Found a favorite today.

[Ricklin]

I shall post up pics.
I've been a fan of the old JC Higgins model 50 for a very long time. It's rather nice that fine blued steel and walnut go so cheaply these days.
I've owned the Model 50 in .270 Win since the late 80's, the finest rifle in my safe, it now has company, a model 50 in 30/06. It's really quite excellent. How a fine rifle like this can sell for 299 bucks is a mystery I shall just enjoy.

 

[sako2]

At $299 that's a real good buy. I have a fn 270 and looked for 6yrs till i got a 30-06 to go with it.

 

[bobn]

also shoot one of the j c higgins in 270. fwiw high standard in hamden put them together.

 

[taylorce1]

I had one in .30-06 years ago, someone wanted it more than I did. I wasn't fond of the trigger at all, and the main reason I was willing to let it go. I also had more .30-06 rifles than I could shoot regularly at that time as well.

 

[Ricklin]

I'll break out the camera, stupid keypad on the safe is acting up, or I am having a senior moment.
I've been keeping a weather eye out for the 30.06 model for years. I'll do the same to this one, update the glass and mounts, and refinish with Tru oil. The tru oil just goes with that FN rust bluing like peas go with carrots.
This one will need a good sissy pad as well, it's original is pretty tired. It's a heavy enough beast to not be obnoxious.

 

[hammie]

Sadly, collectors and others don't always find a rifle like that desirable because they're considered "department store mutts". Or maybe not so sadly. That attitude gives a discerning person like you a bargain opportunity to own and enjoy a fine premium built rifle. Unless someone wants to pay 3 grand for a J. P. Sauer or similar, we won't see newly manufactured rifles like that on the market again. For a rifle like yours in good to excellent condition, I would have paid 2 to 3 time your cost, and not regretted it.

Several years back, the wife was in a local gun shop on an errand for me, when and where she found and purchased a husqvarna .30-06, which is a small ring commercial mauser action. The rifle was in excellent condition and the price was very low. I was initially neutral about it, but since became very glad she spotted it. As I said, we won't see rifles like that again.

 

[Paul B.]

I have a few J.C. Higgins M50s, a couple of commercial FN Mausers and one Husqvarna 640. One M50 is all original and if I had the box I could call it NIB. BTW, an all original did not come with a recoil pad as far as I can tell. Mine does not. However, the J.C. Higgins M51 was a slightly fancier version of the M50 and the stock had checkering and may very well have come with a recoil pad.
Two more are close to original but previously owned have done some work on the stocks actually improving the "feel" I've always felt while a very nice rifle, the stocks were a bit too clubby, especially for those with small hands. One currently has a Butler Creek stock, the original custom having been broken on a hunt due to a tumble off a steep embankment. I survived but the stock did not. That one was given to me by a now late friend and was the one that got my interest up to the Higgins M50s. One final rifle was made into a custom 7x57 Mauser with a rebarrel and new stock somewhat similar to some seen on BRNO rifles. The others, with the exception with the like new gun and the one gifted to me, were all slates to become custom guns, Unfortunately life and lack of funs got in the way so they all stay as original as possible other than whatever alterations I mentioned.
I like the Mauser action for serious hunting rifles and all my custom guns are based on the Mauser.
Paul B.

 

[Ricklin]

I'll take a mutt most any day, when that mutt has a mighty fine pedigree. I traded in to my .270, straight across for my Colt King Cobra back when they were making them. Never regretted that trade. This one has the original Bushnell japan 3-9 and it's not bad at all. I shall shoot it, but optics have come a long way since approx. 1952. I'll get the pics up when I figure out what's up with the safe. The old .270 got an unusual piece of wood when it was screwed together, I expect about the same accuracy from the .06 or I hope so. The .270 shoots well for 3, strings them vertical for 5 skinny old barrel. Free floating it did help, will likely do the same to it's twin.
The only downside, they are not much of a mountain rifle, darn near gotta add wheels. I hefted a .308 Christensen at the shop, wow about 5 lbs. Can't say I can ever recall the recoil when an animal is down. No fun at the range getting ready tho. The old .270 has an excellent trigger, have not shot the 06 yet but it is a Mauser, the trigger can be what ever I want it to be. Often cheap too, if one keeps their eyes open. Very common to find higher end scope mounts, triggers, etc. in the bargain bin, thanks to the current tacti cool crowd driving the gun marketplace. Many of my guns are older than I am, and I ain't a kid. Not a fan of plastic in structural precision applications, plastic starts to change the moment it leaves the mold, that OK for stuff that is not forever. Guns are forever if stored properly

 

[Ricklin]

As promised

Still just tickled at the deal I got on this fine rifle. My old .270 above wears tru oil and a modern 3-9 it could use a decellerator pad. I'll likely do the true oil maybe not on the 06, I will do a new pad, it is tired and ugly. I've been looking about thirty years for the 06. Now I have my mountain rifle and my coast rifle, forever guns, now that I am retired I can use them! Both are about the same vintage too, with the odd backward rear sight, tho the 06's has been removed and nicely blocked in.
Grr. I'll compress the photos.....

