FN project gun find- but with questions ...

[Deleted member 43267]

I found an FN .270 in the dark corner of a country gun shop, and it was priced as a project gun so I bought it.
Sort of gun rescue, but I am not sure exactly what I have, and if any forum had people with knowledge of this gun this would be the one.

FN classic crest on top of the action, FN proof marks everywhere, Fab. Nat. Armes de Guerre, Herstal-Belgique on the barrel. Action and barrel have a matching serial number of 1085. No Browning language.
The stepped barrel states "Chrome Vanadium Steel." No rear site dovetail, but it is tapped for a front sight.
Two position safety, angled up is safe, down is fire. Drilled and tapped for a Leupold one-piece base and rings that came with. Bluing seems super pristine so perhaps it was redone.

Stock is not pretty, but has some very nice checkering although a bit worn. Pronounced cheek piece (not shown). The present buttplate is super thin and shows a silhouette of a figure on a horse. LOP is only about 12 1/2" because of that. Thick varnish that may be a refinish job without good sanding. One cross lug.

So it is an FN, but were there different models? Can anyone give me an even approximate date of manufacture? Was this a model that you would find in gun shop, or perhaps lower end model sold by Montgomery Ward? Could this have come with a peep sight? What would be the original look?

The plan is to mount a scope and shoot it. If accuracy is good, I might just add a recoil pad to increase LOP. BUT, the stock sort of cries for an oil finish. If it does not shoot well, I will use the action for a build.

Any info you can share about this one would be great. It is presently not beautiful, but when I saw it, I knew it had to come home for the possibilities. And I had just read yet another book by Jack O'Connor so I was consumed by nostalgia. I want this one to have a new life ...

Thanks,

Jeff

PS: my apologies for the images. Everything I upload gets rotated 90 and I can't stop it.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

I think this is the original FN.

 

[CAustin]

I suspect that stock cane be sanded and restrained

 

[Wheels]

You may have just found yourself a gem. That is an amazingly low serial number.

In no way am I an expert but I will try to share what I THINK I know.

Around 1960 or the late 50's, FN and FN made Browning's used the same slide safety. Yours has the traditional Mauser safety so I would guess it is pre 1960.

You say there is no rear sight. I have seen a few that have a peep sight mounted on the rear, bolt side of the action. I am not sure if peep's are all aftermarket or if some may have been an FN option at the time. You asked what the peep might have looked like, here is one that was just posted on AH. It has the rear ramp with sight removed. I have seen them with no rear ramp and not tapped as I recall. This photo also shows the slide safety.

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/robert-reitnauer-375-h-h.48591/#post-524109


Here is an FN 270 I just found in a search on Guns International that has a peep but no rear sight.

https://www.gunsinternational.com/g...n-mauser-270-win-caliber.cfm?gun_id=101048081

I wonder if the pad is aftermarket. The older ones I remember didn't have a pad as I recall on the smaller calibers.

Personally, I would keep it and not use it as a project action. It is unfortunate that the stock was cut down. You have a rifle that is probably better than most over the counter rifles you buy in America these days. Most American's just don't realize what they are. Probably the reason you got it for a project price. Great pickup IMHO.

 

[Mekaniks]

Very cool! I dont anything about the exact date of manufacture but I believe Wheels is correct and its a pre 1960"s gun. And yes its probably was reblued at sometime, likely when the stock was cut down but who knows for sure and at this point it dosent matter.
I think you are on the right track. First step is to take to the range and see if it's worth putting in the stable. Assuming that it is... I would have the LOP adjusted to fit and install a good pad. From the pics I don't think I would refinish the stock if its going to be a hunter. If you want to dress it up later you might consider a custom stock with some nice wood. But for now, if it looks like its really gonna be a keeper, I would have a 3 position safety (mod 70 style) installed and maybe some good iron sites, and take it hunting....
Good find!!!

 

[Deleted member 43267]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the insights. I took another photo showing a close up of the action where a peep sight might have been mounted. There are four small screws: two on top, two on the right side near the stock. Could those be fillers for threaded holes where the peep sight might have been mounted? Gotta get the dirt of that gun ... And I now see an area on the stock that is darker. It is rectangular and not random discoloration. What do you think?

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[Wheels]

Looks like there was a peep to me. If you look at the first photo I posted, it looks like the peep covers part of the stock. That might be the colorization difference you are asking about. Has there been a rear site on the barrel? If not then FN probably had a peep option when ordering the rifle instead of a rear sight. In my opinion, the rear sight was a weak point in the FN made Brownings. They may have been fine, but they just looked like they could be bent to easily. See rear sight.

Your last photo also shows that you have the Mauser bolt release. After FN started making Browning's, it seems they changed to the Browning bolt release on all rifles.

If I recall correctly, Don Heath said that he saw problems with every DG rifle manufacture, on the Zimbabwe PH exams except for the FN's. I know this isn't a DG rifle, but that says a lot about FN.

 

[One Day...]

The last picture clearly shows that the rifle was likely equipped with a peep sight. The cut out in the stock for the peep sight has clearly been filled with a small wood block.

