Help on J C Higgns Model 50

bq

November 06, 2004 18:16

I have a J C Higgns Model 50, 270 cal rifle 583.95.
It has FN action made in Belgiun.
A gunsmith told me it has a FN supreme BBL & action.
It has a rose tip but stock & stock.It looks new.
Has e pu & some markimgs on the barrel but I can't make when out was told sears
had some made and gave then to their dist managers.
The person that had this one was given it after his dad passed away and he
was a dist manger for sear.
He said sear gave it too his dad around 1964 or 65. I looks just like an fn
high-power browning medallion grad
Its been glassed,flooded & just about everything else you can name.
It's as smooth as silk.

0

• 

  JudgeRoyBean

  November 07, 2004 12:28

  ..............and your Question is?

  0
• 

  Gatofeo

  November 07, 2004 18:15

  I have a Sears Model 50 in .30-06 caliber. It was also offered in .270 Winchester, as you know.
  It is a wonderful rifle: accurate, extremely well made of the finest materials and well designed.
  My only complaint is that it seems a bit heavy. I would not want to pack it up and down hills all day but for hunting from a stand or short walks, it would be great.
  Here's what two sources have to say about it:
  
  American Rifleman, November 1953:
  "I think you will find the J.C. Higgins rifle to be a weapon of good quality. The action used is the famous FN Mauser, one of the best actions ever made. The rest of the gun is made in this country by High Standard Manufacturing Co., for Sears Roebuck & Co. You are getting a good dollar value and the rifle is amply strong and reliable."
  
  Rifle magazine, No. 112, July/August 1987, p. 6:
  "The Model 50 J.C. Higgins ... was manufactured ... with an American-made barrel, stock and sights. It was first listed in the 7th Edition of The Gun Digest, dated 1953.
  "Last mention of the Model 50 appeared in the 12th edition of The Gun Digest (1958). It was a plain-stocked rifle without checkering or cheekrest.
  "Actually, one year should be subtracted from each of these dates because the material in each edition of The Gun Digest was written in the preceding year. Thus, the Model 50 appears to have been first announced in 1952 rather than 1953.
  "(It) was said to have had a chromed bore and been well made."
  
  The Model 51 was a fancier model, with checkering and cheekrest. It too was built on the FN action in the 1959 issue of The Gun Digest. The following edition (1960) shows the Model 51 being built on an HVA Husqvarna action. The calibers .243 and .308 Winchester were added with the introduction of the Model 51, for a total of four chamberings.
  
  I would not discount this rifle merely because it has "J.C. Higgins" on it. It is a very well made rifle. I've shown it to many knowledgeable riflemen and they all agreed it was a very fine rifle. Its action is smooth. The rosewood tip was apparently standard, as mine has it too.
  My father bought this rifle for me about 20 years ago, from a widow whose husband used it for hunting. He sure kept it maintained! Not a speck of rust or undue wear on it.
  Mine has the action glassed into place, too. I don't know if this was done at the factory, or coincidence on our part.
  Sears offered some clunker rifles in its day but this is not one of them.
  About a year ago, in another site, a man posted a thread that he found a J.C. Higgins at a pawn shop for $200. Though it was new, he was concerned that a "Sears-made" gun was junk. I suggested he buy it. He did, and reported later that it was one of the better deals he ever made.
  These rifles don't bring a lot of money because they're not often seen and the stigma of being a "Sears gun" puts people off.
  If they only knew what they were missing, they'd jump on them! [:D]
  
  "A hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .44!"

  0

Please sign in to leave a comment.