Santa Barbara FRI 8

Santa Barbara FRI 8
	Santa Barbara FRI 8 Machetenbajonett CETME bayonet FR 8
general information
Civil name:	Santa Barbara FRI 8
Country of operation:	Spain
Developer / Manufacturer:	System: Mauser , barrel: Steyr , conversion: Fabrica De Armas La Coruña
Model variants:	FR 8
Weapon Category:	Multi-loader rifle
Furnishing
Overall length:	960 mm
Weight: (unloaded)	approx. 3.7 kg
Barrel length :	470 mm
Technical specifications
Caliber :	7.62 × 51 mm NATO; (.308 Win.)
Visor :	3 diopter holes and V-rear sight (adjustable, military) and adjustable front sight
Lists on the subject

The Santa Barbara FR 8 short carbine is a Spanish multi-loader rifle equipped with a Mauser System 98 manufactured under license . Due to its use in the Spanish military, it is one of the orderly weapons . Due to its design, the FR 8 has a comparatively strong recoil, caused by the combination of the caliber used, short barrel and low weight. The abbreviation FR stands for “fusil reformado”, which means something like revised or rebuilt rifle.

use

The FR 8 is equally popular with collectors, hunters and sport shooters, and this weapon is also used in competitions for orderly weapons, although long barrels are preferred for sporting rifles, including order rifles (see Schwedenmauser or Mosin-Nagant 1891/30). As standard, some “in principle” have DSB-approved models, e. B. the British 'jungle carbine' (No. 5 Mk I) and the Spanish short carbine 'FR7' and 'FR8', a muzzle brake (flash hider). If a shooter wants to use one of the above models in the DSB competition, the muzzle brake must be removed. Despite the construction-related disadvantages, the scattering circle is around 5 cm from a distance of 100 meters. Hunters appreciate the weapon because of its compact design and the resulting maneuverability.

history

From 1950 to the Spanish army , the CETME - Automatic Rifle introduced. From the initial lack of new weapons for training and education purposes as well as for use by non-combat units, the Civil Guard and paramilitary units, the idea arose to convert existing stocks of Mauser repeating rifles of the 1916 and 1943 models to look like the CETME self-loader. The order went to Fabrica De Armas La Coruña SA The 1916 models became the FR 7, the 1943 models the FR 8. The FR 8 carbine was used by mounted units of the Guardia Civil in the Sierra Nevada until the 1970s , as the compact design of the weapon meant that it was easy to stow across the saddle.

Working principle

The FR 8 carabiner works according to the Mauser repeating system. The locking takes place via a rotary cylinder lock with two locking lugs in the sleeve head and a further Sicherheitswarze front of the bolt handle .

Furnishing

The weapon has all the equipment features of orderly weapons. In addition, it is equipped with an adjustable front sight with massive protection and a military sight consisting of a variable combination of rear sight (range up to 100 m) and rear sight holes (for ranges of 200, 300 and 400 m). The front sight is eccentrically rotatably mounted on a thread, as is also the case with the Uzi submachine gun . This allows the front sight to be adjusted both vertically and sideways.

Furthermore, the barrel was provided with a muzzle thread M 15 × 1.00 mm, onto which a flash hider is screwed. There is a cylindrical sleeve under the barrel to hold cleaning utensils. The flash hider and the sleeve also serve to hold the Cetme machete bayonet of the FR 8. A snap ring was mounted in a groove around the barrel in front of the front sight tunnel. This is optionally used to fire rifle grenades, as is also the case with the Heckler & Koch G3 . The box magazine has a capacity of five rounds. The cartridges can be loaded either individually or with the aid of a loading strip . It should be noted that the appropriate loading strip must have a width of 12 mm, since the loading strips otherwise used in the Mauser 98 system are 14 mm wide and therefore do not fit into the guide groove provided on the FR8, this depends on the use of a smaller cartridge together. The equipment includes a leather or linen weave strap, cleaning supplies and the bayonet.