Some Education Needed

[Ron J]

I'm curious about a Mark X I looked at. It looks to be marked like the pictures Z posted for Brenden. In my searches here, I find mixed feelings about these, but can't realy find anything negative about this one. Description and markings:

Left rail- Alexandria Vriginia - Interarms - Manchester England

Elsewhere- Made in Yugoslavia - 4 digit S/N

It is a scaled down 98 recvr. .223 caliber, no full length extractor, it's Sako style. No inner torque shoulder.

 

The thing is tight, feels smooth and looks well made.

What's the connection from Yugoslavia to England to Virginia?

Also, is there a source to date it by s/n?

Thanks, Ron

[BradD]

Walnut, what you've found is an Interarms Mini Mauser. They were made for .223 and 7.62 Russ and are good for anything in that class. Make outstanding varmint rifles.

 

They were (are, they make them for Remington now as the M-799) all made by Zastava, the same maker as the Mark X. From the Interarms days they were fairly well made and over finished. The early ones and the "safari" calibers were marketed through the Manchester outlet, but eventually all were marketed through Virginia. It's felt that the stuff that came through Manchester was better quality.

 

The quality concerns were not in strength - they were stong - but in fit. In that area they need work, but nothing impossible.

 

After Interarms croaked Charles Daly took them over and it was a disaster and there was concerns about heat treating (unkown if true or not, post Clinton bombing of Serbia), something near and dear to all our hearts. Daly and Zastava did not work out well together and Remington picked up both actions, which are currently on the market, alive and well.

 

The Mini Mauser is a great little action, especially marked Manchester, although my opinion of the barrels is ho hum, but they have a huge problem which can be almost impossible to remedy. The extractor, sort of a Sako kind of knock off, is weak and breaks at the hook. When it is gone - it is gone. Replacements are nowhere to be found, unless Rem got on the stick, but when I called them they were, well, not friendly and in no mood to help me.

 

I eventually ended up having Satterlee Arms in Sturgis, SD make one for me. Can you say $110 without choking? They are fabulous manufacturers and custom machine work costs what it costs. But it seems life could be fairer and one of the importers somewhere along the line could take mercy on all the MM owners with broken guns.

 

But I built mine into a 204 Ruger, put it in a Boyd's and it shoots 1/2 min groups. The pain has passed, but the lesson remains.

 

If it wasn't broken, I'd buy it. If it is broken, I'd go fishing and I don't fish.

 

Brad

[Ron J]

Thanks, Brad. Good info to know. Maybe Don Markey needs to get his hand on a good extractor and start making them. He's pretty sharp with his machines. Sounds like he'd have no problem selling them.

[BradD]

Be glad to loan him one if he's game.

 

It is the part which most disables these otherwise fine little actions. Don't know how many have been thrown away as hopeless. Would be interesting to see what kind of response an ad for them would bring.

 

Stu Satterlees's dad, who actually made the part, made an extra and was worried about whether they could get their shop time back. They do it all on CNC so it is computer time and equipment set up.

 

He put it on AR's wts thread and I think it went quickly enough.

 

B.