Best Iron Sights for an FAL

[Anthony]

What are the most precise iron sights for an FAL?

I'm in the process of building a top drawer FAL and could use some guidance here.

Specifically I am ordering a DSA SA-58 to my specifications.

 

[Bwana John]

While the FAL is accurate, I would not call it "percise" due to trigger, sight radius, upper/lower sight mounting, Mil grade barrels, and the 1/2 worn out parts used to assemble most of them.

I like turning down the diameter of the front sight, filing the top flat and chrisp, and using windage adjustable Para rear sights with a flip A2 aperture.

WEG on the FAL files has adapted a target rear sight, buts its big and ugly.

 

[DMK]

I've just been reading some posts on FAL Files about accurizing them. It seems the biggest problem with the sights are that they are mounted on two different halves of the break open action.

I was just looking at my scoped FAL and was kinda thinking, I wonder if one could take a railed top cover and put a put a long rail like one of these below on it, then put a rail mount front sight at the front end.

With AR sights being so tall though, it wouldn't be the best cheek weld (although it seems not much, if any higher than my scope). It would be much better if you could get a lower sights.

 

[Thefabulousfink]

DMK,

I like that rail mount, however, I think that you would have an issue with the front sight being too low.

How does the accuracy change on your FAL with the scope mounted on the same plane as the barrel? What kind of MOA do you get with it?

 

[DMK]

Off the shelf, the DSA hooded match sight is pretty nice. I have one on my Imbel FAL. It fits tight and gives a nice sight picture. The arperture might be a little small for low light shooting, but the hood and the fact that it's so close to your eye, helps. You could always drill it out a bit if it's too small. It was a drop in replacement for the original rear sight (which wiggled like crazy).

I agree with Bwana John about turning down the diameter of the front sight a bit. That's something I've been meaning to do with my Imbel.

I like that rail mount, however, I think that you would have an issue with the front sight being too low.

Right. That's why I say mount both front and rear sights on the same rail (you'd probably need a longer one than I shown). They do it with AR's all the time.

Another option might be something like the rear sight on the Kel-Tec SU-16C mounted right on a railed top cover (maybe with a taller FAL front sight like one from an Israeli or British FAL). Unfortunately, that particular sight lacks a windage adjustment, as does the FAL front sight.

How does the accuracy change on your FAL with the scope mounted on the same plane as the barrel? What kind of MOA do you get with it?

With surplus, it's shoots about 2" groups horizontally at 100 yards, but it strings vertically about 6-8". I've been researching that. It's a common issue with FALs. Some folks have fixed it by modifying and loosening the handguards to keep them from putting pressure on the barrel. Some have played with the gas piston length and spring rates. Some say it's a magazine issue. Some have even played around with bolt/carrier fitment. I need to get back out to the range with the handguards off, the gas system turned off, firing single shot, loading through the ejection port, to rule those out.

 

[Bwana John]

Some folks have fixed it by modifying and loosening the handguards to keep them from putting pressure on the barrel. Some have played with the gas piston length and spring rates. Some say it's a magazine issue. Some have even played around with bolt/carrier fitment.

Just build a nice "service grade" FAL and enjoy it as it is.

How does the accuracy change on your FAL with the scope mounted on the same plane as the barrel? What kind of MOA do you get with it?]

A flimser set up for mounting scopes could not have been designed than the one the FAL employs. Many attempts to make it more ridged have made it undependable.

I get 3-4 MOA with almost any surplus 7.62 ammo in my FAL with the iron sight set up explained above.

If you want a precision .308 get a bolt gun.

 

[DMK]

That's a pretty limited view Bwana John. The FAL makes a great service rifle, but that doesn't mean it's not fun to get a little better from it.

My top cover mount is very tight and is not unreliability at all (although I wouldn't take it on and off regularly.. I can remove the scope at any time and use the iron sights if I wish (although I have another FAL that I usually shoot when I want to do that).

With regards to the 6 inches of vertical stringing, it does that with iron sights too. I wouldn't consider that acceptable for a service rifle. All it needs is a little tuning.

 

[iamkris]

I agree on the DSA hooded sight for the FAL. I have one on my StG58A and it shrunk my groups by about 1/3. My issues with it are 1) it often hits my shooting glasses and 2) the base unit isn't easily/finely adjustable. There are other solutions that may also work for a fine-tuned sight.

One is to use a Williams receiver sight. They also make an FAL sight base adaptor to mount it. Both can be sourced from Brownells.

Sight

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/st...54&title="WGRS"+RECEIVER+SIGHTS&s=36254#36254

Adaptor
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/st...itle=WILLIAMS+FAL+SIGHT+ADAPTER&s=45048#45048

Another option is a guy on FALFILES.COM had designed a way to mount an AR15 A2 rear sight on an FAL. It is CGW Guns out of Nevada that does the work. I have no experience with them but I love this concept. Personally, I'll some day build up my ultimate Para FAL and will include this as part of it. If he can do this on a para, my hope is that you could figure out how to do it on a standard rifle.

http://www.falfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=150416&perpage=30&pagenumber=1

Here's another picture of the setup created by a guy running a company called Kaiserworks

 

[Bwana John]

If he can do this on a para, my hope is that you could figure out how to do it on a standard rifle

The reason he has to use a Para configuration is the recoil tube has to be removed to install the AR rear sight.
The Para configuration requires a different bolt carrier, recoil springs, and top cover (~$500 extra with the regular folder, ~$900 extra with the above set up.
I want a Para, but only for the "Cool Factor"

That's a pretty limited view Bwana John.

Actually I find it quite liberating. I have quit trying to build a race car out of a tractor, and I am really enjoying what a tractor can do.

 

[DMK]

I have quit trying to build a race car out of a tractor, and I am really enjoying what a tractor can do.

Good Point.

I'm the guy who can't stop thinking well, if I was open up that restriction in the intake and maybe swap in that transmission with the lower 1st gears... boy, she'd really have some low end torque. Maybe it's just more money than common sense sometimes.