Still struggling with my FAL

D

Dave AA

New member
It misfires about every 3-4 rounds, the primer strike doesn't look any different than the others. ammo is just cheap surplus stuff from Chile, but every 3-4 rounds? It also jams if I set the gas regulator at anything over 2. Also, I can't get the front sight to change. no matter how I turn it, it stays shooting low. It's marked "0 5 10 15"
around the base of the front post. Any FAL guys out there?
 
Several people have found the Cavim ammo not so good. You might try some British Nato, the Radway Green. I've shot about 1200 rounds of it with no problems. Also take out the gas piston spring and check to make sure the piston is not bent and binding in the gas tube. As far as shooting low, what kind of gun do you have? Barrel length, etc... I have a DSA 16.25" barrel carbine and had to get the taller Israeli rear site because mine still shot 4" low at 25 yards with the front site post screwed all the way down and the rear site at the 300 meter. setting. I forget exactly what the numbers on the front site mean, but it is calibrated so that each "click" equals 1 centimeter (that's approximately 3/8") at 100 meters. The standard front and rear sites are designed for a site radius of 21.5"
 
CAVIM is actually Venezuelan ammo, not Chilean (the 'V' is for Venezuela), and it works just fine in every FAL I've ever tried it in which is more than just a couple. It sounds like Dave has a bad batch of ammo. I'd buy some commercial .308 off the shelf to verify the function of your firearm before getting too upset.

Many FAL experts hang out on The FAL Files: http://www.fnfal.com/falfiles/index.html. I'm sure you'll get the answers to your questions in the forums there. You might also check out the FAL manual they have there in PDF format as it describes how to find the optimum gas regulator setting for your rifle and ammo combination.

[This message has been edited by pbash (edited October 27, 1999).]
 
Might be the problem of a worn gas system. Too much clearance between the gas piston and the id of the gas block, allowing lots of gas to escape without doing any work. Either an oversized gas piston or a new gas block could solve this, but only a decent FAL smith could say for sure (or replace the gas block for that matter). I've heard similar complaints with CAI (CIA?) assembled kit guns at the FAL files.

I had some ammo related problems with my FAL this weekend, also. Mainly it was with Radway Green, headstamped "89" and "90". Some would eject normally and vigorously, about 8 feet away. The other would sort of fall out of the ejection port like an AR-15. I didn't get which was which because it was the last magazine of the day and I was letting an acquantance empty it.
 
Like the other posters stated, it sounds like a gas system problem. As for the sight problem; if this is a kit gun or Century (or Centurion) weapon, you may have a mxing of metric upper with an inch lower. These units had different sight setups. Metric had one height and inch pattern had a different sight setup and height. So you may have a mixing of inch/metric sights.
 
It's a Century Arms STG-58 on an Imbel reciever. the lower is metric, I think. It accepts the magazines with the rectangular slot, not the half-moon. it has a 20.8" barrel. the gas piston and spring look fine, and I had a gunsmith who specializes in gas operated rifles look at it, and he said it was fine. ???????
 
If the gas system is truly ok, as your friend thinks it is, then buy a box of commercial ammo and try that in order to rule out "bad" ammo.

If that doesn't make a difference, then the headspacing may be off. Or it could be the bolt assembly not sliding into battery correctly.

As for the sighting problem, I think you do have mixed metric/inch problems as someone mentioned above.

Good luck.



[This message has been edited by Duncan (edited October 27, 1999).]
 
If your lower/gripframe is inch pattern, it should have a strap of metal along the forward edge of the pistol grip and the triggerguard should hook into this. The pistol grip should attach with a screw going up through the forward edge of the pistol grip (under that metal strap) and into the gripframe. The part of the selector lever that you thumb should be rectangular, not round. The inch mag release is wide affair that is the same width as the mag well.

Metric pistol grips slide over a post that protrudes from the bottom of the gripframe and are secured with a nut. The selector lever is rounded. The mag release is very narrow and located toward the right side of the mag well.

You wrote about the magwell being cut with the "rectangular," not halfmoon, slot at the front of the opening and was made by Imbel. This is kind of strange, because Imbels should be metric pattern and the rectangular cut is inch style. If your mag's forward hook is brazed on (inch) and not stamped out of the mag body (metric), you have an inch cut receiver. If the brazed on mags will not fit, you have a metric receiver. Metric mags will fit in inch pattern rifles (but will be a bit sloppy), but the reverse is not true.
 
Ahhh...so. I have an Inch lower and metric upper. how do I solve this? I am not pleased with the store that sold me this. The Gun Store on E.Tropicana, Las Vegas. seems I got robbed. too bad, I used to do alot of business there. The mag release is about 1/4" wide. The reciever is marked IMBEL

[This message has been edited by Dave AA (edited October 28, 1999).]
 
Other than the sight problem, with which I have no experience, the two configurations should work together.

To get matching metric parts, you could buy a complete metric gripframe from one of the many FAL parts dealers. Maybe even an entire STG-58 parts kit.

Question: does your gas block have open ears or closed ears for the front sight? If they used an inch barrel and inch lower, the sights should be fine.

Last thought: the barrel may not be mounted properly, as in a few degrees off top dead center. This would obviously screw up the sights and would probably cause the gas piston to bind. Again, a competent FAL smith should be consulted, you might try Mike@MSC. He's primarily an AK smith, but does a lot of work with FALs and HK-91s. His web page is:

http://mike.kalashnikov.guns.ru/page.html

Arizona Response Systems is also quite good, but pretty expensive. You could also do it yourself with Gunplumber's workbook, also at ARS's site:

http://www.arizonaresponsesystems.com/
 
Dave AA;
I recommend you throw the ammo from Chile as far as you can.We had a round split from base to neck,pushed the mag out the bottom and ruined it.Lucky the FN is a strong weapon and suffered no damage.I would try new ammo first and if the gun acts the same check headspace.It allso sounds like you might have a gas problem.The L1A1 uses a different system then the STG 58 but the problem could be the same,the fit between the gas piston and gas tube.I just had that problem with one of mine and the change of gas tube repaired it.The other thing that can help is to check the diameter of the port into the barrel.There where some diameter changes over the years for better function.You can go through the top of the gas system without disasembeling anything.You can drill them out the same way.The gas hole should measure .113.The old ones measured about .96.The .113 diameter hole will dring you gas adustment up to about 5 which is the ideal.On the Fn site mentioned above go to AZ response systems and they have a gunsmithing page for the FN.The other good info source is is American Gunsmithing Instutute vidio on the FN.These guns are easy to work on once you learn the system and make very fine shooters.
Good Luck
Bob
 
Open ears, I believe. I'm just disgusted that this rifle needs this much work right out of the store. after spending that much money, you think I wouldn't have to buy a complete new gun sans reciever. I think I'm going to shelve it and take action against the store. I don't have the funds to throw new parts at it until it works.
 
I, too, have heard that the Chilean 7.62 NATO load is wildly inconsistant. You might try some Radway Green ammo, late eighties or early nineties, but keep it all from the same batch if you can.

Getting the barrel reinstalled, indexed, and headspaced shouldn't cost you any more than $100. Mine only cost $60.
 
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