[AndGunsForAll]

Here is an update for anyone looking into accuracy potential, about my fn49 8mm egyptian(late 80's import according to the former collection records), it sports a cetme/g3 flash suppressor opened up to 8mm standards, I recrowned the muzzle crown to perfection with a five minute recrown, bore is shiny and nice but has obviously been shot previously in service since the rifling isn't brand new sharp but very good to very good plus.
Rifle has recoil lug style stock installed in egypt likely supposedly as a replacement in the 50's or 60's, so it is in the stock pretty well and tight and not slopping around like in a recoil lug-less model, with yugo 1957 surplus ball I was hitting at 250 to 300 yards various 1 liter jugs and 2 liter jugs(easy) and especially gallon jugs(easy), I had to shot slightly above the targets on a slight down grade slope on the 50 meter setting due to shooting too high on the next above setting from bottomed out unfortunately, rifle shoots dead center on the bulleseye like it should at 50 meters on the 50 meters setting, so I figure it is as it should be. Strangely, I though these shot too low, not too high at distance, but differences in ammo etc, who knows, and I was shooting downhill slightly.
For gas setting, I had to close off the gas to about halfway open and a little more open cause cases ejected on wide open gas about three feet then when hot the metal expended caused a stovepipe or two this week only, so closing off the gas improved operation when hot(guess I never shot more than ten rounds at a time), so now little more than half closed it ejects 6-8 feet and no hot stovepiping now.
My front band screw is stripped out, the band threads look worn, and band was previously bent outward where my handguard blew right off in front of a friend due to no handguard retention(until I bent it inwards for this last weekend range trip) who, haha, made fun of my rifle, but after the target grade accuracy with iffy surplus yugo ammo he was trying to talk me out of it, all about it has been his dream and all since a kid in the 60's to have one, to bad so sad as we say, with that kind of accuracy with that ammo, it would be best to sell off other more modern rifles that aint as accurate first if I was ever desparate.
Headspace checks with forster headspace gauges as excellent, that could have something to do with it, or most of it.
Now, if I would just tighten up the accuracy with a 5 minute recrown job on my 1941 johnson like I did on the fn49 I will be a happy man.

 

[Drazil]

With all the talk of matching parts, correct finish, number of sling swivels, etc, the fact gets lost that these guns are perhaps the best shooting mil-surps of all. A while back, I was at my club with some of my rifles, and was challenged to an impromptu shooting match against a built-to-the-hilt 1903-A3, and much to his suprise, outshot him 4 out of 5 targets with my Century-rebuild FN-49. He was stunned ! Well, MAYBE my own 1903-A3 can outshoot my FN-49, and maybe my hundred-dollar Mosin Nagant, but my FN-49 beats probably any semi-auto, including the Garand....

....now.....if only it had more easily adjustable sights.....

Mine also has the screw on flash hider. All I've done to it is tighten up the receiver cover to eliminate all play, and install different thickness washers under screws that hold the action in the stock, to keep it bedded tight...there's really not much else this gun needs. I still get an adrenaline rush when shooting my FN-49. Great ergonomics, too.

 

[Goose52]

With all the talk of matching parts, correct finish, number of sling swivels, etc, the fact gets lost that these guns are perhaps the best shooting mil-surps of all.

....now.....if only it had more easily adjustable sights.....

... and install different thickness washers under screws that hold the action in the stock...

That fact is not lost on me. The attached image shows some of the groups from my rifles. Now, all these groups were shot at only 50 yards (my 55 year-old eyes aren't getting it done at 100 anymore) but OTOH, the groups are from 25 to 50 rounds. The grids on the targets are 1".

On the adjustable sights, sometimes I'll take the time to set windage and try to get good elevation; other times - as long as it's on paper - I just shoot for groups.

On washers, if I have a trigger guard screw that won't tighten and line up with the lock screw, I cut a cardstock washer to place under the screwhead - these have just enough crush to let the TG screw line up with the lock screw and keep everything tight.

Have fun,

Goose

 

[Fatelk]

I wish my FN49 was accurate. It never has been very accurate, even with a brand new barrel.

The problem I can't figure out is that the rear trigger guard screw loosens as you shoot it, no matter how much you tighten it. I even tried lock-tight. I thought about trying to drill and tap for a lock-screw like the front screws have, but decided against it.

I've had plenty of trouble with this rifle. The extractor spring broke, the firing pin broke twice, then the extractor itself broke, as well as a tiny piece off of the bolt itself. I try to keep the gas port adjusted as open as possible to avoid damage. Maybe I just have a lemon. I've had it for about 15 years.
I sure wish I hadn't sold that Hakim for $150 about ten years ago.

