FR F1
Encyclopedia
The FR F1 is a precision rifle used by French
sharpshooters. It was manufactured by MAS (an abbreviation of Manufacture d'Armes St. Etienne
- one of several government-owned arms factories in France). It has been upgraded to FR F2 standard, and is still in service with all branches of French armed forces in this version. It was first designed around the 7.5 x 54 MAS
cartridge before being converted to 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition when it was upgraded to FR F2 standard. It was equipped with a scope
, French army standard issue being an APX L806. Its practical range is 600 to 800 meters. It is a very accurate sniper rifle, due to its quality, free-floating barrel and efficient combined muzzle brake/stabilizer that dampens the barrel vibrations. The FR F1 utilizes the same bolt design as the older MAS-36 infantry rifle. The FR-F1 was fitted with a bipod with fully adjustable legs, mid-way along the length of the rifle.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
sharpshooters. It was manufactured by MAS (an abbreviation of Manufacture d'Armes St. Etienne
Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne (MAS)
The Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne was a French state-owned manufacturing company located in the town of Saint-Étienne. It has since been merged into the state-owned Nexter defence conglomerate....
- one of several government-owned arms factories in France). It has been upgraded to FR F2 standard, and is still in service with all branches of French armed forces in this version. It was first designed around the 7.5 x 54 MAS
7.5x54mm French
The 7.5×54mm French MAS or 7.5 French cartridge was developed by France as an update to the 7.5×57mm MAS mod. 1924 cartridge. It replaced the obsolete 8 mm Lebel round used during World War I. In terms of power it is somewhat comparable to the 7.62×51mm NATO/.308 Winchester round...
cartridge before being converted to 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition when it was upgraded to FR F2 standard. It was equipped with a scope
Telescopic sight
A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope, is a sighting device that is based on an optical refracting telescope. They are equipped with some form of graphic image pattern mounted in an optically appropriate position in their optical system to give an accurate aiming point...
, French army standard issue being an APX L806. Its practical range is 600 to 800 meters. It is a very accurate sniper rifle, due to its quality, free-floating barrel and efficient combined muzzle brake/stabilizer that dampens the barrel vibrations. The FR F1 utilizes the same bolt design as the older MAS-36 infantry rifle. The FR-F1 was fitted with a bipod with fully adjustable legs, mid-way along the length of the rifle.
Users
- Used by the French armyFrench ArmyThe French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
, but now replaced by the FR F2 sniper rifle. Snipers of the 2nd Parachute Battalion (Bataillon Etranger Parachutiste; 2 BEP) of the French Foreign LegionFrench Foreign LegionThe French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
used FR F1 rifles when deployed to the Shaba province in southern ZaireZaireThe Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
in May 1978. The FR F1 rifle was also used by the GIGN counter-terrorist group in the rescue of 30 school children during a 1976 bus hijacking in DjiboutiDjiboutiDjibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
.