Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters FN Mauser Belgium 1950 Mauser 30-06,oppinion ?

They do kinda go with the pipe. Of course, you need a red Filson coat, Bean boots, and one of those caps with the earflaps that tie at the top to go with 'em.

I've always been partial to the 14s and 141s, but never took the plunge. Not likely to at this point, but I like to look. There's a .25 Remington carbine for sale at a store nearby that is very cool, but at $1200, it's way out of the "just because" category.

Probably one has the original safety, and one has a Buehler.

oops...didn't read above...

RJY66, I'm not a writer, but your Browning Safari is as much an Mauser as any of those made by other plants and in other countries under the Nazi occupation. They overran Belgium early and used FN to feed their war effort. After WWII, production switched to sporting arms. FN had a long history of association with Browning and that continued after the war. There were some refinements of the safety and bolt release and the stripper clip thumb cutout was delegated, and perhaps a few other changes. The basic design is pure Mauser made in a plant that produced Military weapons for Germany. It is a refinement of the rifles that are the topic of discussion here.

Jack

What a great thread with lots of good information on a topic that is near and dear to me. My first rifle was a Husqvarna FN in 30-06 that I later paid to have restocked. Sure wish I could have that one back but such is life.

My evil landlord has 2 HVA's in 30-06. Near virgins...the cast off stock in icky birch. Got them cheap from our Vo-Ag shop teacher.

When did they get away from stepped barrels? The one I have has one step in the barrel, like some of the old military practice, that ends near the barrel sight. Most of the later ones seem to have more normal tapered sporter barrels.

Unfortunately, RinB is right about these. Please PM me if you have one of these dangerous rifles. I will send you an FFL and you can send me the rifle. I promise to only turn these Higgins rifles into low intensity shooters chambered for things like .300 Weath, .375 HH, .458 win, etc. I will even pay a small fee for the right rifle.

Thank you and I'm happy to help!

If Desert Mule Deer doesn't want your rifles I will take them. Because In his book Bolt Action Rifles, Frank de Haas was scathing in his report of the FN actions

" FN actions are made to the usual exacting FN quality, a quality so outstanding that no one should question it. I don't know what steel is used in the receiver and bolts of these actions, but you can be sure that the best available steel is used and that the parts are properly hardened. --Every FN action is subject to a proof test in the Belgian government proof house"

I have even converted these to mundane cartridge like .270 win and .30-06 despite the reputation. On a negative note and Contrary to the results of others, i have had poor luck with factory barrels on both Higgins and original FNs over about 15-20 rifles. Thinking of getting two beautiful early FNs that my dad stocked re-bored for that reason.

I actually found an uncut original stock for mine Needs refinishing, but so does the metal

Edit to add - My barrel says "chrome vanadium steel" which in Europe would have probably been 51CrV4 - equal to AISI-6150. That material is commonly used for springs and other highly stressed components, hardened in the high Rockwell C40's. Heat treated properly, it still quite tough and will yield before it fractures, which is what you want in a rifle action.

I'd be curious how/why someone was calling them "too hard" - or if indeed the action was the same material & hardness.

.375 H&H on a Higgins that goes 6.5 pounds plus scope and mounts. 500 rounds or so of full power loads in this configuration and no lug setback yet, but has eaten 3-4 scopes. Currently has a 2.5x fixed Leupold (not pictured) and goes 7.5 pounds or a little less with mount and scope.

DMD, Does that comb have that much "downslope" toward the front as it looks? The reason I ask is that I made one for a 98 9x57 that does and I like it!-Muddy

.30-06 Higgins that is identical to the above .375 in every way, including weight and balance.

Originally this rifle had one of those fowling, 2.5 MOA Higgins barrels on a worn and lightly pitted rifle I picked up here on the fire so sent it off to the gunsmith to replicate the .375. This one's going to Africa in a couple of months, but only shoots 180 Partitions into an inch or so and only at 2700 FPS so considering that plus the overly hard action, it probably wont work well.

I think it is the poor picture I took. Both the .375 and the .30-06 have Bansner High Tech stocks, which are fairly straight.

I said, "some" meaning a few, not all, or most. As an aside, just how does one fire a proof load in an action? In a barreled action, yes. In an action, humm.

Here is a 4 digit SN in 270 that is really growing on me and I am a old time pre 64 mod 70 lover.

I know squat about proof marks ,any help will be thanked.

very best winpoor

That is a very nice package you have there, stating the obvious. Had a Bansner stock on a 35 whelen (FN action) that really soaked up the recoil. Same stock is part of the plan for the current FN 06 I have.

Very much appreciate the Bansner on mausers here...though I understand that stocking a classic action with a synthetic is an unpardonable sin in the eyes of the righteous...

Nice.

Have come across a number of FN Mausers with the claw mount base dovetail cut directly into the receiver ring. Often wondered about the wisdom of mounting a scope base that way since, at minimum, it reduces the rigidity of the the action and at worse,reduces the strength of the receiver ring. The soldered on saddle to reinforce the dovetail cut makes a lot more sense, integrity wise.

Only claw mount I have left. Apparently a postwar rifle. Very nice quality with a Nickel scope.

Another back porch pig;



It's a 30/06