Milsurp Family Album - My FN49 Ladies

USMA-82

USMA-82

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Another one has joined the harem, so I needed to get a shot of my Fn49 collection to date. The latest is an all-matching Luxembourg in .30-06 with an excellent bore. If I keep this up, I might have to change my screen name to FN49 Ken....

From the top:

Century-rebuilt Egyptian with Eagle crest - 8mm Mauser
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Original Egyptian with Crown crest - 8mm Mauser
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Venezuelan - 7mm Mauser
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Century-rebuilt Egyptian with Crown crest - 8mm Mauser
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Argentine w/20 round Mag - Converted to 7.62 Nato
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Luxembourg - .30-06

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For information on these guns, check out www.fn49.com and buy Wayne Johnson's book. Everything you want to know about parts, development, contract runs and history....

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Given the different countries that used that rifle, its right up there with the SKS as far as variants go.

With the exception of the butt plates, rear sight leafs, and a few of the stripper clip guides to accept different ammo types, there doesn't seem to be any real noticeable difference in appearance on them so I'm guessing stocks and many other parts are interchangeable.

Happy to see every one of them has a sling btw.[smile]
 
SKS Ray said:
Given the different countries that used that rifle, its right up there with the SKS as far as variants go.

With the exception of the butt plates, rear sight leafs, and a few of the stripper clip guides to accept different ammo types, there doesn't seem to be any real noticeable difference in appearance on them so I'm guessing stocks and many other parts are interchangeable.



Happy to see every one of them has a sling btw.[smile]
Click to expand...


There were 9 "production contract" countries: Belgium (87,777), Egypt (37,602), Indonesia (16,100), Brazil (11,002), Venezuela (8,012), Luxembourg (6,306), Argentina (5,537), Belgian Congo (2,795) and Columbia (1,001). Add to that the 18 or so countries that requested a few trials rifles, and total production was 176,212 rifles.

Unfortunately, some of these have never been released to the market, so they were either destroyed or are sitting in a bunker somewhere waiting. Some fell victim to the AWB just when they were being surplus'd, and so were "parted out" to reach the U.S. market. That's one reason why when you do find parts, so many are the .30-06 variety.

Hopefully, one of these countries will get desperate enough to sell their surplus, and more will hit the market.

There were actually six variations of stocks. Most had the same general features - length of pull, grasping grooves, general contours, etc. But some contracts had recoil lugs installed, some didn't. Some needed a clearance cut for the safety, some didn't. The seventh version included cut-outs for the select-fire rifles produced in limited numbers. Other parts are interchangeable, but there are variations. One of the big changes was going from a 1-piece firing pin (prone to breakage) to a 2-piece design. It is STRONGLY recommended that anyone who acquires one of these rifles MAKES SURE a 2-piece pin is in place. They are easy to find on several on-line vendor websites.

... and yes, I have a sling for each, but only one bayonet between them. Fortunately, they're happy to share!

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Damn. I think I saw one of these rifles at Pete's a while back, and I wondered what it was! Congrats on the new addition to the family.
 
Ron Swanson said:
Nice collection. I never run across these when I'm gun shopping. I would love to find a Brazilian one in 7mm to match my mauser.
Click to expand...

Good luck with that! Of the 11,002 Brazilian contract rifles, a limited number (estimated between 100 and 300) were released by the Navy for sale to civilian firearms collectors in Brazil prior to 1993. The remainder are either still in Brazilian armories, or have been destroyed.

Let's hope they're sitting in some climate-controlled bunker waiting to be released to the market!!!!

By the way, the Brazilians were chambered in .30-06 only, except for one "trials" rifle in 7.62 NATO. If you want 7mm Mauser, you need to go with a Venezuelan - and there have been a bunch on the market lately.

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Ken, to quote a good friend, slow down you are going to hurt yourself[laugh] Well that's what you told me anyway.
Very nice addition.
CONGRATULATIONS!
 
I got lucky with my very first two fn49's an older collector was trading in his collection and i was there at the gun shop, perfect timing. The gun shop wanted nothing to do with C&R mililtary surplus guns so i got them at his cost of the trade in so he could turn it back into cash quickly. I paid just $270 for the egy 8mm and $399 for the 30-06 lux. But i got hammered when i found the most awesome fiddle back tiger striped fn49 veve 7mm for $750. I had to have it at all costs i just lost it and broke my piggy bank but the bore appears to be unshot. At the same sale i got an svt-40 krono for just $300 too. He also had P17's and krags which at that time i knew nothing about for $200 each. Now its another story at 59 1/2 yo i just got access to my 401k retirement account. Now i want just a few more for me retiring....yup were broke but happy we can play with them afterall we could of drank the $$ and pissed it away like my dad did he gambled it too. I don't derink or smoke or gamble i collect stuff yup were all pickers in some shape or frorm aren't we??

What bank account i never had anything but my 401k now i'm glad i did. I spent my whole s/s check on surplups this month. I'm not rich but i'm still broke but happy. When i'm on my death bed i'll have the cleanest surplups around. I'll clean them 24/7 till i die.

BTW; i'm spending my $$ now and not leaving it for the misses to blow it on the next guy, plus i never seen a brinks armored car in a furenal bringing $$ to the grave.
 
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BigBill - I hope you got those prices a *long* time ago. If it was at all recently then I will be forced to be extraordinarily jealous.

SKS Ray - I didn't make the Marlborough show. There was one FN49 there in January, a beat up 8mm with a $900 tag. [shocked] Was the one there last weekend more reasonable?

55_grain
 
SKS Ray said:
Ken... did you see FN49 Terry Goode had for sale at Marlboro this past weekend?
Click to expand...

Yup. If I recall correctly, he had a mis-matched Century parts-gun Egyptian 8mm (market value = about $500) for about $700. I just shook my head and moved along - typical gun show!

BigBill - if the time ever comes when you're ready to pass those babies along, let us know! If you're like me, though, you'll want to hang on to them until they have to pry them from your cold, dead fingers....
 
It wasn't not too long ago when i purchased them. Back then there were many fn49's on the net for sale for $1,200 to $1,700 i knew these were a decent buy. I had to clean the crap off of my shoes after i found these. Most of the fn49 egyptain 8mm were run hard and put away wet. Maybe i'll look for a argentine fn49 in 308 and in 7,65 we never know what will show up at gun shows with the ecomony being bad.

All my stuff is will'd to my family already so they will be passed down to my family and the future members of my family so they will enjoy the fruits of my labor too. I'm planning for them now. We need to plan ahead now before its too late. I had the owner of a pawn shop laugh and say he loves it when the widows/family come in with there dads guns to get rid of them, thats were he gets the best deals because there clueless about guns and prices. Hearing this pissed me off so i made plans already were my stuff is going to and who gets it.
 
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