FN-FAL, I'm a hopeless gun nut

[Tazman1602]

Oh boy I'm hopeless. Always wanted a FN-FAL but those that got shredded in the 1980's import bans made it kind of tough on a young gun nut with small children.

Now, 35 years later Coonan Arms is finally making acceptable uppers at a decent price although it's about a six month wait. I've gotten those in (ordered two...), rounded up Imbel parts kits and all parts to be within 922r (yeah I know....) compliance and have shipped all off to the #1 FAL builder in the U.S. and it should be coming back in 3-4 months. Can't wait to put some rounds down range even though it's not a cast Bullet shooter.

I certainly could have built it myself, but for one or two FAL's the tooling cost would be significant. These rifles headspace in kind of an oddball way and the measuring tools to calculate that are not to be found anywhere. You can order pin gauges from MSC that can be used and you could need a healthy supply of locking shoulders to boot and then there's the cost of blueing, parkerizing, whatever you want to call it. More cost efficient at my level to send it out to Mark at Arizona Response systems and have the whole thing done in one of his Metacol finishes. What you get back is a looks like new FAL, mine will be a metric FAL of course with carry handle and mounted bipod.

Interesting project for sure and I was just wondering if any cast boolit members were even interested in FAL's.

"FN-FAL" if you care, is reference to those rifles manufactured by FN and yes, John Browning did have a hand in the development of this fine old battle rifle. Otherwise it's just plain old FAL or for the inch-pattern rifle L1A1 I believe.

Gimme some feedback!

Art

[jdfoxinc]

I own two. One with an American receiver that is supposed to accept inch and metric but only works with inch, and a Brady ban thumbhole metric. Just mounted piccatiney rail dust covers so I can use dot sights. Never could get the original or Belgian sites to zero to my eye. Not enough windage adjustment. Good guns.

I took a rifle self defense class at boulder rifle club years ago. All my friends had .223s. The instructor said "Jim brought a real gun."

[roverboy]

Nicknamed the "Right Arm of The Free World" its a mean rifle. I've never shot one but, have shot a STG 58. Which is a similar rifle. Shame you don't see more of them.

[Multigunner]

A friend used to build these for people and I got the chance to testfire several variations. Some were heavier than they looked while others were very light and handy.
I have a lower with butt stock here now, I'm putting together a lefthand lace on cheek pad for my friend. He's right handed but with left dominant eye so he shoots rifles from the left shoulder but fires pistols with the right hand.

[Petrol & Powder]

Yep, the "Right arm of the free world".

When it was NATO vs the Communists the FAL was on the front lines opposite the AK.

The Israelis used the FN FAL in the 1967 Six day war and many other conflicts, The Brits used the L1A1 in the Falklands War, the Suez Crisis and just about every other conflict between WWII and the mid 1980's. The FN FAL has a place in history and has some great history itself.

[ShooterAZ]

I had an FN FAL and liked it. Very accurate and reliable. The only complaint I had (with mine anyway) was that it was extremely hard on brass. I ended up trading it off for that reason...should have just kept it. It's an excellent platform for sure, as is the M14/M1A.

[Tazman1602]

Garand is on the short list also, great weapon. FN FAL is an extremely interesting rifle, a part of history along with Garand that I don't have.

On being hard on brass, gassing on this rifle is very easy. Goal being to use the least amount of gas port you need in order to eject and rechamber. It's also another gas piston rifle. I could have an AR-10 in 308, this opportunity just presented itself and it's different but then so am I!

Keep the great history lessons and stories coming and yes, for a battle rifle I'd much rather hump an AR in the bush than a 10-12lb beast. Matter of fact as this age I don't even want to see the bush....lol

Art

[Petrol & Powder]

The best FAL pattern I had was a SAR-48. I owned that gun during my "black rifle" phase.

The FN-FAL was a reliable rifle. It is a bit long and a bit heavy for its class but it was far more accurate than an AK, particularly at longer ranges.

One of the more interesting conflicts involving the FAL was the Falklands war in which both sides were armed with FAL rifles.

