FR8 & FR7 owners: Show 'em here please.

Status
Not open for further replies.
ApacheCoTodd

ApacheCoTodd

member
Joined
Jun 30, 2011
Messages
8,609
Location
Arizona
Bernie's recent post on an FR8 made me want to not only answer his question but keep on posting off-topic.

Figured I'd start a "club" thread and see what plays out.

Here's mine. A sweet little carbine I bought some time ago. I didn't really intend to keep it since I had a passing memory of hearing rumors about weak Spanish Mausers.

As time went by, I grew to really dig the thing and it is now one of my "last to go" long guns.

It shoots most any .308.
Can be fed with U.S. M-14 stripper clips.
Has excellent four position sights.
Is already side-slingable. My preferred carrying style.
Optics: Folks will hopefully come along and post their sporterized versions with the "Scout" scopes.
Has an on board, pull through cleaning kit in the fake gas tube under the barrel.
Pretty nice wood for a European, post WWII rifle.
Are accurate and Mauser-reliable.


What's not to like?
attachment.php

attachment.php

attachment.php

attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0764.jpg
    IMG_0764.jpg
    97.8 KB · Views: 422
  • IMG_0765.jpg
    IMG_0765.jpg
    121.5 KB · Views: 416
  • IMG_0766.jpg
    IMG_0766.jpg
    76.1 KB · Views: 408
  • IMG_0768.jpg
    IMG_0768.jpg
    40.1 KB · Views: 415
Here I am shooting mine at a group shoot a few years back.

100_1619.jpg


Some ammo for it.

101_1989_zpsd5b0a058.jpg


Sight in at 25.

005-1-1.jpg
 
I have an FR-8 that I purchased from Empire 14 years ago but I have no photos of it. It is a very handy & robust .30cal brush gun.

EDIT:

I was wrong. :) Looking thru PhotoBucket I found that it was in the background of a pic showing the "corrosive ammo cleaning rig" that I put together long ago.

CorrosiveCleaningRig2.jpg
 
Last edited:
I would much rather have a FR7. The FR8 I had was meh. The rear sight is badly positioned for a straight bolt as it will cause your knuckles to get torn up, needs to be angled.
 
Can I play? I have a 1916, the short rifle that these carbines were built from. I have not yet pulled the trigger on it, I have dies, brass, bullets, etc, just haven't found opportunity. It's on my short list to get running.
 
I believe the FR8 was built on the Spanish mod 43 which as mentioned above is a 98 action.
I love mine,,:evil:

43 and FR8...
100_9700_zpsfbptevo7.jpg
[/URL][/IMG][/IMG]
 

Attachments

  • 100_9700.jpg
    100_9700.jpg
    99.8 KB · Views: 18
Last edited:
FR7 is the 1916 small ring action if I remember correctly and the 1916 and fr7 conversions to 7.62 are what gives the Spanish mauser family a bad reputation for being dangerous. Pretty neat old guns, and they certainly served a purpose. The GC rifles have a pretty neat history behind them as well. It's nice when an interesting gun (simply from design) has an interesting story, especially when they are as fun as these are and affordable as well.
 
I agree with you westkentuchy but the FR8 is very capable of handling the 7'62cartridge being it's built from the ground up on a 98 action.
I reload for all my firearms ,, well except 22 magnum so shooting my 1916 isn't a worry ,,,, not that it should be a worry either if loaded to the 7.62 CETME pressures.

my 1916....

100_9711_zpsax4zm1ge.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
 
mr wack:
People are not able to comprehend that the FR8 is a much stronger gun than the FR7.

They can't grasp the simple fact that a large ring (8mm) Mauser action is designed to be, and manufactured much stronger than the small-ring 7mm action.

It takes some hours of reading to confirm that it is safe to shoot modern commercial .308 ammo in these also.
 
NOT mine; mine is bog-standard..... so far. But it does give me two ideas that I want to incorporate into mine; the cheek riser and the front receiver ring mount.
IMG_3582-1024x1024.jpg

IMG_3583-1024x1024.jpg
 
Man, that "Scout's" really sumpin!

I dig the stumpy barrel and at least the concept of the sight but I think I'd have to have it cantilevered to still be able to use stripper clips.

