J.C. Higgins Model 51

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The History of J.C. Higgins

The beginnings of the J.C. Higgins brand go back to the year 1898 when John Higgins began his career at Sears as the manager of the headquarters' office bookkeepers. Fast forward a decade to 1908, and the brand J.C. Higgins was conceived during a brainstorming session among Sears' executives. They were in the process of creating a new sporting goods line and settled on "John Higgins". Despite the fact that Higgins did not originally have a middle name, Sears decided to incorporate a "C", hence giving birth to the "J.C. Higgins" brand.

J.C. Higgins soon established itself as a subsidiary brand of Sears, Roebuck, and Co., offering a range of sporting products between 1908 and 1964. John Higgins, the name behind the brand, went on to retire as the company comptroller in 1930. Over the years, the brand’s name was attached to different products, from bicycles and golf equipment to an array of firearms, including rifles, handguns, and shotguns. These ranged from the Model 36 Bolt, a .22 LR bolt action rifle manufactured by Marlin, to the Model 50 which incorporated a commercial FN Mauser action. The company also offered many semi-automatic rifles, such as Models 25, 30, 31, 60, 80, and 85, and even extended to shotguns like the Model 101, Model 20, and Model 21, among others.

The outsourcing approach adopted by J.C. Higgins, or more accurately Sears, Roebuck, and Co., meant that their firearms, branded as J.C. Higgins, were originally crafted by renowned firearm manufacturers of that time. Their strategy relied heavily on producing weapons that were either based on existing models or were replicas of popular designs.

The ending years of the J.C. Higgins brand began when Sears introduced the Ted Williams line of sports and recreational goods in 1961. As a result, by 1964, products previously marketed as J.C. Higgins were rebranded and sold under the new Ted Williams name until 1968. Following the implementation of the Gun Control Act which demanded federal licensing for individuals manufacturing or dealing firearms, Sears stopped selling firearms under Ted Williams branding in the same year.

J.C. Higgins Model 51 Rifle Review

The J.C. Higgins Model 51 is a bolt-action rifle built on the Mauser FN 98 action and an upgraded version of the 50 models. The actions were manufactured and modified by the Fabrique Nationale factory in Belgium.

The rifle comes with a 559 mm (22-inch) chrome–molybdenum steel barrel and uses Mauser-style structural components, with a safety that comes in the form of a vertically operated flag lever positioned on the rear end of the receiver on the bolt shroud. The bolt itself has two large locking lugs, two on the front and one on the rear end.

Like on Mauser 98 models, the action uses a controlled feed mechanism, and the receiver is drilled and tapped for scope mounting purposes. The distances between outer holes match the standard Mauser 98, contrary to model 50.

The stocks are somewhat different compared to the model 50, as they are available with raised cheekpieces and finer checkering. They are made of American Walnut and feature plastic inserts and a plastic recoil plate. Model 51 has a two-row internal box magazine with a detachable floorplate, and the capacity of up to five rounds.

The rifles were supplied with detachable sling swivels and a leather sling. They were assembled from 1955 to 1959, and were known as economical alternatives to some popular models of the time like the Winchester 70. Later models marked as 51L were manufactured using Husqvarna actions after 1959.

J.C. Higgins Model 51, chambered for .30-06 Spr.

Figure 1: J.C. Higgins Model 51, chambered for .30-06 Spr. (Source: https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/rifles/fn-rifles/fn-jc-higgins-model-51-30-06-bolt-action-rifle-with-jc-higgins-scope.cfm?gun_id=101391154)

J.C. Higgins model 51 Calibers

The rifle can be chambered for the following calibers:

.270 Win.
.30-06 Spr.

The receiver of J.C. Higgins Model 50 comes with four drilled and tapped holes for scope mounting purposes. There are two holes at the front and two at the rear end of the receiver.

The receiver of J.C. Higgins Model 51, chambered for .30-06 Spr.

Figure 2: The receiver of J.C. Higgins Model 51, chambered for .30-06 Spr. (Source: https://rifleshooter.com/2018/08/back-when-sears-sold-a-mauser-the-j-c-higgins-model-51/)

J.C. Higgins model 51

A: 22 mm

B: 97 mm

C: 12.7 mm

BHU: 4 mm

Ø: M3.5

R1: R14/30°

R2: R18

Models 51 use the same mounting hole spacings as used on older Mauser 98 actions, meaning that they will fit the same scope mounts.

Scope Mounts Interchangeable With J.C. Higgins Model 51

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With J.C. Higgins Model 51

The necessary condition for rifles to have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable is that the mounting surfaces of these rifles match in every dimension. Rifles that have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable with J.C. Higgins Model 51 are the following:

H&R Mauser Model 340
Herters XK3
Herter's Zastava J9
Husqvarna 5000
Interarms Mark X
Zastava M70
Parker Hale 1200
Santa Barbara Mauser
Remington 798
Early models Ruger M77

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With J.C. Higgins Model 51

For two-piece scope mounts to be interchangeable, the mounting surfaces of the rifles must match in every dimension except the action length which can vary. This is because the distance between the two pieces of the mount is not fixed. Rifles that have two-piece scope mounts interchangeable with J.C. Higgins Model 51 are the following:

Best Scope Mounts for J.C. Higgins Model 51

Picatinny Rails for J.C. Higgins Model 51

You might consider this Picatinny rail manufactured by the American company EGW. It is made of high-quality aluminum and should fit your J.C. Higgins model 51 perfectly.

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the scope mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: info@optics-trade.eu