Fal Questions

[SPEEDGUNNER]

When you are shooting an FAL where is the brunt of the force of each shot absorbed? In the chamber? Front of receiver? Rear of receiver? Recoil spring?
They seem like a pretty robust rifle, just wondering what and where the failure rate is found?

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[jeff hamerstone]

I don't know if I can answer your question. But after shooting and building FN's, Imbels, and L1A's over the past two decades I can personally say that the weapon has no weak points. It is well balanced and ergononicly designed, has an adjustable gas system, a fairly heavy bolt carrier, matched perfectly to a strong recoil spring. You can shoot hundreds of rounds through it with out getting a sore shoulder. Kinda has a pogo stick feel. The only drawback I see with it is it's weight.

[Paul S.]

I'll go with Jeff here. I used SLRs 'professionaly', and I can't say I've noticed a 'weakness'. Having said that, I personally like having a spare firing pin amongst my little bag of 'goodies'. That fall under the heading of 'JUST IN CASE'.

[Eli]

The locking lug.

Eli

[Peter Laidler]

Yep, eli is right. The whole of the recoil force is taken on the locking shoulder. This is taken across the whole of the body as opposed to the sides/edges.

One 'weak' point that we as Armourers found on high mileage/well used/thrashed rifles was the rear locking lug of the body...., the part engaged by the spring loaded locking latch in the trigger mech. housing, was constantly loose on the latch. There was a process where, if a No2 size latch was still loose, then the locking lug could be built up with weld. After this, the body was marked and if it failed later, that was the end of the line.

There were a few 'bodges' ...., what you wild colonials call 'bubbas' that could 'cure' the problem for 2 minutes, but these were jusy bodges by any name.

Like someone said, a good tough rifle and a pleasure to shoot ....., but not for too long!

[Eli]

The locking lug.

Eli

Oops! As noted, I meant the locking shoulder.

Eli

[jeff hamerstone]

Hi Pete
I looked up your location and the time zone of your location shows that you are from the UK. I can tell from the tone of your post you must have been an armorer with the British Military. I served as an armorer in the US Army and my forte is the M16. I would like to chew the fat with you by way of email.

[Sunray]

The C1A1's weak point was the butt stock. Ergonomics. If you didn't have the right length for you(4 lengths. Short, Normal, Long and Extra Long), you got pounded on the cheek bone. With the right stock length, you could shoot it all day, every day, with no pain anywhere. The rifles didn't break though. Mind you, a tine on a flash hider broke one day. Not sure why. And a safety wiggled loose another. That one fire two rounds FA and jammed. Pushed the safety back in and it kept going. The rifles were 40ish years old at the time.