A rifle I bought arrived today. It's a full custom job, with a few mess ups, but nothing that can't be fixed. I didn't have it made, and the price I paid was way less than it would cost to build. I think someone was dissappointed and dumped it. There may have been more than one gunsmith involved, one very skilled with wood, and perhaps another not so skilled with metal work. I just don't know the history of it.

It has the prettiest walnut stock I have ever owned. Nicely and generously hand checkered, and inletted close to perfection. The stock is a classic style, with a cheek piece, and a steel checkered butt and pistol grip cap. It fits me very well. I don't know enough about walnut to say what kind it is, but I think it's claro. It has fiddle back about evenly on both sides, about 80%, and great figure in the butt, again almost a mirror image on both sides, and perfect grain flow through the wrist. It has a lot of dark mineral streeks. Maybe I can post some pictures later.

Anyway, the biggest mess up is it has three scope base holes in the rear receiver bridge. It appears that perhaps the middle hole was drilled, then welded, then drilled again. The threads are messed up, and the blueing too. The two outside holes look good, but they don't have the correct spacing for standard FN rear base.

I'm pretty sure this action was a Sears 50 or 51. The difference of the two as I remember was the hole spacing on the rear bridge.

First question - what action Sears 50 or 51 had the odd hole spacing?

What have you guys been doing to find and or fit a base to that hole spacing?

I'm thinking that the way to salvage this action is to just ignore the extra hole in the middle. Looks like it was worked with too much already. As bad as it sounds, the base will cover it up anyway.

Keep it simple may be the best solution in this case.

Truth is though, I have other actions that can be used, which are properly drilled and tapped. I could just have a gunsmith install the barrel on any one of perhaps five actions I have, including FN Husqvarnas, a clean FN, or a very clean military action with an FN bolt. Fit all together, reblue, and the ugly extra hole is gone. Lots of trouble, but considering some other issues, it may actually be the best way.

This rifle has a three-position safety, but it was not installed exactly right. It's sloppy. The little slot cut for the pin to slip into, which locks the bolt down is enlarged, thus the bolt has some play in it when the safety is engaged all the way back.

I don't know if this small spot can be tig welded, then recut to allow the pin to fit tighter.

There seems to be some timing issues with the cocking piece, the sear, and the opening of the bolt. It has some as of yet unidentified hitches, that my other Mausers don't have.

When the thing is dry fired, the bolt handle moves up a smidgen. It's supposed to stay put, is it not?

If I chose the dramatic option, just replace the entire action, I would have the Smith install another quality safety (maybe Lapour) from scratch, and a blackburn or NECG trigger, and a Blackburn bottom metal unit that I have on hand, just waiting for the right home.

The action on this rifle is still useful, but something I would use as a truck gun, stocked maybe in a Hogue, and not worry much about it. The bolt has just enough slop in it that it comes very, very close to touching the comb of the stock when all the way back. I think a tighter action may be better on this custom job.

Have I already talked myself into it? What would you guys do?

Thanks for the info, and other advice.

KB

The model 50's came with either .500" or .860" rear bridge spoacing. I have one with each and one like yours with three holes. Luckily for me, the driller of said extra hole was proficient in the art of Drilling & tapping and put it right where it was supposed to go. It is a fairly stright forward process to plug the offending hole.

I simply made a new base to fit the existing hole pattern on mine with the oddball spacing.

I just saw another model 50 yesterday for sale with the odd .860" spacing. A very clean action.

Another option would be to mill off the entire rear bridge and replace it with a new square bridge.

Tally makes a base for the Sears M50(FN) with .860" spacing.

I made two separate bases for the FN custom I was inquiring about in a previous post. One, the first, was for a Leupold style windage base, the next was for the QRW bases the customer acturally wanted. Both have the .860 spacing. If you are looking for a rear Leupold style base with the .860 hole spacing, give me a PM and I will give you my phone number.

Jim

I wonder if some of the first M50's were not drilled and tapped at all? I have one that was a .270 Win. that I rebarreled and restocked into a 7x57. The gun was strictly stock until I converted it and as I recall, the previous (original)owner had to have it drilled and tapped. Evene the scope was one of the very first K-4s to have covers on the adjustment knobs. When you sighted it in, the crosshairs were never anywhere in the middle of the sight picture. I sure wish you could get a scope today that had the excellent eye relief of that old Weaver. That was one place where that old scope whipped the hell out of the newer scopes. I guarantee that you'd never get a Weathery eye from that one.
Paul B.