The Romanian M69 .22LR trainer was a hot import for a few years - but they've dried up now. I bought mine for $69 at the gunshow. Trigger quality varies - mine is pretty good. Feeding can be quirky - mine won't feed reliably due to a problem with the firing pin not being properly held back by the bolt-release to allow the next cartridge to come up the boltface. That's okay, I shoot it as a singleshot. Very accurate.
The 'rail' on top is not grooved, and rimfire rings will often slip off. I undercut mine with some careful Dremel work. Rail width varies too - earlier rifles had a narrow European sized rail, while later production rifles have a 3/8 rail that works with our rings. After-market magazines are available.
I stripped the Gawd-aweful finish from mine, and found some very pretty birchwood. Stained it Red Mahogany, giving it the typical Eastern European 'orangey' appearance. i like it.
I've read of owners using thin shim and a good polishing to clean up the triggers.
Some years back, a few guys on RimfireCentral modded their M69's to fire the centerfire ".22 Epperson Cricket" cartridge - basically a necked-down .25ACP shell. These rifles were cheap as dirt, so were a natural for modifications.
They are much scarcer in gunshows and shops now though.
The Spanish FR7 and FR8 were transitional rifles - used to familiarise the troops with the CETME style before they equipped them all. The rifles also were used by engineers and police units.
The tube contains a cleaning kit. The rifles use the standard CETME bayonet too. The rear sight gives a similar sight picture to the CETME but is made totally differently.
A few are seen with bent bolt handles, and I have seen pics of a 'sniper' model that saw very limited use, with scope bases replacing the receiver-mounted rear sight. My FR8 has the bent bolt handle, but the standard FR8 rotary sight.
The FR8 was built from the WWII era M43 Mauser rifles, with a block in the front of the magazine to allow it to function better with the 7.62X51 cartridge, vs. the longer 8mm Mauser. German Kar98k bolt and action parts will interchange, as the M43 was based on the K98.
My FR8:
m1969 romania pawn shop find!...50.00bucks
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