Recently Acquired Bosnian Muslim Rifle: Comments, Please!

[jmaurer]

Folks:
Just picked this one up. I've been looking for a good "trench art" muslim rifle, and I had to have this one. In the last couple of photos, you'll see the crescent and star carved in the stock-tell me what you think happened to the rifle after the initial application of the muslim symbology!

Now, my questions regarding the rifle: the magazine and trigger group appear to be new (the remainder of the rifle shows evidence of moderate combat use). Both magazine and trigger group are completely devoid of serial numbers, which is I think is HIGHLY unusual. But, I think the magazine, at least, is former JNA. After comparing it to others, I think the "1 in square" is a common Jugoslavian inspector's mark. But please look at the markings on the trigger group (these are the ONLY markings): is this Jugoslav? For reference, the safety is serrated front and back; the mag release is as shown.

As time/family/work allows, I'll post photos of the entire rifle. Oh yeah-I've not seen this importer before for Jugo SKS rifles; comments on that point (SDI Fox Grove Illinois)?

Thanks!

[Loose}{Cannon]

Wonder how many innocent babies heads that one squished. 

[running-man]

Def a new importer, I've never even heard of those guys.  I'll compare the mag and TG with some numbered Yugo photos I have. Seems likely to me that they are stock Replacements that just didn't get serialized.  Nice get. 

[jmaurer]

Same here-a quick on-line search for SDI brought up nothing related to milsurp importation.

If I can, I'll try to post more photos (especially of the trench art) later, but I think what I'm seeing around the star and crescent is "ALLAHU" (on the left side in the photos). This in turn seems to have been marked over with the line that appears to be part of a cross, which also encompasses J ASIM. Asim pops up as a fairly common Bosnian first name; not so sure what the J represents. So, a capture/recapture? Or, a "stolen from JNA stocks by Bosnians"/captured by Bosnian Christian?

In the meantime, it's typical E-block serial, 59/66A configuration.

[Phosphorus32]

If it’s an E block in M59/66-A1 configuration then it’s definitely been refurbished and upgraded with the night sights from its original configuration. The 1 in a box is a Yugoslavian mark.

Cool trench art. The Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina were the minorities on the receiving end of ethnic cleansing by particularly ugly elements of the Serb forces (see Ratko Mladic  and Srebrenica). Their allies in B-H were predominantly Roman Catholic Croats. They all were of course former Yugoslavians so both sides used the same weapons, including SKSs.

[jmaurer]

Phosphorus, thanks for the comments. Do you have any opinion about the trigger group, from what you can see?

And wish me luck - I've been after a Croat-marked rifle for about 3 years now; I think time and the application of pressure may come to fruition this week!

[Phosphorus32]

Markings are consistent with the trigger group being Yugoslavian with the knurled safety lever (also seen on Russians etc.) and letters or numbers. If it had a boxed 1 or 2 or a BK (military control) mark that’d be definitive. They usually have a serial number and often an assembly number, so it’s clearly a replacement.

[jmaurer]

As I have opportunity, I'll try to dig back for some examples for comparison with the trigger group, and post what I find here. I'm used to seeing the boxed 1 in the milled relief at the rear-most, outer portion just behind the trigger guard, but as pictured there's zero external markings to be seen.

[newchi]

Stock looks a little dry, i suggest you soak it in bacon grease for a couple of weeks.

[jmaurer]

Will do! But first, I should brush off the pork rind crumbs...why is it that I can just look at bag of BBQ-flavored pork rinds and immediately turn orange? Anyway, Ballistol and hog grease coming up! Ballistol IS immiscible in pig fat, isn't it? Should drive out the last remaining evil, anyway.

[Loose}{Cannon]

Stock looks a little dry, i suggest you soak it in bacon grease for a couple of weeks.

It puts the bacon grease on the stock to make the wood soft!

[Phosphorus32]

Here’s a list of common Bosniak names. I didn’t see any variant involving JASLM. Perhaps a place or a combination of initials and names.

https://www.srebrenica.org.uk/what-happened/list-victims/

Faces to go with the names if you prefer.

https://www.rferl.org/a/27114531.html

[jmaurer]

Phosphorus, it could go either way - I'm thinking that the marking on the stock is Asim, as opposed to ASLM; the "leg" of the L may be just that, but I'm looking at it as Asim, with the "leg" as a continuation of surficial wood grain irregularity. I guess what pointed me that way was my google search using the terms "Bosnia Asim," which brings up a not inconsiderable number of sports-related returns associated with Asim Ferhatovic, Asim Medic, and Asim Zec. Do you know if it's common in that part of the world to list your surname initial first, e.g., "J Asim" for "Jukić, Asim", as an example?

[Phosphorus32]

Yeah, Asim sounds like a more likely name. I wouldn't think a surname initial would be first, since Bosnians don't put their surname first (like Chinese for example) but this is a form of "art" so artistic license applies.

[Direct Connection]

Its why I love LC. Dude takes no prisoners !!  Jmaurer nice piece you have there ..  I thinkl its the first time I saw all parts with no pics of the entire gun : (  Its a tough world out there today ! ha ha ha ha  Lets see some pics of that bad boy Allahu Akhbar !!  : )

[newchi]

since Bosnians don't put their surname first

Anyone know about other muslim countries?, we shipped a lot of foreign fighters that had nothing to do after afghanistan there too.

[jmaurer]

Started digging back in storage, and randomly grabbed the first few I encountered to see if I could verify the trigger group as Jugoslavian; turns out it is: similar "K plus number" markings on a Z-serial block rifle. Hopefully after work, I'll cull the crappy photos and post the good ones, including those that are not K-marked, for everyone's benefit and reference.

[jmaurer]

All right, some photos. A little boring, maybe, but hopefully it might be useful to someone. And I promise to get some snaps of the entire rifle as time allows.

So, the following is a random sample of rifles, and the markings of the trigger mechanism at the inside rear.
First, from a J-block, Serb-marked rifle:


Next, from an H-block rifle:



A D-block 59/66 (no night sight upgrade):


A J-block DMR/ON2:


And lastly, from an unused Z-block, which I think confirms that the rifle that's the subject of the thread does have a Jugoslav trigger group:

[jmaurer]

As promised, I've finally had the time (and weather conditions) to get more photos. The rifle really does exist-not just a random jumble of parts! Note: the serial number is NOT E-1182; I've carefully "redacted" the photos. If you're keeping track, write up the serial number as E-1182XX.

[Direct Connection]

Simply Classic war ridden machine you have there.. Beautiful masterpiece . Have you shot it ?