I was looking on line at all the new rifles, And cartridges,
So i went a local store, and checked out the The sauer, the Tika the Bergaras the remingtons and winchesters and , i just could not get excited about anything i saw.
This morning, i went to meet a guy at a Hawk shop to sell him my 45/70 Marlin.( Shoulder will not take it anymore,) Hawk shops are strange places, this one had some cool stuff, But there are always items that are over priced, but you can find good deals too. 1st thing i saw was a crazy hi priced Remington 788 .308 for 795.00 , I almost quit looking, But i saw a Tag said JC higgins model 50 30,06. I had the guy hand me the rifle, and it looked like it was a new rifle. like it had never been in the woods. a novice would never know how old it was except for the old Pink pad , being hard as the wood.
Flipped the Tag over it said 435.00 I started thinking about the new rifles i had looked at at the various stores i had been in, And i started trying to think of a reason not to buy it. It had some odd scope bases, i had never seen. rails on the sides like for a weaver, but no cross slot. Got to thinking they might cause a problem, But hell they are held on with screws , and the holes likely match the leupold , if not i might have to pay for a couple new holes to be drilled and tapped.
So i bought it, I got delayed on the background check and could not bring it home. But i like it way better than any of the modern, stuff, and while the 6.5 PRC, is an interesting new Round the 30,06 is till as good as it ever was, And i think i got a very good price on a classic quality FN built rifle. Much lighter than my pre 64 30,06. It still had both the front and rear sights. I will try it out as soon as i can,if it shoots like the Beat up ugly one i once had , i will put a timney trigger and a good scope on it And Have a great old game slayer !
Its been a long time since i had one of these , if i remember correctly the trigger is not adjustable, so i will probably need to drop a timney in it. I would love your opinions on these
rifles... tj3006

Quite a gun. Just finished setting mine up (pic in Image Gallery).
Sounds like your gun may have the .860 rear hole spacing. Optics Planet has Warne M902/831M steel bases that are perfect on the gun.

pocono that is good info thanks, i would prefer not to drill into it. !

I would never d&t that gun. The Warne bases are perfect. Another option is to get Weaver blank bases and drill to fit the existing holes.

Yes I though about weavers, the front and back ring are the same height ?

I grew up with a guy who's dad gave him a brand new Mod 50, also in 30-06, with a 3x9 Leupold scope, 1966 or so. Oooooh, I was so envious! His dad had a friend load him up some 150gr ( we never knew what make, but they looked like Sierras to me) don't know how fast they were, but that rifle and my friend were "pure deer poison"! ha. In addition to killing deer around home,he and his family went every year ( we lived in East Texas, 55 miles NE of Houston) out to Bandera, Texas. They had a relative who managed a big ranch there. He would kill anywhere from 6-8 deer every trip! I don't know if he used family tags or they were culls/poached, ha. They brought deer home on a trailer. I got to hear all the stories, of course. When I went to the Army, 1971, he went to college out near Brenham. He would write and tell me about the deer he killed there. He really got into bowhunting in the late 80's, but he still has the old FN!

About 3 years ago, I found one out here (Utah) but in .270, shot it awhile at the range, but never hunted with it. I "wanted" a 30-06! ha I ended up trading it for some gunsmith work to my buddy out here. Anyhow, they are grand, really grand rifles! I am a sucker for FN Mausers, so I have to watch myself around them, ha. Good luck to you, and start out with 59gr IMR 4350/any 150gr or 52gr/4064 and have a ball!

I LIke your Load but might not start that hot.
I have an FN in .257 roberts that is beautiful. but its heavy might sell that one. I have a custom 7X57 on a Military FN I like alot too..

I've got one of those J. C. Higgins model 50s. I ordered Weaver bases without too much thought about it other than the guidance the Brownell's web site provided. What ever I got works just fine.

Your instincts were good--you got a much better rifle than is made these days and you paid much less than it's worth. I've owned several of these. They were competition for the M-70 FWT and other similar rifles, and they more than held their own. A few things to know about them:
1. They have chrome-lined bores, so they don't rust in wet weather.
2. They tend to be very accurate. I've heard that the barrels were made by High Standard, which may be the reason for the accuracy. You may need to bed/free-float it to get all of the accuracy your rifle is capable of producing, but it's there if you want it.
3. It's a commercial FN 98. Hole spacing is standard, so it will take any mount made for a commercial FN 98, which is pretty much everything.
4. Factory triggers are horrible. Most of them have the trigger built into the bottom metal, which is a real head-scratcher. Trigger pull changes as you adjust tension on the action screws--the tighter they are, the heavier it gets. Most folks use Timney, but several other companies have made good 98 triggers over the years. All of them should fit and work safely/properly. Even military triggers work if that's all you have, and they're usually better than factory triggers.
5. The real J.C. Higgins was an accountant who worked for Sears before WWII. He had nothing to do with of the products that bear his name and nobody is really sure how his name became attached to them, but here we are.