[nicholst55]

I had two, a STG-58 and an Imbel, both built on Imbel receivers. I kept the Imbel and sold the STG. Mine was assembled and tuned by Arizona Response Systems, and it is truly a nice, handy hard-hitting rifle.

[MT Chambers]

WE used it in the Canadian army and I found the cartridge great but the rifle was too heavy, barrels were worn badly on the guns I was issued.

[Hardcast416taylor]

The best FAL pattern I had was a SAR-48. I owned that gun during my "black rifle" phase.

The FN-FAL was a reliable rifle. It is a bit long and a bit heavy for its class but it was far more accurate than an AK, particularly at longer ranges.

One of the more interesting conflicts involving the FAL was the Falklands war in which both sides were armed with FAL rifles.


Yes, both sides of that conflict used the FN-FAL. However the Brit version was a semi auto version whereas the Argie version was select fire. The Brits changed ownership of these FN whenever the opportunity came up so they could lay down more fire when needed.Robert

[edp2k]

Just a clarification :)

John Browning had nothing to do with the FAL design or development.
JB died in 1926.
The first prototype FAL was in 1946.
The FAL is based on the FN-49, which has it origins with Dieudonne Saive in the 1930s.

[roysha]

Oh boy I'm hopeless. Always wanted a FN-FAL but those that got shredded in the 1980's import bans made it kind of tough on a young gun nut with small children.

Now, 35 years later Coonan Arms is finally making acceptable uppers at a decent price although it's about a six month wait. I've gotten those in (ordered two...), rounded up Imbel parts kits and all parts to be within 922r (yeah I know....) compliance and have shipped all off to the #1 FAL builder in the U.S. and it should be coming back in 3-4 months. Can't wait to put some rounds down range even though it's not a cast Bullet shooter.

I certainly could have built it myself, but for one or two FAL's the tooling cost would be significant. These rifles headspace in kind of an oddball way and the measuring tools to calculate that are not to be found anywhere. You can order pin gauges from MSC that can be used and you could need a healthy supply of locking shoulders to boot and then there's the cost of blueing, parkerizing, whatever you want to call it. More cost efficient at my level to send it out to Mark at Arizona Response systems and have the whole thing done in one of his Metacol finishes. What you get back is a looks like new FAL, mine will be a metric FAL of course with carry handle and mounted bipod.

Interesting project for sure and I was just wondering if any cast boolit members were even interested in FAL's.

"FN-FAL" if you care, is reference to those rifles manufactured by FN and yes, John Browning did have a hand in the development of this fine old battle rifle. Otherwise it's just plain old FAL or for the inch-pattern rifle L1A1 I believe.

Gimme some feedback!

Art

My absolute favorite "black" rifle.

As far as I'm concerned if it hadn't been for politics, the M-14 would never have seen the light of day. From a BATTLE rifle point of view, the FAL is superior in virtually every way. I will concede that an M-14 can be made into an extremely accurate rifle, and that's fine for match shooting but not very many folks have the ability to use that accuracy in a combat situation. Add to that the fact the ease of field maintenance and repair is so simple even the most doltish of users can usually accomplish it without a great deal effort.

I have 2 of them. One a G-1 built on an Entreprise receiver and the other a custom barreled 270-308 built on a Coonan type 1 metric receiver.

If you have the money to pay that jerkwad at ars to build them, you have the money for any tools you might need to build them yourself with plenty of money to spare. A receiver wrench from GunThings , or build it yourself which is what I did, a small hole gauge with a range from, say, .230 to .280, a 1 inch micrometer, a couple of files and a headspace guage and you're good to go.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

They were great fun to build when parts kits were cheap and plentiful. I had a hand tool for shaving the barrel shoulder down so they would hand time to about 11:00 o clock and that was the secret to a good build. We used to parkerize them and they made a rugged dependable hard hitting rifle. Must have made a dozen or so. Stupidly, I sold all mine for a good profit a while back.

[Tazman1602]

My absolute favorite "black" rifle.

