Help with action identification

mountainman56

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2014
Messages
770
Location
West Texas
I'm needing some help/confirmation on this action. I'm ninetyleven percent convinced it's an early commercial FN but the mag well opening and military style bolt shroud are somewhat confusing. There is practically no marks on the action at all. Everything has been polished and gloss blued (a long time ago) The last couple digits of the serial number are almost illegible but I believe is; N2159. The only other mark on the action is an X behind the recoil lug. It is chambered in 7 mag and the only marks on the barrel are hand stamped; 7MMREMMAG. The bolt spacing is 7 7/8" and the front receiver ring measures 1.4". The rear ring is somewhat crowned.

60's style custom stock, very nicely inletted with no bedding of any kind and a very poor 6 lb trigger. Rifle belongs to a friend who got it from his dad who bought it from someone years ago for $100. It's been sitting in the back of a closet for so long the recoil pad is destroyed. In very good solid condition with some surface rust on underside of barrel and action. Still cleaning 50 years of copper out of the barrel at this time but intend to install better trigger, bed the action and get it up and running for my friend.

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Resurrecting a stale post, but here goes ...,. we don't see many of these.
A nice find, & the (very lucky) friend will love this rig:
It's the FN model 48 - a post-war, purpose-built sporter.

"Stoeger imported 1000s of FN 98 actions & barreled actions for American gunsmiths until 1940.
Post-war, Firearms International of Washington, DC started selling FN actions in late 1946.
It wasn't until 1947 that Stoeger resumed FN imports.
In 1948, FN released the now famous 'Improved Mauser M98' system: eliminating the "thumb slot" (needed for loading w/ charger/stripper clips), thus leaving the solid left siderail unique to these: & ONLY the RIGHT SIDE bolt raceway was broached-through to the receiver face". -iskra
 
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