Hello, I’m a Venezuelan. The trajectory of this rifle in my country was like this: first it was adopted by the army, but wen we adopted the FAL this rifles went to the national guard (in Venezuela is basically a gendarmerie) who used them along side Belgium made mausers (still a perfectly good rifle for some roles in the 50s) and then we sold them to the USA. One last thing, the pictures of civil unrest that Ian is talking about are from 1958, during the civilian an military uprising against the last military dictatorship of Venezuela in the 20th century. Saludos desde Venezuela
A lot of surplus bolt actions would have been available in the late 40s. The Venezuelan military were looking toward the future instead. A very wise decision.
A wise choice if they could manage their capital. And as history as shown they haven't. Such a wealthy place but so corrupt, could be a shining star of Latin America
I have one of these, it's my most prized possessions. Serial# 4707, part of the 2nd-production run. I had a time getting the barrel cover back on after adjusting the gas-piston, though. It's a gorgeous rifle that's an absolute dream to shoot. Not only that, I got a 15-inch bayonet for it too. The bayonet was for the previous Mauser rifle but all it took was enlarging the muzzle-ring from 15 mm to 18 mm and it fits perfectly. I got the book for it, btw. FN-49; The Last Elegant Old-World Military Rifle 2nd-Edition. HIGHLY recommend it if you want to collect these.
My FN49 Serial Number 3433 stock and handguard are numbered inside stock and under one-piece handguard. Mine was unissued unfired when I bought it. Fantastic rifle. Quality is, well, FN . A real pleasure to shoot and very accurate.
@@nomadmarauder-dw9re As Ian says the second batch of guns arrived in mid 1951. So depending on production rates and turn around on orders its likely this gun was produced in 1950 or early 1951. So it will have for sure celebrated its 74th birthday in the next few months.
Once more, Ian does a video on the FN Model 1949. It's Interesting that this now-largely forgotten rifle was surprisingly adopted by quite a number of nations after WW2. A taste of things to come, as its successor - the FAL - would show.
The FAL was remarksbly unsuccessful… lots of people adopted it, geared up to build them and then ended up going with aks, or ar10 platforms before the ar15 comes in and shatters worlds. It all happens sooo fast after ww2
As a young man, I bought an FN 49 in 1969 chambered in 7mm. I believe I paid about $50 for one that was in very good condition. Wish I still had it. Kinda heavy, but very soft shooting, even though mine didn't have a muzzle brake.
How was the corugated plate? It seems like it might give better friction in rain or something, but also give you very bizarre bruises...? So: what was it like? Did it help at all? Hurt at all?
@@kungfuskull my rifle just had a plain steel buttplate. At the time, I didn't pay any attention to markings, so I don't know from which country's military my rifle came from. The gun store I bought it from had more military surplus firearms than anything else. I probably bought over 30 milsurps from that store, until the prices for surplus rifles went through the roof.
Heavy and soft shooting have a tendency to go hand in hand. And obviously if you pair an already "full bodied" rifle like this with a non-insane cartridge like 7mm Mauser you get a rifle you can stand shooting a lot more than you can afford shooting :P
@@kungfuskull i have two of these venzuelean fn49s they shoot very soft you wont get any bruises. I have put more than 100rds through one in a session and left without any damage. The garand kicks more but even the garand wont give you bruises for shooting it all day.
I have a Venezuelan one, after watching this I took a closer look, SN 358. Easily one of my favorites rifles and super super soft shooting for a full sized rifle round.
That would be me, his biggest Venezuelan fan. Solo estoy bromeando 😅 pero en si tienes razón, fue un espectacular detalle que usara la hermosa bandera de antes de la tragedia del 99, incluso cuando yo personalmente no nací en esa época escuchar tanto a mi padre narrar sus historias de su vida en aquel entonces me hace tener nostalgia sobre algo que no viví.
YAY!!!! I've literally been waiting for this one since I saw the first FN49 sniper video Ian did. I even bought an Egyptian contract FN49, looking forward to Ian covering an "infantry" model rifle... ❤
Beautiful, well cared-for rifle. There's just something about milled steel and good wood. Considering the wear on the internals, it looks like it was also enjoyed on the range.
I have an FN 49 in 8 m/m Mauser. I bought it back in the late-'80s when there were tons of beat-up old surplus military arms on the market. I think it cost about $100. It is in very rough shape with slivers of wood missing but it is still 100% reliable. Oh, it did come with the firing pin broken, but that was easy to fix and I also bought an unissued barrel for $20 which I have never installed. The original shoots fine. I actually like it better than my M-1 Garand.
Same, I bought a very well used model in the early 80's. The firing pin broke. I bought a replacement firing pin and it also broke. As I was working in a tool & die shop at the time I made a new one piece firing pin out of a super high strength steel and it's awesome. I also have a new barrel that I never installed.
