[redneck2]

local shop has a Brazilian FAL...$450. Very good condition.

I see new ones for $1,000+. I trust the FN-FAL's are better (or the best)

are the Brazilians crap, or is this a buy??? TIA

[Nightcrawler]

For that price, it's likely a parts gun, built by Century, on an Imbel (Brazillian manufactured) receiver. The Imbel receiver is good (not as good as a DSA, but good enough), but the gun could be hit or miss. Some Century guns work great, some don't work at all.

Though it might be an Imbel M444, imported by Israel Arms International, but one of those would command a higher price new.

[Nanook]

As Nightcrawler says, it's probably a Century. Not always bad, I've had one for about two years with no problems. But as he says it's a gamble, I've heard horror stories about some of these guns.

You have to love $5 magazines, though.

[Destructo6]

If it does have an Imbel receiver and the remaining parts look good, inside and out, it would probably be a good buy even if it has some issues.

There are plenty of good FAL smiths around that could solve any problems it may have if you decide not to tackle it yourself, which isn't too difficult.

[redneck2]

he has 2. I'll get whatever info I can and post it. They're at a pawn shop and he has no idea what they are

Compared to some new ones, they looked cheap...probably there's a reason. Then again, I've found some super deals.

[Keith]

He probably knows exactly what they are - Century Arms FAL's! Save your money!

Keith

[beemerb]

I have 2 FN's right now and just sold a third.All centery arms guns.Yes they seem to need a good tuneup before they work right but none of the problems are drastic.The main things to check are,1-headspace,2-gas hole diameter,3-seal on the gas tube(inch pattern only.).
Go to Arizona response systems website and read it.Lots of information there.I would allso buy a american gunsmithing instutes vidio on the FN's.
It is well worth the time to learn the FN and be able to work on it yourself.The only thing I had to buy was a set of headspace gauges.Found them on ebay for 20.00 shipped.
A 4 to 500.00 gun is a big savings over a DSA at around 1300.00.My income would not allow me to spend that much money.I have about 750.00 tied up for 2 guns and one is a congo model.(16 1/2 inch barrel)
Bob

[Keith]

I would argue that if you pay $450 for a FAL and then have to put in a lot of time in to make it work, you might as well have bought a kit and built your own rifle. You'd get a far better product for the same price. It's not as hard as you'd think.

If you have to go to a gunsmith, you're in the same boat - investing a lot of money that you could have used to buy a better gun in the first place.

And if you ever decide to sell it (no matter what you've put into it), it's still just another Century Arms rifle that people will hesitate to buy. You won't get much for it.

I know that some Century rifles work just fine and are good value for the money, but you never know what you're going to get. They cobble these things together out of of mixed metric and inch pattern parts. Some require a bit of filing on the magazines to make them work. Most of them have gas system problems of one kind or another. One that I saw (and I still don't know how they did this!), was set up so that the bullets slammed into the receiver face below the chamber! I have no idea how you make a FAL do that, and I have no idea how it got out of the factory when it couldn't even be manually forced to feed a single round!

I'll all about saving a couple bucks where you can, but the only way I'd buy a CA rifle is if I was allowed to run a couple hundred rounds through it first. And even then I'd hesitate because with about 4 to 6 hours labor I could build a gun from a kit that had twice the resale value.

Keith

[Wildalaska]

Echoing what Keith says, and making it worse, every CIA rifle I have seen has been absolute junk.

WilddontbuyoneAlaska

[HSMITH]

I have a CA I mongrel that is pure joy, it runs like a FAL should. It did need headspaced properly, but that is it, and it did not affect cycling. It was near closing on a field. An Aussie kit on a metric Imbel. It is the most accurate FAL type that I have ever seen in person as well, it will shoot under 2" at 100 yards with Port surplus all day long.

If you buy a CAI on an Imbel and it does not work you still saved some money. They do not damage the kit beyond what you will see when you buy a kit seperately, and the reciever is darn good. Fix what is very very likely to be a minor problem and you are off to the range.

I would not buy a CAI on a Hesse reciever, and I would want to make sure one built on an Enterprise would function before buying it.

If you are not familiar enough with the FAL type to build your own AND don't/can't learn it you are better off buying a DSA (more money than they are worth IMO) or having one built by a FALSmith.

A CAI gun can be a great buy if your skillset is adequate.

[Keith]

>>>>I have a CA I mongrel that is pure joy, it runs like a FAL should. It did need headspaced properly, but that is it, and it did not affect cycling.<<<<<

Sigh.... Do you realize what you're saying when you say it needed to be headspaced properly? A gun leaving a manufacturer that isn't properly headspaced is not just a quality issue, it's a gun that may blow up in your face!

I think CA guns must be assembled by badly trained monkeys.

Keith

[HSMITH]

Sigh, did you read that it did not close on a field gauge? Are you familiar with the headspace of a battle rifle? I took it to NATO minimums to enhance the accuracy, not safety or reliability.

[swingset]

I've got 2 CAI Fals.

Both run 100% great. No problems at all. One is definately a superb shooter, with the right ammo it'll shoot 1" groups (it's scoped). The other isn't as accurate, but is super reliable.

Both guns together didn't break $800, which is still less than a single DSA (which have their problems too, just do a search on falfiles lest you think $1k always buys quality).

I know I took a risk, but for $375 I can afford to risk it!:neener:

[maxatvowner]

My Century Arms FAL was "overtimed" slightly (the barrel was screwed in two far), took about 2 degrees out of it, and now it is a great shooter.

Surplus guns are surplus guns. Part of the fun of getting these types of guns is working on them and tinkering. As long as the guns are basically safe, I think you get good value for the money.

I like my CAI FAL.

[Keith]

Sigh... I guess I should have read your post more closely before commenting on the headspacing.

It's too bad there isn't someone else out there putting together FAL's with all the surplus parts coming in. I don't understand why CAI is mixing parts when there are so many G1 kits crying for a receiver. If *I* can put together a good FAL for $500 while paying retail for all the parts, certainly a manufacturer can do much better.

Here's a pic of my G1 Fal. It's a hell of lot prettier than any CAI Fal, and likely a better shooter than most as well. Also, I like the idea that it's "authentic" in appearance, not being a Frankenstein gun made from Inch and Metric parts.

[HSMITH]

The finish on the last CAI gun I bought was SUPERB, parked overall and well done. Don't have pics of it, but let me tell you it would take a lot to get one looking better. I still have not seen the frankenstein look you mention. Is it because they will throw an inch kit on a metric reciever? Aside from a few cuts that only the afficianado is going to recognize they are the same. Personally I could care less if the reciever is "true inch" so long as it shoots well and is of quality construction.

Here is one of my CAI guns, all it needs to go back to completely original in appearance is an original style flashhider and some paint over the park. The gun is parked 100% right now.