Nolo, I've fired a full auto FN and several other full autos 7.62x51mm. Yes, you can shoo them. No, you cannot hit s**t after the first round. Extensive test were done of the M14 and the FAL using auto fire in the 1960s. They all concluded that full auto from a full power rifle was useless. Soldiers were unable to put more than a single round on a man silhouette at 50 yards in full ato. Most were unable to put more than one hot at 25 yards. Hence no M15 production.
My experience is that most advocates of the FAL have never carried one while in uniform. Unlike at the range, you just don't amble the 5 feet from you car to the firing line. While a decent weapon, it shares much in common with the M14 and G3. It's long and heavy. The ammo is heavy too. Wait until you've marched 12 miles with an 80 pound ruck, a 10 pound rifle a hundred or so rouns of ammo.
And this is a weapon that really no more combat effective than a 223 except in very limited conditions.
The FAL is also expensive to manufacture and hard to service. It's WWII technology using massive chunks of machines steel, and even the type III reciver is fairly complex to make. The barrel requires a timed thread,m and the rifle has poor primary extraction thank to it's tipping bolt. Adjust the gas systenm incorrectly, and use commercial ammo and it will rip case heads right off.
It's also a poor platform for optics, or other ancilliary gear that is common in 21st century warfare.
In contrast, the M16 is a simple weapon, easy and relatively inexpensive to manufacture and service. Barrels can be replaced with simple tools, and as far as being able to reconfigure the rifle, the M16 is the lego of the gun world.
Is it the perfect weapon? Certainly not. But there is a good reason the M16 has remained in service for almost 50 years - making it the United States' longest serving rifle. And unlike many of the European wonder rifles, the M16 has actually been used in combat in multiple wars. About the only service rifle with more combat experience is the AK-47 and it's derivatives.
My experience is that most advocates of the FAL have never carried one while in uniform. Unlike at the range, you just don't amble the 5 feet from you car to the firing line. While a decent weapon, it shares much in common with the M14 and G3. It's long and heavy. The ammo is heavy too. Wait until you've marched 12 miles with an 80 pound ruck, a 10 pound rifle a hundred or so rouns of ammo.
And this is a weapon that really no more combat effective than a 223 except in very limited conditions.
The FAL is also expensive to manufacture and hard to service. It's WWII technology using massive chunks of machines steel, and even the type III reciver is fairly complex to make. The barrel requires a timed thread,m and the rifle has poor primary extraction thank to it's tipping bolt. Adjust the gas systenm incorrectly, and use commercial ammo and it will rip case heads right off.
It's also a poor platform for optics, or other ancilliary gear that is common in 21st century warfare.
In contrast, the M16 is a simple weapon, easy and relatively inexpensive to manufacture and service. Barrels can be replaced with simple tools, and as far as being able to reconfigure the rifle, the M16 is the lego of the gun world.
Is it the perfect weapon? Certainly not. But there is a good reason the M16 has remained in service for almost 50 years - making it the United States' longest serving rifle. And unlike many of the European wonder rifles, the M16 has actually been used in combat in multiple wars. About the only service rifle with more combat experience is the AK-47 and it's derivatives.