I have one of these. Serial 6xxx in unissued condition. The rifle likes S&B 140 FMJ. I’ve updated the firing pin to the later two piece as there is a known slam fire risk with the early 49s.
@@sionsoschwalts2762not sure runaway fire is so fun in a lightweight full power rifle caliber non pistol grip rifle lmfao, more like utterly fucking terrifying
@benfennell6842 They made full auto ones of these so it can't be totaly uncontrollable, 10 rounds is gone quick and if you staged it you would know it's coming.
@@sionsoschwalts2762On the other hand the M14 was also capable of full auto, so I don’t think the presence of a giggle switch has anything to do with it being controllable or not.
Updating to the two piece firing pin is essential. If your FN-49 already has a two piece pin, it is a good idea to replace the spring as these become compressed with age. In addition to the possibility of a slam fire, it is also possible for these rifles to fire out of battery. From the photos I have seen, it appears the receiver is strong enough to contain the bolt and carrier so that the shooter will not be seriously injured by an out of battery discharge. However, the receiver will be damaged, possibly beyond repair. I have heard of guys trying to squeeze the damaged receivers back into their original shape and specs, but I don’t know how well this works.
My brother-in-law had one of these back in the 70s, and I got to shoot it a few times. Like almost all of his guns over the years, he lost interest in it and traded it off for something else.
I have a first batch one, it is so fun to shoot! The gas system is a pain to adjust (6 clicks per turn and quite a few turns) but with S&B 140gr FMJ it's crazy smooth now. I've gotten a neat jam a couple times where a case gets wedged sideways under the gas piston while it's still extended. TFB's old run and gun video with the FN49 shows the exact same thing happening and I've seen at least one other YT vid with it too.
An elegant weapon from a more civilized age. Keep in mind if you own one of these Venny contracts...the single piece firing pin is prone to breaking. Surplus two-piece firing pins (such as Egyptian contract pins) may not have the correct geometry to just "drop-in" and be safe (the shoulder radius on the pins seem to stick the firing pin hole). I ended up having to modify the two-piece I bought to ensure safe and proper function. In short, do your homework before buying and shooting, and take to a competent gunsmith versed in old-world military rifles if you cannot tackle this yourself. Several FN-49s have already exploded over the years from what I've read.
Excellent video! I learned a lot from your video on this rifle - now I know how to take my apart, and I got to know some history about the rifle as well! Thank you!
I had the pleasure of owning a 8 mm Mauser version of the fn49 which had a Crest above the chamber resembling the crest of the Egyptian military. It was a beautiful gun it was built like a tank it was very sturdy and very well made I only paid $450 for it.
I have a 2nd batch gun that was purchased with the original sling, scope mount, and even a manual. I'll never sell it, as it's one of my favorites, and I bought it from a close friend in '77 who has since passed away.
I have 3 of these Honey Rifles, one is a 30.06 and the other two are 8mm's I love these rifles, they are right behind, almost as good as my Egyptian 8mm Hakim Riles, which I think are one of the best semi auto Battle Rifles ever produced, and I own 4 Hakim's as well. The FN-49 is a Robust well made very reliable rifle just like the Hakim Rifles, Ive never seen a 7mm FN-49 but I remember in the late 1980s and all through the 1990s FN-49s were all over the Military Surplus Rifle Markets, Companies like Numrich Arms, Century Arms imported thousands upon thousands of the them, They were all over the place at Gun Shows, I lived in Wyoming all through the 1990s and attended many Gun Shows in Billing's Montana, Rapid City South Dakota, Cheyenne Wyoming, and remember seeing these rifles often, back then Price ? $ 175 to $ 250 for a good FN-49, now I dont even know the prices but I assume its much higher, at one point I had 4 FN's I sold one or traded it off I dont recall but I kept the 3 other rifles, and have had them over 30 years. They all shoot perfectly I have replaced the firing pins in all of them, and put a new barrel on the first one I bought I paid $ 100 Cash for that rifle. All my FNs have Bayonets and slings, I put a nice Scope on one of them, and used it many times to take down Mule Deer, Elk, and Moose its the 30.06 Rifle, I worked at a Pawn Shop, / Sporting Good Store, Gun Store The Boss was smart he bought lots of good Rifles, lots of Mosin Nagants, Carcano's, Enfields, Mausers, and I remember a shipment that came in, it was my job to accept new shipments, inspect them, clean them make sure all guns were in good condition, he bought a lot of 30 FN-49s all 8mm Guns, My job also was to load up all new guns we took in on pawn that were left, and any guns my boss bought, and haul them to the range and test fire all of them. Yep I got paid to shoot ! If you see one of these FNs Grab it ! Buy it !
Thanks for the video, as I get older I find my wish to own increases, but my opportunity to own diminishes with my more and more worthless paychecks. A dream rifle for me, I would love to have one that I could take to the range and have some fun with. Thanks again, you have made an old mans heart beat a little faster with the excitement of another gun on my wish list.
