Received 1952 Belgian Mauser. Help!

[Grandpa2]

A church lady gave me her deceased husbands 1952 Belgian Mauser (all numbers match. It does not state a caliber on it...and I'd like to know the the caliber. A note in the gun case said it is a 30-06.

On the left side of the gun it reads "Fab. NA _ (unreadable) D'ARMES de GUERRE." A second line reads "HERSTAL-BELGIQUE."

Markings on the top of the receiver include a royal crown, a large letter "B," three large letters "ABL" and "1952."

On the wood stock, the serial number is stamped...that matches the serial number on the receiver.

The action and barrel appear to be in very good condition. The stock is also in good condition. However, it also appears to have a varnish added...with a couple runs.

The most important info I seek is the caliber. I'd also appreciate knowing it's approximate value. I may decide to sell it.

 

[BADSBSNF81]

Best advice I can give would be to take it to a good gunsmith and have a chamber cast made and remove all doubt as to chambering.

 

[MMCSRET]

All of mine have had the caliber marked on the left side of the barrel just in front of the receiver, that includes Columbian military contract guns, all have been marked. The Columbian guns were marked 30-06. Look closely, should be something somewhere, remove the stock and look under.

 

[Speedo66]

A church lady gave me her deceased husbands 1952 Belgian Mauser (all numbers match. It does not state a caliber on it...and I'd like to know the the caliber. A note in the gun case said it is a 30-06.

On the left side of the gun it reads "Fab. NA _ (unreadable) D'ARMES de GUERRE." A second line reads "HERSTAL-BELGIQUE."

Markings on the top of the receiver include a royal crown, a large letter "B," three large letters "ABL" and "1952."

On the wood stock, the serial number is stamped...that matches the serial number on the receiver.

The action and barrel appear to be in very good condition. The stock is also in good condition. However, it also appears to have a varnish added...with a couple runs.

The most important info I seek is the caliber. I'd also appreciate knowing it's approximate value. I may decide to sell it.

No help as to caliber, but the "Fab. NA" would be Fabrique National, or FN for short. Well known Belgian arms maker, used to be the producer of many Browning and other high quality firearms.

 

[Jim K]

It is an FN Model 1950, is chambered for the .30-'06, and uses M1903 clips. (The U.S. was providing the Belgian Army with ammunition at the time, but the Belgians wanted the Mauser rather than our M1903.) The front receiver bridge is notched in order to feed the .30-'06 from stripper clips. It was adopted in 1950 as the official rifle of the Belgian Army and was, AFAIK, the last Mauser 98 rifle to be adopted by any major nation.

It is a superb rifle, one of the best of the Mauser 98 actions. It is a standard 98 action, unlike the earlier FN Model 1924, which is a shorter action (the basis of the Yugo 24, 24/47 and Model 48 Rifles). The guns were originally finished in a smooth gray phosphate coating, but some were blued after they left service.

The ABL is a bit harder to explain, It is a combination of "AB" for "Armee Belgique" and "BL" for "Belge Leger", meaning "Belgian Army" in French and Flemish, the two official languages of Belgium. The "B" with a crown is for Baudouin, who was King of Belgium (correctly "King of the Belgians") at the time.

Jim