Hi,

I've got a question about a FN in a 270 that is in a local gunshop. I'll try to describe it:

Walnut checkered stock.
Marked Herstal FN on the reciever.
Plastic FN buttplate.
Chambered in 270 win.
Frontsight but no rear sight or evidence of a dovetail.

Did FN produce rifles themself?
What would be a ballpark value at 90%?
Is this a quality rifle or action?

Does anyone have a picture to compare?

Thanks for all the help,

ddj

FN made rifles for Sears (J C Higgens) as well as a lot of other companys...Weatherby for one....H & R for one....a fairly long list and these were mostly fine rifles capable of good hunting accuracy and excellent feeding and ejection. IMO the equipment they were made on is now being used by Zastava and is making the Remington 798!

I have one of these FN rifles in .30-06.....a fine rifle that I bought for the action but the darn thing shot so well I didn't have the heart to remove the barrel.

$400 is not a bad price for these.....several of them sell for less and in today's market you just might find one for $300 or so.....

One more thing.

It has the FN symbol on the buttplate.

ddj

FN made .270s and as others noted sold actions to various companies. I have a FN Deluxe .270 and I believe the later ones were called FN Supremes. If it's a higgins .270 400 is a good price. If it's a FN from the factory, they go for considerably higher prices. See if this helps:

http://books.google.com/books?id=tuVUMLRE47UC&pg=PA256&...iXfsP2TGag#PPA253,M1

Lou

Its not a JC Higgins or anything like that. If I remember right the JC Higgins weren't checkered and were marked as such. This has no other markings from any company but FN. I didn't know that FN produced anything but barreled actions. Could this be a FN Deluxe?

Thanks

ddj

Forgot to mention that FN actions are considered as some of the better commercial mausers available. The FN mauser action is the heart of a lot of fine custom rifles.

Lou

FN made rifles marked FN, that were sold by Sears, and by a Dallas Sporting Goods Firm Cullum & Boren.

The ones I saw were very nice. most had a light colored stock. Several I saw were in 7x57.

The rifle is an FN sporter made at their plant in Herstal, Belgium and these are among the finest production sporting rifles ever made, anywhere/anytime. It could be either a Deluxe or Supreme model, check for a C-ring or H-ring action. The earlier full C-ring variant is probably the finest Mauser-type, ( it is NOT an actual Mauser) action ever built, along with the 22/22 and ZG series Brnos from Chechoslovakia of the same era.

I removed the bolt in the gunshop and it looked like there was a cut out of both sides of the reciever (H action?).

Is this a supreme action?

Thanks as always,

ddj

One can actually see if it's an "H" or "C" by looking at the rear of the barrel after removing the bolt.....the cutout must actually be through to the rear of the barrel.....it's easy to miss this if one doesn't look at the right place. One needs good lighting and must actually be looking at the rear of the barrel.

FN did make and import .270 Win’s using a Mauser action after WWII.
It is a quality action and rifle. I have one that I picked a few years ago. One in 90% condition, $300-$400 sounds about right.

Mine came with a Packmayr recoil pad on it. I could not understand why? (A word of warning do not fire a handload worked up for another make of .270 in this rifle.) (I know not a good idea anyway.) When I shot it I understood why it had the Packmayr recoil pad.

The recoil with the 1st shot was pretty bad for a .270 with a Packmayr recoil pad.
With the 2nd shot the bolt hesitated just a tad.
With the 3rd shot the bolt did not want to open.
I had a cratered primer and a broken extractor spring.

I slugged chamber, the throat and a little bit of the barrel.
It had a minimum spec chamber and throat.

trouthunterdj,

Here is a picture of the FN that I have an in fact mine is a 270 also.

To be frank I don't rate it as "the finest bolt rifle" or whatever. Its heavy, has a poor safety that only locks the bolt closed. In other words it has no three position safety like most M70's do.

Mine is accurate and a nice looking rifle. I bought it only because the price was right and to play with it at the range.



To add that I got it out of the 'second' safe and found that it has no scope on it now. Its just a curio now. It weighs 8.5 lbs with just rings. I has a four digit sn. A nice gun and like some made back then way too heavy.