I recall seeing a picture of this rifle being held by a member of a Venezuelan submarine crew, he was standing on the conning tower while some were swimming; caption said he was on the lookout for the sharks. Dunno how confident I would feel swimming….
I am a FAL-ower. I love my FAL, and i get why it was the arm of the free world. Such a good design. Sure, the AR-15/M-16 is a good rifle as well, and would have to say both have passed the test of time. But the FAL was first.
I think it's pretty close in overall. I bought one 30 years ago in 8mm because i couldnt afford a fal. Magazine doesnt have feedlips, that's handled by milling on the receiver. But it took stripper clips.
I always felt the FAL was basically a redesign of the 49 to incorporate the lessons from the STG44. IIRC the prototype FAL's were in .280 British and 7.92 Kurz
What a beautiful rifle! Obviously very heavily influenced by the MAS-49, but you can also see stylistic cues taken from the Garand, the MAS 36, and even the SMLE.
Saive was working on this before 1939. He escaped to Britian with the plans sewn into his clothes, as well as the hi power plans. I can't remember specifics on the MAS project, but it may have been a case of parallel development.
Cool. I was aware that the gas plug can be assembled in such a way as to, well, not be a functional gas port, but had no idea that particular feature had a useful application. My Egyptian has Arabic markings rather than those "F" and "R" marks, not surprisingly.
I read somewhere ( can't remember where) that FN did offer a FAL with a longer receiver to Sweden ( 6.5x55) and Switzerland ( 7.5x55), so I suppose it is conceivable that a country dead set on retaining the 7x57 cartridge could have gotten FALs chambered for it.
@@onelonecelt9168 That's interesting. I think _offering_ it might have been easier than redesigning and tooling up for a longer receiver! I knew that FN's designers started off with the 7.92x33mm and then switched to the .280" British (in its original unsouped-up form this would have been as effective and as pleasant to shoot as the 7x57mm but with a shorter cartridge. When souped-up to please the US the .280" British ceased to be a fun cartridge to shoot). The reason for designers wanting the shortest cartridge they could get away with is because longer receivers sometimes need to get thicker in order to be stiff enough for adequate accuracy and the weight spirals upwards. You also end up with a heavier bolt, moving further. I suppose NATO could have gone for the .300" Savage, which, like the 7.62x51mm is a 30--06 made shorter, it's just that it's shorter still and not loaded to the max in order to retain 30-06 "performance." Not only is the 7mm Mauser popular with hunters in some parts of the world, so is the 8mm [edit] Mannlicher, so there are attractions in being only as powerful as actually needed. ( 8mm [edit] Mannlicher is legal in India as, although it was a military cartridge, it was never a military cartridge in Commonwealth countries.)
I love the Venezuelan 49. I have #118 with bayonet 7204. Unfortunately, it needs some work done, and there is some mismatch too...example the receiver cover has SN of 108. I wonder how many of the 8,000 rifles are still around, I assume 108 became a parts gun or if my cover is a replacement part from FN.
Timely since I just picked up a three digit one. I also found some surplus FN made 7x57 Mauser with a "49" headstamp to try out. It will be curious if they are hotter than the typical loadings to run this gas gun.
Why is the plate corugated? I could see an argument for something like "better friction" ...but it also seems like it'd give you very weird bruises... 🤔
Like a corrugated iron roof: it adds "stiffness" and as for "grip", combined with a wet, muddy inform in a tropical environment, would be marginally better than a smooth one. Also hides nicks and dents received during enthusiastic parade drill. This carried on to the FAL butt-plates, but the Brits, Canada and Oz went with the slick "Mazak" butt-plate, only for the Brtits to put grip-ribs on the design for the butt-p;ate on their late issue synthetic butts.
Three different buttplates were used on the FN-49. Most versions used a flat steel plate that had a large, oval trap door for stowing the cleaning kit. The Egyptian Contract used a brass plate with a small, round trap door. And the Venezuelan Contract used a corrugated steel plate without a trap door. I want to say there was at least one other country that used the corrugated plate, but I can’t recall for certain off the top of my head. You will also see a black plastic plate used on the reproduction stocks Century Arms put on some of their rebuilt Egyptian Contract rifles.
After Argentina adopted the FAL they converted some of their FN-49s to 7.62 NATO. These rifles had detachable 20 round magazines, though they are a proprietary design and not interchangeable with FAL magazines. Some of these 7.62mm Argentine FN-49s were later imported to the U.S. and they turn up for sale from time to time.
Please Help!!!! @forgottenweapons I have a FN-49 sniper with Venezuelan stamps, a wooden cheek riser and scope mount on receiver. Other than those two parts, it matches every Venezuelan fn49 I have seen. The original owner is an old man who bought it in the 60s and he never shot it. Did century add the cheek riser and scope mount? Or did they order them from FN like this?
