J.C. Higgins Model 50

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 50 Rifle Review

The J.C. Higgins Model 50 is a bolt-action rifle, designed on the basis of the modified Mauser FN 98 action that was manufactured by the Fabrique Nationale factory in Belgium. Its stocks and barrels were produced in the U.S.A. The barrels are 559 mm (22 inches) long and have chrome-plated rifling.

The bolt handle on the model 50 is lowered and curved which allows for easier mounting of optics. The rifle's safety is a vertically operated flag lever located on the bolt shroud at the receiver's rear end.

Consistent with the 98-action design, model 50 has a bolt with three large locking lugs: two at the front and one at the rear. There are also gas vents on the bolt designed to direct gases away in the event of a cartridge rupture. Rifles were supplied with a two-row internal box magazine with a detachable floorplate, capable of holding up to five rounds.

A single-stage sporting trigger was preset at a pull weight of approximately 2041 g (4.5 lbs) and came as a standard feature. The stocks were made of American walnut and are furnished with plastic inserts and a plastic recoil plate. Most models came factory-equipped with iron sights.

Figure 1: J.C. Higgins model 50, chambered for .270 Win. (Source: https://www.adelbridge.com/product/jc-higgins-model-50-270/9)

J.C. Higgins Model 50 Calibers

The rifle is chambered for the following calibers:

• .270 Win.

• .30-30 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.

Figure 2: The receiver of J.C. Higgins, chambered for .270 Win. (Source: https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/rifles/mauser-rifles---sporter-post-war/j--c--higgins-sears-model-50-270-outstanding-.cfm?gun_id=100972129)

A: 22 mm

B: 97 mm

C: 22 mm

BHU: 4 mm

Ø: M3.5

R1: R14/30°

R2: R18

Please note:

The dimensions at the top refer to the receiver shown in the upper picture. Unlike the standard drilling spacings on a Mauser 98 action, which have a distance of 12.7 mm between the rear holes, the J.C. Higgins models 50 mostly come with an equidistant spacing of 22 mm on the front and rear mounting surface. This means that, even though models 50 use 98 actions, Mauser rails will need to be modified by drilling an extra hole to fit. Some users have reported mounting the scope by only using 3 screws, which we do not recommend. The best option would be to buy an undrilled Picatinny for a Mauser 98 action and adjust the hole spacing to the rifle’s receiver.

Scope Mounts Interchangeable With J.C. Higgins Model 50

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With J.C. Higgins Model 50

For one-piece mounts to fit on a rifle, mounting surfaces on these rifles must match in every dimension.

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With J.C. Higgins Model 50

To meet interchangeability conditions, two-piece mounts must match in all dimensions except the B distance. B distance can vary because two-piece mounts can be installed and adjusted closer or further apart.

Currently, we cannot find any rifles that would match the exact dimensions of the J.C. Higgins’ mounting surface thus we are unable to provide you with a list of interchangeable scope mounts. Should you happen to own this rifle and would be willing to share with us more information regarding interchangeability, we kindly ask you to contact us at info@optics-trade.eu

Thank you for your help!

Best Scope Mounts for J.C. Higgins Model 50

Weaver Bases for J.C. Higgins Model 50

These weaver bases manufactured by the USA company Warne should be a suitable match for your J.C. Higgins Model 50. They are made of high-quality steel and come with a 10-year warranty.

Check out Warne Maxima 2-piece Weaver base

Picatinny Rails for J.C. Higgins Model 50

Unlike the standard drilling spacings on a Mauser 98 action, which have a distance of 12.7 mm between the rear holes, the J.C. Higgins models 50 mostly come with an equidistant spacing of 22 mm on the front and rear mounting surface. This means that, even though models 50 use 98 actions, Mauser rails will need to be modified by drilling an extra hole to fit. You might consider this undrilled Picatinny rail to adjust the hole spacing to the rifle’s receiver.

Order EGW LR undrilled Picatinny rail

Depending on the variant and model of the 1903, you might also consider on of the following Picatinny rails:

Click here for EGW HD Picatinny rail

If you need to customize the holes’ spacings on the rail to match the ones of the receiver, you can purchase the undrilled rail which you can find here:

Check out EGW HD undrilled Picatinny rail

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