Low serial # + no thumb cut + Mauser bolt release = very early post war commercial production?

 

[Wheels]

The last picture clearly shows that the rifle was likely equipped with a peep sight. The cut out in the stock for the peep sight has clearly been filled with a small wood block.

View attachment 276233

Low serial # + no thumb cut + Mauser bolt release = very early post war commercial production?

Good observation on the cutout. I was just presuming that part of the stock was covered.

 

[Red Leg]

I think @One Day... has this one exactly correct. FN provided a factory peep that was mounted on the right side of the action. @Wheels shows a photo of a similar one mounted on a heavy rifle.

You have a lovely diamond in the rough. Unlike US rifles of the same period, buyers don't go insane over "original condition" with European equivalents. It should have a subdued rust-blue finish on the medal-work, and an oil finish on the stock - I suspect the checkering would benefit from re-pointing. Assuming the rifling is in good shape, I would scope it with something like Tally Mounts. They look mid-century, and yet are extremely dependable. The rear base would hide some of that earlier drilling. It would make a wonderful deer stand rifle.

 

[One Day...]

I think @One Day... has this one exactly correct. FN provided a factory peep that was mounted on the right side of the action. @Wheels shows a photo of a similar one mounted on a heavy rifle.

You have a lovely diamond in the rough. Unlike US rifles of the same period, buyers don't go insane over "original condition" with European equivalents. It should have a subdued rust-blue finish on the medal-work, and an oil finish on the stock - I suspect the checkering would benefit from re-pointing. Assuming the rifling is in good shape, I would scope it with something like Tally Mounts. They look mid-century, and yet are extremely dependable. The rear base would hide some of that earlier drilling. It would make a wonderful deer stand rifle.

Not to mention that these Chrome Vanadium barrels are generally outstanding and that by the looks of the bolt that shows no visible wear, that rifle has probably not been shot a whole lot.
And +1 on hiding the rear bridge (somewhat sloppy) drilling under a base. As to Talley, perfect indeed for both function and form.

 

[PaulT]

I have a very similar FN to yours that I bought from Joel Dorleac a few years back.
Mine was outsourced to Dumolin and wears a Dalcour barrel.
It is chambered in 7x64mm and is one of my favourite rifles.
(note the flag safety on mine is on the left side of the receiver)

Mine has the same plain stock wood as yours and may not be the prettiest girl at the dance but by crikey can she move her feet !!!
For a nearly 60 year old rifle I am staggered that it consistently holds 1/2" groups at a 100yds.

My advice is to hang on to it dearly as the more you use it the more you're going to love it.

 

[Dewald]

Jeff. The rifle in question is a late 1950’s FN.

Later models had the side safety and a polished bolt shroud and flg safety and were known as the “FN Supreme”

They came with a rear sight soldered on, just in front of the taper on the barrel, and the front receiver top had the FN crest on. They were not factory drilled and tapped for use with a scope, but the holes on the side were stock standard to fit a Peepsight.

Original trigger was a 2 stage military type. The stock had a bakelite butt plate with the FN logo on.

Every FN I handled fed smooth as butter, and was incredibly accurate. The only worthy modification is to replace your trigger with a Timney, and maybe to glass bed the action.

 

[PaulT]

Here's mine getting a little dirty down in hog heaven

 

[Jon Glajchen]

I concur with Dewald except that I would date it as an early 1950’s gun.
I have a similar example in 7x57. They are great rifles!

 

[Dewald]

I concur with Dewald except that I would date it as an early 1950’s gun.
I have a similar example in 7x57. They are great rifles!


View attachment 276245 View attachment 276246

Lovely rifle. I also have a 7x57, exact setup as my .250 Savage in the picture.

Looking at the early serial number you are indeed correct regarding the date of manufacture.

 

[Deleted member 43267]

Thanks so much for all the people who took the time to help me out. This one is getting a trip to the gunsmith to work on a sticky magazine release and a thicker recoil pad to give an OK length of pull to not look so weird. Then a classic fixed-power scope (I am too farsighted to want the original peep sight). Leaving everything else as is for nostalgia. Then I will sight in and take it hunting. Again, thanks for taking the time to help me figure out what I found.

Jeff

 

[Dewald]

Pleasure Jeff.

Considder a set of Leupold bases and rings. They are small and neat, and you can get the rings in 26mm should your vintage scope happen to be an old Zeiss, or Swarovski Habicht Nova that has a 26mm tube.

I ran my .250 Savage with a little 6x32 Zeiss Diatal C for a while. It worked well, but I upgraded to a 3-9 as I pursued Vaalies an Mountain reedbuck with it last year.

 

[Milehighshooter]

Great find!!

 

[Aaron N]

I’m looking at a similar rifle in 30/06, serial number 16XXX. It has a Lyman 48 on it, no rear sight. Did these some D/T from the factory? The seller seems to think the rear hole may be a little bit off. The stock looks like it’s a good piece of wood, straight comb, an oil finish would do wonders.
Any thoughts?