Thanks Savage 99,

Thats what the one at the local gunshop looks like.

I am interested in it for the action. But I also wanted a classic rifle in a 270. So I think I will keep it as close to original for now.

Can I have a different trigger and saftey installed? Which one's?

Thanks,

ddj

quote:

Originally posted by ColeK:
I slugged chamber, the throat and a little bit of the barrel.
It had a minimum spec chamber and throat.

Almost every FN rifle I've had my hands has been built to minimum SAAMI specifications. They are quality rifles from top to bottom, built a tad bit on the heavy side.
Like yours, most are found without rear sights so modern scopes can be used. I have one example that still retains its tri-peep sight, but the others have been drilled & tapped for scopes. They were made in various calibres, most in 30-06, and they were second to none in quality.

trouthunterdj,

If you can get it for a good price then it will be fun to have and just fine for stand hunting.

I had this M70 type three position safety added to this old Brno. If your going to do it right thats the way to go. While the trigger on this FN as is good enough I suppose some trigger with a three position safety attached might be available?

Thanks Again Savage 99,

That sftey looks great, I have a 21h that I have thought about doing the same thing.

What rings are you using on your BRNO? I didn't know which ones fit that dovetail.

Thanks Again,

ddj

The current CZ HIGH rings work VERY well on the superb old 21/22 series Brnos and, if some idiot has butchered the bolt handle as on the specimen shown, one can use mediums. These rifles have served serious working professional hunters in Africa, Canada and other places where dependability and accuracy are rather important, hence their excellent reputation among knowledgeable riflemen/hunters.

The FN firm DID NOT ...import...rifles, they MANUFACTURED them in BELGIUM and EXPORTED them to countries all over the globe. They DID make some P-98 actioned military rifles of verfy high grade post-WWII, and some of these WERE sold to civilians; this rifle, however, IS NOT one of these, it seems to be a "Deluxe" model from about 1949-50 and is one of the best of that era.

Rifles back then WERE heavier than now, but, then, "men were men" and these FNs were about the same as the iconic, good, over-priced P-64 Mod. 70 in weight, but, were better made and much finer in fit and finish.

A buddy of mine bought a minty .30-06 like this about two years ago, stripped it (barbarian) and then sold me the action. It now has a Heym sts. tube in 9.3x62, a Wisner 3-pos. safety, Recknagel irons and is being stocked as we speak, a heavily modded Boyd's laminate. I have a 4x Conquest and will use lever Talley's, this for my working 9.3 as my other two are too rare and valuable to hunt hard in wilderness conditions.

Gawd, how I wish that rifles today were made like these '50s ones were. I just inspected a new shipment of Kimbers at my gunshop last Friday, what pathetic crap for nearly 1500.00 per.

quote:

The FN firm DID NOT ...import...rifles, they MANUFACTURED them in BELGIUM and EXPORTED them to countries all over the globe...... this rifle, however, IS NOT one of these, it seems to be a "Deluxe" model from about 1949-50 and is one of the best of that era.

The rifle could be as late as 1952 as the one I have in .270 is stamped 1952 on the left side of the receiver. I had one in 30-06 as well that was a much earlier issue (late 1940s?) that is a "C" ring while the .270 is an "H" ring, not that I see that it makes all that much difference and any reference to much great strength is IMHO much ado about nothing. If changing weakened the rifle all that much, I doubt they would have continued the process.
I see nothing wrong with the FN's style of safety. It works.
I also have another FN from the mid 1970's, I believe it was the Musketeer model that is a rifle carrier's dream. it is so lightweight that it is a joy to carry, even if the stock is so ugly it would abort a lady crocodile. Both of those FN .270s are very accurate. I can't say that about the one in 30-06 as whoever had it before me shot corrosive ammo in it and did not clean it properly. it now has a 24" Douglas barrel and sits in a McMillan classic style stock. It's too damned heavy for my old bones to pack around at high altitude much anymore, but I like it anyway.
Paul B.

Do they all have tight chambers? Is that why they were accurate?

