G&C contributor, range buddy, and all around cool guy Cro picked up an Egyptian Contract FN-49 and was kind enough to trust me with it for a week or so to take some photos. It really is a gorgeous looking gun. The FN-49 began life just prior to WWII, and the designer, Dieudonne Saive, fled to England when the Nazis invaded Belgium. Saive took the plans with him to prevent them from falling into the Germans' hands, and finished the project after Belgium was liberated and FN got back on its feet. The rifle is a gas-operated semi-auto battle rifle, with a long operating rod and the system is adjustable to compensate for varying loads. The rifle was originally chambered in 7x57 Mauser, and was eventually produced in 30-06, 7.65x53 Argentine, and 8mm Mauser (as pictured in this article.) Take-down is pretty simple, and the rifle can be field stripped without the use of tools (a small screwdriver is required to remove the handguard as shown below.)  The fit and finish on this example are quite good, with some wear on the bluing present, however no rust or pitting that I noticed. The safety is interesting, at least to Cro and myself, as it slides in a machined groove in the side of the trigger itself.

• Fn High Power Serial Numbers
• Fn Herstal Serial Numbers

The magazine is a 10 round fixed box magazine, and the feed lips are machined into the receiver rather than the magazine. This being an Egyptian Contract rifle, many of the markings are in Arabic, including the serial number and range markings on the rear sight assembly. On the range, the rifle handles well. It balances where a rifle should, and looks good doing it. Recoil is not as bad as I'd expected, no doubt due to the long operating rod and the system being adjusted for the particular ammunition we were shooting (Romanian surplus.) It was a bit hazy out, and the smoke was lingering. I fired a few groups from the bench to get a feel for accuracy.but we quickly realized we needed to back off to 50 yards to figure out where the rounds were going.

Collectors Love The FN-49 Rifle. And the Egyptian version has Arabic numbers. These bayonets have no markings except for a serial number on the.

After moving to the shorter range, we found the rifle to be shooting about a foot low at 50 yards on it's lowest setting, and a bit left. We adjusted a little for windage, and brought the rear up a few notches and moved back over to 100.

1. FN-49 Survey - Attention FN-49 Owners Discussion in 'The. There are either five or six serial numbers on an FN-49 depending on whether the stock was serial numbered.
2. The serial number is 66X, so it is one of the 'early variant' Vene's - first. I ordered an original FN-49 sling for it, but the sling that was on it was.

  Not the prettiest group, and one still managed to slip between the two sheets, but pretty typical of what we were getting most of the day. I'm certain the gun is capable of much better groups if you had the right ammo, a better zero, and better range conditions. I think next time some warmup time on the 10/22 and a little less coffee (heresy!!!) may be in order. All in all, I'd say it's a pretty nice addition to Cro's collection.

By Marc Cammack FN 49 Rifle – A Brief Overview Scarce Fabrique Nationale Luxembourg Contract FN49 Semi-Automatic Rifle with Sling. FN 49 Rifle AmmoLand Gun News USA – During the 20th Century Fabrique Nationale (FN) produced many legendary weapons such as the High Power 9mm pistol, the Mag 58 Machine gun, the FN FAL. After World War Two, FN produced another lesser known rifle the semi automatic FN49 rifle. The FN49 did not see the same level of combat use as similar self loading battle rifles like the M1 Garand, SVT40, or G43. However the weapon helped pave the way for the famous 7.62mm FN FAL battle rifle, and the FN49 saw use in other conflicts such as the Korean War. The rifle was also adopted by several countries right after World War Two, and today surviving FN49 rifles have become a prized collectible.

Dieudonne Saive The designer of the FN49, was a Belgian named. After the death of, Saive finished the design for the 9mm Hi Power pistol. He also later designed the famous FN FAL rifle, which would equip many Western nations during the Cold War. Saive began working on semi automatic rifles in the early 1930’s.

His earliest design self loading rifles were recoil operated, but he designed an early gas operated rifle in 1936. This gas operated rifle’s further development however was stopped in 1940, when the Nazis invaded Belgium. Saive managed to escape from Belgium to England in the summer of 1941. In England, he further developed his design for a semi automatic rifle. Saive later went to Canada in 1943 to help with production of the Hi Power pistol at the. The rifle design that Saive worked on in England served as the basis for the post war FN49 semi automatic rifle, that was adopted by Belgium in 1949. The Belgian Army was the largest user of the FN49 rifle.

These rifles were marked “ABL” for the Belgian Army. These Belgian issues were set up for easy conversion to select fire. The Belgian Congo also had a total of 2,795 select fire FN49 rifles in.30-06. These rifles had a lion crest on the receiver to distinguish them from the Belgian Army rifles.

