FR F1

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.

Users

 * 🇫🇷 France: Used by the French army, but now replaced by the FR F2 sniper rifle. Snipers of the 2nd Parachute Battalion (Bataillon Etranger Parachutiste; 2 BEP) of the French Foreign Legion used FR F1 rifles when deployed to the Shaba province in southern Zaire 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 Djibouti.
 * 🇲🇷 Mauritania