Not even gonna lie, we need a book from headstamp about Czechoslovakia, I feel many of their designs have been influential towards many designs and copied by many.
I understand Fabrique Nationale’s decision to discontinue the product in 1961 and I don’t think a modern iteration would sell particularly well in the current market, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want a reproduction of some sort.
I absolutely agree with you, but, like you said, it would not do well. Everyone would compare it in price point to whatever PSA's cheapest 308 was at the time.
Yes, you can adjust the gas system for ammo less intense than M2 Ball. Any time you switch ammo you need to open up the gas sleeve and then adjust it down shot by shot until you get proper ejection. What you want is for the fired cartridge case to fall to the right and roughly three or four feet forward.
A great very interesting rifle and video Mr.Ian.It was not a bad idea at all to be able to rotate between the repeater and semi automatic fire mode.Was the R mode used for sustained fire or just for the rifle grenades?Was the caliber .308?Have a good one.Btw did these rifle have a bayonet?
Better made than many rifles out there. I'd love one, but don't think a gas system is needed. Why do so many guns have the gas system when it is obsolete? So many extra parts , more to foul, makes me hostile to the gas designs.
Hello, I’m a Venezuelan. The trajectory of this rifle in my country was like this: first it was adopted by the army, but wen we adopted the FAL this rifles went to the national guard (in Venezuela is basically a gendarmerie) who used them along side Belgium made mausers (still a perfectly good rifle for some roles in the 50s) and then we sold them to the USA. One last thing, the pictures of civil unrest that Ian is talking about are from 1958, during the civilian an military uprising against the last military dictatorship of Venezuela in the 20th century. Saludos desde Venezuela
¡Gloria a la memoria de Marcos Pérez Jiménez!
Thank you for the perspective, I love hearing about things from people who lived in the country those things came from.
Thank you for an interesting perspective, sir!
Sabiduría e historia papá, un gusto por su información, saludos.
Gracias por explicarlo tan bien.
- Otro amante de las armas nacido en Venezuela.
7mm, muzzle device, semi-only - I think the Venezuelan army procurement actually knew what it was doing unlike many Western countries at that time.
A lot of surplus bolt actions would have been available in the late 40s. The Venezuelan military were looking toward the future instead. A very wise decision.
Ahh.. the exact opposite of poor Elbonia.
A wise choice if they could manage their capital.
And as history as shown they haven't. Such a wealthy place but so corrupt, could be a shining star of Latin America
I completely agree, they were very sensible and forward-thinking. I thoroughly enjoyed this video, I never knew about this rifle.
Oh wow 👌
I have one of these, it's my most prized possessions. Serial# 4707, part of the 2nd-production run. I had a time getting the barrel cover back on after adjusting the gas-piston, though. It's a gorgeous rifle that's an absolute dream to shoot. Not only that, I got a 15-inch bayonet for it too. The bayonet was for the previous Mauser rifle but all it took was enlarging the muzzle-ring from 15 mm to 18 mm and it fits perfectly.
I got the book for it, btw. FN-49; The Last Elegant Old-World Military Rifle 2nd-Edition. HIGHLY recommend it if you want to collect these.
This is the neatest-looking of the post-war Battle Rifles, IMHO. Good, solid, clean lines. So tidy.
Agreed 💯
It almost looks like the rear end of a garand with the front end of a Lee Enfield, and it's an aesthetic that I'm quite enjoying.
Nice rifle
As long as it looks good
Best post-WW2 rifle hands-down is the U.S. M-14.
My FN49 Serial Number 3433 stock and handguard are numbered inside stock and under one-piece handguard. Mine was unissued unfired when I bought it. Fantastic rifle. Quality is, well, FN . A real pleasure to shoot and very accurate.
wish fn would bring these back as a retro line. they are so cool.
That rifle is in excellent condition, it looks brand new like it was just purchased. Hard to believe its over 60 years old.
Its actually over 80 years old now lol
@@johnshelton22 Yeah, it was just too early for me to do the math so I just guessed🤣
@@johnshelton2275, actually. If you're talking about the design. The actual rifle of course depends on when it left the factory.
@@nomadmarauder-dw9re As Ian says the second batch of guns arrived in mid 1951. So depending on production rates and turn around on orders its likely this gun was produced in 1950 or early 1951. So it will have for sure celebrated its 74th birthday in the next few months.
Once more, Ian does a video on the FN Model 1949. It's Interesting that this now-largely forgotten rifle was surprisingly adopted by quite a number of nations after WW2.
A taste of things to come, as its successor - the FAL - would show.
