The gas cylinder was fitted over the barrel with a tappet providing the needed access for the escaping gasses. The action relied on a gas-operated function with a tilting bolt - similar to the one as found on the Soviet Tokarev SVT line. The weapon would eventually be chambered for a variety of cartridges to suit customer tastes. It weighed 9lbs, 8oz and sported a length of 43.5 inches with a barrel measuring 23 inches long. Saive created a solid functioning, quality rifle worthy of the Fabrique Nationale brand label. Interestingly, the Belgian Army did not become its first purchaser - the honor falling to Venezuela who ordered the type in March of 1948. It was given the designation of SAFN Model 1949 by Fabrique Nationale but also came to be known as the "FN-49" and "Fusil Automatique Modele 49" over the course of its career. With the war in Europe over in May of 1945, the rifle was more or less completed by 1947. Belgium was finally cleared of Axis occupation forces in September of 1944 which allowed Saive to return to Liege to continue his work. Saive managed to continue work on the rifle from Portugal where he now resided. However, the product was stalled with the German invasion of Poland in September of 1939 and indefinitely shelved with the Germany invasion of Belgium in May of 1940. A patent for the rifle was secured by FN engineer Dieudonne Saive in 1936 and he produced a working prototype in the following year. The design would take on the well-accepted "rifle form" with its long stock, integrating the grip and butt, while introducing a gas-operated mechanical function within. The Belgian concern of Fabrique-National began work on such a rifle prior to the war. During World War 2, nearly every major power utilized some form of self-loading rifle which included the famous American M1 Garand and Soviet Tokarev SVT series. The self-loading rifle allowed an infantryman repeat-fire through a semi-automatic trigger action/system, providing considerable advantage against an enemy still relying on a manually-actuated process. Several major armies had already adopted SLRs in standardized issue forms, replacing their slower-firing, bolt-action service rifles of decades prior old. In the lead up to World War 2 (1939-1945) (and during the war), there was a noticeable shift towards Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs) by several world powers.