So, I bought this last year at the Easter gun show, in unfired (since Spanish rebuild) condition. I wasn't going to let that stand, of course, because this is a gun that was meant to be used.
Since buying it, I've learned a fair bit about the FR-7 and FR-8 rifles.
First, that the myth that these were made to chamber a weaker "7.62 CETME" cartridge is just that. A myth. They were made from the get go to chamber 7.62 NATO (and there's fairly clear documentation about this).
Second, that even though the FR-7 is based on the Mauser '93 action, this action is plenty strong enough to handle 7.62 NATO and commercial .308 ammo.
Third, that the FR-7 is actually somewhat rarer than I thought. No one has seen one with a serial number over 3000 (mine is in the low 2000s).
Fourth, although both the FR-7 and FR-8 were converted from earlier rifles as an interim gun/trainer/second line gun, while the CETME rifle got into full production, this never really happened in any large amount. By the time the conversion process got underway, and completed, the CETME was already in full production, and in most cases the Spanish military transition straight to the CETME, bypassing the conversions. While some were used in training, and others send to border guards and forestry officers (essentially game wardens), the bulk of them went straight from conversion into storage, where they sat until they were surplussed in the 80's. I can only assume that the one I bought was one of these, and then promptly sat for a few decades in a gun cabinet, unused, until I came across it.
Now, once in my hands, it was destined to be used. I specifically bought it as a handy .308/7.62 NATO rifle (I have tons of surplus 7.62). In Alberta, it's perfectly legal to use FMJ for predator and pest control on private land, and I have no ethical concerns in this regard. 7.62 FMJ will easily dispatch a coyote or badger. I also have a couple boxes of .308 hunting ammo kicking around, should I decide and use it for deer this fall.
What I really like about it:
It's a short, light (7.5lbs), handy full powered rifle. Sure, it kicks a little, but I'm not going to be pounding out mad minute drills with it. Now that I have it zeroed to my satisfaction, it will get 1 or 2 rounds out of it on any given day I actually put it to use. It will be carried much and fired seldom, so I don't mind trading weight for recoil.
Common Caliber. I hate to say it, but my Enfields don't get much use. .303 has gotten a little expensive, and my stockpile isn't great. My Mosins don't get out as much as they used to either. Cleaning after firing corrosive surplus, isn't always convenient. If I've been outside all day, I'm not interested in detailing a gun that's been fired. Being able to just throw it back in the cabinet, and give it a go-over once a year in the fall, has a LOT of appeal to it. 7.62/.308 is a great cartridge, can accomplish anything I need a full powered rifle to do, surplus still shows up in quantity, and will for many years to come, and commercial ammo is readily available and varied.
It's surprisingly accurate. I can get well under 2" groups with the South African surplus I have buckets of in the garage, using just the iron sights. That opens up to over 3" groups with the Hirtenberger I have, but that's fine. I just use that for plinking with my m305 anyway. I can get 1.5" groups with decent commercial hunting ammo, which is about the limits of my ability with iron sights. It might be more accurate than that, but I'll likely never know. It prefers a heavier bullet, in the 165-180gr range.
It's a Mauser action, with all that goes with that. Stout and sturdy. Boringly reliable. Easy to maintain. The "flag" safety can be trusted absolutely.
It's got class and history. Black (parkerized in this case) steel and wood is how a gun is supposed to look.
What I don't like
It's a Mauser action and not a Lee action. Nothing runs like an Enfield.
Quirky feed on first round: You have to be a bit careful about how you stuff the magazine, or the top round will sit a little low, and the bolt will run over it and not feed a round. However the action of doing this "jiggles" the top round, so that when you run the action the second time, it catches and feeds fine. Every round after that will feed fine also. Mostly a quirk that you have to pay attention to, but as soon as you know it, it kind of ceases to be an issue.
Stiff extraction. Not "Mosin 2x4 method" stiff, but stiffer than I'm used to with Enfields. Slightly stiffer than my Kar 98, and about the same as my Zastava M70 in x39.
Overall
After using this, off and on, for the past year, I've really come to love it. It essentially benched my other centerfires for farm use. It does what I need a centerfire to do, and it does it with a bit of class and style. With the butt-stock leather being the only non-original add-on, (and yes, I have the bayonet for it around here somewhere) this turned out to be just a great, "out of the box" surplus gun. I even use the under-barrel storage tube for a pull through cleaner and an eye-dropper I've filled with lube, just in case, although this is such a low maintenance gun I don't know why I bother. But whatever, it's there in case I need it.