The FAL was remarksbly unsuccessful… lots of people adopted it, geared up to build them and then ended up going with aks, or ar10 platforms before the ar15 comes in and shatters worlds. It all happens sooo fast after ww2
Uh the FAL was adopted by something like 90 countries.the "right arm of the free world"
Dieudonné Saive really knew how to make a rifle aesthetically pleasing. I wish modern firearms designers would take more inspiration from him.
As a young man, I bought an FN 49 in 1969 chambered in 7mm. I believe I paid about $50 for one that was in very good condition. Wish I still had it. Kinda heavy, but very soft shooting, even though mine didn't have a muzzle brake.
How was the corugated plate? It seems like it might give better friction in rain or something, but also give you very bizarre bruises...? So: what was it like? Did it help at all? Hurt at all?
@@kungfuskull my rifle just had a plain steel buttplate. At the time, I didn't pay any attention to markings, so I don't know from which country's military my rifle came from. The gun store I bought it from had more military surplus firearms than anything else. I probably bought over 30 milsurps from that store, until the prices for surplus rifles went through the roof.
Heavy and soft shooting have a tendency to go hand in hand. And obviously if you pair an already "full bodied" rifle like this with a non-insane cartridge like 7mm Mauser you get a rifle you can stand shooting a lot more than you can afford shooting :P
@@kungfuskull i have two of these venzuelean fn49s they shoot very soft you wont get any bruises. I have put more than 100rds through one in a session and left without any damage. The garand kicks more but even the garand wont give you bruises for shooting it all day.
I have a Venezuelan one, after watching this I took a closer look, SN 358. Easily one of my favorites rifles and super super soft shooting for a full sized rifle round.
Pretty cool to see Ian used Venezuela’s pre-Chavez flag. I like to think of myself as Forgotten Weapons’ Venezuelan-American #1 fan
That would be me, his biggest Venezuelan fan.
Solo estoy bromeando 😅 pero en si tienes razón, fue un espectacular detalle que usara la hermosa bandera de antes de la tragedia del 99, incluso cuando yo personalmente no nací en esa época escuchar tanto a mi padre narrar sus historias de su vida en aquel entonces me hace tener nostalgia sobre algo que no viví.
Ian's First Momento Veneco...🥲
The example of fn49 being used for this presentation is no doubt the nicest one I’ve seen…amazing
YAY!!!! I've literally been waiting for this one since I saw the first FN49 sniper video Ian did. I even bought an Egyptian contract FN49, looking forward to Ian covering an "infantry" model rifle... ❤
Beautiful, well cared-for rifle. There's just something about milled steel and good wood. Considering the wear on the internals, it looks like it was also enjoyed on the range.
I was going to mention that wood is really nice considering WWII had just ended. Also, I completely concur on your comment about steel and wood.
I have an FN 49 in 8 m/m Mauser. I bought it back in the late-'80s when there were tons of beat-up old surplus military arms on the market. I think it cost about $100. It is in very rough shape with slivers of wood missing but it is still 100% reliable.
Oh, it did come with the firing pin broken, but that was easy to fix and I also bought an unissued barrel for $20 which I have never installed. The original shoots fine. I actually like it better than my M-1 Garand.
Same, I bought a very well used model in the early 80's. The firing pin broke. I bought a replacement firing pin and it also broke. As I was working in a tool & die shop at the time I made a new one piece firing pin out of a super high strength steel and it's awesome. I also have a new barrel that I never installed.
It's a awesome rifle!
Thank you , Ian .
🐺 Loupis Canis .
Ian, you sir, are the best in the biz!
I've seen quite a few in museums, glad to be able to see the inner workings
Aqui no Brasil quem utilizou esse tipo de arma foi a Marinha, ainda se pode encontra-lo nas Escolas de Aprendizes de Marinheiro !
I have one of these. Serial 6xxx in unissued condition. The rifle likes S&B 140 FMJ. I’ve updated the firing pin to the later two piece as there is a known slam fire risk with the early 49s.
Risk... you mean "fun feature" (if deliberately fouled so that the pin is stuck in the protruding position)
@@sionsoschwalts2762not sure runaway fire is so fun in a lightweight full power rifle caliber non pistol grip rifle lmfao, more like utterly fucking terrifying
@benfennell6842 They made full auto ones of these so it can't be totaly uncontrollable, 10 rounds is gone quick and if you staged it you would know it's coming.
@@sionsoschwalts2762On the other hand the M14 was also capable of full auto, so I don’t think the presence of a giggle switch has anything to do with it being controllable or not.
Updating to the two piece firing pin is essential. If your FN-49 already has a two piece pin, it is a good idea to replace the spring as these become compressed with age.
In addition to the possibility of a slam fire, it is also possible for these rifles to fire out of battery.
From the photos I have seen, it appears the receiver is strong enough to contain the bolt and carrier so that the shooter will not be seriously injured by an out of battery discharge. However, the receiver will be damaged, possibly beyond repair. I have heard of guys trying to squeeze the damaged receivers back into their original shape and specs, but I don’t know how well this works.
