Rusan Picatinny rail - Zastava Mini Mauser (M85)

Introduction

Picatinny rail consists of slots with 5.23 mm spaces between one another, which means that it can be used across its entire length. It is simple to mount and interchangeable – if something is made for a Picatinny rail, it will fit regardless of the manufacturer or manufacturing date. It is affordable, resilient and reliable – this is why it so commonly used by professionals and military. Because of all its great qualities, Picatinny rail has been dominating the rail market in the recent years.

Picatinny is a big step forward from the Weaver standard. Weaver has a few predesignated slots while Picatinny has slots all over its surface, allowing the device to be mounted wherever the user finds it fitting. Weaver's slot is 3.8 mm wide, which is why ring mounts made for a Weaver rail will also fit on a Picatinny rail while ring mounts made specifically for a Picatinny rail will not fit on a Weaver rail. This is one of the main reasons why Picatinny is a far better mounting solution.

Rusan, a company from Croatia, is one of the manufacturers of Picatinny rails. They make mounts from steel and aluminium and provide buyers with a wide selection of Picatinny rails for various rifles. They are made from high quality deep blue finish steel. Picatinny Rails include screws with appropriate thread for the corresponding rifle. Rusan covers 10 years of warranty for all its products.

About the rifle

With its headquarters in Kragujevac, Zastava is a leading producer of firearms and artillery in Serbia. It has been in business since 1853. Before World War II, Zastava had twelve thousand employees and ten thousand machines. Gradually, they expanded their production program and started manufacturing hunting and sporting firearms. Today, they are exporting their products to over thirty countries around the world.

Zastava M85 (also known as Mini Mauser because of its similarity to the popular Mauser rifle from 1898) is a bolt-action rifle of a traditional design. It has original Mauser locking system and a controlled-feed action. This rifle is chambered for: .222 Rem., .223 Rem., .222 Rem. Mag., .22-250 Rem., .22 HORNET and 7.62x39. Round capacity is 5 + 1. A sliding safety is located to the right rear of the bolt. There are some improvements from the original Mauser models – there is no bulb on the back part of the receiver, which greatly expands the mounting possibilities. For mounting purposes, there are four holes on the receiver, two at the front and two at the rear. Both mounting surfaces are round.

A: 16 mm
B: 73 mm
C: 10 mm
BHU: 3 mm
Fi: 6-48
R1: R15.20
R2: R14/30°

Mounting instructions

Remove all the stains (grease, oil etc.) from the rifle's receiver with a cleaning fluid (acetone). Once the surface is clean and dry, check whether the screws match the rail and the holes on the receiver. Make sure that the Picatinny rail is compatible with the rifle by inspecting the mounting holes on both. Before mounting the rail permanently, apply a minimal amount of thread-locking fluid 278 or 648 on screws and contact surfaces. Be careful not to get the fluid in or near the mounting holes. Carefully clean the remaining excess fluid around the rail with a cleaning fluid. Using a torque driver, screw the screws appropriately (up to 2.2 Nm) – do not overtighten.

Warranty

The product has a warranty period of 10 years.