Silly of me, sure, but I hate giving features up. Also, the flush magazine base is a dead perfect carrying point.

Playing with mine - what is that Scout's barrel... something like 10.5 inches?


Todd.
 
The FR8 is on my list of regrets. During the early 90s tens of thousands poured into the country for a few bucks each. We were buying them from SOG (Southern Ohio Gun) and selling them at the shows. I always regretted not keeping one for myself.

Ron
 
Mine in Scout Rifle trim. Bolt handle has since been bent. Without a doubt my favorite centerfire rifle to shoot.

001_zpsq5052bto.gif
 
Can anyone explain the wire cutter element? I've read they have an integral wire cutter... do you put the muzzle up against the wire in those two little indents and twist it, or shoot it, or what?
 
desidog said:
Can anyone explain the wire cutter element? I've read they have an integral wire cutter... do you put the muzzle up against the wire in those two little indents and twist it, or shoot it, or what?
Click to expand...
The flash hider has two notches. The idea being place the notches across the wire and discharge a round. I never saw this as practical or for all I know it is BS. I would never do it. Your post #17 clearly shows a notch and there is an opposing notch. Again, I see the wire cutter thing as more nonsense than anything else. Will it work? Likely, but I wouldn't be out using rounds to cut wire. :)

Maybe someone has a better explanation? I am not betting on what I just wrote.

Ron
 
Todd,

Did you have that bolt handle bent?

Buddy had his done so and the smith also did a fair job of cutting the stock like a K98k for a bolt handled cut out and got it dark enough to blend in.

I seem to recal the dealer on the clean ones being about $79 when they started coming in but that was in the midst of the "Assault Weapons" scare of the '90s. As I aleady had an order in for a "fight'n shotgun" I spent all my toy money that year on an HBAR 15.....and so have a bayonet free model.

Several folks I knew got FR8s and one "saved money" by picking up an FR7 which he promptly got scared of and sold without offering it to me at a loss.

I have rather liked them.....but I grew up shooting K98s and M1903s and such so I did not think they were rough on shoulders like some.

My buddy that still has his figured as long as he was redoing the stock he may as well put some sort of rubber butt on his as he loved the rifle , but claimed it beat him up.

Anyone actually use any of the blue plastic training ammo at 25 meters or any range? The Hessian police academy across the street from my Hanau office used it indoors in FN FAL rifles manually operated, but I have no idea how accurate it actually was.

There was also a dark green plastic round that looked much the same that was a blank. Rather than the plastic bullet ripping free and heading down the barrel , on the blanks a little X shaped blow out in the nose vented the gasses and those were used in G3 and MG-1 through MG-3 GPMGs and we found them everywhere we trained.

Anyone have difficulty getting their bayonet OFF their FR8 once they got it on?

-kBob
 
The concept of the cutter is sound. I've used them before just to test the concept on foreign weapons when I was in the Army. One pushes against the wire and then twist to create tension and fires away. Worked most of the time.

attachment.php


As for my bolt handle - no, it's Spanish bent. They were shipped both ways and even the Spanish bent ones have the stretched serial number as they were bent after the number was applied.

As far as the recoil - never really bothered me either, just like my "Jungle" Enfield does not... Simply pay them the respect they deserve I guess.


Todd.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0902.jpg
    IMG_0902.jpg
    69.8 KB · Views: 129
These rifles are really neat and I was relatively unfamiliar with them until this and other threads on THR.

It's like an M1A SOCOM and a Mauser hooked up one wild night in Barcelona and this was the offspring.

Do they shoot full power .308 loads?
 
Nature Boy said:
These rifles are really neat and I was relatively unfamiliar with them until this and other threads on THR.

It's like an M1A SOCOM and a Mauser hooked up one wild night in Barcelona and this was the offspring.

Do they shoot full power .308 loads?
Click to expand...

You just had to ask. This is generally a subject subject to some controversy. My answer is yes and I have sent plenty of factory .308 Winchester down range with these rifles. However, this is a very good well researched article on the subject, I suggest you read it. That saves many of us some serious typing. Feel free to read other articles which may or may not agree. :)

Ron
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top