Today I’ve taken the FR-F2 to the range to try it out. I’m using the early French Army scope, an APX L806-04. This is a 3.85x optic basically modeled on the German WW2 ZF-4. It has a big simple German post reticle, and the -04 variation indicated that the BDC cam has been calibrated for 7.62mm NATO.
Bolt Action Rifles
Berthier with a Chauchat Magazine at the Range
Today I am out at the range to put the first shots through a completed replica of the French Chauchat-magazine Berthier conversion. The real versions of these guns were made on Mle 1890 cavalry carbines […]
Semiauto Rifles
The Last Swiss Battle Rifle: SIG-Manurhin 542 (in .243)
After the failure of the SIG 530 rifle (a gas operated, roller locked design), SIG looked for a much simpler rifle design, in both operation and manufacture. Wheat they came up with was fundamentally AK-like, […]
Medium MGs
French AA-52
The AA-52 was adopted to replace the Chatellerault light machine gun in French military service in 1952. The AA52 is rather unusual in being a rifle-caliber (7.5×54 French, specifically) machine gun using a lever-delayed blowback […]
I was waiting to see this posted since last night! Great shooting and great rifle!
It could have been better.
Horizontal stitching.
As you would expect on an elderly rifle with horizontally positioned lugs and, in addition, weak bedding.
You watching how fast he’s shooting?
He’s not letting the barrel cool between shots and that heat shield is not helping.
There’s nothing wrong with the gun. If he let it cool between shots with the bolt open for about 60 seconds the group would easily be sub-MOA.
“…the group would easily be sub-MOA…”
…And if you remove the heat shield from the rifle, then the group becomes 0.5 MOA.
And if you eliminate the influence of global warming, then 0.25 MOA. LOL
PS Usually, too lazy to comment on such nonsense, but could not resist. 😉
Love to have one but for 7 grand I’ll pass , way out of my range,7000 bucks will by a few rifles, wish I could afford , ol well
Ian, that horizontal stringing may come from the bipod. Shoot it from a proper sandbag and see…
I think a lot of the blame lies with the “very precise surplus”.
A prerequisite for such systems is tight contact on both bearing surfaces of the bolt.
This obviously does not happen as the bolt closes without noticeable resistance.
Perhaps, especially for such rifles, the French produced a “sniper cartridge” with an increased main distance…
Jan!
How about shooting this rifle with reloaded brass?
This can fix the situation.
You saved the used brass, right?..
That ringing sound when fired…
It doesn’t have to be.
It may be an illusion, but the bolt handle seems to move slightly when fired.
I would question the technical serviceability of the device.
Ian? You say you are not much of a shooter?
Bullshite.
This was really good shooting, sir.
…