As far as I'm concerned if it hadn't been for politics, the M-14 would never have seen the light of day. From a BATTLE rifle point of view, the FAL is superior in virtually every way. I will concede that an M-14 can be made into an extremely accurate rifle, and that's fine for match shooting but not very many folks have the ability to use that accuracy in a combat situation. Add to that the fact the ease of field maintenance and repair is so simple even the most doltish of users can usually accomplish it without a great deal effort.


If you have the money to pay that jerkwad at ars to build them, you have the money for any tools you might need to build them yourself with plenty of money to spare.

Man you must have had a bad experience with Mark at ARS, he's been nothing but helpful to me. As far as tools and parts I'd have no problem with that except I have zero experience with the FAL platform and by the time I calculated tool costs, locking shoulders, and complete refinishing of the rifle I couldn't come close to what ARS is doing on the rifle. I *may* attempt a build on the second receiver I've gotten, just wanted the first one to be perfect and am confident ARS will do that job -- if not I will spill my guts here.

Brad at gunthings was also very helpful and he's who I got my Imbel kit and from whom I got a brand new, bipod cut barrel from. His shipping was also VERY fast and he was a huge help too.

On another note, I bought the AGI video on FN-FAL rifles and found some good information there but also information that I felt was not only outdated by 20 years or more but also might be downright dangerous in places at worst. Sooo I bought a copy of Mark's FN-FAL book and DVD and found it to be not only more comprehensive but also delivered MUCH more professional and safe information for those wanting to get involved with FN-FAL type rifles --- again just my opinion.

If I had any intentions of building 4 or more FAL's - which I don't right now but we all know how that can change!, then the tooling will change I'm sure, I am bummed that the original locking lug gauges are no longer available or like gold if you can find them.

Yes John Browning was dead long before the FAL was ever produced, but there's no doubt his designs and long association with FN did indeed get incorporated with the FAL design.

Art

[edp2k]

Yes John Browning was dead long before the FAL was ever produced, but there's no doubt his designs and long association with FN did indeed get incorporated with the FAL design.
Art

The FAL is a great design, especially for 1946.

That said, lets not see things that are not there.

What specific design elements of the FAL do you claim originated with JMB, exactly?
For example, can you list any JMB patents used in the FAL?

[Petrol & Powder]

The politics that drove some of the NATO decisions, like the M-14, were pretty intense.

The U.S.A. was the alpha-male of the NATO pack and what the U.S. wanted, the U.S. got.

I will not disparage the M-14 (I own a M1A) but I agree the M-14 would never have seen the light of day were it not for the politics driving those NATO decisions. And by the way, the FAL started life chambered in British 280 (7mm) not .308, but the U.S. wanted the NATO standard to be 7.62 x 51 so guess what happened?

The FAL had an interesting place in history and had some interesting history of its own. Of the "Free World" rifles of the cold war era, I preferred the H&K G3 design but the FAL was certainly more widespread. The incredibly wide distribution of the FAL likely contributed to its long service life. It may have even stayed in service a bit too long simply because it was so difficult to replace on a large scale. In any event, it served for a long time and it served well.

When the 5.56 mm became the NATO standard the FN-CAL was introduced but was expensive to produce. The next FN rifle in the line up was the FNC, which was heavily influenced by the AK design. The FNC didn't really catch on. In my opinion the FNC was a fantastic design that deserved a second chance. It used a rotating bolt and lots of stamped steel. It was sort of a Free World AK that was chambered in 5.56; inexpensive but well made.


And there's no dispute that Dieudonne Saive was the primary designer of the FN FAL. Saive had worked with John Browning and undoubtedly was influenced by Browning but Browning was long dead when the FN-49 and FN-FAL were designed.

[one-eyed fat man]

The politics that drove some of the NATO decisions... the FAL started life chambered in British 280 (7mm) not .308, but the U.S. wanted the NATO standard to be 7.62 x 51 so guess what happened?

