Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire hey Bristoe - FAL's

Well, since starting the thread 4 years ago, I got over my FAL interest

It would be kinda neat to have a really good one, or one of the genuine Belgian FN FAL's, but it wouldn't be an insignificant investment. And if I was lucky it would shoot almost as well as my AR's

This old smoked up parts bin special,...

Well, since starting the thread 4 years ago, I got over my FAL interest

What's the overall length of the rifle in the picture?

Are they made with different length barrels?

I tried google but couldn't tell for sure from what I read.

Thanks a lot, Amigo.

Now you got ME interested.

I don't own an AR.

If I go with an AR I'll never live it down.

Sounds too long for a pickup rifle. I got the cataract off my right eye last week and I could use an aperture sight again, and I like that in a pickup rifle.

My Marlin 444 still has the open sights, so I may just take the scope off it and haul it around.

But damn it's heavy.

I've give Ed too much hell over plastic rifles and skinny bullets. If I go with an AR I'll never live it down.

But one chambered for 308 might not be a bad deal.

What's the overall length on those?

Yeah,...most of it is easy,....but that little spring on the magazine catch goes shootin' off into eternity about 3 out of 5 times.

I'd rather screw a barrel on than have to mess with that spring.

The lighter of my two AR10's is a touch over 40", with the adjustable stock at a normal shooting position. That's with an 18" barrel and a fairly long Vortex flash hider. You could save another 2-3 inches with a 16" barrel and standard flash hider. But it will be loud, and heavy (~10 lbs empty)

Mine does shoot decently, even on a windy day:



For a shorter, lighter gun, you may well want an AR in either .223, or .300 Blackout, which is sort of a .30 carbine on steroids

I'm gonna have to drag a FAL out to the range again one o'these days.

Mine are settin' in there accumulating cobwebs.

I took one out to the range about 3 or 4 years ago and somebody had hung a 12" square steel plate gong out at the 300 yard line.

All these old boys were sittin' there with their bolt rifles,...checking the wind,...doin' this or that. Every now and then somebody would touch off a round and hit the gong.

I sat down with an old FAL that I had mounted a 3-9X40 Nikon Monarch on and proceeded to put a 20 round mag on the gong in about a minute or maybe a little bit less.

Everybody there kinda acted like they had the redass at me after that.

Sorry,...didn't see your question, but fortunately somebody else did.

FAL's are great for what they are. They're a big, heavy, durable, easily maintained battle instrument. But they're lumps,...about 9.5 lbs. is typical.

If I needed a rifle to keep from getting my ass shot off, a FAL would be high on the list, but I'd be hard pressed to want to haul one around for any type of long range recreational activity.

On the other hand, this old boy I used to chat with up in Alaska screwed a .358 Winchester barrel on his and he says that it's a good tool for the big bear country.

I'd say that 20 rounds of 220 grain bullets at 2600 fps ought to be enough. It seems to work for him.

If you can get a barrel turned for one in .358, everything else is already there. The actions and the magazines just go along like they're eatin' .308.

Here's his bear. He says the situation made him a bit tense, but the .358 FAL took care of it well enough. A dependable semi auto and a 20 round mag of .358 is a pretty good dangerous game tool.