Scope a FAL or G3

[marsbars]

There is a FAL/G3 at the local gun shop that has a good price on it and I was wondereing if there was a way to attach a scope mount to it. I am in the market for a hunting caliber rifle but also want a battle style rifle to add to my collection. This would suit my purposes as I was planning to go with a 308 anyway. If this helps this is what the rifle looks like as I am not completely sure what it really is.

http://www.dsarms.com/SA58Rifles/SA58A_STG58_Austrian_FAL.htm

 

[Zak Smith]

The "G3" and the "FAL" are two completely different rifle designs.

"G3" strictly refers to HK's old .308 battle rifle, the semi-auto version of which was called the HK91, if I remember correctly. The G3/91 uses some sort of roller locking recoil system. The Spanish CETME-style rifles are a close relative to the G3/HK91.

As for the FAL, there are generally more of these available, for a cheaper price these days. Various versions of these are known at the STG-58, L1A1, etc. See http://www.fnfal.com for lots of FAL information. These use a gas-piston to unlock the bolt, which locks closed with a falling locking shoulder.

The picture you referred to is a FAL-type rifle. Yes, there are various mounts available for this gun. The general concensus is that the DSA mount is the best one out there. I have one on my full-length FAL and it is very sturdy. It replaces the bolt dust-cover and clamps tightly to the receiver. It can be removed and replaced without the zero changing noticably.

If you are going to use this for hunting, be aware that a full-size FAL with scope mount and scope is going to be quite heavy. Mine is around 13 lbs, loaded. Also consider that you can generally only expect combat accuracy from these rifles. These are not free-floated barrels, since the handguards bolt to it, and thus the "stock" bipod is useless.

HTH.

-z

 

[Dave Finfrock]

The HK91 is a roller-delayed blowback. It's not a locked breech system. At least not in the strictest sense of the term.

HKs have a variety of options for scope mounts. Unfortunately, none are cheap and some very hard to come by. Most likely, you're looking at the HK mount itself or the ARMS knockoff. Both sit high and you'll have to buy a new stock with a cheekpiece for a proper cheekweld. Of those two, I'd prefer the HK despite it's painful price. ARMS advertises a return to zero, but I've had experience with three different ARMS mounts and it ain't so. The ASRM (no, not a typo) systems were best of all, but no longer available. If you can find the weaver base one, grab it. The Warne base mount is good, but you're stuck with using Warne rings.

The HK's barrel has no interface with it's bipod. It's not really free floated, but HK accuracy is usually very good. The limiting factor is the gun's traditionally horrid trigger pull. Figure a Williams trigger job or a PSG1 trigger mechanism as a must have.

Lastly, a full up HK91 weighs a ton. Even stripped bare, you're looking at about 9 1/2 lbs. With scope, mount, MSG90 stock, and a full magazine...about 12 1/2 lbs. Add the heavy forend and light bipod and you've got another 2 lbs.

I like my SR9T (HK91 variant) a great deal. It's perfectly reliable, very accurate, and just plain fun to shoot. It's no fun to carry around though. It'd probably be a good stand hunting rifle, but I've got much more appropriate guns for that, at a fraction of the cost.