The Brits tried hard, even going so far as to make a version that was essentially the first 7mm-08. Venezuela adopted the FAL chambered for the 7x49mm “Second Optimum”, also known as 7mm Liviano. Firing a 140 grain bullet at about 2750 fps that pretty much duplicated 7x57 ballistics which they had been using for years. (What a sweet rifle that must have been) So much for the caliber wars...(even though the US hinted if NATO went 7.62, it would adopt the FAL.)

The M14 was the result of a couple of different sets of politics. One factor was Springfield had been lying to Congress and everyone else that the M14 would be cheap and easy to build using a lot of the M1 tooling they already had. Springfield simply could not do it like they claimed. Their problems caused an emergency contract to International Harvester for M1 rifles in 1957 and initial issue of the M14 delayed until 1959. Even then, there were quality control problems. It was TRW in Cleveland that solved both those issues, arguably making the best M14s, and on time and on budget.

The second issue which drove the M14 was Camp Perry. So much so that the MTU at Benning was told they were not to participate in any testing which might make the T48 (US version FAL) or later the AR-15 look good. So much for the Chief of Infantry Branch, bragging rights on the range were more important than combat effectiveness.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

Saive was Browning's assistant, and there is no doubt about their cooperation on what would become the 1935 9mm.pistol. In the beginning it was Saive's idea to have a twin column 1935 magazine, initially opposed by Browning and Colt, who thought that if you had a .45, why did you need to do some extra missing? I don't believe they cooperated formally on any project leading to the gas-operated full-power rifles. But it was a concept which had interested Browning ever since he found that he could cycle a Winchester 7 by a hinged paddle at the muzzle, and it was common knowledge in the war ministries of the world that the full-power automatic military rifle was the thing of the future, once it could be made sufficiently reliable and compact. It is almost certain that they gave it quite a bit of discussion.

Actually the origin of the hump lock may have been the inverted, manually operated version of the 1895 Winchester-Lee, which arguably isn't a bolt action at all. If James Paris Lee hadn't gained his extremely lucrative British cartridge, taking a rather less dvanced design into the jet age, we might have seen an automatic rifle emerging from that. It is one of life's great corrugated ironies that its 6mm. cartridge, with the almost universal change to a lighter spritzer bullet, might with advantage be adopted by almost any power of the present day.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1895_Lee_Navy

I doubt very much if British soldiers switched to Argentine SLRs to replace their own. The British didn't adopt the selective-fire version because they didn't much value that feature, and perhaps less when many of the troops had walked across East Falkland without knowing if they would get more ammunition than they carried. The Argentine troops weren't as bad material or as badly trained as was sometimes thought at the time, although they didn't see much of their field officers at the last. But professional soldiers don't usually want to switch to an unknown person's rifle without compelling reason, which laying down more fire than they could aim at someone was not. A small number of the technically similar but conventionally wood-stocked FN-49 were used by the Argentines as sniper rifles, and I can imagine those being seized upon, especially if they were scoped.

A good friend of mine was involved in troop trials of the FN-49, which didn't result in its adoption by the British. He was full of admiration for its mechanical qualities, and for the real advantage of a semiautomatic rifle, for rabbits on up, of giving you a second shot without betraying noise or movement. But he thought the wood in the forend was so thin that it was hopelessly delicate for modern use. I doubt if it was more accurate as a sniper rifle than the FAL, but the smaller magazine and conventional grip allowed the firer to keep closer to the ground.

Incidentally he was a Cameronian, a regiment with origins in the guardians of illicit field-preachings by the persecuted Presbyterians in the 1680s. So he sometimes had the traditional duty of sentry, carrying his FN-49 to church parade with ball cartridge in case the British army gave any trouble.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

[QUOTE=one-eyed fat man;4381408]The Brits tried hard, even going so far as to make a version that was essentially the first 7mm-08. QUOTE]

Two quite different 7mm. cartridges were developed by the British. The first , most often known as the.276 Enfield, was of about 7mm. Remington Magnum proportions, for the P13 Enfield, but some idiot started a war and the rifle turned into the .303 P14 and .30-06 M1917 American Enfields. It gave some trouble with the powders, bullets and primers of the period, none of them insuperable, but was totally unnecessary for almost all military use.