My FN mauser is a 7x64, and yes, it is accurate. Has three leaf rear sight, nice checkering and some engraving on the floor plate. The forerunner of the Browning Safari rifles of the 1960s. If you feel the price is right, Take It!!!

LLS

quote:

Originally posted by trouthunterdj:
Do they all have tight chambers? Is that why they were accurate?

They're accurate because they were well made. The chrome vanadium steel barrels used were top quality and head space on every one I've seen was minimal. Judging from the effort needed to resize fired cases, I'd say chambers were minimal too.
FN manufactured top quality rifles any sportsman would be proud to own. If they had any failings whatsoever, it was the two stage military trigger they used. IMHO, they are much nicer than the "Safari" series Browning offered and can be had for much less money.

The major problem with these IS, as mentioned earlier, WEIGHT and a scoped .270W or .30-06 is pretty skookum for mountain hunting.

IF, you put on a good synthetic stock, tho', you have as fine a serious hunting rifle as can be had and one that will be a joy to own and use for your lifetime.

A pair of these, Micky Edge stocks, DTed top 8/40s and with Talleys holding Conquest 4xs in .30-06, with 180NPs over 57.5 of H-4350 is as sound a North American tool as you can possibly get. The Brno-ZG-47 "long bbl." rigged the same way and the OLD Mod. 70 Std., also done this way are as good, practically, and I wish to h*ll, the gunmakers would make REAL rifles like these today.

trouthunterdj,

That particular 22F has the round receiver. I do have a 21H with the dovetailed bridges. It came with and has the original factory one piece mount.

Dewey,
Talley makes QD rings for the M-21 and 22 Brnos.

For starters the action is an FN, not a Mauser, close but no cigar..The term FN Mauser is something that just caught on and is totally incorrect.

The FNs are great actions and require less modification than most Mausers for a Custom rifle..

They are excellent actions for any standard Length case such as the 30-06, 9.3x62, .458 and even 375 and 416 Rem etc. I don't like them for the 300 wby, 7STW, etc. as they just are not tough enough, but then I am not crazy about the 98 Mauser in those intense calibers, nor am I crazy about those calibers in the first place.

Install a M-70 3 pos. safety, a two pos. safety, or even a flip down safety, add a Timney trigger and you set to go with one nice gun and IMO better than anything on todays new market by far...

Any half decent FN rifle is worth a $600 hundred dollar bill or a little more these days. The actions alone are bringing $400 to $500 today.

Don't compare any rifle to your Brno Mod 21 or 22s..They are the ultimate in bolt action factory rifles and compare to any custom rifle IMO..They are the pick of the litter.

Thanks for all the help,

After all the good comments I decided to buy the FN. Going to take to the range (targets in a bean field) next week and see how it shoots.

Thanks Again,

ddj

Hey guys,

Does a 1909 straddle floor plate fit an FN?

Thanks,

ddj

quote:

Originally posted by trouthunterdj:
Hey guys,

Does a 1909 straddle floor plate fit an FN?

Thanks,

ddj

I'd gamble on it!

Yes

Yes, I KNOW that, as I posted on Sept. 29, the FNs are NOT Mausers nor are the Brnos I mentioned.

The 1909 bottom metal, as factory issued is not correct for the FN mag. mortise.

I would consider a Brno ZG-47 or an early FN-C ring equal to the 21/22 Brno actions and these three are my choice as "best in show", even better than my Type B "Obie" in 9.3x62, all in all.

The comment earlier about the C-ring-H-ring is not accurate as the H-ring actions DO NOT handle escaping gas nearly as well as a C-ring does...this is from personal experience. They are, tho', VERY fine actions and I have used them for over 40 years without ever having a problem.

Where are you guys finding all these $400 FNs? I'll give you a hundred dollar profit on all you have in 90% or better shape. I can't find one for less than $750. I would love to find one in 308.

LJS,

You just have to keep your eyes open and be very, very patient. I've acquired three in the last year. The last one as a JC Higgins in .270 Win that had been reblued and put into a Hogue stock. One of the fellas here found it at a Texas gun shop and posted its availability ... for $300. A great deal!

