FN Model 1949
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 590 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.31 kg
- Introduced
- 1949
About
What it is, and why it matters
The FN Model 1949, also known as the SAFN or FN-49, is a gas-operated, semi-automatic battle rifle designed by Dieudonne Saive at Fabrique Nationale de Herstal. Developed from pre-war work delayed by the German occupation of Belgium, it uses a short-stroke gas piston and a tilting bolt, feeding from a fixed ten-round magazine loaded with stripper clips. Chambered in several full-power rifle cartridges for various export customers, including 7.92x57mm Mauser, it was adopted by Belgium and numerous foreign militaries before being superseded by Saive's later FN FAL.
Begun by Dieudonne Saive before World War II, the design was smuggled out of occupied Belgium so work could continue in Britain. After the war FN finalized the rifle, which proved Saive's self-loading concepts and led directly to the legendary FN FAL.
Sold in multiple chamberings (.30-06 Springfield, 7.92x57mm Mauser, 7x57mm Mauser, 7.65x53mm Argentine, and 7.62x51mm NATO) to suit each export contract. A direct design predecessor to the FN FAL.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- FN Herstal
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- Belgium
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1949 to 1961
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 590 mm
- Overall length
- 1116 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.31 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 10
- Magazine
- Fixed box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 732 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3696 J
- Effective range
- 500 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Short-stroke gas piston
Tilting bolt locking
Stripper-clip fed fixed magazine
Adjustable aperture rear sight- Grenade-launching variant
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 36 7.92x57mm Mauser rifles | 4.31 kg | 4.00 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 35 7.92x57mm Mauser rifles | 1116 mm | 1105 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 35 7.92x57mm Mauser rifles | 590 mm | 600 mm | Shorter than about 80% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 36 7.92x57mm Mauser rifles | 10 | 5 | Among the largest capacities |
Answers
Questions about the FN Model 1949
How much does the FN Model 1949 weigh?
The FN Model 1949 weighs 4.31 kg (9.50 lb) empty.
What caliber is the FN Model 1949?
The FN Model 1949 is chambered in 7.92x57mm Mauser.
How many rounds does the FN Model 1949 hold?
The FN Model 1949 holds 10 rounds, fed from a fixed box magazine.
How long is the FN Model 1949?
The FN Model 1949 is 1116 mm (43.9 in) long overall, with a 590 mm (23.2 in) barrel.
Who makes the FN Model 1949?
The FN Model 1949 is made by FN Herstal (Belgium). It was designed by Dieudonne Saive.
When was the FN Model 1949 introduced?
The FN Model 1949 was introduced in 1949 and discontinued in 1961.
How does the FN Model 1949 operate?
The FN Model 1949 uses a gas operated action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
Provenance
Confidence in this record
85%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/fn-m1949' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "fn-m1949", "name": "FN Model 1949", "manufacturer": { "id": "fn-herstal", "name": "FN Herstal", "countryCode": "BE", "foundedYear": 1889, "website": "https://www.fnherstal.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:43:43", "version": "868b12ac455d24b965edddf486bafb1892f606961311b1ab9907556e3a23b075" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "BE", "year_introduced": 1949, "barrel_length_mm": 590, "weight_empty_g": 4310, "action_type": "gas_operated"}