 

[AndGunsForAll]

Even new barrels can have an uneven muzzle crown and it is so hard to see, I suggest a five minute recrown method of hand drill, round headed screw way oversize of muzzle, and valve grinding compounds, plugging off the muzzle with cleaning patch to retain grinding compound when giving it that minor swirled "dish", and what you do is "swirl" or circular rotate the drill around the muzzle.

Then I guess your only other problem would be the action moving around in the stock or your shooting style is flinching when shooting. I would guess uneven muzzle crown 9 out of 10 times for inaccuracy problems, I believe I came up with a theory why, it seems that poor quality surplus ammunition gets spread all over the place 9.9 out of 10 times more than a fine high quality reload, which is why I would have super problems with an fal of mine with reloads as if it was ammo sensitive, then I discovered my crown muzzle was just slightly uneven(after all those rounds wasted), so now it will group with everything, it was so hard to spot visually, and all I did was put a 5 minute recrown job on it.

 

[Drazil]

Here's my "almost best" offhand group with a mil-surp semi. I can't count it as my best, because I flinched just as the fellow next to me fired his .308, so I gave myself an alibi shot. It's my non-century, non-import marked FN-49. The Century rebuild I own has a much prettier bore, but the guns shoot about the same.

 

[AndGunsForAll]

I of course shoot off a bench/table, with rifle forend supported on an adjustable rest, butt resting on a leather sand bag, and not shooting off hand. I can shoot decent off hand if I have to while standing up or kneeling, or prone, but bench shooting is a good starting point for determining accuracy of a rifle or pistol.

 

[Beanstrung]

It's not an Egyptian in 8mm, but my Argentine FN-49 in 7.62-NATO is respectable in it's groupings...

 

[pneps]

Locals around here used to laugh at me when I asserted that a stock FN 49 would outshoot a stock M1 Garand. Then I and a couple of other guys cleaned up at the local impromptu match

 

[1911crazy]

Don't take me the wrong way, when i was shooting a lot I shot a lot better than when i wasn't shooting that often. Another problem is we shoot too many different guns at the sametime too. If we shot only one gun more we would get better with that one. I think at the range with shooting multiple guns we tend to rush too.

My point is shoot more and watch your groups tighten up.

Put some moly on your trigger sear too.

My old shooting teacher the old gunnery sarge said;

Take one deep breathe and let it out, take another deep breathe and let it halfway out and hold it, aim and shoot!!!! Hold your breathe while shooting it also makes a big difference in accuracy. Remember to squeeze your trigger.

When checking the accuracy of a rifle i like to benchrest it. I pull it straight down in the rests so they hold the gun tight/ firm into the rests. I line up the sights adjusting the rear rest. Then i shoot it using the breathing method of course. You will see the difference in the paper.

I sighted in my Remington 700 in 338winmag for the first time this way and i put two bullets thru the same hole at 100yds benchrested using winchester 338 ammo. I loaded 3rds in the rifle and stood up like i would while hunting free hand off my shoulder and fired 3 rapid shots at 3 different bulls and came within 1" from all 3 centers @ 100yds.

I'm not the best shooter in my family too i'm just an average shooter. My older brother would make one shot to see where the bullet hit then use kentucky windage and put all the bullets in the black after that. I'm just happy to be the best i can be.

 

[db2044]

No complaints here about my FN-49! Quite reliable for decent groups at 200 yds and comparable to the K-98, M48, and Hakims.
I have not tuned it or lapped the barrel crown yet.
Yep! I would go one on one with a Garand with it any day.

My FN-49 shoots great ... but ... it just isn't a Hakim!
Shooting them side by side, accuracy is fine but it's more how it shoots which is like comparing a VW to a Porsche.

I can easily adjust to the two stage trigger pull and the little "crunch" to hold it just before letting it go but the Hakim has a much smoother trigger pull.

The sight adjustment just has no in between at 200yds. All the way back is low and 200 is high. Can't find a happy medium and just have to mentally adjust the aim point depending which I use.

A failed case ejection is so much of a PITA when the rod jams over the empty. Much easier to clear the Hakim without first having to pry a stuck case loose from under the piston rod.

Much more problematic with loading and stacking in the magazine as well as feeding problems.
Whoever invented the stripper clip doo-hicky on the Hakim was a pure genius as it never fails to quickly push all five into the magazine without a problem. Half of the stripper clips I have encountered just won't seat right in the FN-49 and if they don't seat all the way down, they won't push in off the stripper. I can't count how many times I have had to pull it out and stuff them one by one.

There is no comparison for recoil and followup second shots between the Hakim and the FN-49. The FN-49 is rough as hell compared to the Hakim, probably due to a very efficient muzzle brake design.

For carrying into battle, I would probably prefer the FN-49 for size and weight but the Hakim beats it hands down for shooting.