...saw a Century arms FAL today for $764, with bipod mounted on the front. Pretty reasonable price, it seems - they any good?

If it were to not shoot well, are there folks that sell upgraded barrels for them?

Always did like the looks of an FAL.

Century FAL's are hit or miss and they're a tough sell if you ever want to get rid of it.

I highly recommend going up in price a couple hundred dollars and buying an Imbel FAL from DSA.

It's built on a DSA receiver (milled from forged steel) and will be done right.

http://www.dsarms.com/Imbel-FAL-Sta...el-Barrel---IMBEL58/productinfo/IMBEL58/

I'd say STG-58 kit from DSA. Spend the money for the trigger upgrade (I think it's a Williams trigger job.

Yeah,..the STG's are good rifles.

All of mine are mutts with FN or Steyr lowers, and either DSA or Imbel uppers. All of them have Imbel barrels simply because they're excellent pieces of work for what they were going for back when I was playing with FAL's.

Also, the Brazilians mostly trained with blanks, so the vast majority of Imbel barrels had bores that looked new.

This is my favorite that I built. I hand selected the components to cosmetically compliment each other from my once fairly vast stash. The gas system was more or less blueprinted by picking components that fit together to form a good seal.

The bolt and carrier are belgian FN from a G1,.. the barrel a chrome lined Imbel and the lower was a new old stock Steyr that I bought still wrapped up in it's wax paper and coated with cosmoline. The upper is a forged gear logo Imbel. (from back when they were still available)

Mine is a Century reciever with all Australian parts,inch size. Function and accuracy is excellant. Wanted one of the Springfields but can't come up with the price. I'm perfectly happy with the Century.

Bristoe is giving you good advice, the Imbel FAL's from DSA can be had for a flat grand and if you ask me, they're not charging what they're worth. Those Imbel FAL's are far better rifles than ANY AR-10 and I like the FAL much better than the M14/M1A. The FAL tends to be a little more reliable than most M14's and if you're comparing rack grade to rack grade, FAL's are typically more accurate than the M14/M14 (again, specifically rack grade - Once you get to NM, the M1A becomes more accurate).

There's a reason the rest of the free world went with the FAL; it's a superior rifle. They really balance well, and they handle recoil much better than an M14 or G3. Parts are cheap and readily available and mags are cheap as well. If you want a miliary style .308, you really can't do better than the FAL. And at 1k for the DSA Imbel, you're getting a top quality FAL that will be a better rifle than an M1A that would cost WAY more; how can you beat that?

Interesting stuff. I will have to look into them some more, after I put a few more projects to bed. One of which is an AR10, FWIW

here's an all imbel para.
go to www.falfiles.com and you will find out all you need to know about fal's there.
this will be with me to the end, fits me perfectly, runs 100 percent, and is accurate, be it clay pigeons at just feet away, as well as steel out to far distances.





and some collectables.
can anyone put a name to them ?

The top is an Aussie Poyer.

Also,..considering the cost of components today, you'd have to be a very savvy shopper to build a FAL like DSA is offering for $1000.

By the time you pay shipping and a transfer fee, the DSA receiver alone will set you back about $450. If you can find a chrome lined Imbel barrel, it's going to be $150. A good stripped lower will be another $100. The furniture, the little stuff, and the parts necessary to make it 922R compliant will round out to at *least* another $300.

Essentially, DSA is selling those Imbel FAL's for the price of their components.

Another reason to buy from DSA is, like all guns, sometimes a parts (or even maybe a new)FAL will have an issue or two. If you buy from DSA, they will stand behind it.

Splattermatic - Can't see real detail, but it looks like the other two are a standard 50.00 and a 50.62 folder.

bristoe is correct on the poyer.
the middle 50.00 model is a rogak import, and the bottom is a fn 50.63 para.

I had a 50/50 between the 50.62 & 50.63...I guess I'm off my game; that barrel just looked longer to me. Regardless, some nice rifles there.

yep, slowly an FAL is crawling onto my bucket list, I think

I've got a Polytech M1A copy, which came cheaply some years ago, it's reliable so far, but not terribly accurate. I've not tried tuning it, and I've figured out many smiths don't want to work on them, I guess due to soft action parts.

So what will it cost to get into a decent FAL these days.?

Still recommending DSA.?

DSA are pretty much the standard by which all other commercial FAL's are judged against.

I've been out of the game so long that I don't know what they're selling for.

