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? :D

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!!!!!!!!!!:bigsmyl2:

[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!!!!!!!!!!:bigsmyl2:

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. :-P

[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 :bigsmyl2: .

[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.....

[Yodogsandman]

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?

No Pics, yet. I'm on a borrowed lap top, will try to download one when mine is repaired. Be prepared, this is a woods rifle and I've beat on it for about 20 years. The stock is the original, fully bedded with Acraglas with wood added for a wundhammer swell on the grip, added wood to fill the finger grooves on the forend, cut short to fit me, 1" recoil pad installed and wears my first checkering job in a Fleur-d-lis pattern.

Nope no flash hider. The barrel is filed down and sanded too thin. More like a commercial barrel with no military steps.

At one time, I figured that I had $158 invested, with a Bushnell Banner 3x9x40mm scope.

[TCLouis]

The FR-8 is one if not only rifle I would buy today.

Always wanted one and like so many things, I said, Yeah I need to get one of those."
Then, they all but disappeared or got too pricey.

[MakeMineLead]

I have one. It's a great shooter! These are very cool rifles. If you can find a spare front sight (don't ruin your original) cut off the post, drill and press fit a taller decapping pin for 50 yard Zero.

The 150 grain Lee sized to .310 works well in it.

[kawasakifreak77]

I have one. It's a great shooter! These are very cool rifles. If you can find a spare front sight (don't ruin your original) cut off the post, drill and press fit a taller decapping pin for 50 yard Zero.

The 150 grain Lee sized to .310 works well in it.

Thank you for the data. My friend at my FFL says the front sight is tweaked so I'll probably be needing one anyways.

The one thing that concerns me is I read these are only 12" twist guns. I was really hoping to use this as a suppressor host since it already has HK threads. Looks like I might be very limited on my bullet selection for building subsonic loads, which I typically do with Jwords.

But if the twist is slow it might make one heck of a boolit chooter. I been eyeballing thst NOE mold just for 308. Boy thats one good looking boolit!

Any other favorite molds / loads?

[adrians]

I use the NOE 311407 in my 308's.

[Rustyleee]

I had one about 12 or 15 years ago. It always shot about a foot high at 100 yards. Someone did a magazine article about making a new front sight post that was taller to fix that problem. I got rid of mine before I read the article.
Good luck with yours. I also picked up a bayonet from Smokey Mountain Knife Works.

[kawasakifreak77]

Okie dokie so I quit bein' a wimp & just ordered the NOE TLC310-180-RF in brass! Fingers crossed... I haven't really casted seriously for any of my rifles 'cause it was always easier just to choot Jwords. I know I know...

But I'm sick of $30/100 bullets & I rarely choot over 200m. I figure its time to man up & load like I should!

[kawasakifreak77]

Thanks! I got a new pig sticker for mine also! I love collecting bayonets, probably have more of them than rifles!

Although I won't be able to mount it when my silencer adapter is on. Sad face.

[Old Ranger]

I've had an FR7 for 20 plus years. My young son put hundreds of rounds of cast plinkers through it. Bullet was RCBS RN 30 Carbine bullet. Powder was either Unique or H4198 depending on what was available. Son is 35 now and shooting a C7 and Browning HP in Canadian Armed Forces.

Great little plinking rifles.

He and I must take it out next time he's home on leave.

[Yodogsandman]

kawasakifreak77, did you slug your throat before ordering that mold? I've shot lots and lots of boolits sized .310" in mine but, slugging my barrels throat revealed that I needed to size to .314". The boolit should be sized just under the throat diameter to steer the boolit into the barrel straight when released from the case neck. Hope it all works out for you.

[kawasakifreak77]

kawasakifreak77, did you slug your throat before ordering that mold? I've shot lots and lots of boolits sized .310" in mine but, slugging my barrels throat revealed that I needed to size to .314". The boolit should be sized just under the throat diameter to steer the boolit into the barrel straight when released from the case neck. Hope it all works out for you.

Shoot I didn't... I ordered the mold before I was even home to see the rifle! Whoops, fingers crossed now...

Oh speaking of which, the mold didn't come with handles? I was going to fire up the pot & cast my first rifle boolits! :D

Anyways I'm finally home now so heeeeere ya go:

https://picblaze.com/images/n2130n/20160512233527.jpg (https://picblaze.com/user/n2130n/album/20160512233527.jpg)

We just plinked outside of town with it after dinner today. Standard M80 ball since I'm starting into 308 now... holy **** I need to shed a caliber!

Its definitely a fun gun! Recoil is more than I expected. It is kinda ckunky feeding, gotta really jam that bolt forward, it looks as if the follower isn't raising the cartridge quite high enough.

Cosmetically she's pretty rough. I found a crack betwteen the magazine & the trigger holes in the stock. There was also a wee bit of pitting on the very end of the reciever, under the handuard, nothing too alarming but I am a bit dissapointed there.

The bore is a mirror though & the sights seem cool although with the rotating peep I wonder if each hole will return exactly the same each time.

So basically a little stock work & tweak the feeding & I should be good.

Oh! My suppressor adapter fits the gun but my suppressor will not attach to my adapter. Sad face. I need to e-mail them & see whats up.

Now I'm just going to show off a bit...

https://picblaze.com/images/n2130n/20160512233713.jpg (https://picblaze.com/user/n2130n/album/20160512233713.jpg)

Three neat 7.62x51...

American M62 tracer, pretty common.
Israeli tear gas round, not too common.
Swiss P 'Hardcore' AP, very very uncommon.

Okie dokie its past my bedtime, ya'll have a good one!

[MakeMineLead]

I had one about 12 or 15 years ago. It always shot about a foot high at 100 yards. Someone did a magazine article about making a new front sight post that was taller to fix that problem. I got rid of mine before I read the article. .

The FR-8 front sight post is Eccentric. This means the post part is not located dead center in the threaded part on the bottom. The reason is so it also functions as an Windage adjustment.


The 'magazine' article references was actually an article on the old Surplusrifle dot com website. The author cut off the pin, filed the base smooth, drilled it and pressed in an RCBS decapping pin into the same, exact spot. He also reworked Enfield front sight bases with this modification. The sight picture is the same.