The CETME's bolt-action buddy: The Spanish FR8 rifle (VIDEOS)

Built during the Cold War to help train Spanish troops, the FR8 bolt-action rifle is a classic Mauser action in 7.62x51mm NATO. Tim Harmsen with the Military Arms Channel covers the basics on the gun in a very cold (weather) 25-minute installment, above.

The FR8, which has been described as something of a “Franken-Mauser” by collectors, stemmed from Spain’s long love affair with the aforementioned bolt gun. Introduced when the country was adopting the CETME battle rifle in the 1950s, the FR8 (Fusil Reformado= converted rifle) was a development from the domestically-made M43 Mauser but with a number of cosmetic differences to make it more akin to the new 7.62x51mm roller-locked rifle.

Complete with a mount for 22mm rifle grenades and a muzzle-based wire cutter, the FR8 remained in service with the Spanish in one degree or another well into the 1980s for secondary use by reserves and police units, after which they were sold for surplus.

For more information on the neat-o Franco-era throwback from the Iberian Peninsula, Ian McCollum with Forgotten Weapons shows off one below.

Latest Reviews

Olympic Arms OA-98: Weird AR Pistol Born Under 1994 Ban

I couldn’t pass up a chance to shoot this Olympic Arms OA-98. This distinctive AR-15-style pistol was conceived at a unique point in American firearm legislation history.
Read More
10mm Go-To Pistol: Review of the FN 510 Tactical

What's not to like about a 22+1 shot suppressor optics-ready 10mm made by one of the biggest names in the firearms industry?
Read More
Going Big with .50 BMG: Barrett M82A1 Rifle Review

Few firearms on the market are as iconic as our subject today. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve likely seen the .50-caliber Barrett M82A1 on the news, at the range, or even in countless video games.
Read More
The Practical Hunter’s Custom: Magnum Research Mountain Eagle Rifle

This sleek rifle, with its spiral fluted bolt, stainless action, and linear graphite barrel, is an eye-catcher without question. But will it shoot?
Read More

The CETME's bolt-action buddy: The Spanish FR8 rifle (VIDEOS)

Read More On:

Latest Reviews

Loading