My brother-in-law had one of these back in the 70s, and I got to shoot it a few times. Like almost all of his guns over the years, he lost interest in it and traded it off for something else.
I have a first batch one, it is so fun to shoot! The gas system is a pain to adjust (6 clicks per turn and quite a few turns) but with S&B 140gr FMJ it's crazy smooth now. I've gotten a neat jam a couple times where a case gets wedged sideways under the gas piston while it's still extended. TFB's old run and gun video with the FN49 shows the exact same thing happening and I've seen at least one other YT vid with it too.
An elegant weapon from a more civilized age.
Keep in mind if you own one of these Venny contracts...the single piece firing pin is prone to breaking. Surplus two-piece firing pins (such as Egyptian contract pins) may not have the correct geometry to just "drop-in" and be safe (the shoulder radius on the pins seem to stick the firing pin hole). I ended up having to modify the two-piece I bought to ensure safe and proper function. In short, do your homework before buying and shooting, and take to a competent gunsmith versed in old-world military rifles if you cannot tackle this yourself. Several FN-49s have already exploded over the years from what I've read.
Excellent video!
I learned a lot from your video on this rifle - now I know how to take my apart, and I got to know some history about the rifle as well! Thank you!
FN looks so clean
Wow, you can see how this became the FAL
Thank You Ian looks like a decent FN platform!
I had the pleasure of owning a 8 mm Mauser version of the fn49 which had a Crest above the chamber resembling the crest of the Egyptian military. It was a beautiful gun it was built like a tank it was very sturdy and very well made I only paid $450 for it.
I have a 2nd batch gun that was purchased with the original sling, scope mount, and even a manual. I'll never sell it, as it's one of my favorites, and I bought it from a close friend in '77 who has since passed away.
They are very nice shooting rifles. With the weight, the recoil is about on par with an SKS.
I have 3 of these Honey Rifles, one is a 30.06 and the other two are 8mm's I love these rifles, they are right behind, almost as good as my Egyptian 8mm Hakim Riles, which I think are one of the best semi auto Battle Rifles ever produced, and I own 4 Hakim's as well. The FN-49 is a Robust well made very reliable rifle just like the Hakim Rifles, Ive never seen a 7mm FN-49 but I remember in the late 1980s and all through the 1990s FN-49s were all over the Military Surplus Rifle Markets, Companies like Numrich Arms, Century Arms imported thousands upon thousands of the them, They were all over the place at Gun Shows, I lived in Wyoming all through the 1990s and attended many Gun Shows in Billing's Montana, Rapid City South Dakota, Cheyenne Wyoming, and remember seeing these rifles often, back then Price ? $ 175 to $ 250 for a good FN-49, now I dont even know the prices but I assume its much higher, at one point I had 4 FN's I sold one or traded it off I dont recall but I kept the 3 other rifles, and have had them over 30 years. They all shoot perfectly I have replaced the firing pins in all of them, and put a new barrel on the first one I bought I paid $ 100 Cash for that rifle. All my FNs have Bayonets and slings, I put a nice Scope on one of them, and used it many times to take down Mule Deer, Elk, and Moose its the 30.06 Rifle, I worked at a Pawn Shop, / Sporting Good Store, Gun Store The Boss was smart he bought lots of good Rifles, lots of Mosin Nagants, Carcano's, Enfields, Mausers, and I remember a shipment that came in, it was my job to accept new shipments, inspect them, clean them make sure all guns were in good condition, he bought a lot of 30 FN-49s all 8mm Guns, My job also was to load up all new guns we took in on pawn that were left, and any guns my boss bought, and haul them to the range and test fire all of them. Yep I got paid to shoot ! If you see one of these FNs Grab it ! Buy it !
Thanks for the video, as I get older I find my wish to own increases, but my opportunity to own diminishes with my more and more worthless paychecks. A dream rifle for me, I would love to have one that I could take to the range and have some fun with. Thanks again, you have made an old mans heart beat a little faster with the excitement of another gun on my wish list.
I recall seeing a picture of this rifle being held by a member of a Venezuelan submarine crew, he was standing on the conning tower while some were swimming; caption said he was on the lookout for the sharks. Dunno how confident I would feel swimming….
One of my wife’s uncles owned a Venezuelan contract FN49. One of my few regrets in the life was not purchasing it from him before he passed away.
That's a very nice looking gun, saludos desde Venezuela
I had an Egyptian contract FN49 in 8mm but had to sell it when my finances tanked. It’s one of the rifles I most regret letting go.
That is an attractive weapon. I have a Turkish K98 and yes, the 8mm kicks a bit.
It looks so good
Mine was SN 1964, however it was sporterized with a Fajen stock and muzzle brake removed. Use gas cut off for shooting at bench as a straight pull
Now I know why I love my SKS, much simpler than the FN, but you notice the similarities of the FN gas piston to the cruciform bayonet of the SKS!
