FAL Help?
- Thread starter JCooperfan1911
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entropy
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JCooperfan1911
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With the price of ammo, I’ll have four nice paperweights.
Sfogaz
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Patience. I got my 2 Springfields for $1,100 and $1,300 on GB. Took 6 months of watching and careful bidding.
That's more than my entire build cost. Granted, I built it a long time ago.
FALs show up at ever gun show here and there's a good FAL smith about 50 miles away, making us fortunate.
This is my second FAL, a 24" HB that's MOA accurate with good ammo.
Unfortunately, I sold my 1st, a G1 build with quick-detach muzzle devices, to raise money for this one. That G1 got pawned when my buddy was hard up for cash...and lost, when my friend died. I really wish I'd kept that rifle.
John
Unfortunately, I sold my 1st, a G1 build with quick-detach muzzle devices, to raise money for this one. That G1 got pawned when my buddy was hard up for cash...and lost, when my friend died. I really wish I'd kept that rifle.
John
AlexanderA
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Yes, but not their magazines. Get surplus Belgian or Austrian magazines.
I paid close to $1,200 for mine, including the bipod.
wiscoaster
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I paid $1600 a little over a year for a FAL a guy built from a Steyr StG58 / DSA SA58 kit which included rail, three bipods, two butt stocks, and four magazines. Since it was kind of a one-off, I have no idea what the market value of that would be today.
If it's quality (runs, 2 MOA accurate), that seems about right. The bipods are kinda a freebie: cool to have, but most people probably won't pay much extra for them
$1200 ain't cheap to me, but then I guess it's all relative.
wiscoaster
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EZ PZ no sweat w/ 6x budget scope. Happy w/ results out to 300 yds.
Yeah, you did good. FALs aren't known for super accuracy. Mine is actually the most accurate I've heard of.
lsudave
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Most of my milsurps are true surplus bolt guns, with a couple SKS's. I didn't have a MBR unless you count the Ishapore, so I picked up the Century C308 (Cetme-based) with wood stocks shortly before this current madness began. I paid about $600 for it. No lies here, I'd have preferred an FAL, but my budget was not going to fit that. At this point, I'm quite satisfied with my Cetme... I spent the money to pick up a clipped-and-pinned lower, so it looks and feels more correct. It shoots the cheapest steel 308 without issue, which has helped keep the cost of plinking somewhat sane.
That's not bad at all; your timeframe indicates 2021. I watched prices, and by then my $600 Century had climbed to over $1000.
Ignition Override
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Even if most FALs are not highly accurate, I have only one question.
Are they fun to shoot?
Are they fun to shoot?
Absolutely.
d2wing
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I would love to have one. Just because. I would also like to have an M-14 clone like the one I was issued. But today I would probably buy an AR-10 pattern rifle.
d2wing
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I shot a full auto in training. They had us do it to show us what a bad idea it was. If you start low left you might get 3 shots on a man size target before you are shooting in the air. As issued the selector would not go to full auto. We weren't allowed to modify them and they were checked in to the armory when back in base. We did have M-60's that were great and were of course full auto all the time. Second tour we had M-16s.Years ago I worked with a guy whose plan to avoid the war in VN ended up backfiring and his Navy enlistment got him a SeaBee job. LOTS of great stories but to this, he was a random enlistee and with the needs didn't even go to SeaBee school, so is just a spare body. He ended up all too often up to his shoulders in a rice paddy spotting and providing covering fire for the tractors or other vehicles. Being an engineer unit, they have tools. They modified their M14s (Navy, remember, no M16s for them for a LONG time) back to full auto. Yes, talked to him about those a lot. What wears and breaks, and accuracy.
An M14 at full auto is, as many have said, not controllable. If they needed to shoot A Guy they'd switch to semi. They did have the selector, didn't make it only full auto. So like the few times sneaking through the woods they might have one set to auto (the selector is dumb, slow to use) and the rest are semi to hit things.
But for most of the work as above, it's just keeping the enemy heads down and it was (I forget the exact words but more or less...) plenty accurate to hit the treeline.
d2wing
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A main reason for the lower power in the AK and AR type rifles was the ability to fire full auto and be manageable. I think the intent of the M-14 was to replace the BAR as well as other rifles. One rifle can't do everything, but they are working on it.
That, and the fact that hitting targets past 300 yards almost never happens, so more ammo could be carried, if a 300-yard round was used. Battle rifle calibers are still deadly over twice as far, but that ability is almost always wasted, except in crew-served weapons.
KansasTrapper77
Member
This thread is an example of why I gave up on my dreams, at least for now and got an AR-10 lower. Right now I have neither the time or money to make a sweet FAL, and I wanted a semi-accurate .308 battle rifle sooner rather than later. For reasons. Best of luck on your FAL search/build.
Make an AR in 16" light barrel and later and upper in 24" with the twist up to your loads.
Lastly, post pics here your prodigy.
CapnMac
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Amazingly. Well worth the price of admission
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