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Is the FAL really any good?

308Lover

308Lover

Operator
Founding Member
I saw this piece on the Armory Life https://www.thearmorylife.com/m14-battles-the-fal/ and liked it, but I've always wondered why people get so excited about the FAL. I had a friend with one that he let me shoot, and he tore it down for me, and I could not believe how many parts were in it. Seriously, it seemed like it had 150 parts to it. It shot fine, but it really seems over complicated to me. Are they cool? Yeah. Would I buy one for a good price? Probably. But I have to admit I like an M1A or a .308 AR a lot better. Is there something I'm missing?
 
I think I remember reading something about the Israelis having some trouble with their FALs in the desert (which led to them developing and adopting the GALIL, based off the admittedly loose and sloppy AK). I suspect the FAL is a well made gun (and it certainly was adopted a lot everywhere), but it might be a little too tightly made and not forgiving of really nasty environments. I've never shot one myself, though...
 
The FAL is a great rifle, but because of its size and the amount of variability in its gas settings, is not a great fit for a conscript army, or a motorized army owing to its size. Add in the sand and reliability issues the heavy barreled "squad automatic rifle" version experienced and and it was a bad fit for the IDF. However if you look at its service life in Syria, Libya, Africa and central/south America it's hard to say it was anything other than a successful rifle and a great one in the right hands. Those hands just need to be trained to not play with the gas settings when bored and to actually clean their rifles.

Between the big 3 "full size battle rifles as assault rifle" contenders, my personal take on the FAL is a solid 2nd place behind the G3. But realistically it's just which one does a bad idea the best. With that in mind, a lot comes down to personal preference. I think for the civilian shooter using it on the range and the hunt, that list gets completely flipped, with the M14 being tops, the FAL being the next easiest to shoot well in multiple roles followed by the G3.
 
For simplicity, I think the FAL is hard to beat. Tilt locking bolt/carrier, rat tail operating spring. Piston driven carrier. The earliest FALs were prone to jamming from sand.(allegedly)around early 50s iirc.This was alleviated by simply making sand cuts in the bolt carrier to give the sand somewhere to go. Becomes self cleaning. When fired it would simply eject the garbage.
The M14, while as beautiful as it is ,has a rotating bolt and an operating rod which must be minded carefully during field strip. Old models and poorly fit ones have been known to break . Something about a square cut step and poor heat treating. Radiusing the cut and breaking the sharp edges has alleviated that issue.The open top receiver would/ could possibly ingest dirt/sand into bolthead raceway preventing the bolt from locking into battery. This could in turn result in failure to fire or worse firing out of battery.
HKs G3 is notorious for damaging cases and stripping case rims off leaving an empty case seized in the chamber. So common that they actually designed a tool for removal.
When you consider that many uncivilized countries arm their militias with the FAL and AK , it's hard to argue that it isn't the simpler more robust firearm. The adjustable gas system, not really a weakness. There's no telling the quality or vintage of the ammo the third world countries receive, they are made to eat it all with a simple toolless adjustment. Please don't talk poorly of the weapon that is second only to the AK for simplicity and reliability.
 
FAL is an excellent rifle. Its served well in countless conflicts the world over and earned its name “the right arm of the free world” for a reason. I prefer the FAL and AR-10 over other battle rifles, including the G3.
The FAL is often overlooked and underrated in todays market. But when you run one side by side with other battle rifles you’ll see how fun they are.
 
308Lover said:
Well, that's it, I guess I'm going to have to buy one now! Anybody want to donate to the cause :) Man those things are expensive!
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Are you buying a vintage FN rifle, or modern DSArms? I contacted FN a while back and they recommended I go with DS Arms if I couldn’t fork out vintage prices. They told me that DS bought a lot of the old tooling from them and had it down to a science. I believe it with the models Ive shot. Get some pics! 😍
 
Not sure yet. An original would be way too expensive (agreed). I'd really like to find an original SAR48 from Springfield Armory. I think they were from Brazil (Imbel guns) and were A LOT cheaper than an FN one....
 
I almost bought an SAR-4800 at a gun show a few years back, but I just hated the thumbhole stock on it. I guess the SAR-48 was the original one with the normal stock, and the 4800 was the "post-ban" with a thumbhole. I did not want to have to get into all that 922R parts business to put an original stock back on it so I just just let it go by. If I find an SAR-48 for a good price though, I'll definitely buy it.
 
