The FR F2 has been the standard sniper rifle of the French military since 1986. It is designed for shooting at point targets at distances up to 800 metres.
History
In August 2018, a tender was released by the French government for a replacement to the FR F2.[2]
The FR F2 in the French Army has since been replaced by the FN SCAR and the HK 417.
Design
The FR-F2 is an upgrade from the earlier FR F1 sniper rifle. The rifle barrel is thermally shielded along a considerable part of the barrel by a polymer shroud. The barrel is free floated and is equipped with a flash hider.[3] It uses a different bipod-stock configuration from its predecessor, which is built just ahead of the receiver. GIAT studies lead to a new three groove conical barrel. Tapering the barrel from the throat area up to the first 100 mm of the barrel and at the muzzle end reduced barrel wear caused by propellant gasses passing the projectile in the bore.