The FAL Files - Videos and Rambles...

Well, at long last I bothered my bones to get this done and done it is.

First off here's the video of the history and story of the fabled FN FAL.



This example is a DS Arms with the forged lower receiver, a 21" barrel and made in the USA!



What's it like to try and own one of these? How difficult is it to source? Who makes it?

Let's find out!

 

Taking it down is next, a bit tricky and fiddly on the gas plug, but once that's mastered the gas piston comes on out for cleaning...

 

Here's one I reviewed many many moons earlier...

 

It's time to show off the scope mount and the low-down talk on it!

 

Great vids and good info all around! The Right Arm of the Free World, kinda says it all! I sure do love my FAL's and being a M-1A guy, that says something! IF I ever had to choose just one rifle, it would grudgingly be my FAL!

 

Well said that man, the M1As main buzz for me are the excellent iron sights it has. Even a shade more dedicated than the FAL's tangent sights. I think M1A sights go up to 800 yards?!

 

Having used pretty much every modern battle rifle made, in combat ( and worth carrying) I can say it really comes down to a few simple things in favor of the FAL. 1) Simplicity, the easiest rifle to service in the field. 2) Reliability, less failures of any kind while Down Range. 3) serviceable battle sights, simple enough and reliable enough as long as the hinge joint remains tight enough! 4) Adjustable gas system. Able to use any "pick up" ammo likely to be found. 5) ergos make it a natural fit for most shooters to be able to pick up and use effectively with out much if any training with this platform, and to be instinctively user friendly so that the controls can be manipulated with out thinking or having to look at/for them!
Down sides, barrels that heat up fast and with certain for arms, this can be a serious problem. Rear sight that tends to loosen up and shift zero. Hinge pin tends to loosen up through use and zero will shift.

I always compare the M-1 Garand against any fighting rifle, and most are found wanting. both the FAL and the M-1A are about as close as one can get with out a bunch of custom work ( which both my FAL and M-1A have) because I require the very best from my fighting rifles, and that includes my Garand!!!

 

I have often wonder why no one has moved the rear sight onto the upper to avoid the loosening problem?

It is what 1/2 inch forward? Don't have one mind you so don't know but?

With that scope mount couldn't you set up a rear sight on the very back of it?

Anyone seen the new Century Arms H&K clone? Already has a set of rails on it...

just some thoughts...

 

My latest and most trick FAL has a Machined out rear lower and it has a AR-10 A2 national match rear sight installed. It takes the rear sight issues out of the equation and improves the sight system remarkably. I also drill my front take down pivots out and insert hardened tool steel bushings and pin halves, which cures the slop! The take down pin trick can be employed on the AR platform as well, and it does help a lot, but a tension pin is needed at the rear, I came up with a quick twist lock pin that does this on the AR with out a need for tools.

 

So I take it this issue has been addressed? If by no one else... you...

would like to know more Sir.

 

Actually, DS Arms sells a "Converted" lower receiver that has the AR sight conversion, and RTG parts sells a adapter to fit an HK Diopter Sight in the factory original position. The problem I have with the DS Arms lower is the AR sight is for an AR-15 and not matched to the .308 win chambering, so I did my own after searching high and low for the correct sight. For the Pivot joint between the upper and lower, I have seen a number of folks put bronze bushings in the upper ( thicker material) and then use hardend pin halves, I went further and used tool steel staked and lock tighted into the upper and the lower has tool steel hat bushings welded in place. This makes the joint rock solid and further keeps the two halves aligned better, you don't get mechanical sight walk any more. This is the same problem the AR type system has, just not as bad because the sights are both on on the top half of the rifle. This FAL was built from an unfinished receiver about 50% finished, and this allowed me to "Blue Print" the rifle With every thing indexing off the firing pin hole. Lotsa work, but I now have a battle rifle that shoots 1400 meters all day long if I do my part.

 

Love those HB Israeli FAL's. Kind of ugly, but man did they shoot!

 

You and me both Bro! I built one on an imbel receiver back in the early 90's. One of my ever favorite rifles and the closest I figure I'll ever get to owning a BAR

 

Mark Powell as I recall. They were there but I don't think he had the buying power or experience to scoop them up. I liked him and swapped lots of BS with him before his passing but he could get too excited too early. In a similar vein all the pontificating, public talk and speculation about the eventual disposition of the ex-ADF stocks of L1A1s here (28K of them) was one of he main reasons the whole deal got shot down.

I have owned L1A1s, M14s, M1As and shot my share of FALs, G3s and H&K91s. I would still come back to the SLR/FAL every single time for a fighting rifle or the M14 if I wanted to play at punching holes in targets. Though I saw M14s/M1As regularly out shot here by skilled men with SLRs.