About 28 yrs ago a guy I worked with offered me a FN commercial barreled action in the white with a 6x Weaver mounted and a block of walnut that the action had been inlet into. It was in 7x57. I took it to the range and at 100 yds it shot a dime size group with his handloads. For $75 I couldnt get the money out of my wallet fast enoiugh. It seems his father had built the rifle. His father was a gun constructor at FN and escaped one hop before the nazi's arrived. In the states after the war he took a trip back to Denmark and went to visit the old FN plant where he had worked. He brought back ten actions. He gave a gunsmith 8 of them in payment for barreling two of them with 7x57 barrels, 18 1/2 long. Seems that was the preference for mountain hunting over there. He finished one for himslef with gold and silver inlays on the reciever. He started the next one for his son but died before he finished it. Large gold rose with silver leaves and tendrils on the receiver. This was the one my co-worker offered me. I finished it and it has been my hunting rifle since then. Do I like the 7x57? oh yeah, with 154 gr bullets and IMR 4895 or BLC-2 powder it is a tack driver. Oh, and by the way, the son-Eherling Hagfeldt was with Pattons 3rd army at the end of the war and was his interpretor when Patton sent the cavalry into Checoslovakia to rescue the Lipizaner horses from the Russians. Ehrl spoke fluent German.
