In my opinion,(and worth every penny you paid for it) the Fn49 is a much better rifle design than the garand due to the following, 10 rounds instead of 8,can be loaded with strippers or loose rounds(no need to wait until it is empty to reload) the bolt can be locked back with a button, (No "M1 thumb" problem), the reciever is machined from a solid bar of steel, 8MM round is just a little more powerful than 30.06,(not that the dead guy is going to care), can be stripped for cleaning From the rear (breech) in seconds, select fire was an option, although I am not sure why anyone would want to go that route, It's better looking,(again, my opinion)
The biggest problem with them, and it kept them off the battle field for the most part, was manufacturing cost was very high.
I bought an egyptian contract FN49, some time around the end of the Reagan administration, regretably just after he signed the machine gun ban, I could have aquired the full auto kit, but they disappeared before I got the rifle.
I got mine at a gun show in Ohio, and believe it or not, back then they were cheap, mine was $219.00 with matching #'s and bayonet. arsenal refurb, with new wood, And now for the gratuitus pictures
