What's so great about the Galil?

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cosmonick

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I noticed, today, that Ohio Rapid Fire has begun production of Galils. Thier price is $1,700.

http://rapidfire.targetweb.net/ select Galil on the left menu

I have no experience with the Galil, though I've read that they are great rifles.

Anyone have personal experience with the Galil? Do you like it better than the AR or AK platforms? If so, why?

Anyway, I'm probably not looking to sink $1,700 into a 5.56 rifle, but ...... you never know :)
 
Had one many moons ago when nickels were called bees.

Heavy, but solid piece of work, hard to get mags for it. Different than an AK? Well, the Galil is a 3d generation AK, but AR caliber.:D

It sold primary because of the "Iwannacoolgun" virus. I have a very high tolerance now. :cool:
 
Good weapon. Reliable, solid. Not enough demand to really make that many of them, hence expensive. Israeli design.
 
They took the basic action of the AK. Slightly tighter tolerances, chambered in 5.56mm, 35 round magazine. Thumb operated safety to get around the AK's little safety oddity, the FAL folding stock is handy, yet very solid and secure when locked. Tritium sights for night firing and an upturned bolt handle that's easier to grab in a hurry.

They are indeed heavier than an M16, being solid steel (not aluminum, plastic and steel) with wood. Friend of mine's a captain in the IDF reserve (tanker) who has one in the carbine (M4 size) model. Most officers take the CAR-15, but as he said, if he ever needs his rifle, RELIABILITY is the key word, he doesn't mind the extra bit of weight. He has no problem with the M16, but he prefers the Galil from his own combat experience.




Old quote from the Israelis around the 80s (Beirut time) "On road marches, everyone wants M16s. Going into combat, they all want Galils!"

It's as reliable as an AK, better on ergonomics, and more accurate (Aperature rear sight, about as accurate as the M16.)
 
Checked the site. That's the ARM model, the long heavy automatic rifle type. I and my IDF friend both prefer the AR model (no bipod, shorter 16" barrel) which is lighter. They also make several shorter models than that in Israel.
 
i think the originals were built on Valmet (Finnish) receivers. Valmet was the Cadillac of AK47-types.
 
I'd tend to call them first generation. They are refined AK's, yes, but still AK's. As such, they have all of the advantages and some disadvantages of their own. Their primary disadvantage is weight. They are just far to heavy for the average soldier. Israeli's prefer the AK-47 or the M16 if given a choice. The hallmark of the Galil is its reliability, whether real or imagined. Don't know, I've never owned one. When I had the chance, I had a CAR-15 that seemed to me to be half the weight, so what's the point?
 
BigG is right - the bottle opener contributes much to the Galil's user friendliness.
 
That's all interesting info. I'd love to shoot one. How accurate are they? Are they any more accurate than a VEPR? I know these are two different animals, but it seems that something like a Krebs custom rifle would save you a lot of cash without loosing reliability or accuracy.
 
They're very reliable and more accurate than any Ak-47 I've ever fired. I wouldn't pay the price they run for now, but I'm glad I got mines back in the old days, when I thought $800 bucks was too much.
 
I fired one that was select-fire.
It didn't do anything for me.
It was heavy and had a lot of sharp edges. The bi-pod was a PITA as far as I am concerned.
I didn't do any serious accuracy work with it. I am not sure if I even fired it on semi-auto.
 
I have heard and read many things regarding the Galils. The two that most stand out are these.

They were designed with the strengths of the AR combined with the strengths of the AK.

When given a choice, the Iraeli Defense Forces choose the AR over the Galil. The only reason the Galil is still in service with the IDF is because its made in Israel. Troops in the rear are issued the gun while troops out front are issued the AR.

As a combat weapon, the Galil is used today only in the Armored corps, Artillery corps, and some stationary elements in the Israel Air Force (IAF) Anti Aircraft (AA) Corps. The single mutual characteristic for all of these units is they do not need to travel by foot and rarely use their personnel issue weapon, so there isn't any need to supply them with lighter more accurate weapon like the M16A1.
Click to expand...

If you want to read all abou the Galil and other IDF weapons, units, tactics etc, visit:

http://www.isayeret.com/weapons/assault/galil/galil.htm

http://www.isayeret.com/
 
Thanks all for the links and the comments. The Galil seems like a fine weapon, but probably nothing that's going to find it's home in my safe. It is very interesting to read about, though.
 
It's an AK47-type and an expensive one. IMHO, a Colt AR15 has it all over any AK47-type, including my beloved Valmet 71. YMMV
 
We didn't have assault rifles then (pre-'89), just mere ATF-approved sporting rifles. When mowed lawns to pay our Dads to buy them for us because we saw them in movies or read about them in American Rifleman, and we liked it.

I took the ferry to East Ogdenville which is what we called Shelbyville then and went to the range which in those days was called a "gun shooting place". . .
 
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