Loading FAL

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Eustachius234

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I've got a DSA FAL that has a little over 300 rds through it. I noticed that I'm having trouble chambering the first round off the top of the magazine, especially when it's full - I'm not guiding the slide. When it was new, I asked DSA about this, but they said it just needed to be broken in. Anyways, I would have thought 300 rds would be sufficient for break in. Any suggestions?
 
May be a Defective Magazine

I've owned a Belgian FN-FAL for 28 years. I had this problem with some defective surplus magazines I purchased 20+ years ago. Reducing the number of cartridges did work in several cases while not in others. I would suggest obtaining another magazine.
 
powermad said:
Break the sharp edge on the bottom of the receiver feed lips.
If you check the spent casings you should see a pretty noticeable gouge down the side of it.
Click to expand...

This is the answer here. Had this same problem on a new DSA FAL and it was fine after this. I didn't need to remove anywhere near the amount of material this link shows, just rounded the edges off to allow the rounds to not hang on the sharp corners.

And you need to realize that for a combat oriented rifle like this 300 rounds is not anywhere near "broken in".

These are 60,000+ round life cycle rifles.

Rounding that sharp edge off will happen over thousands of rounds of shooting, but why wait for that.
 
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Took the DSA FAL to the gunsmith, and he said that the problem I was experiencing - trouble chambering rounds, was due to my use of 7.62 ammo in a rifle that is internally chambered for .308. He said that 7.62 is slightly longer than .308, and this was causing the problem.

Do y'all agree?
 
Your gunsmith is full of it. :)

Your problem sounds like it has to do with the mags. My FAL had some trouble stripping rounds off of some new mags. Older used mags worked just fine.

Also, make sure when you are charging it, that you don't follow the bolt after you pull it back.
 
The dimensional differences between 7.62x51 & .308 are insignificant, especially when talking about feeding problems. The Gunsmith is wrong.
 
7.62x51 - 2.750 in OAL
.308 Win - 2.800 in OAL


That is not enough to matter. A FAL should shoot either round flawlessly, there is something else wrong.

Oh and get a new gunsmith, yours is clueless.
 
Check for burrs on the feed lips and run some Break Free CLP on the bottom of your bolt and the top of your feed lips of the magazine. That will reduce the friction a bit.
 
He said that 7.62 is slightly longer than .308, and this was causing the problem.
Click to expand...
Where is your gunsmith buying his measurment tools that "7.62 is slightly longer than .308". :eek: I would have walked out right there. :scrutiny:
My STG58 eats anything I put in it. Yours should as well. No break in required.
Get some new mags and do a little file work shown here and it will feed. :)
 
Took the DSA FAL to the gunsmith, and he said that the problem I was experiencing - trouble chambering rounds, was due to my use of 7.62 ammo in a rifle that is internally chambered for .308. He said that 7.62 is slightly longer than .308, and this was causing the problem.

Do y'all agree?
Click to expand...

If my gunsmith didn't know that .308 and 7.62x51 cartridges are dimensionally identical (cartridge OAL will vary, but is not a concern as long as it fits the magazine), then I would be looking for a different smith.

Don
 
took the dsa fal to the gunsmith, and he said that the problem i was experiencing - trouble chambering rounds, was due to my use of 7.62 ammo in a rifle that is internally chambered for .308. He said that 7.62 is slightly longer than .308, and this was causing the problem.
Click to expand...

hahahahahahaha!!!
 
When it was new, I asked DSA about this, but they said it just needed to be broken in.
Click to expand...
That sort of response is a bad sign. A new rifle should feed all reasonable ammunition properly, out of the box ... you shouldn't have to 'break it in'.

Granted, not all new rifles are perfect. Like all mass-produced goods, the occasional 'lemon' crops up. However, defective products should be fixed or replaced by the manufacturer.

Have you tried loading a couple rounds less than full? I am no expert but that may help.
Click to expand...
It might; but really, that solution would be a kludge.

The FN SLR does not typically have a weakness in this area. In military service it was certainly not common practice to underload the magazine (unlike, e.g., Bren gun magazines).

get a new gunsmith, yours is clueless
Click to expand...
Absolutely right.
 
T.R. 60,000 rounds? Maybe the receiver will last 60,000 cycles, but the barrel will not.

As far as having to tinker with your rifles when you receive them, this is a new phenomenon in the US. Used to be you would buy a firearm and it would WORK it would RUN right out of the box. Not so anymore.

Anymore, I buy a US made gun and I'm tempted to box it up and send it back to the factory before even shooting it, so confident I am that there will be a glitch somewhere in that system.

I cannot offer a suggestion for your circumstance, but I've read elsewhere that the magazine well feed lips are notorious for causing issues such as you describe.
 
Break the sharp edge on the bottom of the receiver feed lips.
If you check the spent casings you should see a pretty noticeable gouge down the side of it.
Click to expand...

What he said. Mine had the same problem, I didnt file but it smoothed out after a few battle packs of MEN.
 
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