That one of mine on the first page of this thread was constructed from an Imbel kit that I paid $89.95 for and an Imbel gear logo receiver that I paid $189.95 for.

That was back in the good old days,...about 2002, or so.

http://www.dpmsinc.com/308-SPORTICAL_ep_97-1.html

Stay away. FAR. AWAY. The newer G2 DPMS 308's look promising but they are having some production ills. The cheapest G2 with the carbine gas system runs but trashes brass (probably overgassed). Supposedly the Recon runs great. Good luck finding one right now. You'll likely pay list price like at Bass Pro. They get a Recon in and its gone that day.

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

Thanks a lot, Amigo.

Now you got ME interested.

I don't own an AR.

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.

This old smoked up parts bin special,...

Parts bin guns can be first rate if they're built right. A good FAL kit and a proper receiver are the first steps. Then just put her together right. Barrel timing is crucial, and then you just need to get the locking shoulder measured right and you're on your way; the rest is just RETARD easy. When built right, you'll have a 2.5 MOA rifle that handles better than any .308 battle rifle out there, and goes bang every time you pull the trigger (that last part is kinda handy).

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.

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.

Good call.



Travis

It takes ALOT of time and money getting the Century FAL's up to snuff. DSA has a Voyager model going for $1125.

That would be my choice.

The original standard barrel was a 21", with a sleek flash hider that was probably 4 inches long. 60-70 countries adopted them, so there were many variations. Lately DS Arms has been the main civilian producer here in the US. They have a bunch of different models. With a short flash hider on the standard rifle they give the OAL as 44".

http://www.dsarms.com/c-812-rifles.aspx

They even make an FAL pistol with 8.25" barrel

AR's are modular, and easy to work on, to customize as you like. They are also reliable, versatile, and accurate. I have a couple of AR-10's in .308 and a couple in .223.

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?

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

Nobody would hold it against you. Almost everybody makes a mistake on occasion.



Travis

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.

.....about the same as a .338 Federal AR I'd think.

Yeah, that whole area around the mag catch is kinda busy on a FAL. It's amazing how simple a FAL is, yet is has a chit load of small parts. Fortunately none of those parts ever go wrong.

Donnie K. has a 300 Whisper, or maybe it's a Blackout. He was showing it to me awhile back.

Only 223 I've ever owned was a Ruger Ranch rifle not long after they came out. It would be a good fit for me, but the damn thing shot about 6 moa.... and that was with a scope. I sent it down the road.

Bristoe was that at the Bluegrass Sportsmens league 300 yard range ,? if so yea those ,benchrest boys with there 7000 dollor rifles dont like being showed up with someone with a military battle rifle ,too funny

Alaska doesn't have magazine capacity limits for semi-auto game hunting rifles? In many states, semi-autos used for hunting game, not predators, are limited to a five round magazine, plus one in the chamber.

I don't know. I checked a couple of places on the internet and some people have said that Alaska doesn't. The word is, they limit shotgun magazines for bird hunting, but there's no magazine limit on rifles. Somebody on here might have the facts.

In any event, the bear happened a long time ago. Maybe he had a plug in the mag,...maybe he didn't need one.

Yeah. It was out at the Bluegrass, but it wasn't the benchrest crowd that was out there that day. Just some guys.

The benchrest bunch are pretty good guys. A couple of them are good friends of mine.

There wouldn't be a 300 yard range out there if it wasn't for the benchrest crowd.

Have you considered an M1A? You could get one in a variety of configurations. I have a National Match that shoots very well. MOA on a good day I'd I do my part. It is a little heavy.

"Sounds too long for a pickup rifle."

I have some experience with the M1 and M14. Liked 'em both. I expect I'd like the hybrid as well.

I just can't imagine being able to grasp it, swing it around, and poke it out the window any faster than I could a Ruger No.1, for instance.

I think I'm gonna like the S&W M&P15 I bought Friday. With a ten round mag, it rides easy enough.

Yea Bristoe I got to say your right ,if not for the benchrest boys ,there would not be a 300 yard range at Bluegrass,I also know a couple benchrest guys ,and like them a lot ,talk to them when i can ,meet one or two ,who shall we say was a little snobbish and had a attitude cause i was shooting military rifles ,guess there is one bad apple in every bunch ,or he had a bad day that day ,and no ..I was not showering him with brass or rapid firing either ..oh well