2 New Yugoslavian Snipers found

[nattcmars]

I went down to Sarco the other day and picked out 2 very nice Yugo Snipers out of a pile of regular Yugos. They were imported by Sarco and since I got them directly from them and picked them out of a large pile of Mausers I am going to say it is not a bubba, but original. One is a M48 that is 100% matching all the way down to the stock, and the other is a 24/47. I know the 24/47 is a little odd, but considering it is caked in cosmo and bought directly from the importer I am going to call it original. Both barrels are in 100% condition. Scopes and mounts are already on order and I am in the process of de-cosmoing right now.

M48 on top and 24/47 on bottom



The 24/47 first....Its my favorite







---------- Post added at 04:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:39 PM ----------

and next is the M48, its grungy but should look good once cleaned and the cosmo is off of it.

Information

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[Salt Flat]

Interesting rifles. Do you know of any photos of original Yugo snipers with scopes attached? I have a 24/47 and really like it. The prices are usually pretty reasonable although I have no idea about the sniper prices. What scope and mounts are you going to use? Salt Flat

[DennisCA]

(sorry for the late post _ been away)
I have a Yugo 24/47 and love it, although it did take me a bit to get use to the sites.
FYI - At 100 yards it shoots high, so you'll have to compensate for that.
I have yet to find a range that (w/o driving a gazillion miles) that has longer distances - at 200-300 yards I think my 24/47 would kick some serious butt!

[DennisCA]

FYI- Here's mine:

[Jim]

The 24/47 is exceptionally rare.
It is a 24/47 "carbine" and fewer than 6000 were believed made. To date, only 5 or 6 are known to exist. There are 2 (IIRC) in the Royal Armory Museum, Leeds, England and perhaps 3, now 4, here in the USA. None have been seen scoped. The scope mounting is almost surely not original.

The original M1924 was issued in tree variants- Rifle- sling swivels only on bottom and a straight bolt. A Carbine- dual sets of swivels like that seen on Czech vz24 Mausers- the Type I with a bent bolt and the more common Type II with a straight bolt. The TI was for cavalry and the TII for mounted troops other than cavalry.

When the post WWII refurbishing program conversion to model 24/47 was undertaken, it was decided that carbines- dual sling models- were not needed so the secondary stock sling was pulled and the stock plugged and the side sling loop ground off.

But- there was a Yugoslav special horse mounted unit that patrolled some of the more rugged of their borders. They were armed with a mix of Mosin-Nagant M44, Soviet PPSH and Mauser rifles. The logistics were a pain to say the least so it was decided to equip these troops with 24/47 carbines.

The Yugoslav expert Branko Bogdanovic is the source of this info. He estimated there were never more than 5000 such troops so estimates the number of carbines at approximately 6000. The unit was disbanded in 1952 I think it was (I'm working from memory here.). The fate of those carbines is not known but beleved they were returned to 24/47 processing to be converted to rifles as were the others. An article was published in the Military Rifle Journal some years back.

Some of those seen are bent bolt others straight bolt. None so far were original M1924 TI bent bolts. The round ball knob on this example is indicative of a bent formerly straight bolt.

Congrats on a rare find!

[Jim]

Interesting rifles. Do you know of any photos of original Yugo snipers with scopes attached? I have a 24/47 and really like it. The prices are usually pretty reasonable although I have no idea about the sniper prices. What scope and mounts are you going to use? Salt Flat

Realistically there are no "original Yugo snipers." The JNA, Yugoslav National Army made an experimental batch of 4618 M48 rifles with their copy of the soviet PU scope on a side mount but- none were ever issued and only a few in museums are known to exist. The next Yugoslav sniper rifles were modern affairs built to look like sporting rifles as are most of today's sniper rifles.
Anything coud have come out of the troubles of the 90s but, there are no official patterns for those and practically nothing can be positively verified as having been fielded and used. The Yugoslavs enjoy hunting and a scoped rifle could have as easily come from a hunt club as aught else.

[Promo]

There were oficially M48 sniper rifles. See Yugoslavia M48 Sniper Rifle

[Jim]

There were officially M48 sniper rifles. See Yugoslavia M48 Sniper Rifle

Incorrect. That was a standard Yugoslav manufactured M48 rifle modified, apparently by a Bosnian, after the collapse of Yugoslavia. It was not made that way during the course of Yugoslavia's existence and therefore not "official. Furthermore, if you'll refer to my comment above, you will see that the only "official" M48 snipers were scoped with a side mounted copy of the Soviet PU style scope so it cannot be one of those later put to use.
My reference for my comment above is the book "Serbian & Yugoslav Mauser Rifles" by Branko Bogdanovic. Mr. Bogdanovic is Zastava's historian, a researcher with Belgrad's Military Museum and a former Yugoslav Army officer with service in the 1970s included training on and with M48 rifles.
I believe we may safely take Mr. Bogdanovic's word on that.