Spanish FR8 extractor and firing Pin question

J

JASON KRASSOW

New member
Hello, I started to clean up my Spanish FR8 7.62x51 NATO and noticed a broken extractor and a bent firing pin ( not sure how this happened, I did shoot regular 308 commercial ammo in it and perhaps it was too much and I should have stuck with the lower pressure NATO rounds ) I did research and read ahead of time it should not have been an issue with the FR8, whereas it might have been on FR7 models. The damage might have already been there before my purchase as well since it was well used when I bought it and this is the first time I’ve had it apart. Couple quick questions..
I’m looking for a new extractor (will a Mauser M98 extractor work or do I need a 7.62x51 specific extractor), will the 8mm standard extractor work on the FR8?

Will a standard 8mm M98 Mauser firing replacement pin work for a quick swap?

Thanks in advance, I appreciate the help. Jason
 
will the 8mm standard extractor work on the FR8?

Will a standard 8mm M98 Mauser firing replacement pin work for a quick swap?
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One of my books shows .308 Win rim thickness as 0.054", and 7.92x57mm (8mm Mauser) rim thickness as 0.049". Rim diameter is the same, 0.473".

given a .005" difference in thickness, and that those are max dimensions, and manufacturing tolerances, it is likely an unmodified 8mm extractor will work with .308 cases. IF that extractor is the right one for your bolt.

Same thing with the firing pin. I'm not familiar with the exact dimensions of the FR8 action, so I can't say more than that there are several slight variations of 98 Mausers, and a few major ones, some parts will interchange, some won't. If you get a firing pin and it fits, odds are it will work. No guarantees it will be the "right" one and fit, but if you get the right length for your action, it should work.

I do need to mention the Spanish 7.62x51mm is NOT the same as 7.62NATO or .308 Winchester, despite having the same case dimensions. I don't have the numbers handy, but the Spanish round is lower pressure than the other two, and was developed for their CETME rifle. That design was adapted to use 7.62NATO by H&K and became the G3 and HK 91. The original Spanish CETME was not made to use NATO ammo. The current semi auto rifles called CETME sold today are made for NATO ammo, and is not the Spanish military rifle, its the HK design though all three look nearly identical on the outside,

The Spanish bolt actions were made for the Spanish ammo. I believe the FR8 is rated for NATO ammo, and if so, fine. .308 Win ammo is a bit higher pressure and personally, I wouldn't run it through the Spanish Mausers.

A bent firing pin is most likely the result of someone screwing up the disassembly process and bending it, but not enough to keep them from putting it back in the bolt body.
 
Thanks!

Hey thanks for your response! I found a Mauser 98 extractor on EBay, I’ll give it a try. The things I’ve read indicated that the FR8 was based on the Model 43 that used the Mauser 98 large ring bolt. There were several models from different countries manufacturing the Mauser, so hopefully I get lucky. Now if I can figure out how to dissemble the bolt, and remove the extractor and firing pin. Thanks, Jason
 
I did shoot regular 308 commercial ammo in it and perhaps it was too much
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.308 commercial is just fine to shoot out of your FR-8 or FR-7. The rifle is made to shoot it.

7.62mm NATO IS .308 Win....

The Military simply adopted Winchesters specification but because of the internet not being able to convert pressure units....this myth has arisen.

bent firing pin
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https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/1039080

broken extractor
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https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/1039040
 
.308 commercial is just fine to shoot out of your FR-8 or FR-7. The rifle is made to shoot it.
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That is debatable for the FR7. It is a 1893 small-ring action, pretty marginal for the pressure of 308.

It is unlikely to blow up, but you will probably see lug setback and a ruined rifle that won't headspace after a while, how log depends on how good the steel is in your particular action.

Some discussion here: https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=444816
 
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