This is an FN-49 semiautomatic rifle. It is one of 37,641 FN-49s produced for Egypt in the 1950s. This gun is extraordinarily well-built - nearly every part is a milled piece of ordnance steel, which gives the gun a hefty weight and a feeling of quality. The gun first appeared on the market in 1949 and was quite popular until increased competition made it too expensive to produce. The gun was essentially obsolete by the mid-50s, and it was soon replaced by the FN-FAL, which borrowed heavily from the FN-49 design. This one chambered for the rather powerful 8mm Mauser cartridge, which right now is plentiful and cheap on the surplus market.