308Lover said:
Not sure yet. An original would be way too expensive (agreed). I'd really like to find an original SAR48 from Springfield Armory. I think they were from Brazil (Imbel guns) and were A LOT cheaper than an FN one....
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Then Id look at the SA58. Theyre still not cheap, but they have a lot of different models to choose from. The hard part is finding one in stock.
Heres one I was looking at prior to picking up my Colt CM762.

DSA FAL SA58 Range Ready Carbine SALE -FAL RIFLE - AtlanticFirearms.com

DSA FAL SA58 Range Ready Carbine SA5818C-RRC-A. Semi automatic 7.62 X 51mm NATO chambered tactical carbine.
www.atlanticfirearms.com www.atlanticfirearms.com
 
I am an M1A and AR10 fan but recently I have bought two FALs. They are both LMT early receivers from DSA. Fit and finish is great and the rifles are growing on me, fast. I have not had my M1A out since and my AR-10 is a long range gun which the FAL is not. Look for a DS prefix for an LMT receiver.
 
I missed this thread somehow.

i am a FAL nut.

it ia not an AR-15 - or AR-10 stand in. Both came well after the original FAL.
A FAL is heavy, relentless in its ability to chew thru muck, dirt and sloppy ammo. I have run mine thru hell chasing hogs in every weather and muck after a duck hunt.
My AR-15’s are excellent. My Saint victor .308 is excellent. Both do not bode well after a wet , mucky duck hunt. My FAL’s shine. Simply to clean as easy as an AR-15.
Besides its weight, - its heavy- they excel as battle rifles.
I have 3:
SA 58
Imbel FAL
L1A1
Rifles have some other parts just due to nature of the imports/parts.

2 more are in the build stage with 1 being a paratrooper model
7E3B777D-6EAB-45C8-94A2-0C2F1897C06D.jpeg
5D90955C-F43B-452B-AB4E-AC8668C3D715.jpeg
 
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I would like to hear from anyone who has a FAL Beta mag (100 round), and has actually been able to use it, without malfunction. I have a DSA FAL that was purchased new, and has never been fired. I purchased a Beta mag for it, in the appropriate size, (metric vs. inch). Said mag obviously fits the rifle, but was quite difficult to load. 4 years ago, when the mag was purchased for around $500, the fully loaded mag, when inserted into the rifle with an open bolt, would not allow the bolt to travel forward into battery. Today, after letting the mag sit fully loaded for 4 years, the mag, when inserted into the rifle with the bolt locked back, WILL feed one round, but the bolt is then nearly impossible to open manually. Yes, I have NOT actually tried to fire the rifle in the above condition, and yes, the energy created by a discharging round may overcome the "friction" exerted by the beta mag spring tension. I am just wondering if this is "normal" or not. I did speak with the Beta Mag company 4 years ago, and they said that they could "adjust" the spring tension, but I would be responsible for shipping costs, both ways, and they expected said processes to take over four weeks. Obviously, I am hesitant of paying shipping costs and waiting for over four weeks inorder to repair a mag that I bought directly from their company for just over $500. Can anyone give be some advice and/or real world experience?
 
FlatEarthFred said:
I think I remember reading something about the Israelis having some trouble with their FALs in the desert (which led to them developing and adopting the GALIL, based off the admittedly loose and sloppy AK). I suspect the FAL is a well made gun (and it certainly was adopted a lot everywhere), but it might be a little too tightly made and not forgiving of really nasty environments. I've never shot one myself, though...
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"Sand cut bolts", bolts (bolt carriers) with angled "cuts" milled into them, were implemented to fix that issue, btw.
 

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Sheepdog said:
I would like to hear from anyone who has a FAL Beta mag (100 round), and has actually been able to use it, without malfunction. I have a DSA FAL that was purchased new, and has never been fired. I purchased a Beta mag for it, in the appropriate size, (metric vs. inch). Said mag obviously fits the rifle, but was quite difficult to load. 4 years ago, when the mag was purchased for around $500, the fully loaded mag, when inserted into the rifle with an open bolt, would not allow the bolt to travel forward into battery. Today, after letting the mag sit fully loaded for 4 years, the mag, when inserted into the rifle with the bolt locked back, WILL feed one round, but the bolt is then nearly impossible to open manually. Yes, I have NOT actually tried to fire the rifle in the above condition, and yes, the energy created by a discharging round may overcome the "friction" exerted by the beta mag spring tension. I am just wondering if this is "normal" or not. I did speak with the Beta Mag company 4 years ago, and they said that they could "adjust" the spring tension, but I would be responsible for shipping costs, both ways, and they expected said processes to take over four weeks. Obviously, I am hesitant of paying shipping costs and waiting for over four weeks inorder to repair a mag that I bought directly from their company for just over $500. Can anyone give be some advice and/or real world experience?
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I have never used any modified after market mags as FAL’s are finicky for anything but standard FAL mags.

