What to expect from a FAL

J

Jamie Young

New member
I am thinking about selling my Ruger MKII and my Russian SKS with 1000rds and Getting an FAL. I like the SKS but I can't hit anything at 300yds with it. If I got an FAL in the $600-$800 range what can I expect it to do at 100yds out to 600yds? I'm not looking to get one of the $1500 ones.
With a decent 3-9x scope is hitting a 6ft target at 600yds easy or is it pushing it? Remember I'm talking about an Average FAL not a Match Grade Rifle.
 
with a little tweaking, and a good scope... with the right ammo... and if you do your part... Yeah - you can hit your 600 yard target.
I put two shots within 1/2 inch... almost touching... at 800. Swear on a stack of bibles.

The FAL has a lot of potential... you'll want a tuner to hotrod it for serious performance.
 
I haven't done any serious accuracy work with mine, as far as benching or that kind of thing, and I've mostly shot cheap surplus .308, but I think that you can hit a man size target a 600 yards. I'll need to try and see if I can.

I consistently shot the heck out of a pumpkin this morning at 200 yards, and it was freaking cold out there! :)
 
I have a DSA FN but my buddy I shoot with has a parts gun and at 300 yards (the longest my range goes) he can put 10 inch 10 round groups with surplus ammo, 6 inch with handloads. Not bad for a gun he bought for $550 at a gun show. One more thing to remember is the scope mount, the DSA mount or the Leather Feild are the best I have seen. Do not scrimp on the mount, if you do you will be sorry!
 
I got mine (FAL Carbine 18" bbl) for $575.oo (after the FFL included everything). I was very happy. For the money it was a good buy.

Got it from Wholesale (formerly Burns Bros.)
 
What can you expect?

What you CAN expect is (assuming your FAL is built on an Imbel or newer Enterprise receiver) is a reliable and very non-PC rifle, that ought to be able to hit a human silhouette target every time at 500 yds. w/o a scope, if YOU can do it. It will have very cheap mags (assuming it's on a metric receiver), and well thought out design (gas system, sight adjustment, ergonomics). On the ergonomics, and as a side note, I believe the FAL has as good of ergonomics as the AR-15. Ergos are the only thing ARs have going for them, but that's just icing on the cake with an FAL. Everything can be done while your right hand is still on the pistol grip (even changing mags...you just have to learn how to hit the mag release). Oh, yeah, my FAL doesn't beat up brass at all.

What you CAN'T expect: Match accuracy...especially with a typical $500-$700 parts gun.
 
PC= Politically Correct To me, PC is a bad thing. Earlier this year. I started turning my gun purchases toward more and more non-PC guns. The AK-47 (and variants) and the FAL are blatenty non-PC, and therefore, great purchases.

Ergonomics= How it fits humans. Basically, you don't have to twist into contortions to operate the rifle.
 
Can anyone comment on the accuracy potential for a DS Arms FAL compared to a Century or 'typical' parts gun. I was looking at a custom built gun at the weekend (all DSA parts and $1450) and the fit and finish was way better than the $500 guns on show. Are the DSA guns really worth the money?
 
Well, I put each on my bathroom scale, and the M1A w/synthetic stock weighed in a 10 lbs and the STG-58 (including bipod) weighed in at 9.75 lbs. Neither had a mag inserted. My bathroom scales aren't precision instruments or anything, but I don't think that they're that far off either. Holding them up, they both feel about the same.

As far as DSA guns are concerned, I'm sure they're good guns. I've never shot one, but I'm not crazy about their finish. I know it's one of those "wonder finishes" but it looks like thick spray paint (but it was applied well). Personally, I like the original parkerizing better.

Sorry, that could be misread. DSA's "thick paint" finish was applied very well. I saw no runs or thin spots...it just looked funny to me.

[Edited by Frontsight! on 11-20-2000 at 10:22 PM]
 
My DSA would shoot under 1 MOA regularly with decent ammo, and better with match ammo. It's an early gun (#DS10326) with a standard barrel. Right now, I'm getting it rebarreled with a DSA 16.25" badger barrel. I am expecting good accuracy and a lot easier handling. Since I own a DSA, I can't really consider a Century as a FAL.....
 
OK PEOPLE
Talk to me like I'm stupid
What is a DSA? Is that a Manufacturer of FAL's or is that a design? The thing that I like about the FAL is it doesn't seem as bulky of a rifle when you put a scope on it compared to the M1A. I personally wish the FAL was in
30/06 and not the .308 but I'm looking for a something bigger than .223 that is common and is easy to find parts for. I know thats pretty much the FAL and the M1A. M1A is too damn expensive. What do the FAL mags usually run?
 
DSA=Dave Salvaggio Arms http://www.dsarms.com They are considered the best FAL manufacturers there are, however their prices are on the high side. $1400 on up. Frontsight, I kind of like that thick black look, looks kind of well, you know, mean...
 
DSA is a manufacturer using new receivers and enough U.S. parts to qualify as U.S. Made. They also offer replacement parts and accessories, both U.S. and foreign.
http://www.dsarms.com/

FAL metric magazines can be had for as little as $7.00 each in quantities as small as 10. Inch (British) pattern magazines are less common in the U.S. and a bit higher.

Some of the best FALs are built from parts by 'smiths such as Arizona Response Systems http://www.arizonaresponsesystems.com/
and Arizona Expertarms. http://www.azexarms.com/

A great source of information on the web is The FAL Files. http://fnfal.com/falfiles/
 
Ok I think I'm about 2 steps away from getting an L1A1. I've been told its got all original parts. Is the L1A1 British? How do I know if its got Metric Mags or not?
 
OOPS!

I goofed...the weights I gave included an ARMS #18 scope mount...that's a heavy mount. I'd say that the two rifles are so close is weight that it doesn't matter.


Spda Pop...I don't think that the L1A1s are metric...I think they're inch. The way to tell on a mags:

The front of the metric mag will have just a liitle "beak" for the front lockup...the inch will have a block of steel welded on for the front.


The mag body will go around the mag floorplate on the metrics, whereas the inch mags floorplate will go around the body of the mag.
 
L1A1s should be the inch pattern. I believe it's Aussie, not British, who called their inch FALs something like "SLR".

You can tell inch magazines from metrics by the hook at the top-front that hooks into the front of the magazine well. Inch magazines have a large, square, hook that has been brazed onto the magazine body. Metric magazines have a small, semi-circular, hook that is stamped directly out of the magazine body.
 
Commonwealth SLR

The British and Australians refered to their rifle in the services as the Self Loading Rifle (SLR). Only armourers and storemen used the term L1A1 on the paperwork and most soldiers wouldn't have recognised the term if you quoted it to them. We found it a reliable, if fairly heavy and long weapon. Britain, Canada and Australia co-ordinated their efforts to produce rifles which were, or should have been, interchangable at component level, although the three nations fitted various national preference items to their own weapon. The original metric drawings were all redrawn and retoleranced in the inch system which was still standard British drawing office practice at that time. The opportunity was also taken to make various changes to the FN design to meet Commonwealth requirements. British magazines were made by RSAF Enfield [ED logo], Mettoy [MTY], Rolls Razor [RR], and ROF Fazackerly [F60 typically]
 
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