Spanish FR-8

[baer19d]

I have a Spanish FR-8 that I got for a super deal. My question is were these ever made with a turned down bolt handle and a black stained wooden stock? All the pictures I've seen have straight bolt handles. The one I have has both of these and the bolt looks to have been manufactured that way i.e no discoloration from heat and no tool marks or signs of refinishing.
            Thanks, Mike

[mauserand9mm]

Actually, I believe that the bolt handles were bent, but I don't think they stained the stocks black.

That's got me thinking - I wonder when bolt handles went from straight to bent. Probably depended on the model and what country used it as well, but certainly all the later versions (eg FN, Israeli) used bent bolt handles.

[Troyboy]

Mine is straight. The stock is dark wood. I am betting yours is modified.

[tdoor4570]

My FR-7 is bent bolt and my FR-8 is straight .  You may have a non matching bolt in yours.  some of my 8mm Mausers have straight and some are bent on 98 actions.  FR-8 is a 98 action.  FR-7 is a 95 action.   Both of my FR's are all matching numbers

[mcwoodduck]

I thought the FR-7 or 8 the bolts could be either.  The Spanish took battle field rifles from the civil war, and the Empire and made the two rifles.  Screwed on a 308 barrel to comply with NATO's 7.62X51 and made different models.  One of the reasons the M-14 still took stripper clips, same stripper clips as the 93 or 95 Spanish action or the Springfield 1903.
They simply took 93 or 95 rifles and made the FR7 from them, if the action was a carbine or calvary rifle it had a bent bolt and if an infantry rifle it was strait. 
the 98's, the WWI and earlier infantry rifles had strait bolts, the post WWI rifles had bent bolts and again all they did was take actions and make the rifles.  Not sure how many of the Post Civil war and Pre WWII rifles Franco recieved from Germany with bent bolts as those armories were cranking out K-98s for Hitler.

[S.S.]

Most were made from model 1916 short rifles in 7mm mauser.
They were re-barreled to .308 and had  grenade launcher/flash suppressor installed.
And a weird looking bayonet holder that looked like a gas tube under the barrel.
They were quite accurate but suffered from reliability issues due to the fact that
not enough planning went into the magazine. Too long for a 7.62x51.

[Mikey]

tdoor:  I think the 93s were straight bolts, some of the 95 models depending on who they were made for may have had bent bolts, the early German military 98s came with straight bolts but sporters came with butter knife bent bolts or just bent bolts, the K98 had a bent bolt, the M48/48A Yogo Mausers have bent bolts, the CZ/VZ Mausers have straight bolts, possibly the Swedish 96s had straight bolts but the 38s had bent bolts, Swedish made 98s had bent sporter bolts, and they say that reba macintyre is a redhead but you never see her on the same stage with Ted Nugent...........

Ah yes, the fabled conversion of the 57mm length action to handle the 51mm length case - I have read that  it didn't work too well and magazines had to be modified but what the hay do I know about those Spanish conversions - my gawd, I can't even get the front sight set-up right on the fr-7s ro 8s - but hey, they didn't work too well either as I understand - but what the hay do I know, huh??  I'll bet that if you load the 308/7.62x51mm long, so the bullet nearly touches the rifling the rounds would cycle a bunch better.

[tdoor4570]

I have never had a problem with either of mine. both shoot MOA and dead on, in fact they shoot better than these old eyes can see.  I have shot 3/4 groups at 100  on really good days and do not have any problem hitting the gongs out to 300 meters,  not to bad for an old fart as my son remarks, but he is a wise a--

[EMC45]

I have an FR8 That is a shooter! Paid 77 bucks out the door about 5 years back. Looked new when I got it! Barrel was a mirror and the park looked great. No brass skids anywhere on any metal parts. It WILL SHOOT! I shoot a bunch of cast through it now, but have shot a good bit of J bullets. Will let you know when you shoot a 150-168gr. bullet!

[baer19d]

And I thought I got a good deal on mine!

[1911crazy]

Were these used mainly as trainers not to waste ammo in the cetme's?


We had a C&R surplus gun shop for many years before the stupid new gun laws made the guy give it up he just got upset with the silly laws.  I browsed his shop for many years and the muzzle of the fr8 always caught my eye.  Even at this time many years ago they were priced higher than most surplus rifles for some reason. I never did get one.

[mannyrock]

   
     A few years back, a friend of mine offered to give me an FR-8 for free.   When he bought it, he thought it was specifically made to shoot the .308 Winchester, and did not know that if was a re-worked old 1930s 8mm bolt action, rebarrelled to 7.62 Nato.  Limiting ammo to 7.62 Nato made it worthless to him, and he was worried about high pressure rounds being fired in the old bolt action.

    I just knew that if he gave it to me, I would ruin the collectors value.  I would just HAVE to make it a survival type rifle, by having the bolt turned down, drilling and tapping for a scope, etc. etc.

    So, I passed and told him to sell it on consignment at a local gun shop, which he did.  I think he got about $250 for it, after the consignment fee.

    Mannyrock

[cybin]

I bought a bent bolt FR-8 when I lived in NC about 12 years ago for $125.00. It shot great. 5 years ago I sold it to my nephew along with 1200 rounds of ammo for $300.00, He has shot his deer with it every year since.

cybin