JC Higgins/Mauser Trigger Spring

[Lance Schul]

I have been cleaning up my father in law's JC Higgins Model 50 270 bolt rifle. The trigger spring is kinked and mangled. I tried to get a new one from Numrich but they don't have it. In fact, I thought it was the sear spring and ordered one; it showed up today and was clearly the wrong spring. Can anyone help me find a spring for this Mauser action? My father in law wants to keep the gun with its current set up so a Timney or other trigger isn't in the cards. I just want to find a new trigger spring.

 

[mrh477]

To be clear, was it a standard Model 98 sear spring that you ordered?

 

[boom boom]

I have been cleaning up my father in law's JC Higgins Model 50 270 bolt rifle. The trigger spring is kinked and mangled. I tried to get a new one from Numrich but they don't have it. In fact, I thought it was the sear spring and ordered one; it showed up today and was clearly the wrong spring. Can anyone help me find a spring for this Mauser action? My father in law wants to keep the gun with its current set up so a Timney or other trigger isn't in the cards. I just want to find a new trigger spring.

Each sears product has a mfg code followed by a period then a product number. Example 123.45680 . You can find the three digit mfg codes for firearms online and probably the specific product. Winchester actually sold a plain Jane model 70 to sears under the jc Higgins line in the 50's. Fn sold Mausers in a similar fashion and so on.

You do find some different mfg code formats if you go far enough back as Sears actually owned several firearms companies itself early in the twentieth century. Sears then moved out of manufacturing and had to have some way to designate who made what for them as they liked to have several suppliers and also a way to track parts orders for items. Thus, the manufacturing code and the product number which I believe began in the 1930's and 40's. It was well established by the 1950's and continues today.
FWIW, J.C. Higgins was the original buyer for Sears sporting goods department and his name was replaced with the Ted Williams store brand name in the early 1960's.

Former sears employee here in the day.

 

[Jim K]

This may help. http://www.chuckhawks.com/j_c_higgins_50.htm The Model 50 action was originally from FN;, but Sears had a habit of playing with suppliers or having their guns made by different suppliers that making positive statements about their products can be dangerous. If the gun still has the standard trigger setup (one small coil spring serves as both the trigger and sear spring) and a Model 98 Mauser spring doesn't work, try one from a Swedish Model 94/96.

Jim

 

[Clemson]

One of the "problems" with a Model 50 is that the trigger is attached to the guard rather than the receiver. It is unique (and, in my opinion, not the safest arrangement ever made). A Timney Sportsman trigger costs $62 and is a much better trigger to boot. It attaches to the receiver and cannot be influenced by changes in the stock from swelling or drying out.

Bill Jacobs
Bolt&Barrel Gunsmithing, LLC

 

[boom boom]

OP. Here is a link to the original manual for the JC Higgins Model 50 in .270 It does have a parts schematic and breakout along with a parts listing. Found it on steve's pages which is an online repository for old manuals.
http://stevespages.com/pdf/jchiggins_50.pdf

 

[Ireload2]

The sear in the Sears Mausers which have the guard mounted triggers can break. There is a notch in the sear that causes the sear to break. You are safer to get rid of the old trigger and sear..

 

[boom boom]

Not sure what model the O/P has.
At least as far as the manual above shows, at least one of the model 50's appears to be a standard Mauser receiver mounted trigger. See the parts schematic on page 6 of the manual link that I listed above, apparently others rather than FN also made these. 583.xx appear to be made by FN for Sears as the Model 50 in .270 Win. but apparently SAKO finished some using FN made receivers which complicates things under the Model 51 which supposedly had chrome lined barrels. However, according to the website below, the Mfg. number was the same as FN for these. See http://gun-data.com/sears_roebuck_guns.html