Good luck with it and keep us posted.


Okie John

I’ve owned half a dozen of these rifles in both .270 Win and 30-06. They are well built, accurate rifles. The rear hole spacing was .50” up to about 1955 then changed to .86”. Talley makes a base for the .86” rear hole spacing.

My most recent M50 was a .270W that I had converted to .375 Ruger.

My youngest outgrew his custom 6.5x55 I made for him when he was 8. So, this year, off all the rifles I had on hand, he selected a JC Higgins model 50 in .270 Win. Talley bases with proper .860" spacing and Talley rings. Warne also makes bases with the proper spacing.

That was a good buy.

I've had a couple of those; my son has the last one. The odd trigger was never an issue for me in a hunting rifle; it's similar to a No.4 SMLE. Killed my biggest deer with one wearing a Williams FP and a front sight carved from a Ted Cash ML blade. That story is a Family Classic, as my younger son was along, and helped me drag the buck off the Southern WV mountain. Those M50 stocks are perfect for iron sights.

Wouldn't mind another, but currently have an FN Husky .30/06 I picked up last Fall for $375 with a Lyman PermaCenter, and a 1948 F.I. .270 with a C-ring action, so should stay off Gunbroker and out of pawnshops and start saving for my old age(!)

There are some great replies here guys I thank you for them, its great to chat with people with Kindred Spirit !
Pappy, I Think Buying Quality Rifles at a good prices, might be a great asset when the sad day comes and you realize you are too old to hunt.
I plan to save a few for my Daughter and grandkids to enjoy, But But in 15 or 20 years i will be selling lots of rifles pistols and a few guitars too, but i will keep a few of each, and have one leaning in the corner, while I sit on my porch and play Dylan songs on one of my favorite Martins or Gibsons.
I drop 15% of each paycheck in a 401-K , And Because my 8 weeks short of 60 year old carcass still is strong enough to work 50 to 60 hours a week , i can afford some nice toys too!
But Both my hips are starting to act up just a little. If i can hold out another 7 years i will retire pretty comfortably !...tj3006

Ha! I got out as soon as a good deal popped up from my employer. Managed to get 40 years in and got out at 58 with a big incentive, full pension, and full bennies. Retired almost 9 years, and don't miss any of it.

This is what we work for.

Sounds like you did good, Tom!

I've had a few of the Higgins also. As has been stated, these were put together by High Standard using FN actions and the scope mounting holes on the bridge can be either .50" or .860" spacing. The one I have now came with a Higgins marked scope and mounts made by Kesselring, I believe. The mounts look a bit like Weaver but are not interchangeable. I have used the Warne as well as Talley detachable bases but I could get the scope mounted lower with the lowest Weaver rings; something I couldn't do with Talleys. This may not be an issue for you but it was for me with the early low-comb stocks issued from the factory. I, too, would second the addition of a Timney trigger but a great rifle to build on!

That's great that yours is a shooter!

I have two JC Higgins Model 50s. One in 270Win and one in 30-06. Triggers are mediocre, at best. Sadly, both are poor shooters. Someone told me it was the chromed lined barrels that compromised the accuracy. Maybe that is the reason no one chrome lines rifle barrels, nowadays.

Again, glad that your's shoots well.

Have owned three JC Higgins model 50 30-06 rifles, still own two of them. Great rifles. Hard to find a better made and designed rifle ( except for the trigger). One has a Timney, the other a Bold. I would classify the accuracy level of mine at 1.5 moa.

They are under-appreciated gems. You made the right choice.

Whoever told you those chrome lined barrels were poor shooters is full of more crap than an overflowing septic tank. Seriously, I've owned five and still have four. Four were in 30-06 and one a .270. I've since rebarreled and restocked the .270 into a 7x57 Mauser, not because the .270 was a lousy shooter but because of the position of the rear sight. Some of the early M50s had the groove for installing the rear sight literally dead center on top of the chamber. My .270 was one of those. The thought of 50 to 60KPSI with a chamber wall that thin didn't quite thrill me, thus the barrel change. As a matter of fact the rifle was quite accurate. Just that thin spot on top of the chamber. As I said, the other four are in 30-06 and the worst shooter still will do 1.00" to 1.25" when I do my part. Whoever had it before me buggered some with the stock and one of these days I'll get around to doing a bedding job on it. I'd bet money that would fix its problem.