If you come across one of these at a show for a reasonable price, buy it, don't hesitate, don't check you bank balance, just buy it.
Since buying it, I've learned a fair bit about the FR-7 and FR-8 rifles.
First, that the myth that these were made to chamber a weaker "7.62 CETME" cartridge is just that. A myth. They were made from the get go to chamber 7.62 NATO (and there's fairly clear documentation about this).
Second, that even though the FR-7 is based on the Mauser '93 action, this action is plenty strong enough to handle 7.62 NATO and commercial .308 ammo.
Third, that the FR-7 is actually somewhat rarer than I thought. No one has seen one with a serial number over 3000 (mine is in the low 2000s).
Fourth, although both the FR-7 and FR-8 were converted from earlier rifles as an interim gun/trainer/second line gun, while the CETME rifle got into full production, this never really happened in any large amount. By the time the conversion process got underway, and completed, the CETME was already in full production, and in most cases the Spanish military transition straight to the CETME, bypassing the conversions. While some were used in training, and others send to border guards and forestry officers (essentially game wardens), the bulk of them went straight from conversion into storage, where they sat until they were surplussed in the 80's. I can only assume that the one I bought was one of these, and then promptly sat for a few decades in a gun cabinet, unused, until I came across it.
Now, once in my hands, it was destined to be used. I specifically bought it as a handy .308/7.62 NATO rifle (I have tons of surplus 7.62). In Alberta, it's perfectly legal to use FMJ for predator and pest control on private land, and I have no ethical concerns in this regard. 7.62 FMJ will easily dispatch a coyote or badger. I also have a couple boxes of .308 hunting ammo kicking around, should I decide and use it for deer this fall.
What I really like about it:
It's a short, light (7.5lbs), handy full powered rifle. Sure, it kicks a little, but I'm not going to be pounding out mad minute drills with it. Now that I have it zeroed to my satisfaction, it will get 1 or 2 rounds out of it on any given day I actually put it to use. It will be carried much and fired seldom, so I don't mind trading weight for recoil.
Common Caliber. I hate to say it, but my Enfields don't get much use. .303 has gotten a little expensive, and my stockpile isn't great. My Mosins don't get out as much as they used to either. Cleaning after firing corrosive surplus, isn't always convenient. If I've been outside all day, I'm not interested in detailing a gun that's been fired. Being able to just throw it back in the cabinet, and give it a go-over once a year in the fall, has a LOT of appeal to it. 7.62/.308 is a great cartridge, can accomplish anything I need a full powered rifle to do, surplus still shows up in quantity, and will for many years to come, and commercial ammo is readily available and varied.
It's surprisingly accurate. I can get well under 2" groups with the South African surplus I have buckets of in the garage, using just the iron sights. That opens up to over 3" groups with the Hirtenberger I have, but that's fine. I just use that for plinking with my m305 anyway. I can get 1.5" groups with decent commercial hunting ammo, which is about the limits of my ability with iron sights. It might be more accurate than that, but I'll likely never know. It prefers a heavier bullet, in the 165-180gr range.
It's a Mauser action, with all that goes with that. Stout and sturdy. Boringly reliable. Easy to maintain. The "flag" safety can be trusted absolutely.
It's got class and history. Black (parkerized in this case) steel and wood is how a gun is supposed to look.
What I don't like
It's a Mauser action and not a Lee action. Nothing runs like an Enfield.
Quirky feed on first round: You have to be a bit careful about how you stuff the magazine, or the top round will sit a little low, and the bolt will run over it and not feed a round. However the action of doing this "jiggles" the top round, so that when you run the action the second time, it catches and feeds fine. Every round after that will feed fine also. Mostly a quirk that you have to pay attention to, but as soon as you know it, it kind of ceases to be an issue.
Stiff extraction. Not "Mosin 2x4 method" stiff, but stiffer than I'm used to with Enfields. Slightly stiffer than my Kar 98, and about the same as my Zastava M70 in x39.
Overall
After using this, off and on, for the past year, I've really come to love it. It essentially benched my other centerfires for farm use. It does what I need a centerfire to do, and it does it with a bit of class and style. With the butt-stock leather being the only non-original add-on, (and yes, I have the bayonet for it around here somewhere) this turned out to be just a great, "out of the box" surplus gun. I even use the under-barrel storage tube for a pull through cleaner and an eye-dropper I've filled with lube, just in case, although this is such a low maintenance gun I don't know why I bother. But whatever, it's there in case I need it.
If you come across one of these at a show for a reasonable price, buy it, don't hesitate, don't check you bank balance, just buy it.
