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Posted: 2/18/2020 6:58:05 PM EDT
After having lived with and shot my 16" Para Carbine for almost a year now, I feel that
I have enough information to post an informative review for those considering this rifle.

First Impressions:

The rifle at first glance is a rather handsome piece of work.  The fit and finish is superb, and the flat black
DuraCoat finish is flawless, and is only on the external surfaces, the underlying finish being parkerizing.  
There are minimal machining marks and the selector and all other controls operate smoothly and with the
right amount of pressure or resistance.  All rollmarks are evenly stamped and are very legible.  The included
magazines were Moses polymer mags.  
Attachment Attached File


Shooting and operation

The rifle experienced several malfunctions with the included Moses magazines.  This was not a big issue for me since I
own approximately 100 military surplus magazines or Austrian, Belgian, and Israeli origin.  With these magazines the rifle
runs very well.  Therefore, I attribute the malfunctions to the Moses magazines and not the rifle.  This rifle also feels and
handles in a way that makes it feel lighter than it actually is.  The DSA has an aluminum alloy lower rather than the steel
lower of the original Belgian and other FN rifles.  I attribute this as being the reason for the difference in feel.  The shorter
16" barrel of this rifle, rather than the standard para length of 18" also gives this rifle a better feel and makes it more "handy"
in my opinion.

Accuracy

Although many state that the FAL rifle is not capable of extreme accuracy, this example is more than acceptable.  I was able to
turn in 1.5" groups at 50yds and 2.0"-2.5" groups from 100yds.  This shooting was done from a bench with the rifle sandbagged
to eliminate any human error to evaluate what the rifle itself is capable of.  I feel that this is a more than acceptable level of accuracy
for the type of shooting this rifle is designed for.  This could possibly improved with an optic or better quality match type ammunition,
as I was using Swiss Saltech obtained from SG Ammo.

Areas of improvement

As with all things, I do feel that there is some area for improvement available.  A major point I have with the DSA is that they use a
roll pin for the charging handle tab pin.  The pin that contacts the bolt carrier to retract the bolt is retained by a tension or roll pin
rather than a solid pin like on the originals.  Over a period of time, my pin bent and became misshapen.  This allowed the tab that
contacts the bolt carrier to back out, and no longer contact the bolt.  This was easily rectified by replacing the roll pin with an original
solid pin.  No issues after the replacement.

Customer service

In this area, I have experienced top notch support from DSA as a company.  Any issues that I have had were quickly solved and taken care
of.  Robert in customer service has gone above and beyond to help me with spare parts and any other issues that I have had.  Mike has also
taken care of a couple of questions that I had during the order process and while I was waiting for delivery.  I thank them for all their efforts.

All in all, the DSA is a great alternative for those looking for a para, but not willing or unable to spend the required cost of a FN rifle.
Link Posted: 2/21/2020 1:37:43 AM EDT
[#1]
A good write up. If you haven't already you may want to change out your return springs with some new Milsurp Monkey Fal Para return springs.

https://www.arizonaresponsesystems.com/product/paratrooper-return-spring-set/

Review
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