The French FR-F2: Best of the Cold War Sniper Rifles
Bolt Action Rifles
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17m
In 1986, the French Army adopted the FR-F2 (Fusil à Répétition F2) as its standard sniper rifle. The F2 was never manufactured new; it was an improvement made on existing FR-F1 rifle by giving them new 7.62mm NATO barrels, new flexible bipods, and thermal sleeves over the barrels. Of 6,000 FR-F1 rifles original made, approximately 3,500 were rebuilt as FR-F2s. They served from 1986 until being officially replaced by the FN SCAR heavy in 2020.
The FR-F2 was an extremely accurate and capable platform, and saw use in Iraq, Afghanistan, Mali, and many other locations with French units.
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