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I picked up a "Preduzece 44" Mauser recently. Not that I'm an expert but my understanding is that this is a rifle that started life as a German Kar98k (and some original German markings such as the factory code do remain visible), which then would have been captured in Yugoslavia (or abandoned there) in the wake of the Axis Powers' collapse on eastern front. It was then refurbished in Yugoslavia some time before 1950, and then somehow afterwards ended up in Ethiopia where it remained for decades before importation into the US (to be purchased shortly afterwards by me).

The Ethiopians apparently did some slight changes to it and I'm wondering if I should undo them to make the rifle look like it did after the Yugo refurbish, or leave it exactly as is because the Ethiopian changes are part of its story now?

So what did they do? Only 3 things that I could find. They changed the front sling mount from being on the side to being on the bottom (from what I could tell, this piece is the only one with a mismatched serial number, though I'm thinking the rest of the matching ones are Yugo-assigned, and not original German). They also wound some cord through the rear sling mount slot as a sort of crude conversion to a bottom-mounted sling to match the front, and lastly they painted some sort of giant rack number onto the stock.

I realize this is all fairly easy, minor stuff and mostly reversible anyways, but still seems odd to delete a chapter in the story of a historic item.

Pics:

16172187-6E43-4535-85FB-F01BF35B8271.jpeg
92644053-F263-40CF-B559-EA19436CF484.jpeg
 
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If it was mine....
I'd just maintain it as it is.
That rifle has a long history....and deserves to be remembered for all of it.
Besides...if you want a Yugo-Mauser....there are still plenty of those around.
Andy
 
Perhaps you saw that there was a recent Forgotten Weapons on the importation of Ethiopian Mausers on YouTube. Quite interesting.

I did see those videos. Really interesting stuff, and my Mauser comes from the same warehouse buy-up that the rifles discussed on Forgotten Weapons come from (though I didn't get mine through IO/Royal Tiger). Unfortunately they don't seem to address exactly how/when specifically the Yugo Mausers (either Yugo made or Yugo-captured) ended up in Ethiopia. I would guess that because Yugoslavia wasn't actually a subject of the Soviet Bloc, they had more latitude to sell their surplus to a non-communist nation and would've sold off their supply of Mausers once they adopted their SKS clones.
 
In battle of Mogadishu ( 1993 ) , I had Mauser rifles of various sorts shot at me....
In Bosnia , Mauser rifles were still in use , when I was there in 1992
They still work for what they were made for.
Andy
 
I agree with Andy on this one. I never alter "vintage" weapons. They, like some of us older guys, have literally "been there, done that" and should be preserved and appreciated in their original state.

Just an old farts .02, so take it for the nuthin' it's worth... :)
 
In battle of Mogadishu ( 1993 ) , I had Mauser rifles of various sorts shot at me....
You were there during The Day of the Rangers? :eek:
Wow. You already had my respect, but I give it to you again, sir!
 
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I thought yugo did not incorporate the bolt takedown on the stock ?
Out of the 8 M48 a/b I own dont have em.
German stock too ya ?
Great piece of history , we love it.
Thanks for posting
 
I thought yugo did not incorporate the bolt takedown on the stock ?
Out of the 8 M48 a/b I own dont have em.
German stock too ya ?
Great piece of history , we love it.
Thanks for posting

I think the M48 A/B's were 100% Yugoslavian post-war production, while this rifle is a Model 98/48 and is a German rifle that was refurbished in Yugoslavia. That would be the reason for the German stock.
As far additional pics, here's a couple more and I'll add more later (lighting in my house is pretty dim and it's night).

DD40C048-FC05-4CDD-829E-6B5D7A126BED.jpeg
DC2EC922-98B6-4F64-B29A-78B175789BB6.jpeg
 
Adding some "fully body" photos. As you see can see, the front sight hood is missing. That is something I do intend to replace since this can be done without really "deleting" anything. It does does need cleaning out before it can be fired, seems like every surface is coated in a veneer of something like cosmoline.

55D067C9-5C49-4080-BB71-FFBED8DEDCA5.jpeg
AD6B1752-04C3-4E23-B73F-87B25ACF11F5.jpeg
 
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Yeah, that thing is cool, if it we're mine, I'd leave it as is.

I'd also make note of anything you know about it, or have been able to assume based on the research you've done, that way those notes can follow it when you pass it down/sell it in the future. :s0155:
 
I do have a question for the Mauser enthusiasts, now that I have started taking it apart for cleaning.

There seems to be a bit of play between the firing pin and the cocking piece. By comparison my other Mauser (granted the other is a 95 pattern, not a 98) has virtually none at all. It makes me worry that firing pin protrusion may be excessive. Is this just a case of late-war production standards falling? A less than ideal fit between a part that was replaced during refurbishment?
 
The Ethiopians had a similarly 'caring' attitude to the thousands of Lee-Enfield rifles over the same period. An ongoing thread on gunboards discussess and exact analogue of THIS thread, but with the words 'Lee-Enfield' replacing 'Mauser'.

Me?

Timer for popcorn.
 

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