Grayrider
Member
I will of course endorse the FAL, but I work for DSA so can fairly be considered biased. However, it is my preferred .308 caliber rifle regardless of current employment. Posters above covered the reasons really well:
1. Reliability. The mechanism is AK simple. If you tear the rifle down into the parts that do the work, there is almost nothing to it. The fact that it is piston driven and has an adjustable gas system means that it will operate in the worst of conditions. Literally if the gun is fouled up you can simply adjust the gas to force the piston to drive the action. This cannot be done with an AR-based weapon.
2. Ergonomics. Despite the comments above, I find it a very comfortable rifle. It is slim, well balanced (in particular in 11-18" variants), and has the controls in logical places for a right handed shooter. I actually shoot left handed, but have had no trouble adapting. The one mod I suggest is using our SAW grip as it fits my hand better. You can play with various stock and selector options.
3. Versatility. Visit our site and look at your options. The SA58 can be had in just about any configuration you can imagine, from a small close in CQB weapon to a long range designated marksman rifle (the SPR is not on the site yet but I will be posting pics on FAL Files soon). Pick the gun you want and configure to your tastes.
4. Cost. I will spend money to get the right gun--my wife can tell you that. However, it is also nice to have a platform that works AND is affordable to support. While the SA58 is not a cheap rifle, magazines and other accessories are quite affordable. In fact as I have pointed out here before, you can buy a complete extra FAL kit and lay in spare parts for almost any need without much invested.
There are other advantages. FAL parts are everywhere, there is a huge amount of information on the guns available from decades of service, it is a proven .308 caliber rifle, the DSA SA58s hold their value well, and are supported by a great warranty. All worth considering. Of course the various ARs you mention have quality makers backing them as well. Time will tell how they hold up under serious use, but I see no reason not to expect good things given who makes them. I would worry that Rock River may not get the guns on the market in time if a new AWB is looming, but I sincerely hope they do. More choices are always a good thing!
John
1. Reliability. The mechanism is AK simple. If you tear the rifle down into the parts that do the work, there is almost nothing to it. The fact that it is piston driven and has an adjustable gas system means that it will operate in the worst of conditions. Literally if the gun is fouled up you can simply adjust the gas to force the piston to drive the action. This cannot be done with an AR-based weapon.
2. Ergonomics. Despite the comments above, I find it a very comfortable rifle. It is slim, well balanced (in particular in 11-18" variants), and has the controls in logical places for a right handed shooter. I actually shoot left handed, but have had no trouble adapting. The one mod I suggest is using our SAW grip as it fits my hand better. You can play with various stock and selector options.
3. Versatility. Visit our site and look at your options. The SA58 can be had in just about any configuration you can imagine, from a small close in CQB weapon to a long range designated marksman rifle (the SPR is not on the site yet but I will be posting pics on FAL Files soon). Pick the gun you want and configure to your tastes.
4. Cost. I will spend money to get the right gun--my wife can tell you that. However, it is also nice to have a platform that works AND is affordable to support. While the SA58 is not a cheap rifle, magazines and other accessories are quite affordable. In fact as I have pointed out here before, you can buy a complete extra FAL kit and lay in spare parts for almost any need without much invested.
There are other advantages. FAL parts are everywhere, there is a huge amount of information on the guns available from decades of service, it is a proven .308 caliber rifle, the DSA SA58s hold their value well, and are supported by a great warranty. All worth considering. Of course the various ARs you mention have quality makers backing them as well. Time will tell how they hold up under serious use, but I see no reason not to expect good things given who makes them. I would worry that Rock River may not get the guns on the market in time if a new AWB is looming, but I sincerely hope they do. More choices are always a good thing!
John
