1950's FN Mauser w/ Sako or Jaeger trigger and safety issue. Mauser experts?

[sawcut]

I started to look at a commercial FN Mauser I had acquired years ago. It is made by Firearms International. Overall, it is in very nice shape, the action itself is excellent, but when I got it, it was known to have some safety issues, with the firing pin falling when the rifle was shifted from safe to fire on the shroud safety.

Note: I cross-posted this on an AR forum, but I am including it here for a wider response.

Below is a lengthy post. Long story short: Rifle was tinkered with and has 2 safeties. One of the safeties has to be removed.
Option 1: Keep the Jaeger trigger with a lever safety, adjust it properly, and remove the shroud safety.
Option 2: Keep the shroud mounted safety and install a new Timney trigger with no safety.
Option 3: Adjust the Jaeger trigger to safely function and keep both this and the shroud safety. (This might work, but I am concerned about messing with the whole assembly too much. The replacement bolt shroud and cocking piece are haphazardly fitted, so I am not confident in them, and for a few bucks would rather replace it all)

Here is the rifle.




I checked it out, and researched how the action was originally set up. It had a Sako trigger with a side mounted safety. The bolt shroud was the streamlined version (no safety) in the white. Over the years, the rifle had some modifications. The Sako trigger was replaced with a Jaeger trigger, which is similar to a modern Timney.

These triggers have a feature that locks the bolt closed when the rifle is on safe. The action is cut for a slot for a metal bar from the trigger that locks the bolt.

But oddly, the bolt shroud was also replaced with a military Mauser shroud, and an FN shroud mounted safety (like a Buehler safety or "wing" safety). So it has the wing safety, and trigger safety.

The rifle was also rebarreled to 25-06 and headspaces well. No issues there thankfully!

Any ideas or comments appreciated.

Note: I did not realize I would have such a strange set up when I acquired the rifle. But I like the FN Mauser actions, I would have bought the rifle just for the action alone, since it is in very good shape. Overall, the rifle is a solid and well made sporting rifle, just have to fix the trigger/safety so I can take it out and shoot it. For the record, I don't mind the clunky look of the military bolt shroud and safety. It's functional and works. The blueing does not match, but I don't care about that.

Mauser actions are still fine rifles.


Original ad for the rifle.




An example of one from an internet auction showing the original configuration.




This rifle has 2 safeties. The Jaeger is not adjusted properly, and, it creates a mechanical conflict with the wing safety. One of them has to go.




It has a Jaeger trigger, which I determined is not original. It looks very, very similar to a Timney trigger, but additionally has a bolt lock.




The action has a slot for a bolt lock, which the original Sako trigger and replacement Jaeger both had. Most modern replacement triggers are not set up to utilize a bolt lock. I do not know if the bolt shroud has to have some specific cut out for the bolt lock safety. The military shroud has no such cut out, and i think this is causing the incompatibility.

 

[Slamfire]

Put a scope on it and see the shroud safety works. Sometimes scopes interfere with the wing.

I prefer the M98 shroud safety because it is a positive firing pin blocking safety. You can bayonet and buttstroke someone, and as long as the safety is on, the rifle won't discharge. Sear blocking safeties, such as what is on that trigger, are not as positive nor as safe.

 

[jaysouth]

Any idea of what the scope base is?

thanks

 

[sage5907]

The bolt shroud that you have was standard on a FN Mauser DeLuxe action, and the DeLuxe action was made for several years in the early 50's before the advent of the Supreme action which had a cocking piece without a shroud safety and Sako #4 trigger with a trigger safety. It could be that the original bolt was lost and the DeLuxe bolt was used when the 25-06 barrel was installed. The stock and aluminum trigger guard definitely came from the later rifle shown in your picture. If the receiver was made in the 1950's it very well could have been from a DeLuxe rifle because the Supreme didn't come out until 1957. A DeLuxe receiver would have fit right into that stock. I think your receiver was re-blued when the 25-06 barrel was installed but the cocking piece was left in its original condition. The wing type shroud safety on your rifle was standard on the DeLuxe action and I once owned one just like it. It will work with a scope if when you place it on safety you just lift the lever half way to the scope. It's a little awkward to flip the safety off on the left side of the scope but it works to flip the safety off with your thumb by reaching on the left side of the scope. Again, when you put the rifle on safety just lift the lever half way to the scope. This safety locks the firing pin back so it is really a good safety. If it originally had a Sako trigger they were a piece of junk so I can understand why it was replaced with a Jaeger, and the original owner didn't like flipping the safety lever with his thumb on the left side of the scope. Today you can buy a Timney trigger that will easily replace that Jaeger trigger and will solve your trigger issues. As you know, you can buy the Timney trigger with or without the side safety and I have one with the side trigger safety and it works great. Since your rifle already has the wood removed to allow for the side trigger safety it almost makes sense to get rid of the Jaeger and install a Timney with the safety lever but the original shroud safety will work fine by itself. The one piece scope mount base was made either by Leupold or by Redfield. Leupold makes a 2 piece steel in their STD line for the FN rifles and they work really good. The bottom rifle in the attached picture is an FN Supreme action 25-06 rifle made by Paul Jaeger with Leupold STD bases and rings. It has the Timney trigger. The Timney trigger without the side safety is their F M 98FN and it sells for $86.27 and it can be installed easily with little or no inletting. The Timney trigger with the side safety is their F D M98FN and it sells for $108.11, and it will require some metal to be removed from the trigger guard so I were you I would opt for the F M 98FN and get used to flipping the shroud safety lever with your thumb. I personally despise the trigger safety and would prefer the shroud safety that is on your rifle. Good luck with your rifle.

