Need help Identifying Rifle

[Leary393]

Hi there,
This is my first post here, i joined as I am currently in the process of importing a rifle from the US to Australia. However the rifle I have chosen seems to be of an odd sort. Here are some details.
Browning Belgium Safari 338 Win Mag
Serial Number: B58781
When I contacted seller in regards, he was un-able to give me much information on it. He told me that it is Identical to other Browning Safari rifles he has however this rifle is not stamped browning. On the receiver it has Fabrique Nationale stamped and where it would normally have a Browning stamp on the barrel it has Chrome Vanadium Steel stamped.
I was hoping someone on here could shed some light on the history of this rifle and maybe help find a build date and any other info.
Would this affect value?

 

[James K]

First, John Browning never designed that rifle. The gun was made by FN in Leige, Belgium and marked as such for sale everywhere but the U.S. In the U.S., Browning Arms Co. has a deal with FN to put the Browning name on arms made by FN whether Browning designs or not.

AFAIK, the difference in marking has little or no effect on the value - it is the same gun.

Sorry I can't help on the date of manufacture; if it is important, I would contact FN.

Jim

 

[PetahW]

[John Browning never designed that rifle. The gun was made by FN in Leige, Belgium]

It's also widely referred to as an "FN Mauser", meaning that it's Fabrique' Nationale's (FN) modernization of the classic Mauser 1898 (M-98) action, moving the safety from the bolt shroud to the side of the trigger, streamlining the shroud in the process.
They were made with either the standard long extractor or a short extractor.

Your rifle was most likely made sometime between the 1959 introduction and 1972, when letter prefixes were added to the SN.


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