i run the 30 round mags for extra ammo.
I have never in 20 yrs heard of any Beta Mag or other working well. The beta was prone to problems

i run 5 FAL’s and only use the 75 million factory standard mags produced for it
 
KillerFord1977 said:
I missed this thread somehow.

i am a FAL nut.

it ia not an AR-15 - or AR-10 stand in. Both came well after the original FAL.
A FAL is heavy, relentless in its ability to chew thru muck, dirt and sloppy ammo. I have run mine thru hell chasing hogs in every weather and muck after a duck hunt.
My AR-15’s are excellent. My Saint victor .308 is excellent. Both do not bode well after a wet , mucky duck hunt. My FAL’s shine. Simply to clean as easy as an AR-15.
Besides its weight, - its heavy- they excel as battle rifles.
I have 3:
SA 58
Imbel FAL
L1A1
Rifles have some other parts just due to nature of the imports/parts.

2 more are in the build stage with 1 being a paratrooper model
View attachment 14326View attachment 14327
Click to expand...
You hunt ducks with a .308 rifle......🤯

Damn how big are the ducks in you're area....😂🤣

Beautiful rifles you have there.
 
Funwithfuel said:
For simplicity, I think the FAL is hard to beat. Tilt locking bolt/carrier, rat tail operating spring. Piston driven carrier. The earliest FALs were prone to jamming from sand.(allegedly)around early 50s iirc.This was alleviated by simply making sand cuts in the bolt carrier to give the sand somewhere to go. Becomes self cleaning. When fired it would simply eject the garbage.
The M14, while as beautiful as it is ,has a rotating bolt and an operating rod which must be minded carefully during field strip. Old models and poorly fit ones have been known to break . Something about a square cut step and poor heat treating. Radiusing the cut and breaking the sharp edges has alleviated that issue.The open top receiver would/ could possibly ingest dirt/sand into bolthead raceway preventing the bolt from locking into battery. This could in turn result in failure to fire or worse firing out of battery.
HKs G3 is notorious for damaging cases and stripping case rims off leaving an empty case seized in the chamber. So common that they actually designed a tool for removal.
When you consider that many uncivilized countries arm their militias with the FAL and AK , it's hard to argue that it isn't the simpler more robust firearm. The adjustable gas system, not really a weakness. There's no telling the quality or vintage of the ammo the third world countries receive, they are made to eat it all with a simple toolless adjustment. Please don't talk poorly of the weapon that is second only to the AK for simplicity and reliability.
Click to expand...
Sand cut bolt pic.
308Lover said:
I saw this piece on the Armory Life https://www.thearmorylife.com/m14-battles-the-fal/ and liked it, but I've always wondered why people get so excited about the FAL. I had a friend with one that he let me shoot, and he tore it down for me, and I could not believe how many parts were in it. Seriously, it seemed like it had 150 parts to it. It shot fine, but it really seems over complicated to me. Are they cool? Yeah. Would I buy one for a good price? Probably. But I have to admit I like an M1A or a .308 AR a lot better. Is there something I'm missing?
Click to expand...
1st, I am confused about why you did not detail/explain how a FAL is "field stripped", and how it is easily the simplest rifle to "open up" to remove the bolt/bolt carrier and access it's internals. A lever on the upper rear of the "upper receiver", just like the lever that opens an over/under and/or a side by side shotgun, is all that is needed to "open" the FAL, (pivoting open like an AR). The bolt/bolt carrier can then simply be pulled out by the attached hinged rod that serves as the contact point with the recoil spring housed in the butt stock, (Think the hammer stirrup on a 1911 pistol). The "internals" of the rifle are thus exposed for cleaning. No tools are required for this process.
2nd, after building a "80%" AR, I see no difference in the "number of parts" contained in either rifle, nor do I see any significant difference in the tools and process required to completely disassemble either rifle. Actually, the AR/Stoner rifle contains more spring detent parts, which are far more complex/cumbersome to assemble/disassemble, BTW.
3rd, admittedly I have NO experience field stripping/disassembling other semi automatic .308 mag fed rifles, but if anyone can detail how any of them are easier to field strip, disassemble, and have less parts than a FAL, I would like to be educated.
 

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