 

[sawcut]

Thanks for the responses, especially the detailed information from sage.

The rifle came with a Redfield scope mount, which is in perfect shape and I will use going forward.

It was definitely re-barreled, and since the barrel blue matches the receiver perfectly, I agree that they must have been reblued after the barrel install. Upon carefully checking the bolt shroud, it actually has Nazi marks, but it still has the FN wing safety, so somehow the whole bolt shroud had some tinkering. Who knows what was swapped out when and why.

I agree with those that think the shroud (wing) safety is a good feature. I will most likely keep the shroud safety, install a simple Timney trigger, and plug the slot in the stock where the safety lever came through.

I keep my eyes open for these types of older sporters, but you definitely have to pay close attention for any poor modifications done over the years. I could tell this rifle had some minor issues, but the FN action won me over. Even with the trigger/safety fix, this will still be a fine rifle for me.

Thanks again for the helpful responses.

ETA: Based on the ad, if this rifle sold for $126 in 1963, that would be $980 today. So I actually "saved" money getting this one!

 

[sage5907]

sawcut, I found an old note that said the FN plant used the Series 300 (DeLuxe) wing safety and the original M98 bolt shroud on rifles that were produced before the new commercial bolt shroud (Supreme) was available starting in 1957. If your rifle was produced before 1957 it would have had a M98 bolt shroud possibly with military markings. This doesn't explain the cutout for the side safety unless it was done when the Jaeger trigger was installed. Your rifle probably has a Douglas barrel because many of them were used in the 1960's and 1970's and they are still popular today. Who knows, the barrel could have been installed by Paul Jaeger but the blue job doesn't look like something that came out of his shop. Douglas makes a really good barrel.

 

[sage5907]

sawcut, I also found information that the FN Muskateer rifles were manufactured by FN from 1963 to 1972. I think you need to follow your serial number to find out what year the receiver was made. That should tell us if the stock and bottom metal came with the action. How did you know it was made during the 1950's?

 

[sage5907]

sawcut, it took me a while to figure out that "T" which looks like the first letter in the serial number. It must be the proof letter for the man who inspected the action. T was listed by FN to apply to a man named Laener Clement but it doesn't apply to the year of manufacturer. He was inspecting receivers all the way through the production period for both the DeLuxe and Supreme actions. I figured this out by comparing my serial number to your serial number. My rifle has an X as the first letter in the serial number and I knew about when it was manufactured.

 

[sage5907]

sawcut, just under your serial number on your rifle are some Greek characters. It's hard to see but in the picture it looks like the first character on the left is a circle with a vertical line through it. If so, that is the Greek character that FN used to designate the receiver was manufactured in 1961.

 

[jaysouth]

Sage,

Is this the same action that was used in the JC Higgins model 50?

I have a redfield one piece scope mount that does not match the drilled and tapped holes in my receiver bridge. Just curious. thanks

 

[natman]

Sage,

Is this the same action that was used in the JC Higgins model 50?

Pretty much. The Model 50 uses a different shroud safety and a different trigger. Both were made on the FN commercial Mauser action.

---------------

While I prefer a shroud safety, it would be a lot simpler to get the trigger safety to work than trying to sort out the hodge podge that's on the end of the bolt now.

