FN Model 1949
The Fabrique Nationale Model 1949 (often referred to as the FN-49, SAFN, or AFN (automatic rifle version) is an autoloading battle rifle designed by Belgian small arms designer Dieudonné Saive in 1947. It was adopted by the militaries of Argentina, Belgium, the Belgian Congo, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, Luxembourg, and Venezuela. The selective fire version produced for Belgium was known as the AFN.
| FN Model 1949 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Battle rifle |
| Place of origin | Belgium |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1948–1982 |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | Korean War Darul Islam rebellion Suez Crisis Permesta rebellion PRRI rebellion Congo Crisis Dominican Civil War Falklands War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Dieudonné Saive |
| Designed | 1947 |
| Manufacturer | FN Herstal |
| Produced | 1948–1961 |
| No. built | 176,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 4.31 kg (9 lb 8 oz) |
| Length | 1116 mm (43.5 in) |
| Barrel length | 590 mm (23.2 in) |
| Cartridge | .30-06 Springfield 7.92×57mm Mauser 7×57mm Mauser 7.62×51mm NATO 7.65×53mm Argentine |
| Action | Gas-operated short-stroke piston, tilting bolt |
| Feed system | 10-round fixed box magazine, 20-round detachable box magazine in Argentine 7.62×51mm NATO conversions |
| Sights | Iron sights / OIP 4x Telescopic sight on Belgium Sniper rifle |
While well regarded for its high build quality and reliability in comparison to the rifles of the time, its marketability was limited, as it was not developed in time for use in World War II but later, as many militaries had already begun the switch to selective fire battle rifles. About half of FN-49s were produced as selective fire automatic rifles, but the small 10 round box magazine limited the usefulness of the fully automatic feature.
The FN-49 found itself in direct competition with a number of more modern rifles such as the Heckler & Koch G3 and Fabrique Nationale de Herstal's own FN FAL, resulting in limited sales.