I am a FAL-ower. I love my FAL, and i get why it was the arm of the free world. Such a good design.
Sure, the AR-15/M-16 is a good rifle as well, and would have to say both have passed the test of time. But the FAL was first.
Beautiful machine.
Love to see Ian compare the SLEM 2 and FN49 @ the Royal armouries. Cool how different is is to the FAL.
Never expected to see something about my country here. Btw, please get me out of Venezuela!!!
Its crazy how expensive these have become.....well ....crazy how expensive all surplus rifles have become.
The last elegant battle rifle.
What a beautiful rifle I really love the these style rifles
Fn49 is so cool. I would get one if they modernized it.
I'm Venezuelan and didn't know the army had these back in the day, I might ask my grandpa, he was in the army.
Sweet rifle.
Superficially, you can see hints at the FAL's lines in it. Not sure how far that carries over into function and technicality, though.
I think it's pretty close in overall. I bought one 30 years ago in 8mm because i couldnt afford a fal. Magazine doesnt have feedlips, that's handled by milling on the receiver. But it took stripper clips.
I always felt the FAL was basically a redesign of the 49 to incorporate the lessons from the STG44. IIRC the prototype FAL's were in .280 British and 7.92 Kurz
It's as sexy looking riffle as the day it was made.
Love mine!
The middle version of the progression of SLEM via FN49 to FAL.
Love the cuts compensator
What a beautiful rifle! Obviously very heavily influenced by the MAS-49, but you can also see stylistic cues taken from the Garand, the MAS 36, and even the SMLE.
Saive was working on this before 1939. He escaped to Britian with the plans sewn into his clothes, as well as the hi power plans.
I can't remember specifics on the MAS project, but it may have been a case of parallel development.
Like a fancy SKS, I love it!
Really nice looking rifle
I love your effin trivia!
Cool. I was aware that the gas plug can be assembled in such a way as to, well, not be a functional gas port, but had no idea that particular feature had a useful application. My Egyptian has Arabic markings rather than those "F" and "R" marks, not surprisingly.
Hi Ian, could you made a postcast to talk about The 7,62×25mm Tokarev?
Beautiful
The rifle is old school cool.
FN49 drinking game - take a shot every time Ian says "FN49"
I have one of these, so beautiful!
This 7mm FN49 reminds me that a .280" FAL could have happened. A 7x57mm FAL would have been impossible by about a quarter of an inch!
Why? I don't understand.
@@conductorcammon 7.62 NATO is 51mm long, so the 7mm x 57mm cartridge would be 6mm too long, 6mm being about .25".
I read somewhere ( can't remember where) that FN did offer a FAL with a longer receiver to Sweden ( 6.5x55) and Switzerland ( 7.5x55), so I suppose it is conceivable that a country dead set on retaining the 7x57 cartridge could have gotten FALs chambered for it.
@@onelonecelt9168 That's interesting. I think _offering_ it might have been easier than redesigning and tooling up for a longer receiver! I knew that FN's designers started off with the 7.92x33mm and then switched to the .280" British (in its original unsouped-up form this would have been as effective and as pleasant to shoot as the 7x57mm but with a shorter cartridge. When souped-up to please the US the .280" British ceased to be a fun cartridge to shoot). The reason for designers wanting the shortest cartridge they could get away with is because longer receivers sometimes need to get thicker in order to be stiff enough for adequate accuracy and the weight spirals upwards. You also end up with a heavier bolt, moving further. I suppose NATO could have gone for the .300" Savage, which, like the 7.62x51mm is a 30--06 made shorter, it's just that it's shorter still and not loaded to the max in order to retain 30-06 "performance."
Not only is the 7mm Mauser popular with hunters in some parts of the world, so is the 8mm [edit] Mannlicher, so there are attractions in being only as powerful as actually needed. ( 8mm [edit] Mannlicher is legal in India as, although it was a military cartridge, it was never a military cartridge in Commonwealth countries.)
very informative
Nice as usual!
I love the Venezuelan 49. I have #118 with bayonet 7204. Unfortunately, it needs some work done, and there is some mismatch too...example the receiver cover has SN of 108. I wonder how many of the 8,000 rifles are still around, I assume 108 became a parts gun or if my cover is a replacement part from FN.
Would it be possible for you to bring the Venezuelan M24 Mauser as well? It would be amazing
Timely since I just picked up a three digit one. I also found some surplus FN made 7x57 Mauser with a "49" headstamp to try out. It will be curious if they are hotter than the typical loadings to run this gas gun.
Why is the plate corugated? I could see an argument for something like "better friction" ...but it also seems like it'd give you very weird bruises... 🤔
Like a corrugated iron roof: it adds "stiffness" and as for "grip", combined with a wet, muddy inform in a tropical environment, would be marginally better than a smooth one. Also hides nicks and dents received during enthusiastic parade drill.