By 1960 the FN FAL replaced the FN49 in both Belgium and the Congo as a standard infantry rifle. Scarce Fabrique Nationale Luxembourg Contract FN49 Semi-Automatic Rifle with Custom Made Assembly Scope. Scarce Venezuelan Contract FN Model 49 Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle Fitted with Belgium Pattern Scope and Base. Belgium was not the first country to adopt the FN49.

Venezuela ordered 4,000 FN49s in 7mm Mauser in 1948. They placed a second order for 4,000 in 1951, for a total of 8,000 rifles. These rifles were marked with the Venezuelan coat of arms, and had a unique flash suppressor.

The Brazilian Navy used a total of 11,001 FN49 rifles in.30-06, and one rifle in 7.62mm NATO. These rifles were marked with the Brazilian crest on the top of the receiver, and they also were marked with an anchor on the left side of the receiver. Other South American countries used the FN49 such as Argentina.

Fn High Power Serial Numbers

The Argentine Navy ordered a total of 5,537 rifles in 7.65mm Argentine. Many of these weapons were later converted to 7.62mm NATO and fitted with a 20 round detachable box magazine. Argentine Navy rifles are marked with the Argentine crest and ARA on the receiver. 1,000 rifles in.30-06 were produced for Columbia and these rifles were marked with the Columbian crest on the receiver. Egypt was the second biggest user of the FN49, with some 37,602 rifles in 8mm Mauser being purchased over the course of two years.

Egyptian guns often had a brass stock disc on the right side of the butt. The rear sights were also marked in Arabic, and the receivers were marked with either an Eagle or the Egyptian Crown.

Luxembourg also ordered the FN49 These were chambered in.30-06, and marked AL on the receiver meaning Army of Luxembourg. A total of 6,003 FN49 rifles were made for Luxembourg. Indonesia was another purchaser of the FN49, and ordered some 16,100.30-06. These rifles were marked with the letters ADRI on the receiver and an eagle.

Scarce Egyptian Contract FN-49 Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle with Scope Sniper variations of the FN49 were made for Belgium, Egypt, and Luxembourg. Belgium had a total of 262 FN49 sniper rifles. The number of sniper rifles used by Luxembourg was also small. Sniper rifles from Belgium and Luxembourg both featured Echo mounts and 4x power OIP scopes. Egypt used a larger number of FN49 sniper rifles, and these guns differed from their European counterparts.

They were fitted with Czech MeOpta 2.5x power scopes and Czech made mounts. The FN49 was quickly superseded by the famous 7.62mm FN FAL in many nations. Despite this the rifle did see limited combat use in various conflicts. The Belgian Volunteer Battalion fought in the Korean War and were equipped at first with British No. 4 Enfield.303 rifles, but would be reequipped with FN49s in 1952. FN49s were also used in the Congo following that country’s independence in 1960. Egyptian troops used the weapon during the Suez Crisis of 1956 as well.

Venezuelan troops used the FN49 alongside FN Mausers, and FALs, during the Venezuelan 1958 Coup d’etat. In the United States surviving FN49 rifles are in high demand on the. They are much more uncommon than other contemporary rifles like the, due to their low production numbers. Rifles from Venezuela and Luxembourg are highly sought after due in part to the fact that they are often found in excellent or like new condition.

Egyptian rifles are the most common FN49 rifle in the US, and are often found with replacement stocks. Belgian Army FN49s are rare in the United States, as they were setup to be easily converted to select fire, and thus are banned from importation.

Fn Herstal Serial Numbers

Images: Rock Island Auction Company ( ) FN 49 Rifle Resources:. FN 49 Rifle for:.

Rifle:. or the FN 49 Rifle:. Wikipedia on the:. FN 49 Rifle Images: About Marc Cammack Marc Cammack has been collecting firearms since he was 14 years old. His interests are primarily military surplus firearms of the late 19th into the 1950’s. He has studied these in depth, and currently volunteers at two local museums providing them with accurate information about their firearms. He is a graduate of the University of Maine with a bachelor’s degree in history.

He has studied modern European and American history since the age of 9, and has been shooting since the age of 11. He currently resides just outside of Bangor, Maine. I have a Venezulean contract FN49 rifle.

Serial # 9xx, so it is an early production first contract piece.it has the machined dovetail on the left side of the receiver.I purchased a very nice repro scope base and rings from France based on the original style base/rings made for Belgium.currentlyhave an older steel Weaver K4 scope on it.just wondering why the contract called for a dovetail on the left side of the receiver when it appears from all I have read that Venezuela did not use any scoped FN49 sniper rifles.anyone??.: Tomcat, this is for your reply. Seems if anyone disagrees with you they are a nutcase. What a closed mind.: Never trust anything from the Peoples Republic of Washington.

The state is run by morons and they elect idiots.: The suspect was fleeing. There was no longer a crime in commission. The store owner is incorrect and.: CORRECT JIM! If you are going to 'carry' make sure you know how to 'use' the 'tool' you have.: If the Clinton's had made their way to the WH where's the mouthwash. and done the same thing.