Notes: The M-70 is essentially a Mauser 98 remade into a sort of ad hoc sniper weapon, rather than being designed as a sniper rifle or even greatly-modified for the role. The M-70 was introduced in the late 1950s, and of course the original design of its Mauser 98 ancestor goes back to before World War 1. The action is basically identical to the Mauser 98, except for its being built to tighter tolerances; the trigger is adjustable for pull weight, but is reportedly difficult to adjust by the shooter and has a long length of pull. The 27.6-inch barrel is of the heavy type, and is hammer forged (but not cold hammer forged); the length makes for a somewhat clumsy weapon, but an accurate one. The stock’s base is the same as a Mauser 98’s (and not built of the best wood), but is weatherproofed and laminated, and includes a buttplate adjustable for length of pull and a cheekpiece adjustable for height. The M-70 also has a folding bipod adjustable for height, and the internal magazine has been replaced with a box magazine feed. The scope mounts are for conventional ring-mounted telescopic sights; the standard scope for M-70s used by the Yugoslavian action is a domestically-produced civilian hunting telescopic sight of 6x42 power. No iron sights are provided.

The standard caliber for M-70 used by the Yugoslavian Army is 8mm Mauser, but in 1993, a new model was introduced chambered for 7.62mm NATO called the M-70/93. Other than the changes required for the new caliber, the biggest difference is the additional tapping holes in the receiver, allowing a greater variety of scopes and scope mounts to be used. Though some M-70/93 are reportedly used by the Serbs, most are produced for export purposes; for that matter, the M-70 itself is found primarily in a reserve role in the Serbian Army.

Notes: This sniper rifle is in common use by Yugoslavia and former Yugoslav countries. It comes in three calibers, the 8mm Mauser version being the most commonly used. The normal sight used is a copy of the PSO-1 sight used on the Russian Dragunov SVD and SVU; various Russian and Eastern European night vision devices. The sight bracket can also accept Russian-designed night vision scopes. Iron sights are also available. However, like the M-91 below, the M-76 is not a variant of the SVD; it is instead a modification of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, and even retains the use of a forged receiver like that of an AK-47. The barrel is of a heavier build than a Kalashnikov, is 21.7 inches long, and is tipped with long, slotted flash suppressor.

After the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, Crvena Zastava added the chamberings of 7.62mm NATO and 7.62mm Nagant to the M-76. These versions were developed more with an eye towards export sales than for use by Serbian forces. Other differences include a change in the iron sights and magazines to befit the new chamberings and sight mounts able to accept a wider variety of telescopic sights and night vision devices.

Another post-breakup version is the M-91; it too was built primarily for export. The M-91 differs from a 7.62mm Nagant-chambered M-76 primarily in the furniture – the stock is synthetic and skeletonized, looking very much like that of the Dragunov, and the pistol grip and fore-end/handguard are also synthetic. A folding bipod, adjustable for height and cant, has been added, and the buttplate and cheekpiece are adjustable. The scope mount is even more flexible than that of post-breakup M-76s.

Merc 2000 Notes: Like most former Yugoslavian weapons, the M-76 was widely sold on the international arms market, though most export version were sold in 7.62mm Nagant caliber.