 

[sage5907]

Yes, like natman says, the J C Higgins is pretty much like this rifle and the bolt shroud and safety lever look the same. The J C Higgins was built by FN Mauser using the Series 300 DeLuxe FN action. This is an excellent rifle and the quick lock time of the Mauser firing pin is nothing short of amazing. Most of them were sold from 1951 through 1955. I did some work on a 270 Winchester rifle so I got to see everything about the rifle. The J C Higgins has the bolt shroud safety that I prefer over the trigger safety that was used on later rifle. There is nothing wrong with this safety and they normally work very easy and they lock the firing pin instead of the trigger. The Higgins rifle has a trigger manufactured by FN and it was similar in operation to a Winchester Model 70 trigger. It was not affected by wet, cold and icy conditions. It was a better trigger than the Sako #4 that was used on later rifles because the Sako was subject to creep and sticking. The Higgins had steel bottom metal that was better than the aluminum version on the later models because the blue will stay on the steel better than the coating will stay on the aluminum. The Higgins sells for about $400 and it is a higher quality rifle than most of the new similar priced rifles on the market today. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a 270 Winchester or 30-06 and they can be turned into an excellent rifle by installing a Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad, Timney trigger and Leupold VX 2 scope.

 

[sawcut]

Thank you very much Sage, for taking the time to provide such a detailed response and research. The rifle serial number is T05xx. It was my mistake when I took the guess that the rifle was from the 50’s. When I found the ad for the Musketeer, it really looked identical to my rifle, although I did not know that particular model was not marketed until the 60’s.

At any rate, either the trigger safety was added, or the shroud safety, depending on how this particular action shipped. I will say that the slot milled in the action for the bolt stop looked factory done, but both the trigger safety and shroud safety definitely seemed to be tinkered with at some point, and the fitting of these items was not up to the rest of the work on the well done barrel replacement and blueing job. Those items all looked factory done and clean.

I included some more photos for information. After getting everyone’s comments, I’ll definitely be removing the Jaeger safety and installing a Timney (without a safety). The shroud safety is fine for me.

In my research, I also came across a “Wisner” safety, which looks like a reasonable option for a shroud safety closer to a Model 70 type, but simpler and less costly. If anyone knows a gunsmith that installs these, let me know.

ETA: I found the email for a gunsmith that modifies bolt shrouds for the Wisner safety. [email protected] He just contacted me and I'll be getting at least one of these safeties based on the very good reviews I've read all over about this safety.

Regarding the Sears JC Higgins Model 50. I have one as well, great rifle. 30-06, chrome lined barrel, but much more worn than this Firearms International model. I found that the hole pattern it was drilled with did not match the standard FN Mauser 1 piece base. The spacing on the 2 holes of the rear bridge was different. I solved this by having one additional hole added to the rear bridge, and then the one piece mount fit into the 2 holes on the front ring of the action, and the one new hole in the rear bridge. These holes in the front came from the factory (at least on my rifle) rather close to the front edge of the action, so the scope mount sits a bit further forward than a typical FN commercial Mauser.

I agree that these rifles are all really top notch, and have far more workmanship that most rifles available today for even $800. 20 years ago, before I "discovered" these commercial actions, I spent a decent amount of money to have a Mauser k98 made into a 308 sporter. It was already "bubba'd" when I got it, but for the money I spent to get it working I probably could have bought 2 J.C. Higgins rifles, but I did not know any better back then.

Thanks again for the excellent information posted.


A detailed shot of the receiver markings.




Markings on the underside of the action.




Close up of the bolt shroud with the FN wing safety.




Close up of the bolt shroud markings.

 

[sage5907]

sawcut, I notice something else about the bolt shroud. The reason the owner took a file to the top of the shroud just in front of the safety lever is because it stuck up too high to clear a low mounted scope. I did the very same thing on the first FN rifle I owned. It was a DeLuxe rifle assembled by Weatherby with a Jaeger installed 270 Winchester Douglas barrel. I got the rifle in 1965 and gave it to a friend several years later. He is a farmer and I saw the rifle in the front seat of his farm truck just this last week. It made me wish I had the rifle again but he is a good friend and the rifle has taken untold deer and coyote. It has a good home.

 

[natman]

Upon further study, that safety does look like the safety FN used in the JC Higgins Model 50. The military markings on the bolt shroud threw me.

Anyway, if the safety lever goes up, the firing pin should not be able to drop. If it drops when you lower the bolt safety, it's a problem with the sear / trigger. Insufficient sear engagement would be a likely culprit.

 

[sawcut]

Again, thanks guys for helping me figure all this out. I'll be putting in a safety-less Timney trigger and using the existing wing safety. I've ordered a new cocking piece though just in case I run into any issues with the current one since it has been somewhat crudely filed.

Its surprising how much a simple component like the safety/shroud can be modified over time. I'm sure the overall rifle will be a fine shooter when I get this issue sorted out. I hope it is a quality barrel like Sage mentioned, that would really be a plus, I'm looking forward to getting it all together.