I hope you guys with FAL knowledge can help me. My son is looking at an IMBEL FAL. Where does this make fall in regard to quality and reliability? I know that the FNs are the best and most expensive and the Century Arms builds seem to be at or near the bottom, but I do not have any information about the IMBELs. Also, what is a fair price for an IMBEL in good condition? The gun he is looking at is priced at $1000.

Thanks in advance.
Leon

Century's are big-time iffy, but if is actually built on an IMBEL reciever, it is likely worth a grand in today's market, even a good deal. It may need work/parts/money, but it'll be salvageable, a cracked cast Century reciever is not salvagable.

There is a lot of info on the net as to how to identify if it really is an IMBEL reciever.

A true Imbel is an excellent FAL. I would put FN first and Imbel second. (With a few exceptions such as the true Australian inch FALS, a few of which were imported maybe 20 years ago).

A put together (a build) on an Imbel receiver may vary a bit depending on who did it and what parts were used. Most are good. The problems mostly seem to come from out of spec receivers. (By other manufacturers).

pm bristoe

Need more info.
An sar48 and sar4800 are true Imbels imported my Springfield armory.
M444's are imbel receivers built with imbel parts, and required us as well.
True aussie imports are Eden receivers built here into rifles.
Poyers are the only true aussie built l1a1's to be imported as such there are only 158 in the country.
Century arms did import sear cut Brit l1's as well for Leo sales. They have leaked into the free market
Quality, i personally put imbel over fn. Fn's have lots of machining marks.
What else do you wanna know?
Here is an all imbel para. Okay, some us parts. My favorite.

I had one of the Springfield Armory SAR48 rifles back in the 80's. It was a great shooting rifle. I have built a couple of FALs since the ban expired, one was on an Imbel receiver, and it shoots pretty good too. The build up rifles really depend on the quality of the used parts kit, and the care of the assembly. Anything from the Imbel factory should be good to go.

The FAL is a great rifle. In my experience with several FALs and several M1As, I found the M1a to be slightly more accurate, and the FAL to be slightly more reliable. I like either of those much better than to HK91. Your mileage may vary.