proceeding cautiously, I then took the Dremel tool with a cutting disk and cut a slot in the back side of the magazine, using the Zastava magazine as a guide. I cut the slot a bit long, and filed it to fit. Then I tried it into the rifle action. NOTE: The barreled action was out of the stock at the time. There is a small “tab” on the right side of the Mossberg magazine that must be removed so that it will fit the Zastava, but at the time I left it in place so that if the conversion did not work, then it would still fit a Mossberg. It was possible to fit the unaltered tab magazine into the Zastava because there is a cut out in the right side of the Zastava magazine housing.
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With the magazine fitted, it was loaded with five rounds to test loading. There was a bit of drag and the cartridges were angled a bit low for the chamber. A sanding drum on the Dremel quickly removed some plastic from the magazine follower, starting about 1/16 inch at the back and tapering to nothing at the front of the follower, thus providing a slightly steeper angle for the cartridges to enter the chamber. A further test of five and then 10 cartridges loaded from the magazine perfectly.
The magazines I have are the 702 Plinkster model. This magazine was made for the semi-automatic rifle, and as such, the follower is a bit higher so that the bolt is held back open after the last shot is fired. This also works with the Zastava, as the bolt will not close on an empty magazine, but is held open much like a Military bolt action. There are two advantages to this, as it gives you an immediate indication that the magazine is empty, and also the bright red plastic magazine follower shows up well with the bolt open, a safety factor.
With the magazine working well in the disassembled rifle, I then smoothed the old notch for the Mossberg magazine release catch. This makes it easier to withdraw the magazine from the rifle. The last operation was to use the Dremel cutting wheel again to remove the small “tab” from the right side of the magazine. A couple of good blasts of Carburetor Cleaner into the magazine removed the grinding remnants and crud, and it was ready to go.
How well does it work? Last summer I fired over 2000 rounds out of this particular magazine, with absolutely NO jams. The cost was less than half of a Zastava magazine, and they are readily available.
ANOTHER NOTE: A couple of days ago, one of the locals showed up with a Gevelot semi-automatic rifle. These were made in France, and had a ridge machined into the front of the bolt for a firing pin, but no extractor, depending upon the blow back of the cartridge for ejection of the empties. He had no magazine and had not been able to shoot the rifle for almost 20 years. A quick measurement showed the Mossberg magazine was close, so the second magazine, (the one shown packaged above) was tried. It was a bit tight at the front of the magazine well, but these receivers were made of aluminum. About a half-dozen strokes on each side of the magazine well with a round file allowed the magazine to enter. The tab on the side of the magazine was ground off, a notch cut in the front of the magazine for the release, and we tried it out. No follower alteration was necessary for feeding. He brought over three Mossberg magazines he had just bought, (one to replace my magazine) and I modified two more for him in about 15 minutes. Here in Canada, Gevelot magazines start at over $50 so he is a happy camper right now.
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Last spring, I bought a new Zastava Z5, .22 rimfire rifle for a reasonable price. While setting up the scope, I found I was not happy with the trigger pull and overtravel. Also, the rifle came with one five round magazine and when you live in an area where 300 shots at Gophers on a good day is not an unreasonable amount to fire, then having only one five round magazine creates a lot of loading. The Zastava magazines were scarce here in Canada, and when found, ran into the $35 range.
I disassembled the rifle and adjusted the trigger so that it is now a three pound trigger with a small sear engagement and very little overtravel. I was looking in my “goodie” box for a set of detachable sling swivels when I noticed two Mossberg 702 Plinkster magazines that I had bought in a “box lot” at an auction, along with some other gun parts. I put the Zastava magazine alongside one and it looked very close, so I got out the vernier caliper and measured it. Then, I tried it into the magazine well and it was like it was made at the Zastava Factory in Serbia. Almost perfect.
.
.
Proceeding cautiously, I then took the Dremel tool with a cutting disk and cut a slot in the back side of the magazine, using the Zastava magazine as a guide. I cut the slot a bit long, and filed it to fit. Then I tried it into the rifle action. NOTE: The barreled action was out of the stock at the time. There is a small “tab” on the right side of the Mossberg magazine that must be removed so that it will fit the Zastava, but at the time I left it in place so that if the conversion did not work, then it would still fit a Mossberg. It was possible to fit the unaltered tab magazine into the Zastava because there is a cut out in the right side of the Zastava magazine housing.
.
.
.
.
.
With the magazine fitted, it was loaded with five rounds to test loading. There was a bit of drag and the cartridges were angled a bit low for the chamber. A sanding drum on the Dremel quickly removed some plastic from the magazine follower, starting about 1/16 inch at the back and tapering to nothing at the front of the follower, thus providing a slightly steeper angle for the cartridges to enter the chamber. A further test of five and then 10 cartridges loaded from the magazine perfectly.
The magazines I have are the 702 Plinkster model. This magazine was made for the semi-automatic rifle, and as such, the follower is a bit higher so that the bolt is held back open after the last shot is fired. This also works with the Zastava, as the bolt will not close on an empty magazine, but is held open much like a Military bolt action. There are two advantages to this, as it gives you an immediate indication that the magazine is empty, and also the bright red plastic magazine follower shows up well with the bolt open, a safety factor.
With the magazine working well in the disassembled rifle, I then smoothed the old notch for the Mossberg magazine release catch. This makes it easier to withdraw the magazine from the rifle. The last operation was to use the Dremel cutting wheel again to remove the small “tab” from the right side of the magazine. A couple of good blasts of Carburetor Cleaner into the magazine removed the grinding remnants and crud, and it was ready to go.
How well does it work? Last summer I fired over 2000 rounds out of this particular magazine, with absolutely NO jams. The cost was less than half of a Zastava magazine, and they are readily available.
ANOTHER NOTE: A couple of days ago, one of the locals showed up with a Gevelot semi-automatic rifle. These were made in France, and had a ridge machined into the front of the bolt for a firing pin, but no extractor, depending upon the blow back of the cartridge for ejection of the empties. He had no magazine and had not been able to shoot the rifle for almost 20 years. A quick measurement showed the Mossberg magazine was close, so the second magazine, (the one shown packaged above) was tried. It was a bit tight at the front of the magazine well, but these receivers were made of aluminum. About a half-dozen strokes on each side of the magazine well with a round file allowed the magazine to enter. The tab on the side of the magazine was ground off, a notch cut in the front of the magazine for the release, and we tried it out. No follower alteration was necessary for feeding. He brought over three Mossberg magazines he had just bought, (one to replace my magazine) and I modified two more for him in about 15 minutes. Here in Canada, Gevelot magazines start at over $50 so he is a happy camper right now.