The other, the 280 British, was actually a little shorter than a 7mm.-08, and that difference was important. They had designed a bullpup rifle, the EM-2, which perhaps in hindsight is often portrayed as without fault or flaw as a versatile infantry weapon. But when America insisted on what would become the 7.62x51 NATO, the EM-2 came up just a little but short of accepting the alteration. It has been said, without proof I know of, that the second Churchill government bargained away the EM-2, previously agreed by their predecessors, in exchange for adoption of the FN FAL by both themselves and the US. The bullpup format and unitary-power optical sight, but almost no mechanical features of the EM-2, resurfaced as the SA80 in the1980s. The SA80's 4.85x49 cartridge was again abandoned in favour of a larger American round, the 5.46mm., but this time the conversion was feasible.

[one-eyed fat man]

[QUOTE=one-eyed fat man;4381408]...the.276 Enfield, ... the 280 British... when America insisted on what would become the 7.62x51 NATO...

It was during the cartridge wars of the Fifties where trying to overcome the American insistence on their T65 cartridge where the British tried several variations of their original .280 British aka 7 mm MK1Z. They set about meeting the American objections by producing more powerful versions of their cartridge, with the support of Belgium and Canada. The first change was to upload the 43 mm case to 2,550 fps with the 140 grain bullet

Colonel Renée Studler, head of the US Small Arms Bureau of Ordnance went on record, stating that, any non-American design was "a waste of time" going so far as to bury reports that suggested the .280 was superior in US testing.

"Despite this setback, Britain, Belgium and Canada combined (in the ‘BBC Committee’) to make one last attempt to develop a new 7 mm round which would be acceptable to NATO. Various lengthened cartridges with such designations as ‘Optimum’, ‘High Velocity’, ‘Compromise’ and ‘Second Optimum’ were developed, mostly with 49 mm cases although the final attempt was simply the 7.62 x 51 necked-down to 7 mm. Muzzle velocities were in the range 2,750-2,800 fps with the 140 grain bullet. However, the Americans still would not be convinced. In any case, the recoil had by this time increased significantly and the balance of the original concept had been lost. At the end of 1953, the BBC Committee reluctantly bowed to American pressure and the 7.62 x 51 was formally adopted as the new NATO cartridge.

The only result of all of this effort was the 7 x 49 Venzuelan aka 7mm Liviano, which saw service in an FN FAL selective-fire rifle which was sold to Venezuela. This cartridge was adopted by Venzuela around 1952, the only country to do so, and then dropped by them in favor of the 7.61 x 52 around 1955.

Now your reference to the much earlier high-velocity .276 Enfield, that came about as a result of the Second Boer War. Boer marksmen equipped with the Mauser Model 1895, in 7×57mm caliber gave not inconsiderable grief to Tommy Atkins and his Long Lee and .303 Ball, Cordite, Mark II.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

Now your reference to the much earlier high-velocity .276 Enfield, that came about as a result of the Second Boer War. Boer marksmen equipped with the Mauser Model 1895, in 7×57mm caliber gave not inconsiderable grief to Tommy Atkins and his Long Lee and .303 Ball, Cordite, Mark II.

The British have always been quite good at saying, in the words of Kipling:

"Let us admit it fairly, as a business people should,
We have had no end of a lesson: it will do us no end of good."

They weren't, of course, the only business people to find that. The ballistic superiority of the 7x57 over the .303, or the superior accuracy of front locking over rear, weren't the lessons that really mattered, though. Kipling was writing in wartime, at a time when the Boers no longer had fixed position, and the British mounted infantry had made a pretty convincing job of learning to be Boers. In firearms technology, their main deficiencies were in inadequate sights, the lack of a charger guide and the choice between carbine and long rifle lengths. The SMLE remedied all of those, with an excellent adjustable rear sight, and the P14 introduced the extreme novelty of a well protected aperture sight, which has carried over into every subsequent American military rifle.

