Confussed

[gooseward]

Alright well back in 2004 my father passed away leaving me a few rifles. One in particular I had never saw so I done some research with no good answers.
Well from the info I viewed I have a FR8-spanish but I read that the fr8 had the straight bolt and the fr7 had the one that turns down. Ok so all my numbers indicate fr8...could this have been a replacement bolt action or what. Im sorry if this seems dumb to a lot of you but im really just now getting into guns and want to know if its safe to fire normal 308 rounds in it and know what I have. Thanks everyone I appreciate any help I can get.

 

[Jonny V]

Does it look like the rifle in this picture?

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...a=X&ei=pSLJTJTDI4i2sAPgksTqDg&ved=0CCAQ9QEwAg

(sorry about the huge link, I didn't think it up...)

If it does, you might be able to get lots of info here......

http://mausercentral.com/forum/index.php

 

[chas08]

It could be that the bolt was bent or turned down by someone. This was common in some of the straight bolt guns in an effort to "sporterize" them.

 

[Frankl03]

FR8 is a great looking rifle. It has a handy size too. I would like to get one! I think it would make a good deer hunting rifle.

If you are concerned about weather it's safe to shoot just have it checked out by a local gunsmith. The gunsmith can check the head space etc.

 

[desidog]

I have both FR-7 and FR-8; the easiest way to tell the difference between the two is to look at the bolt, and see whether it has two- or three lugs on it. I was going to make a thread comparing the two at some point, since there is an ongoing argument about the strength of the pre-98 Mauser actions and the use of .308winchester ammo.

The FR-7 was made using Spanish surplus 1893/1916 small-ring Mauser actions that were originally for rifles chambered in 7mm Mauser. They are weaker than the FR-8's 1898 Mauser action, since they only have two lugs; and were not designed for the high (60K+ PSI) pressures of a modern .308 cartridge. If you do a search on THR for FR-7, a lot of my posts will come up on this and related topics.

I've also found that my FR-8 kicks like a mule with 7.62 NATO.

 

[NCsmitty]

A couple important advances of the M98 was the larger bolt shroud to help protect the shooter from escaping gas down the rails, and the vents at the bottom of the bolt that directed escaping gas into the magazine.
Both of these are visible in the pictures that desidog has displayed.



NCsmitty

 

[gooseward]

So heres some pics of the rifle. Only thing I dont like is that someone took off the rear sights and replaced them with a scope. I kinda want it to be original so if you guys know where I can find these sights I would appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[gooseward]

Sorry pics were so big.

 

[NCsmitty]

Being an FR-8, it should be safe with 308 ammo.



NCsmitty

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

That Bolt handle was turned down. Not a bad job of it either I might add.

 

[pro2]

FR-8 rifles are a lot of fun... handy looking shooters! I do not think mine kicks hard with 7.62 NATO. I'm not sure how accurate it is, but it more than acceptable as a plinker.

Unfortunately, your rear sight was ground off, as it was originally welded to the receiver. That being said, I respect your rifle's current configuration. You will find it much more pleasing that the original iron sights, which are decent at best.

 

[gooseward]

Good news for me then lol. I wish you guys could see the rose thats engraved in the bolt handle. I tried taking a pic but it never shows up. Thanks everyone for the replies.