Original Belgian Cold War Era Fabrique Nationale FN Model 1949 Classroom Instruction Poster – 46” x 31 ½” Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. 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.

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. An unknown number 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.

The poster is what you would have seen in a classroom environment upon receiving this “new” rifle. The images shown are solid views as well as cutaway views so you can better understand the rifle you were issued and how it functions. There are numbers located next to the various parts shown and this was more than likely used in conjunction with some sort of printed out list to help identify parts.

The poster is in excellent condition and comes more than ready to be displayed!