It's a bad habit of mine. Whenever I see a J.C. Higgins at a gun show it comes home with me. I've only turned one down once. The chrome lined bore was good but the outside rust was more that I wanted to work with. Just way too many deep pits. The stock was banged up some as well but I think I could have fixed it up.

You might want to check the crown and bedding on your rifles. If you bought them second hand, maybe they were cleaned from the muzzle and some damage there. Hard to tell without seeing the rifles.
Paul B.

I would be surprised if the one i bought was ever cleaned.improperly It probably was Shot some since it has scope bases and a pink pad added, But it is in great shape.
I ordered a set of warn Bases, one of them has 2 cross slots, i like the versatility, that provides. A timney sportsman trigger is 74.00. I will need to remove some wood to put the trigger in.
I remember i had one of these in 06 before. Got it cheap with a cracked stock. Had it bedded in a MPI, and it shot great but the stock made my ears ring, so i traded it for a savage 99 !
Not sure what i will scope it with. I like 2X7s though...

No need to go overboard with the hyperbole. Sorry to interrupt the group hug, but I just wanted to note my personal experience that not everyone's J.C. Higgins gun was a tack driver. Congratulations and more power-to-you for those that have had success with this Sears classic.

Let's not get all upset about it. Curious so I'll ask, what have to done to fix the problem? I find it a bit peculiar that you'd end up with two bad ones back to back.
Paul B.

For a gun that is super awesome out of the box, I do, too. I was simply relating my own experience. Glad it is not the norm.

Bummer.

Hint...………………….

To that’s a great find and an excellent hunting rifle. I too like the workmanship of the FN Mauser actions and the versatility of the 30-06 cartridge!

Picked it up day before yesterday,
Got the proper warne scope bases in stalled, I like the bases, The front base has 2 cross slots, witch adds some versatility, for mounting. Not sure what to put on it but might go with a VX3 2.5X8 Leupold. Or a Burris Fullfield 2X7. I will order a timney trigger , midway has the sportsman trigger for 74.00.
I would prefer to leave the rear sight in place , so a short scope might be the way to go. I have a VX freedom 2X7 on a .308 And it works great. (but its kind of UGLY !) I also have a Weaver Grand slam 2X8 on a 7X57, And it is real nice.
...tj3006

I put a Marbles "bullseye" rear barrel mounted sight on one of my JC Higgins model 50's it is a peep sight. Very easy to see/use for older eyes , as a back up to a scope. $20. From Midway. Used the longer slide version. I have a Leupold m8 4x scope on it ( Warne bases).

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...ble-step-elevator-338-to-535-height-blue

You can cut or grind off the outer ring if you feel it gets in your scope viewing -it doesn't- but can be done if desired. Very handy option.

I ordered a Timney sportsman trigger from midway today ! Not sure what i will put on for a scope.. think i will see what camera world can show me...

Gonna try a Dayton-Traister on one of mine. Kinda old-school, but simple and open.

Pappy where did you find a dayton trigger ? I have an old one on a custom enfield 300 H&H. they were made Here in Portland at one time, But are in Olympia washington now.
I bet it goes in with no or little inletting done !

JC Higgins sold at Sears? Ted Williams signature?

Brownell's

They’re in Oak Harbour, Washington

Dayton-Traister triggers

Might do the Dayton next time Already ordered
the timney !

Neat find.

Might be wrong but I believe these came before the Ted Williams endorsements. Had a couple of them myself, they will shoot. MB

They were sold at Sears, But i don,t think there was a ted williams Connection ro these Rifles !.

There was no Ted Williams connection to the J.C. Higgins M50. However IIRC, the Sears M53 was a Ted Williams signature and was a push feed M70 Winchester with Sears name. I had one but traded it off fairly quickly. Frankly, the one I had was an insult to Winchester.
Paul B.

I'm the same way when it comes to modern guns. They shoot well, but plastic just doesn't excite me. A while back a fellow sold me a 1950's vintage sporterized M1917 and I was happy as a clam. 300 bucks was not too much to pay for something to tinker with. I've slowly been working on it, and loads for it, and have whittled the groups down to a pretty decent size. I know I could buy one off the shelf and save some work, but I wouldn't like it near as much as my 100 year old 17. Now to replace the hard as a rock recoil pad.

My one Uncle has one in 270. Other uncle has a Sears( built by Winchester) 270. I’d love to have either. They shoot and are reliable. Enjoy.