Of course most of the world promptly got into the sort of war in which the resistance to jamming of the Lee-Enfield was priceless, and long-range precision usually wasn't. Late in the Lee system's life the rear sight reverted to a flip-over two-range leaf. That's the way lessons go.

[one-eyed fat man]

The Spaniards top Kettle Hill in Cuba made a considerable impression on a young colonel of volunteers a couple of years before the Boer War. Say what you will, but if the incoming rounds are so plentiful as to inhibit one’s forces from executing maneuver, the enemy has achieved a tactical advantage. The evidence in how the experience affected him is easy to find in his later actions as President. In one conversation with the Chief of Ordnance concerning replacing the Krag, Theodore Roosevelt was quoted as saying, "Why not just buy the Mauser?" Revising the way state militias were equipped "The Efficiency in Militia Act of 1903", also known as the Dick Act, establishing the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice and the National Matches are the main examples. His reputation for valuing a good rifle and rifleman did not end there.

One tradition he started was to write a letter personally congratulating the winner of the President's match.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

That sounds like a tremendously good idea. The winner of the British Queen's Prize doesn't get a letter from the Queen, but a signed photograph isn't bad.

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/shooting-honour-is-the-target-for-the-top-gunners-tradition-holds-sway-at-shootings-grand-old-1486475.html

I think the US did in effect buy the Mauser, for the M1903 is basically just a rather good Mauser, and one in which no major design feature can be traced to the 1898 version. Mauser sued and were awarded $250,000 in royalties. It mightn't be coincidence that that sum was the same as was deliberately contracted by Britain with James Paris Lee.

[justashooter]

the buttplumber (mark grahm) does a reliably good job assembling FAL, but he has a bit of a personality that you have to get used o, adn doesn't know how a glock works, or how to weld up a bren re-build. still, you will get a well built rifle, i'm sure. i have a weakness for the inch guns, myself, having built or owned a dozen or so FAL.

[roysha]

the buttplumber (mark grahm) does a reliably good job assembling FAL, but he has a bit of a personality that you have to get used o, adn doesn't know how a glock works, or how to weld up a bren re-build. still, you will get a well built rifle, i'm sure. i have a weakness for the inch guns, myself, having built or owned a dozen or so FAL.

You sir, deserve the "Understatement of the Month" award.

[GONRA]

GONRA's FAL is a "G series" original semiauto imported in the early 1960's.
Shot zillions of handloads out of it decades ago. Really phun to shoot!

[Multigunner]

I think the US did in effect buy the Mauser, for the M1903 is basically just a rather good Mauser, and one in which no major design feature can be traced to the 1898 version. Mauser sued and were awarded $250,000 in royalties. It mightn't be coincidence that that sum was the same as was deliberately contracted by Britain with James Paris Lee.

The U S Chief of Ordnance arranged with Mausers partners and legal representatives to pay royalties on those features lifted from the Mauser. Front locking lugs were not one of these because Mauser had not invented these.
Bolt actions with front mounted lugs dated to the 1850's with the Greene rifle.
Mauser did not sue over any infringement. He made a claim for back pay at the end of WW1 because the government had cut off payments of royalties during hostilities with Germany because he was an enemy national. He received a bit more than the sum you mention.

Before that the Comptroller of the Treasury had objected to the Chief or Ordnance agreeing to a too generous contract which would have had the USA continuing to pay royalties even after patent protections ran their course.

BTW despite the accuracy and speed of reloading of the Mauser the Spanish lost. The American army surgeons noted that wounds from the 7mm bullets had little stopping power compared to the .30-40 and that wounded Cuban fighters usually recovered without medical intervention.
The Spanish were even more impressed by the Winchester Lee Straightpull rifles carried by the USMC.

[44Blam]

I've got an FN 49 that I like quite a bit. I have about 20 empty cases (I wasn't saving them for a long time) and about 600 rounds (potential new cases). I have cast about 150 or so boolits, so I'm gonna shoot some of those rounds to get some cases and reload them!
Right now, it mangles brass when it is shot with the gas port open. I've got the gp tool, I need to figure out how to set it so it doesn't mangle the brass...

