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Posted: 3/3/2005 6:12:55 PM EDT
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Anyone else own an FR8? I just got mine out of the safe for the first time in over a year. I forgot what a solid rifle they are. I think I'm going to start carrying mine as a trunk rifle. I did have to cut the top half off the front sight hood, and widen one of the rear peeps to get a sight picture i could work with through. I also added a butt cuff to the stock to hold 8 rounds of Hornady 155Gn SST ammo. I have found that although i can stuff 5 rounds in the mag, that i get much better feed reliablity if i only load 4 rounds. Anyone know what type of stripper clips they use? I have hundreds of M14 stripper clips, but they are too wide. |
if I make a point of lifting the rear of the bolt handle asd I chamber the round, then no problem. But if I cycle the bolt fast, then i get bolt over base fail to feed. I weould rather have 4 sure shots than 5 maybe. |
Nice a solid little rifle, but that steel buttplate sure can kick the everliving hell out of your shoulder after 20 rounds.
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Pachmayr makes a brown or black slip-on butt-pad that seems to tame the FR-8's snappy recoil. The rear sight apertures can stand a little opening up. Experiment with progressively larger drill sizes, then drill them all the same. Once you get the front sight adjusted the way you want, paint the post some light color. Notch is for 100 meters, other apertures are 200, 300, and 400M. Nato ball, of course. One of the first things I do to an older Mauser-type rifle is replace the mag spring with a slightly more powerful-than-original one from Wolff's/Brownell's. Sometimes the ends of the new springs must be trimmed a little. Use the original ends as a guide, and then test. The spring actually "floats" fore-and-aft as it is compressed and released. Easy job, and cures all mag ills. |
We have about a half dozen among us around here, and thats just in the immediate family. Most of my buddy's have one too. Great little rifles. As was mentioned, the Mauser strippers are the ones you want, and the chrome ones work the best. I've never had any trouble getting 5 rounds in any of ours and they have all fed reliably. They also shoot very well for the most part. If your familiar with how the HK rifle sights work, you will understand the FR-8's. For a fast CQB type sight, you use the whole large notch like you would a normal rear sight notch and you use the whole "globe" front sight as the front sight. Once you get that sight picture, if you slowly roll your eye down, you will see the front post is in the small "V" in the bottom of the big notch. That "V" is your 0-100M sight. Here's a diagram for the other peeps, if you hadnt already figured it out. If your thinking of it, I would avoid having the bolt handle bent from straight. Once you learn it, you'll be amazed at how fast and easy it is to work. It also makes it easier to carry. My one buddy had his lopped off and a Remington 700 handle welded on and now regrets it. Its not near as fast or easy to work. As for recoil, if anything, the Mauser type "wide at the toe" stock actually is easier on your shoulder than the US "narrow at the toe" type. Makes more sense if you think about it. I take it if you think it kicks hard, your one of the younger boys who grew up in the mouse gun age, us old boys cut our teeth on 30-40 Krags, 03's and 8mm's and learned to shoot them properly. Once you do, you can shoot in a tee shirt with no bother. If you hold the rifle like most I see shoot a M16, you wont be a happy camper.
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I have a FR-8, Its a really neat lloking gun. That big flash hider on it it pretty cool looking. One of they guys at the Club I used to go to called it a bolt action assualt rifle. I paid $139 at Dunhams back in 2001. I put a sleave on the butt and a thick piece of foam in it to cushion the blow and make the stock longer. |
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