FN-49 Mini-Survey - Egyptian & Luxembourg Contract Rifles

[Goose52]

FN-49 Mini-Survey - Egyptian & Luxembourg Contract Rifles

STOCK CROSS-BOLT

I'm trying to pin down some variance in the stock cross-bolt feature on these contracts. The cross-bolt is a reinforcing bolt that extends through the width of the stock, just under the receiver ring area.

This survey is limited to rifles that have an original FN-manufactured stock. Does not apply to Century Arms reproduction stocks or any stock that does not appear to be original.

Please replace the last 2 numbers of your serial number with 2 "XXs"

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Egyptian contract: Let me know only if your rifle DOES have a cross-bolt and provide your serial number.

Luxembourg contract: Let me know only if your rifle DOES NOT have a cross-bolt and provide your serial number.

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That's it! Please post your response on this thread or email me at fn49fan@earthlink.net

If you have not participated in my primary FN-49 survey, and would like to contribute, go to:

Egyptian, Venezuelan, Argentine contract rifles: http://www.falfiles.com/cgi-bin/forums/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=30&t=000072

30-06 chambered rifles: http://www.falfiles.com/cgi-bin/forums/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=017031

Thanks,

Goose

[idsubgun]

Goose, excellent job on the FN-49 survey, but I feel you have WAY too much time on your hands. :D :D ;)
Mine doesn't have the cross-bolt. It's one of the Century (ugh!) rifles.
I would entertain the idea of putting on a factory stock if someone had one. :)

[Goose52]

idsubgun

I remember the first post I saw of yours related to the firing pin issue. Then I was just helping folks with occasional FN-49 questions.

Then I started the "simple" 30-06 survey - how many rifles did each country buy? Then folks started asking more questions and providing more information and then I started down the slippery slope. I've got more holes to fill in the data base so there will be even MORE mini-surveys coming up. Some of these will be more interesting as they will deal with cool stuff like sniper scopes . ..

And to answer your question, it's not that I have too much time on my hands, I had to MAKE time for this by cutting down from shooting around 1200 rounds a week and now I'm only shooting about 500 rounds a week ! ! ! But I'm saving a lot of money on ammo ;)

Factory Egytian stocks are hard to come by . . . good luck!

Goose

[Goose52]

Is there anyone out there that can help crack the crossbolt puzzle? :confused:

Goose

[EMDII]

Poyer opines that ONLY the .30-06 and 7.65/7.62 mm rifles were fabricated w/ cross-bolt stocks. He goes on to say that none of the 7.9 2mm and 7 mm rifles wer originally made w/ cross-bolts. Original stocks were European Walnuut.

Century bought wood replacement stocks, and used Egyptian contract 49s for their 'Sporter'. While built on an 8mm platform, many will have mismatched bolts, including the Type 1 .30-06 bolt w/ the 8mm extractor fitted. Poyer reports they fucntion flawlessly this way.

[Goose52]

The problem is that Poyer only looked at, I believe, something like 72 rifles . . . I have data on 289 rifles so far - FOUR times his sample size! My disadvantage is that I only surveyed for a few major features and that I am not able to personally examine the rifles and have to rely on the accuracy of the data provided by the survey respondents.

I currently have data on 106 8mm rifles. I have a number of reports of 8mm rifles that have stocks with the crossbolts - most of these are probably indeed mixmasters with mis-matched parts and probably 30-06 stocks that have been jury-rigged to fit. However, I have several reports now of 8mm rifles with crossbolts that appear to still have 8mm trigger guards with tight inletting all the way around which means that it's not a 30-06 stock. The only other FN-49 stock that is a fit for an 8mm trigger guard is the "early" variant Vennie (first 4000 rifles) and the Vennie didn't have a crossbolt either . . . so this is an anomaly. Now, I still suspect field-modification on this though (someone installing the crossbolt/recoil lug in the 8mm stock and milling the receiver to clear the recoil lug) as the reported rifles are all over the map in regards to serial number range which makes it unlikely that this was an FN production line variance (unlike the Luxies - see next).

I also have data on 74 Luxembourg-contract 30-06 rifles. Five of these have NO cross-bolt. All 5 are in a narrow 400 serial number range. One explanation for this could be, perhaps, that FN had a parts shortage on the crossbolt/recoil lug assemblies for a short period of time and ran off 400 rifles without the bolt until the bolt was back in stock and started to install it again . . . who knows. The point is, though, that Poyer didn't look at enough rifles to be able to detect these variances.

At any rate, I didn't originally survey for the crossbolt feature as I was under the same assumption as everyone else - 30-06s and 7.65/7.62 had them, 7mm and 8mm didn't. Then, midway through the survey, I start getting reports of these variances, hence this follow-up mini-survey.

Ain't this fun :D :D

Goose

[EMDII]

You can cross-check the cross-bolt issue according to what buttplate they had too IIRC.

you are correct about Poyer- he admits as to 'not having the final word.....'

FN did supply replacement stocks (all walnut). Beech or birch are third-country replacements, and the CAI stocks are whatever.

Good hunting, Goose! And GREAT reports, BTW!

[Goose52]

Originally posted by EMDII:
<STRONG>You can cross-check the cross-bolt issue according to what buttplate they had too IIRC.</STRONG>

Thanks Ted. On using the buttplates as a cross-check, unfortunately, that isn't necessarily true. Several of the Egyptians with the crossbolt have the typical brass buttplate and the inletting for the brass plate is totally different from the inletting for the stamped steel w/trap plate that is typical on the Luxembourg, Belgian, and Congolese 30-06s and the Argentines (which do have crossbolts). It's looking like the original butt plate on the Colombian and Indonesian 30-06 FN-49s was a ridged/corrugated steel w/no trap plate like the one on the Venezuelans (which has no crossbolt). So, you can't get there from here using the buttplate as a crosscheck - you can use the plate as a "filter" to help you zero in, but not as a final check . . . :rolleyes:

Goose