I grabbed it, swapped the stock for a cheap Fajen's synthetic, and put a Timney in it. Was going to rebarrel it to .376 Steyr with a Douglas barrel I already have ... but got 1/2-3/4" groups with the .270 Win. Used the nicer stock on a .376/.416 Steyr (also on an FN action) which now shoots 3/4-1" at 100 yards.

I still need another action so I too am looking for either an FN or a VZ.24 to be redone in .376 Steyr with a barrel I already have. Just don't have a lot of money at the moment.

LJS

I agree with mstarling. You need to just keep looking. local gun show are a great place to find them. I found a JC Higgins 30-06 in new condition at a gun show last winter for $300 and just found this FN 270 at a very high end gun shop. It was on consignment and the seller asked for $400. I bought it for $375. They are out there but probably are getting tougher and tougher to find.

Hope this helps,

ddj

quote:

Originally posted by LJS:
Where are you guys finding all these $400 FNs? I'll give you a hundred dollar profit on all you have in 90% or better shape. I can't find one for less than $750. I would love to find one in 308.

Have no fear....Obama will fix that soon!

I picked this 30-06 up a few years ago for $375. It had an old Redfield 4-12X scope on it and the recoil pad was smashed from sitting vertical for many years I suppose. I took it to the range with a box of factory Rem 180 gr loads and placed three inside an inch and a quarter precisely two inches above point of aim. Wow, I like this rifle. This gun had a standard military trigger with the wing safety on the left side of the bolt. The trigger has since been replaced. I find the stock well designed and much nicer than those Browning used.

In the photo you can see a glimpse (to the right of the blue Wilson package) of the original rear receiver sight. It has a rotating "eye piece" with three holes that allows three different zero's. All in all a very nice rifle IMO.

These are some of my FNs, variously marked "FN", "Browning", "Dumoulin" and "J.C. Higgins". Calibers are .375 H&H (the two on the left), .30-06, .270 and 7x64. I have more that are branded "Husqvarna" and a few that are presently bare actions, but the couch was full. One of the .375s is marked "Browning", while the other is all "FN" right down to the recoil pad, and differs only in having steel bottom metal and a round bolt knob. The Browning, oddly enough, has a 2-digit serial number.

The one on front is a NIB Safari grade in -'06 that I bought for my son when he was born. Not unexpectedly, he 'appropriated' one (or several!) of mine, and this one remains unfired. I hope this works - I'm not much of a picture poster!




The third from the left is as original as any I have - it's in .270, and retains the original sight hood and 2-stage military trigger. The wood is rather light in color, and has the oddest green streaking in it. The -'06 to the right of it has a Lyman 48 on it and has the trigger 'de-humped', but is otherwise original. It shoots extremely well. Neither of those two has been drilled or tapped and will remain that way as long as I have them.

Tumbleweed,

Your FN collection is fabulous. I look in envy.

The picture on the wall is interesting as well of the moored sailboats. Are you a sailor as well?

Thanks - but it took me 50 years to gather them together, and now I have to figure out how to part with them without breaking my own heart.

The pic is just one my wife chose, because 'the colors didn't clash', whatever that means.
I need a motor on my boat, otherwise Lord knows where I'd end up. I'd be one of those guys they'd find starved to death, northwest of the Galapagos 5 years after I left home.

Tumbleweed,

I am up there in years as well and I have a collection also. As of now I am not selling anything.

I did bring up the topic with my wife yesterday however and told a story of how a widow shows a few old rifles to some 'dealer' and he says "those are all old and not made anymore, I'll give you $150 for the three of them"

Of course they are old M70's worth way more.

I will leave my stuff to my son who while he hunts will never want it all at least I don't think so.

I am going over with the wife and later my son on how to sell an old gun, consignment, etc.

Let them sell them. I can't stand the thought.

We are sailors as well and the boat is more demanding than the guns for sure. That would go first.

Tumbleweed and Savage 99,

Its good to hear the perspective of guys who have collected for years. I just started collecting and appreciate all of your kind words and knowledge.

What companies used FN actions and are some better than others?

Thanks again,

ddj