I got an FR8!

[kawasakifreak77]

Hey everyone! Curiousity has bit again & I got a Spanish FR8 that looks to be in pretty nice shape. The combination of wood, steel, bolt action, iron sights & a common 30 caliber round seems like a winning combo to me. I been wanting one of these for years but never could find one in person, so I struck a deal online. A friend of mine has eyeballed it for me at my ffl back home & says the bore looks basically new!

I already got an unissued bayonet for it & an adapter for my silencer. I have a thing for putting gizmos on the end of my rifles! This is also my first 308 so I'm getting several different boxes of ammo to try out & start my brass supply. I saw Ranchdog's 308 specific mold & boy does that look like a good boolit! With a 12" twist I'm thinking this could be a great cast rifle.

Who else here has one?
How do you like it?
Anything to look out for on these?
Favorite loads?
Got pics?

I'm on the road for several weeks so my curiousity needs feeding until I get home to pick it up!

[tomme boy]

This is one rifle that I have always wanted. But the cost is the main reason I have not bought one. Post up some pics.

[prsman23]

I've got one. Haven't gotten around to shooting it yet. Following along with interest.


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[PaulG67]

Sounds like a nice rifle, but how can we tell there are no pictures!!!!!!!!!!

[EMC45]

I have one. Got it a few years back (08-09) for 77 OTD. I couldn't pass it up. They shoot quite well due to the fact they were a stopgap rifle for the folks who couldn't get CETMEs and weren't used a lot from what I understand. My flash hider unscrewed often, so I loctited it. Good now. They have a good bit of punch, however with cast they are great! I also found stripper clips had to be check fitted to work with it. They were tight in the clip guide until I found some that worked well (blued steel).

[kawasakifreak77]

Sounds like a nice rifle, but how can we tell there are no pictures!!!!!!!!!!

I'm 600 miles away from it now!

[kawasakifreak77]

I have one. Got it a few years back (08-09) for 77 OTD. I couldn't pass it up. They shoot quite well due to the fact they were a stopgap rifle for the folks who couldn't get CETMEs and weren't used a lot from what I understand. My flash hider unscrewed often, so I loctited it. Good now. They have a good bit of punch, however with cast they are great! I also found stripper clips had to be check fitted to work with it. They were tight in the clip guide until I found some that worked well (blued steel).

Duuuude $77?? I won't even admit what I paid for this one then...

It has been a deciding factor for me to get all the surplus I can before its totally gone or all collector's prices. I am not very old so I never really saw stores full of dirt cheap ammo & good rifles.

And I'm excited for something that takes strippers! What kind are you using? I have a few various 8mm strippers thinking at least one kind should work.

[bouncer50]

I have one that i bought at a pawn shop cheap they had it mark 7.62 by 54 rim. A nice little carbine size that shoots 308 a very common round that build on a 98 action.I have a lee 170 grain mold that i just bought i am planning to use 2400 powder in mine

[EMC45]

Duuuude $77?? I won't even admit what I paid for this one then...

It has been a deciding factor for me to get all the surplus I can before its totally gone or all collector's prices. I am not very old so I never really saw stores full of dirt cheap ammo & good rifles.

And I'm excited for something that takes strippers! What kind are you using? I have a few various 8mm strippers thinking at least one kind should work.

They are blued steel jobs. They look very well made. Years back I got a medium flat rate box of Mauser clips from here I think. It had the nickled ones, brass ones and the blued ones. The blued ones were the only ones that worked with the FR8.

[Mk42gunner]

FR-7's and 8's are neat little conversions. I wish I had been smart enough to buy a couple back when they were cheap.

One of my cousin's cousin's husband had one, I never got to shoot it, but he said it did let you know when it went off, shooting surplus ball ammo.

I do think they would be a very fun gun with cast loads.

Robert

[Yodogsandman]

I've shot approximately 30,000 cast boolits through mine using mostly military surplus AA2230 or SR4759 and the Lyman 314299. I've customized mine and you wouldn't even know it still has the original stock or barrel on it. Think mine was $88 at the time. It's my "go to" woods rifle for deer hunting and I have the utmost confidence in it.

It also likes the Lee 312-155-2R, RCBS 30-180SP and NOE 314-160 (Harris design). About anything I've tried in it, really.

[PaulG67]

I'm 600 miles away from it now!

Oh ok I suppose that is a good enough excuse...............for now.

[GunGuy2756]

Had one a while back. Mine was rough to cycle compared to my Mausers and I did not like the rear sight. Being close to your eyes, I could not see the tiny notch very well. Younger guys may not have a problem with this though.

You can't cycle the bolt like a Mauser since the rear sight will tear the skin off your knuckles. I had to keep my fingers straight when working the bolt to prevent this. Mine wasn't all that accurate either, most likely because I could not focus on that rear sight.

[adrians]

i took a little skin of my thumb , 1 TIME , I cycle the bolt carefully like ^^^^^^.
I don't have a problem with the sights ,,,YMMV.
Shoots nicely with .310 sized WW lead boolits TYVM .

[kawasakifreak77]

Blued steel mauser clips... which happen to be about the only kind I don't have dangit! Anybody here knows who made them?

Yeah I've heard they will jack up your thumb if you're not careful.

I am concerned that the rear sight, at least the open notch will be tough to use. I shot a friend's CETME once & couldn't hit a stinkin' thing. That sight is difficult to line up. I switched to the 200m sight & started shooting better but was shooting way high.

Yodogsandman, thanks for the encouraging report!

[Yodogsandman]

Mine's been confused with a semi auto when shooting at a running buck! How's that for cycling? I took that sight off and put a scope on it. I welded on a commercial handle to the bolt and added a Timney Deluxe Trigger. Also cut the barrel to 16 1/2" and re-crowned it with a file and sandpaper for woods hunting. Sorry if you're a purist, I consider Mausers as being "diamonds in the rough". They're all that!

Shots all touch at 100 yards, too using jacketed 165 gr Hornady BTSP and 43.5 gr 4064. Still looking for that perfect, magic cast load, though. Last summer, I did a mini torture test using the Lee 312-155-2R, HT'd boolits lubed with 3 coats of Ben's liquid Lube over a full case of W760. Shot all 20 rounds at 100 yards as fast as I could to beat the oncoming darkness with the temperature around 90*F and the whole group was about 2".

[adrians]

You got a pic of that rifle,?
Did you re-thread the muzzle after cutting it to 16 1/2" and put the flash hider back on?

[kawasakifreak77]

Yeah anyone got pics?

Yodogsandman, I'm not a complete purist. Although, I seen to be becoming more of one as I age. Your rifle so not gonna ruffle my feathers none. Keep the stories comin'!

[adrians]

Pics,,, only got the one and it's got a couple more 7.62 x51's with it,, anyway here ya go...

[EMC45]

Nice Adrians! Looks just like mine. I too skinned my thumb as well.....