Did Egypt re-barrel any of their FN 49’s in 7 mm Mauser?

[KneverKnew]

A local gun store has an Egyptian FN 49 for sale. They have it labeled 7 x 57. When I asked if this was an error, they said no, that Egypt had re-barreled a large number of their FN 49’s after the war. I have never heard of such a thing. Does anyone else know of this happening, and if this is possibly a legitimate rifle? They are asking $800. The rifle looks well used and worn, but the bore is in fairly good shape.

[browningautorifle]

Yes they did...they came out in Cartridges
.30-06 Springfield
7.92×57mm Mauser
7×57mm Mauser
7.62×51mm NATO
7.65×53mm Argentine

[limpetmine]

I've got an 8MM barrel with gas nut somewhere, if you want to set it up 8MM.

[KneverKnew]

Yes they did...they came out in Cartridges
.30-06 Springfield
7.92×57mm Mauser
7×57mm Mauser
7.62×51mm NATO
7.65×53mm Argentine

I am fully aware that the FN 49 was released in those various cartridges. The question at hand is did the Egyptians re-barrel their 8 mm FN 49 into 7 x 57 at some point after the war. That is what the local gun store is asserting about this particular Egyptian FN 49

[browningautorifle]

I am fully aware

You're welcome.

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Which War?

FN-49. Starting date?Apart from Pre-ww2 prototypes and wartime fiddling in Britain, not much happened until 1946), after the Germans had long gone and FN were rising from the seriously battered ashes..

I doubt Egypt would have done a 7mm conversions it is fairly certain they never used the cartridge anywhere else. Until Nasser linked up with the soviets in the mid 1950s, 7.92 x 57 was THE service cartridge in Egypt. Note also the Egyptian 7.92 x 57 version of the Swedish AG-42, from which they developed the very cute 7.62 x 39 "Rashid". carbine.

Venezuela was one of the few customers for 7 x 57. They liked 7mm so much that their initial FAL purchase was in 7mm "Liviano"; basically 7.62 NATO necked down to 7mm. Apparently also known as the "7mm, second optimum"; developed during the last gasps of the EM2. This cartridge later resurfaced as a "legitemized" sporting wildcat, the 7mm-08.

Buy the rifle, not the story. The early and late "trials" SAFN / FN-49 models are VERY collectible, but most are in "official" museums. Does this one come with an "original hooked-quillon" bayonet?

[Brian Dick]

The short answer is no. Someone has rebarreled an 8x57 with a 7x57 barrel post service is my uneducated guess.

[RCS]

one of my favorite cartridges that came from the 7,62x49 US case necked down to 7mm
by FN and chambered in the early FN FAL rifles for Venezuela

[browningautorifle]

I have one of those, found it lying downrange at my local range.

[RCS]

After Venezuela changed over to the 7,62x51, thousands of 7x49mm cartridges were imported to the USA. As there were no weapons that chambered this cartridge.
it sold for around the same price as 22 rim fire cartridges. Some FN FAL collectors had barrels made to use the 7x49mm cartridges and it was well liked by these shooters