This carried on to the FAL butt-plates, but the Brits, Canada and Oz went with the slick "Mazak" butt-plate, only for the Brtits to put grip-ribs on the design for the butt-p;ate on their late issue synthetic butts.
@@bruceinoz8002 thank you for the explanation!
Three different buttplates were used on the FN-49. Most versions used a flat steel plate that had a large, oval trap door for stowing the cleaning kit. The Egyptian Contract used a brass plate with a small, round trap door. And the Venezuelan Contract used a corrugated steel plate without a trap door.
I want to say there was at least one other country that used the corrugated plate, but I can’t recall for certain off the top of my head.
You will also see a black plastic plate used on the reproduction stocks Century Arms put on some of their rebuilt Egyptian Contract rifles.
With the Venezuelans adopting the FAL which was in 7.62mm , were there any conversions of “old stock” FN 49’s?” to the same calibre I wonder?…👍
After Argentina adopted the FAL they converted some of their FN-49s to 7.62 NATO. These rifles had detachable 20 round magazines, though they are a proprietary design and not interchangeable with FAL magazines. Some of these 7.62mm Argentine FN-49s were later imported to the U.S. and they turn up for sale from time to time.
Nice looking gun
What's funny is that I at one time had 3 of them. A large part of the total supply.
My 2-digit sn Venezuelan is very pleasing. I wonder if it was parkerized in Venezuelan service
nice, mine is in the 1800 s/n range
2:00 What's the reason for the underscore between guerre and herstal?
The steel butt-plate wouldmakeit a very useful blunt instrument.
You should start covering more medieval weapons
Nice I was waiting for this. I have a first run FN49 SN 3897. Too bad someone cut the barrel. Like new 😔
Great Stuff 💯💥💥💥💥💥💥💥
I just saw one at a local auction
Please Help!!!! @forgottenweapons
I have a FN-49 sniper with Venezuelan stamps, a wooden cheek riser and scope mount on receiver.
Other than those two parts, it matches every Venezuelan fn49 I have seen.
The original owner is an old man who bought it in the 60s and he never shot it.
Did century add the cheek riser and scope mount? Or did they order them from FN like this?
@forgottenweapons it is SN#51XX
I noticed an "A" on the stock indent for the safety but I didn't hear if you have the meaning of this.
Haven't watched yet, where can I buy one?
Not even gonna lie, we need a book from headstamp about Czechoslovakia, I feel many of their designs have been influential towards many designs and copied by many.
The FN 49 externally looks like the child of a Garand and a Lee Enfield no 4.
I understand Fabrique Nationale’s decision to discontinue the product in 1961 and I don’t think a modern iteration would sell particularly well in the current market, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want a reproduction of some sort.
The modern iteration of this gun was the FN FAL. Same designer and the gas system largely carries over.
@@RedHuntsmanThe FN-49 and FN FAL have as much in common as the M1 Garand has with the Beretta BM-59. There’s less in common than you think.
I absolutely agree with you, but, like you said, it would not do well. Everyone would compare it in price point to whatever PSA's cheapest 308 was at the time.
THat is a beautiful rifle.
I have this same rifle 4217 as well as an egyptian and Luxembourg serial 0014
Ruger, are you seeing this presentation? Will you please make this in 30/06 and 270 Winchester?
A "Mimi-49" in 5.56?
as I just tore apart an SKS Yesterday? Wow is this not Close Looking in the Bolt? or do I see things?
So are the .30-06 good for any 30-06 ammo or limited to M2 ball type ammo as per the Garand?
Yes, you can adjust the gas system for ammo less intense than M2 Ball. Any time you switch ammo you need to open up the gas sleeve and then adjust it down shot by shot until you get proper ejection. What you want is for the fired cartridge case to fall to the right and roughly three or four feet forward.
@@Tumbleweed1961 Oh, OK. I was under the impression that it only had two positions. On and off. It's like the FN-FAL then.....
@@Tumbleweed1961 Althogh with the FN-FAL, it's open up till the bolt locks back on an empty mag. Then open up two more clicks......
Nice, this video has 49K views (as of December 2, 2023).
A great very interesting rifle and video Mr.Ian.It was not a bad idea at all to be able to rotate between the repeater and semi automatic fire mode.Was the R mode used for sustained fire or just for the rifle grenades?Was the caliber .308?Have a good one.Btw did these rifle have a bayonet?
Better made than many rifles out there. I'd love one, but don't think a gas system is needed.
Why do so many guns have the gas system when it is obsolete? So many extra parts , more to foul, makes me hostile to the gas designs.
The thing looks very intimidating!
Aaaaa! Screws that screw other screws... Bliss, how very Swiss!
Nice rifle indeed.