8 (Eight) FAL questions

[brekneb]

Noob that's been asking a lot of FAL questions lately .. . .

1) WHY is the SA58 DOUBLE the cost of the STG58?

2) Is the mag latch on a California legal FAL damaged? (Damaged because of the screw that pins the mag)

3) Do you have to order DSA receivers and/or complete builds from a particular FFL or will any FFL be able to transfer a DSA?

4) Any advantages/disadvantages to having carry handle cut?

5) Any advantages to aluminum lower (other than weight) I.e.; strength, corrosion resistance, etc

6) What is meant by U.S. compliant parts?

7) So how does Enterprise Arms compare to DSA?

8) Are Enterprise receivers forged like DSA’s or no?

Thanks yet again.

 

[Koobuh]

I'll try to answer the ones I have a clue about.

3) Do you have to order DSA receivers and/or complete builds from a particular FFL or will any FFL be able to transfer a DSA?
I'm not really sure what you mean. You can order a DSA in exactly the way you order any other rifle (or bare receiver) from an online company, i.e., purchase and have it sent to your FFL.

5) Any advantages to aluminum lower (other than weight) I.e.; strength, corrosion resistance, etc
Not really, aluminum receiver parts are questionable on a .308 that was built from steel. As I recall the aluminum uppers didn't fare too well... that is, their owners didn't fare too well after the first few shots. Aluminum lowers made by DSA seem to be holding up well, but beyond the weight advantage... why?

6) What is meant by U.S. compliant parts?
The parts game. Effectively, if you wish to build an imported rifle from a 'parts kit', you need to play the parts game in order to not go to jail for being caught by the BATF with a non-compliant firearm. You can build a 'Made in the USA by Me' semi-automatic rifle using no more than 10 foreign made parts that are recognized by the BATF as vital components of the rifle.
For all practical purposes that means that the majority of 'parts guns' are made up of foreign parts. For example, an AK requires only 5 US made parts (usually 3 are the stock, handguard, and pistol grip, plus the fire-control group). An FAL requires 7 US made parts. This is gone into greater depth on FAL files, but I would suggest swapping the stock, handguard and pistol grip, the 3-piece fire control group, and of course the receiver (US made, in your case). Gas pistons are also available, as are charge handles, flash hiders, magazine followers and floorplates if you wish to add five more recognized US made parts.
It's similar to building AKs from kits, except you're using a pre-made receiver to build a rifle around.
Don't forget, you MUST have these headspaced by a qualified gunsmith. KBs aren't healthy.

7) So how does Enterprise Arms compare to DSA?
DSA is considered the best current producer, hands down. Entreprise receivers are 'adequate', but worlds better than Hesse or Century receivers.

Having promised to build my father an L1A1 FAL has been one of the most regretful decisions I've ever made. Tracking down compliance parts in the Inch pattern so we can retain the outward appearance (wood stocks) was a nightmare. Hopefully Interordnance will follow through with their promise of getting these fine rifles in soon.

 

[brentwal]

1) WHY is the SA58 DOUBLE the cost of the STG58?

Used surplus parts on the STG58, most notably the barrel.

4) Any advantages/disadvantages to having carry handle cut?

Only if you want a carry handle.

8) Are Enterprise receivers forged like DSA’s or no?

IIRC, yes, but stick with DSA or Imbel.

 

[Adventurer_96]

Noob that's been asking a lot of FAL questions lately .. . .

1) WHY is the SA58 DOUBLE the cost of the STG58?

2) Is the mag latch on a California legal FAL damaged? (Damaged because of the screw that pins the mag)

3) Do you have to order DSA receivers and/or complete builds from a particular FFL or will any FFL be able to transfer a DSA?

4) Any advantages/disadvantages to having carry handle cut?

5) Any advantages to aluminum lower (other than weight) I.e.; strength, corrosion resistance, etc

6) What is meant by U.S. compliant parts?

7) So how does Enterprise Arms compare to DSA?

8) Are Enterprise receivers forged like DSA’s or no?

Thanks yet again.

I'll give a shot answering some of these with what I *believe* to be the case.

1. The SA58 is a US-made rifle for the most part w/new parts, while the STG is made from surplus parts, albeit surplus parts in mint condition.

2. I don't know if it's "damaged" but you can render the mag catch inoperative which would meet the CA requirements.

3. Any FFL should be able to transfer either a bare receiver or a full weapon. But, if you're in CA then it can be tough convincing the dealer that you're legal, which you are as long as you don't build an Assault Weapon.

4. Advantage is only for originality, in my opinion, and some guys hate them. All of my builds are replicas of weapons, G1, STG, R1, etc, and all have carry handles, but some claim that the lack of a carry handle would leave the receiver slightly more rigid.

5. Weight, and US parts count.

6. In order to make a rifle out of an FAL parts kit, you need to have a certain amount of US made parts to make it legal according to US Sec 922(r).

7. DSA is viewed by many as being the best in the FAL business, and Entreprise got some bad reviews on www.falfiles.com/forums/index.php but it looks like they make a good product. Given the choice, I'd go w/DSA even though they tend to be more expensive because you get what you pay for and their parts/service has been good for me.

8. No idea, sorry.

 

[Adventurer_96]

Koobuh, here's one parts count option to keep the stocks:

H/T/S
Charging handle
Receiver
Gas Piston
Floorplate or Follower

Another option would be to get a US muzzle device.

I'm in the same boat as far as wanting to keep the Aussie wood on my L1A1 replica.

Not to hijack, but tell me more of this Interordnance business...

 

[Koobuh]

Not to hijack, but tell me more of this Interordnance business...

Thanks for the suggestion, we may go that direction. The only thing is we'd have to buy mag parts for every mag we ever get, which would be expensive. Also, what happens if we miss one mag? Owned.

Interord advertised L1A1 kits in SGN a while back. We placed our order, and got the Washington paperwork requirement finished, sometime in November. Since then the L1A1 page has been headed with 'Coming Soon', so pretty much we're waiting for them to get their act together.
No news of any kind from them- we don't even know if they're being sorted, if they're stuck in customs, or if they've even been demilled overseas yet.

They do have Metric FAL kits available at a good price right now, though my father wants an L1A1 specifically. We're just waiting it out at this point.