STG58 - Another Sin...

I don’t like semiautomatic guns too much.
In fact I am a great enthusiast of bolt-action rifles, but there are a few exceptions.
One of these is the FN Fal, in any of its variants.
Monday, while roaming my usual gun sites, suddenly a sales announcement popped up for a STG58 for 500 €.
I immediately called the guy and made up an appointment for Friday afternoon, at a local range.
I must admit that I could not resist, literally...
It is perfect!
Here is the new toy, just in time for Christmas.
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Then I sinned even more...
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I then made a sort of zeroing and today I’ll take the toy to the range.

Forgive me father...:lol:

Very nice, the Austrians certainly made a high quality Fal, always loved the combined flash eliminator/ grenade launcher.

Let us know how she shoots.

Love them to bits............anything FAL if looked after gives you what you ask of it..........continued accurate shots all the time.
As long as you know what you are doing on the gas plug and the maintenance regime.
Brilliant weapon.
I was offered a DeAc FAL Auto recently but he wanted a lot for it, so didn't go for another wall hanger, albeit always liked the engineering on the bipods, shame we never had that option on the SLR.

That really doesn't look like sin to me. They tend to shoot loose after about 5 000 shots, clean the gas cylinder regularly, check for flame cutting.

Slip it into some walnut furniture and I'm in!

Russ

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Daan Kemp

That really doesn't look like sin to me. They tend to shoot loose after about 5 000 shots, clean the gas cylinder regularly, check for flame cutting.

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Hi Daan, what’s flame cutting?

I had one years back that was flat new. It had the other flash eliminator, long slots... It rang like a bell when you dropped the action on an empty chamber. Must have been beautiful steel. Our FN C1s didn't quite make that ring... Such a natural handling rifle too.

Jim,
And if you have ever fired them without ear defenders as we did in those early days of none ever issued, you suffer now all the high tones destroyed!

As a matter of interest, considering any deviation from the parent design was extremely costly for the "licenced" Fal builder.

I wonder if the same principle applied to a removable item, i,e the unique Austrian Flash eliminator?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gil Boyd

without ear defenders

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By the time I'd arrived we had industrial ear plugs for the troops, but regardless, now my hi tones are gone. We didn't always use ear protection.

I remember a Turk soldier had one of those up by Nicosia airport on Lizard flats...and it was completely silver. Except where it had rust...

Ovidio, the hot gas going into gas cylinder to work the action erodes the metal if you don't clean it properly and often. Even had carbon tubes around the holes in the gas cylinder. Armourer called it flame cutting, so I do too. Might also be because the rifle was shot too hot to hold onto with gloves on.

After about 5 000 shots and not cleaning properly might have been the cause of the gas cylinder having to be replaced, but it was my competition gun and I just kept on shooting. We're talking couple hundred rounds a day if I could get away.

I shot more than 15.000 rounds in less than three days during excercises. Without earplugs. It left some damage, but it comes in handy since I got married������

First target using commercial GGG ammo...
Not really great.
I guess it was me, since I'm not used to optics.
I first shot a few targets with x3 magnification, then I went to x10.
Actually, with 3 I guess it was almost better.
Diameter of the targets is 10 cm.
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A friend asked me if I used buckshot...:lol:

What range are you shooting at, 100 yards?

Curious regarding GGG, it generally shoots very well indeed, any cycling issues, what do the spent cases look like?

Any significant throat erosion?

I think it was me.
The rifle behaved perfectly, the brass is very good.
I’m not used to optics, so I may very well have messed up things.
The trigger is a bit heavy, but not too much.
I’ll keep exercising.
It’s the funny part.

Have a great time 'practicing' and welcome to the right hand of free world owners club!

I have always liked the FAL. I have an StG-58 assembled on a DSA receiver, best I could do thanks to the Hughes Amendment. The one I have always wanted to shoot was the Venezuelan in 7mm Liviano aka 7 x 49 Venezuelan. I think Springfield chambered their SAR 48 in 7mm-08, which would have a close approximation. I often wonder where we'd be if Colonel René Studler had not been such an obstinate contrarian and the .280 British had been adopted by NATO instead of 7.62