I should know better.

Bought a CAI FAL from a guy off a local gun board.  Even after reading all sorts of horror stories about CAI FAL's.  It wasn't in great shape but no worse than many CAI guns that need a little TLC.  Asked the guy how it functioned, he said he never had an issue with it.  Not FTF's no FTE's, he must of also been a French model....  My first clue should have been the gas setting was set at 1.  

Oh well, guess I'm not a smart person so I went ahead and bought it.  Took it out to the range for a function check.  It's not the worst CAI gun I have ever bought but it's going to need some work.  It spits brass all over the place and won't function reliably with Winchester White Box 7.62x51 to Magtech M80 7.62x51.  I get get brass spitting out 10 yards to my one o'clock, then brass that barely dumps out, then brass that kicks out to my three o' clock two or three yards, and usually one failure randomly every 10 rounds or so.  This is with the gas setting at 1. Tried moving it to 6 because I thought it might be getting over gassed and it FTE's every round, then tried moving it down on setting and it wouldn't cycle more than three or four rounds before another FTE until I get to the one setting.  

I did Switch to SA battle packs and switched to a different mag, I made it through a couple mags with no issues except it is not consistent in where it throws brass.  

I got home and started a thorough cleaning.  It was filthy to put it lightly.  Still lots of cosmiline and carbon build up.  I'm really hoping this might be part of the problem.

Any help addressing the gas system issue would be helpful.

Looks like a fun winter project

Man, that thing looks bad.  Makes my Imbel look like a Purdey shotgun in comparison.

Any rust inside bore/chamber/gas system?  

I hope you got a great deal...

Bore was shiny.  Gas system was not rusty but full of carbon and grease.

Sigh, I really didn't.

Doesn't look that bad. Surface rust is cosmetic. Probably needs some TLC is all.

I also have an L1 but it has been years since I fired it. I need to remedy that.

Good luck on your project.

Those pics are really bad because I just got done spraying the whole damn thing with gun scrubber

Mine was a piece of shit. Thankfully I didn't take a huge loss when I got rid of it.

make sure your gas tube is tight when you re-attach it to the gas block.  I had an FAL that acted the way you describe until I tightened the gas tube.

A real good cleaning and like said above the gas tube needs to be tight. I bought a buddy's CAI off him and it was never cleaned. After cleaning it up and dialing in the gas, it shot great. I have a DSA 16.5" as well and love it. Good luck with yours.

While you've got it almost all the way apart, you might check the gas port under the front sight.

Mine's a STG/metric so all I had to do was screw the front sight up out of the base to access the gas port.  I'm not sure about the inch rifles.  My gas port was really fouled.  It wouldn't go more than 20 or 30 rounds without having to open the gas system up a notch, then another 20 or thirty rounds and turn the knob again.  Pain in the butt.  Cleaning/lubing didn't help because we weren't removing that crud from the almost plugged up gas port during routing cleaning.

My CAI L1A1 required cleaning out the recoil spring tube, enlarging the gas port, and a different locking shoulder in order for it to run right.

Also, the bore was so heavily metal-fouled, that I initially thought that the rifling was shot out in front of the leade.  It took the applic tion of some very aggressive copper solvent to solve that mystery.  The patches came out looking like they were coated in green jelly.

Mine runs like a raped ape, but it also doesn't react to changes in the gas system, which leads me to think Century jimmied the thing wide open (or partially so)

I guess that's better than having to screw with it to make it run, but I;m going to try to correct it eventually.

The good news is from what I have read the receiver is in spec and have had not FTF's so the feed ramp appear to be okay.

I wouldn't be surprised after I get her put back together if she will at least run at an acceptable gas setting.  She may not sling empty brass in the exact same spot but will be good enough for a range toy.  My concern with running the rifle at the 1 or 0 setting is beating the rifle to death.

I think worst case scenario I'm looking at having to have the gas port drilled out a bit.  If it gets to that I will send it into a smith.

I don't know, brother, that gas block looks like it has seen better days.  With that being said, you could make that bitch shine...30.00 for a new one is not too shabby.  This link should solve many needs.

https://apexgunparts.com/index.php/cPath/53_115

I would like to know what you paid.  Quite frankly, FAL's are great rifles, and I hold them in high regard.  I'd spend the winter doing a "restoration" of it.  Fun project, and when you're done, you'll have a great rifle.  Furthermore, when the next panic strikes, you'll bank out!!!

At least it's not a unibrow.

I know your pain!!!





I am building a 1903A3 AND an A4 from the ground up:









I'm in for a long ride.



 

Do keep us in the loop on those builds.  PLEASE.  

I heard them receivers are super hard to drill and tap, do to super hard metal.  I kick myself every time I think about this sporterized 03A3 I came across in a gunstore that was already drilled and tapped.  I think the receiver was blued though.   But still......  Would've been the perfect project 03A4 clone receiver.  But I had no money at the time.  Just got married, just started a new job, etc etc.....

FWIW- The Century guns built on IMBEL receivers imported by PAC are generally regarded as G2G provided the proper sized locking shoulder was utilized (fairly easy fix if it was not).

Do this and then check to see if the gas piston moves freely in the gas tube. Just point the rifle straight up and drop in the gas piston without the spring. It should drop freely, and you'll easily see if it's binding.

Got that same rifle runs like a Ape on X pills . Got the gas setting on  4 i believe

How is your project coming along, Beardog????

Slow.  Been busy with holiday stuff.  Ordering a new gas block, gas regulator, and US wood furniture set.  I've been working on some of the surface rust here and there and it's coming along nicely.

His appears to be built on one of the cast versions.

It looks like you have an inch lower and a metric upper, or it the rifle all inch? At any rate the gas system goes together dry.  You can use oil to clean it, but if there is any liquid in there it will quickly turn into a gummy mess once you fire the rifle.