I got an FR8!

[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!

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



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...



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.