FAL vs L1A1

[newcastle]

What is the difference between FAL and L1A1 magazines please? Basically are they interchangeable?

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[Peter Laidler]

Sort of interchangeable, yes. The principal difference is the front fitting. The FAL ones have a narrow width punched out lug that engages in a narrow width recess at the front of the magazine well. Additionally FAL magazines can be made of various thicknesses of steel or alloy. Whereas the L1A1 type have a wide/virtually half width and slightly deeper lug that is brazed onto a steel magazine case. The L1 type mag well is also machined to accept the wider lug too. So a FAL magazine will fit into and function in an L1A1 but the wider L1A1 lug magazine won't fit into the narrow and shallower FAL lug recess.

On that basis I would say that the L1A1 magazine locking system is superior to the FAL. But I would say that wouldn't I? I appreciate that others will argue otherwise but the inbuilt strength of the L1 type fixing seems bleedin' obvious to me. And if it good AND strong enough for UK, Canadian, NZ and Aust and many others crunchies to use then I'd say that it was good enough for anyone!

[newcastle]

Perfect answer Peter thank you. Now I juts need to get some L1A1 magazines that I can have blocked into 10 rounders before I import into CA.

[Paul S.]

Just a thought here, but doesn't DSA Inc. make and sell California et al legal 10 round magazines? Wouldn't that be easier in the end - not to mention guaranteed legally compliant?

[Peter Laidler]

No need for that Newcastle. Steel FAL's will fit and function in L1A1 rifles so long as the pressed-out front knib is OK. I suppose you could just knock the knib in and hard solder a new made L1A1 type lug in place.

I only say this in view of my experience using a load of FAL .22" sub cal magazines in L1A1 rifles. Don't ask me why we (the UK Military) had them but I wish I had them now!

[newcastle]

Ye sDSA do make them but frankly the look of a ten round mag on an SLR just doesn't cut it.

[nzl1a1collector]

Ohhh god Peter don't mention the 'commonwealth front lug' to any old retired FN designers................ it reminds me of the old saying 'Don't mention the 'war' to the Germans.

FN were absolutely livid about the front lug.

[Peter Laidler]

The front lug........ Just before the last of the old L4A4's went out of service I was on the range with a load of 5RGJ(?) soldiers just out of their recruit stage. There was feed troubles with one particular Bren that their resident NRPS Armourer couldn't fathom out. So I went over to it and saw that the magazines wouldn't retain in the gun as the breech block went forwards. The magazines would disengage FROM THE FRONT!!

I couldn't see what the problem was until I looked at one of the loaded mags that had been taken/lifted out of the gun and saw that it was a FN type front lug. Not only that, the whole mag box were that sort, presumably unused and in a store rack since the L4A1 era. So there was some quick unloading of duff mags and loading of service mags before they could carry on.

I don't know what happened to them but it shows what happens when you get a mixed fleet. When I wanted a couple of 30 round FN type several years later for an L4A1 gun at Warminster I couldn't find ONE!