7/29/22 - This is a very nice example of a rare FN Model 1949 rifle that was part of a Venezuelan military contract. This is a non-import example. The FN49 was designed by the Belgian manufacturer Fabrique Nationale before WWII; however, plans to produce the semi-automatic rifle were abandoned when the Germans occupied Belgium. Many FN engineers fled to England during the war and returned to Belgium when it was liberated by the allies in 1944. With their return to Belgium these engineers revitalized their plans for what would eventually become the FN49, (also known as the SAFN short for “semi-automatic FN”). While the FN49 was high quality in its time, it saw limited production and use because it did not come into production until after WWII and it eventually had to compete with the popular HK G3 and FN FAL rifles which utilized more modern technology. The FN49 was produced for 8 primary contracts. This particular rifle was part of the first contract which was 8,003 rifles purchased by Venezuela in 1949. The Venezuelan version of the FN49 was the only one issued with a flash hider. While some of these rifles were delivered to Venezuela, many were sold on surplus in the US and are highly desirable among collectors due to the accuracy of the 7x57mm round for which they were chambered and the general good condition in which they can be found. This particular rifle has very nice finish overall with most of the wear on the magazine/trigger group. The stock has many dings all over, and a thin crack extending from each side of the trigger assembly. The bore has very strong rifling but has frost throughout and needs a thorough cleaning. It's likely a cleaning would raise the bore rating given how strong that rifling is.