[Geezer in NH]

1980's shredded??? You are at least 10-15 years to early for that the late 80's early 90's was the time of the FAL!!!

You are showing you are a youngster.

[Artful]

1980's shredded??? You are at least 10-15 years to early for that the late 80's early 90's was the time of the FAL!!!

You are showing you are a youngster.

https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/08/us/import-ban-on-assault-rifles-becomes-permanent.html


July 8, 1989

The Bush Senior administration yesterday imposed a permanent import ban on 43 types of semiautomatic assault rifles, including the Chinese-made AK47 and Israeli-made Uzi carbine. Stephen E. Higgins, director of the Treasury Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), said the government had studied 50 types of imported assault rifles and decided that all but seven were not being used for sport as required by the Gun Control Act of 1968. Shipment of the 50 types of weapons had been suspended since March, pending the government review.
...
The 43 types of weapons barred permanently are: AK47, AK47S, AK74, AKS, AKM, AKMS, 84S, ARM, 84S1, 84S3, HK91, HK93, HK94, G3SA. K1, K2, AR100, M14S, MAS223, SIG 550SP, SIG 551SP, SKS with detachable magazine, 86S, 86S7, 87S. Galil, Type 56, Type 56S, Valmet M76, Valmet M78, M76 counter sniper, FAL, L1A1A, SAR 48. AUG, FNC, Uzi carbine, Algimec AGMI, AR180, Australian Automatic Arms SAR, Beretta AR70, Beretta BM59 and CIS SR88. The seven approved for importation: AK22, AP74, Galil-22, M16-22, Unique F11, Erma EM1.22 and Valmet Hunter.

https://www.arizonaresponsesystems.com/smith/smith-fal/smith-fal-922.html



US PARTS RULE, FAL(updated 09-20-2016)
IntroductionThe Republican's 1989 import ban ended the import of certain semiautomatic firearms. BATFE has the authority to create administrative law to implement the Federal ban. In short, BATFE has declared that any firearm that is banned from import, cannot be legally assembled in the United States (except for Government and Law Enforcement Sales) from imported parts. BATFE identified 20 major components, and determined if no more than 10 of these 20 major parts were of foreign manufacture, then the firearm would be considered US made and exempt from the import ban.1989 Import Ban
18 USC Chapter 44 as amended by Public Law 101-647 (enacted 11-29-90) and
27 CFR § 178 as amended 06-25-93.
§ 178.39 Assembly of semiautomatic rifles or shotguns.
(a) No person shall assemble a semiautomatic rifle or any shotgun using more than 10 of the imported parts listed in paragraph (c) of this section if the assembled firearm is prohibited from importation under section 925(d)(3) as not being particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes.

§925(d)(3) includes FN FAL (L1A1) style semiautomatic rifle with folding stock, military style stock with separate pistol grip, threaded muzzle, flash hider, grenade launcher, bayonet lug, or night sights. Note: FN FAL (L1A1) style semiautomatic rifles having a thumbhole style stock without the above features were approved for importation from 1989 to 1994. In 1994 BATFE changed their interpretation to eliminate the exemption for firearms with thumbhole stocks.

Imported Parts(c) For purposes of this section, the term "imported parts" are:
frame, receiver, receiver casting, forging or stamping
barrel
barrel extension
mounting block (trunion)
muzzle attachment
bolt
bolt carrier
operating rod
gas piston
trigger housing
trigger
hammer
sear
disconnector
buttstock
pistol grip
forearms, handguard
magazine body
magazine follower
magazine floorplate
FAL Specific PartsThe FAL does not have all of the parts listed. It has no mounting block, barrel extension, operating rod or disconnector. BATFE considers the FAL cocking handle to be an operating rod. The FAL has only the following potentially "imported parts"
receiver (upper receiver)
barrel
muzzle attachment
bolt
bolt carrier
operating rod (cocking handle)
gas piston
trigger housing (lower receiver)
trigger
hammer
sear
buttstock
pistol grip
handguard
magazine body
magazine follower
magazine floorplate
That is 17 parts - 7 of which must be replaced with US made parts for the finished rifle to have "no more than 10" imported parts from the list. Many of the available US parts are of high quality, while some are not - see the links page for manufacturer contact information and the notes page for product reviews.