 

[bobn]

using powder company listed reduced recoil loads i shoot my jc higgins 270 with no recoil pad. when i shoot factory loads it is spot on for windage and two inches higher impact. makes for easy 100 to 300 yard shooting...bob

 

[Ricklin]

I'll break out the good camera where I can easily choose the resolution and get some pictures up by the weekend. I'll be shopping for new glass for the 30.06 and I will put the same decellerator pad on both. I'm getting smaller and lighter. I may upgrade the scope mounts as well.

 

[Drm50]

I bought a Sears last year at big Trade Day Affair. Gave $100 for it and allowed I’d rather have it than most of todays junk. I traded it for a 38 revolver less than a week later.

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[Paul B.]

Looks like someone did a bit of work making it pretty. At $100 I'd have been all over that deal like nobody's business and I sure as hell wouldn't have traded it off. But then, I do have a thing for the Higgins M50 and 51. Just my not vey humble opinion but I think they're a much better rifle than the Winchester Pre-64 Model 70 with only one slightly possible exeption. Many people replaced the FN trigger that came with the m50/51 with a Timney because they don't trust the design. I've had an M50 since the mid 1950s and that trigger has never given a problem. I still have that rifle. I have four more a couple of which stil have the original triggers and they work just fine. The replacement trigger was an answer to a non-existing problem based on the M50 rifles I own and have owned.
Paul B.

 

[Ricklin]

As promised

Here's a pic of the old .270. I'm fighting a Timney trigger install on the new 06 right now. The trigger on the .270 has always been fine. When I shot the new 06 I did not like it's trigger, thus the Timney. WAY too much fitting for this rifle, the sear is the wrong shape for where it meets the bolt cocking piece, that's not fitting, that's machining with a file. I do not like the way the action screws can loosen and cause trigger issues with the FN design. Dear TFL, please join the current century for attaching and displaying files...pics is one of the reasons this place is dead. 1 mb, how quaint.

 

[Paul B.]

Ricklin, there is a simple fix on those screws loosening up. Early on before I learned about blue Loctite, I just used a some red nail polish. and cinched the screws on down. Enamel for plastic model airplanes worked pretty good too.

I have other FN Mauser rifles as well, these on commercial action with the rifles made by FN. The sad thing is the guy I got them from was a short little dude and he cur a chunk off the butt and even with a recoil pad is too short for me and I'm not all that large a person. I use them with a slip on pad to bring then close to a proper fit. One is in .270 and the other a 30-06. I've been looking for a commercial FN in 7x57 for a long time. I don't think they imported very many of them. Interesting thing, the price you paid for that 06 is just about what they sold for new IIRC.
Paul B.

 

[eastbank]

i bought a commercial 98 mauser with double set triggers in 8mm with open sights and D&T, very nice checkered wood and very nice blue with ex bore. for 400.00. i like the open sights and will use them for deer hunting in heavy brush bottoms i like to hunt.

 

[Ricklin]

Kudos to Timney!

Had a hard time with the new trigger for the .06, I reassembled with stock trigger and sent a note to Timney with pictures. The trigger on my .270 has always been quite good, pretty sure it had work prior to me.
My issue was getting my low scope safety to function. Timney tech to the rescue. They were aware of the issue with this particular iteration of the FN Mauser action. They are sending me 2 of the long sear for my Timney 201 trigger. I'll order up another 201. I want both rifles to be the same. I also ordered up a spring kit for both guns, springs are a little tired after 75 years or so.

 

[Paul B.]

"The trigger on my .270 has always been quite good, pretty sure it had work prior to me."

I have five JC Higgins M50s, one all original one converted to a custom rifle in 7x57 Mauser and the others all stock except for their stocks being altered to suit their previous owners. Two previously owned had Timney triggers replacing the factory type and the rest still have the original triggers. Frankly, I've never found fault with the triggers on the M50 so never bothered tp replace them I also have never had a problem with the so called "problem" they're supposed to have with that trigger design. But, then again, I've always checked screws for proper tightness and used non-hardening loctite on them. Simple enough fix it seems to me.
Paul B.

 

[USAF Ret]

I bought a Sears last year at big Trade Day Affair. Gave $100 for it and allowed I’d rather have it than most of todays junk. I traded it for a 38 revolver less than a week later.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Absolutely beautiful rifle.

 

[Ricklin]

I did go through the original trigger on the 30.06 as it is in the rifle currently, it's just too darn heavy even after cleaning and polishing. The Timney 201 trigger pull is awesome. My long sears will be here shortly. While I am waiting I picked up dies and a box of 168 grain target bullets, I kinda forgot how expensive rifles are to feed. Rock chucker to the rescue with RCBS dies of course.