Isreali Heavy Barrel FAL

[ROMAK IV]

I'm a sucker for surplus or surplus "style" rifles, so I just got an L1-A1 built from an Isreali Heavy barrel kit out of layaway. The receiver is marked as Imbel and made for CAI, and the receiver and barrel appear quite new, I had the headspace checked, and it is apparantly quite tight, as neither the commercial no-go or the go would close, but I believe it was because the gunsmith was closing the bolt by hand. The cartridges chambered just fine, but there were problems with the gas system. When fully closed, the bolt wouldn't go back far enough to cock the hammer, when fully open, the spent cartridge wouldn't extract. After I cleaned and lubed the gas piston, the rifle function just fine. The recoil is lighter than what I expected, and the rifle seems accurate enough, as I was able to easily hit 4' square pieces of 2x4's at about 20 yards, the distance I was testing. The sights on the rifle are quite large. I might get a recever cover mount to make the rifle more practicle to use at distance.

 

[hso]

Drop over to FALFiles.com and spend a little time with the FALFanatics there.

I'd advise laying in a supply of Izzy specific parts that wear out. The Israeli FALs have a couple of bits that no other parts will replace.

As I remember the gas piston is supposed to operate dry so check with the guys at FALFiles and find out if you should clean the piston and gas tube and leave the lube off.

 

[W.E.G.]

Any lube on the gas piston of a FAL will be LONG GONE by the second or third shot.

Short-cycling is a very common problem on newly-assembled FAL rifles build from a kit on new receivers. Sometimes the problem is self-correcting (break-in). Sometimes the break-in process needs a little jump-start.

 

[db_tanker]

mine needed a bit of work on the gas port, plus the chamber was a bit rough for the 'smith and he polished it up. Also don't ever discount the magazine if there is a FTF problem....


now mine flows forth a river of copper and lead...and tosses the brass almost as far if I don't have my brass catcher attached.

 

[jobu07]

I saw a heavy barrel variant like that at a show once. Looked pretty slick. Enjoy!

 

[ROMAK IV]

I just lubed the end of the gas piston that contacts the bolt carrier. It wasn't that dirty, so I am just not sure what the problem was. I have had SKS's with carboned up gas systems, so maybe it was that or maybe the gas plug was in backwards, i don't know. It just fires real well now. It wasn't a FTF, the cartridges would feed, the hammer just wouldn't cock, and you would have a live round in the chamber with the hammer down. I had a worse situation with an FN-49, until I got the gas adjusted correctly. On this rifle, I started with the gas system fully closed. Anyway, I'll keep the gas system clean, and it should be fine. The bipod is missing but they are available, so I'll be ordering one next week. The rifle is nose heavy, that barrel is thick! Helps recoil I am sure but it feels fine to me. That might be different if I had to lug it around all day. However, I see why the FAL could be successful as an infantry light machine gun while the M-14 wasn't. Actually, consdering the prices of FAL's in general and specifically, the price of Isreali heavy barrel kits, I did quite well buying it at about $1200. I had considerably more problems getting my PSL to work correctly. I also want to get some of those DSA thirty round magazines. I once had another FAL with an Imbel receiver but with the flish folding metal bipod. It would heat up the metal handguard to uncomfortably warm, with one magazine full. This one doesn't have that problem even after two magazines.

 

[Ian Sean]

I had the headspace checked, and it is apparantly quite tight, as neither the commercial no-go or the go would close, but I believe it was because the gunsmith was closing the bolt by hand.

When checking headspace on a FAL, you close the bolt by hand, I am a little confused here, it should have closed on a commercial "go" gauge.

I just lubed the end of the gas piston that contacts the bolt carrier

Do not lube anything in the gas system at all...it is supposed to be dry.

so maybe it was that or maybe the gas plug was in backwards, i don't know

Very possible, the gas plug has a "grenade launcher" mode on it....not enough gas to cycle the action or reset the hammer (it is all getting bled off).

The bipod is missing but they are available, so I'll be ordering one next week

Make sure you have a "bipod cut barrel".

Remember a FAL has an adjustable gas system...you can adjust it to cycle just about any type of ammo...but remember to ease off on it if you notice it is throwing your brass to far (greater than 6-8 feet or so). +1 on going to the FAL Files and reading up, indespensible info for the FAL owner.

 

[AndyC]

When you check the headspace on an FAL, always make sure the extractor has first been removed from the bolt.

 

[ROMAK IV]

No it didn't close on a "go" guage, but I checked to make sure it was closing on the actual ammunition, which it did. I had the headspace checked to make sure it was tight enough for commercial 308. If it hadn't it would have gone back to the gunsmith, and the gun shop had al;ready said they would pay to fix it. It was the gunsmith that suggested firing the rifle.

I adjusted the gas system all the way closed, and it wouldn't cycle far enough to cock the hammer. When fully open, it wouldn't even eject the spent case. I'm still not sure why the rifle worked after I cleaned the gas system, it wasn't that dirty. The lube I used is wet but leaves a dry lube when it dries. it contacts the upper receiver in a short bushing right before the bolt carrier, there really isn't a way for that to get fouled by barrel gases. The only other thing I can think of is that there are two ways to reinstall th gas plug. Whatever the problem, it's working really good now. Before, the bolt would recycle, the case would be extracted, the hammer wouldn't be cocked.

Yes the barrel is cut for the bipod, the bipod is just missing.

 

[AndyC]

On the gas-plug, the A should be on top and the G (for "Grenade") underneath - if you have the G upwards, it becomes a single-shot rifle

As for the gas, you could have a bent or leaky gas-tube or even a bent gas-piston.

Sounds like the hammer is following the bolt forward - if you're getting ammo in the chamber, the bolt had to have gone all the way back first, cocking the hammer, then going forward and chambering the round.

Oh, well - as long as it's now running fine

 

[RecoilRob]

Somewhere I read (IIRC) that some safeties won't cock the hammer if in FA position. My SAR-48 HB fires fine in both Semi and FA, but some kits won't hold the hammer back if in the wrong mode.......at least I think that is what I remember.

You might check to see if it works properly in all modes. They ARE nice rifles!

 

[ROMAK IV]

I think your'e right. I tried today to duplicate the hammer problems by half way cocking the bolt. There wasn't anyway to open the bolt enough to extract an empty case without cocking the hammer. I tried to set the safety at the various poaitions and I still couldn't duplicate the malfunction. I'll keep an eye on it the next few times I shoot. Maybe a fewore trys with the safety will duplicate the problem. It's hard to tell exactly where to put the safety anyway, since the caracters seem like hebrew letters.

 

[.45&TKD]

Am I the only one that would like a photo?

 

[AndyC]

I want to see this wee beastie too

 

[aloharover]

Just to repeat,
the bolt needs to be disassembled, no extractor, no firing pin.
And the bolt just gets pushed closed over the gauges by hand.
If it won't close on a GO gauge you have a serious issue.
The difference between 7.62x51mm and .308 WIN is in the lead. Not in the head space. Head space is measured from the base of the case to a line about 1/2 way up on the shoulder. There isn't any difference between the two specs here.

Setting the headspace on an FAL is just a 20$ part. They were designed to be easily changed.

Pete

 

[Stevie-Ray]

My SAR-48 HB fires fine in both Semi and FA

As does mine.