[Pioneer2]

I had a FN FAL here in Canada before the repressive gun laws began in the early 80's never did get to use it on deer before it became prohibited.Portuguese AR10's,Iranian G3's and the FAL were $500 surplus.

[one-eyed fat man]

...BTW despite the accuracy and speed of reloading of the Mauser the Spanish lost... General Shafter sent two divisions, 8,412 American troops, against a force of 521 Spanish regulars. The assault took most of the day, and the Americans suffered about five times as many casualties as the Spaniards. If "Machine gun" Parker had not had the foresight to move his detachment of Gatling guns forward the US assault might have been even more costly. As one trooper reported, " The Gatlings just enfiladed the top of those trenches. We’d never have been able to take Kettle Hill if it hadn’t been for Parker’s Gatling guns."

[Geezer in NH]

Bush may have stopped the imports but not what was already here. There were many makers of top ends the big problem was the Williams aluminum one. My early one is still going with over 10K rounds. The latter ones cracked out under 1K. Century had ones, Coonan, Hesse [friends do not let friends build with Hesse]. Days ago Tapco only sold online to individuals till the got owned by corporate buyers. They made to much to quick and took an offer I would not refuse for the company

Some were better than others. Kits were better than others. I liked to use metric kits but add inch parts for the cocking handle, mag release etc. They are truly one of the best I ever owned or mad. Beat the G3 by 100+ miles IMHO

[Multigunner]

General Shafter sent two divisions, 8,412 American troops, against a force of 521 Spanish regulars. The assault took most of the day, and the Americans suffered about five times as many casualties as the Spaniards. If "Machine gun" Parker had not had the foresight to move his detachment of Gatling guns forward the US assault might have been even more costly. As one trooper reported, " The Gatlings just enfiladed the top of those trenches. We’d never have been able to take Kettle Hill if it hadn’t been for Parker’s Gatling guns."

Spanish were dug in like ticks on the high ground with every advantage. No one took positions like that by rifle fire alone. IIRC the Spanish also had a number of Maxim Guns as well as Mausers.
Would you consider the Winchester .44 Caliber lever action muskets to be better than the 7mm Mauser because the Turks gave the Russians a far worse bloody nose at Savastopol?

[Bubba w/a 45/70]

Nicknamed the "Right Arm of The Free World" its a mean rifle. I've never shot one but, have shot a STG 58. Which is a similar rifle. Shame you don't see more of them.

Yes, you have shot an FAL......the 58 is only a model variation.

[Tazman1602]

1980's shredded??? You are at least 10-15 years to early for that the late 80's early 90's was the time of the FAL!!!

You are showing you are a youngster.

No reason to be such a smart aleck pal. I am 60 and no spring chicken.

Art

[Tazman1602]

Mark at ARS did an outstanding job as always. Thought those of you who weren't negative or smart aleck about my original post would like a look.

Art

https://i.imgur.com/ZBiglWp.jpg

[Petrol & Powder]

Awesome !

The Right Arm of the Free World lives on !

[Steppenwolf]

Mine228937 I love the Fal. My favorite battle rifle.

[nicholst55]

I have a FAL built by Mark at ARS. A nice, handy rifle. I had Mark cut the barrel to 18" when he built it. I'd post pix bit I'm about 8,000 miles away from it at the moment.

[Tracy]

Good looking FAL, Tazman.
Mine is IMBEL on IMBEL. And I do shoot cast bullets in it. Powder coated and gas checked Lee 200 grain.

[S.B.]

I owned a Belgium(FN LAR) years back but, had to sell her when Richard Heinie had my handgun ready to ship back to me, sorry deal for me 8(. Best .308 semi auto I ever owned.
Steve

[Tazman1602]

Just picked up an Imbel gear logo receiver so here we go again!

Art


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