Does anyone here have firsthand experience with both these guns? I have wanted a mag-fed battle rifle for a while and the FAL appeals to me. But lately I discovered that the new Galil ACE handled almost the same, is a fair bit cheaper, and has some nice features. On paper they are very similar guns. Any opinions?

I have no actual use for either and already have a CMP M1 Special in .308, so it'd be strictly for range use, maybe some hunting, and when the aliens/zombies/werewolves invade.

From personal experience, as cool as the FAL and Galil ACE .308 are, they are both heavy and expensive, and I'd recommend an AR-10 in the same price range which will be lighter, and more accurate, and takes relatively inexpensive .308 PMags.

If you wanted a cheap retro .308 battle rifle, a PTR-91 would cover your bases for just under $1K, mags are cheap, and they eat anything; however they are also heavy and destroy brass.

That said, if you just want to use it strictly as a range toy, buy whatever suits your fancy.

Eventually I will get a PoF Revolution DI for maximum practicality in a battle rifle, but sometimes practicality isn't the point.

FAL is cooler. Ace is just an AK variant. Also don’t like that it has a wearable buffer

In red: No, they don't. I've reloaded brass from at least four different G3-type rifles, including my PTR-91. No extra steps necessary; brass reloads like that shot from any other rifle.

The Galil is hellishly expensive for what it is. The FAL has the fact that it's a classic battle rifle going for it. In that regard, it doesn't get any better. As long as you aren't expecting it to be a tack driver, you will enjoy the FAL. If you want precision, build an AR-10-pattern rifle in .308, or, better yet, a 6.5mm cartridge of your choosing. You'll come out ahead and have a more capable rifle that uses easily available magazines and is supported by a huge aftermarket.

I have seen a USMC sniper instructor use my STG-58 at 1,000 yards at a B-27 target he shot 20 rounds 10 head and 10 in the X ring. Yes it was scoped and he is a master sniper but at 1,000 yards that was impressive!

After that I thought if I did my job this weapon would do it's job! STG -58 is heavy but it's a real battle rifle can go to hell and back and still fire!

AR-10's are nice also!

I have a STG-58 with 14.5 bbl and 3" flash hider and a Galil Ace 7.62 pistol with brace.  it has a 12.5 " barrel.
I really like the FAL style rifle as it is a tank.   Easy to work on and being able to adjust the gas is great.  So many different types of ammo out there its good to be able to have that option.
But not the most accurate.  Then again, I want it to go bang and that's what it does.  It wears a DSA dust cover/scope rail and just installed a DSA para stock.  
Yes, they are a little on the heavy side.  Most of your 308 guns will be.

The ACE pistol is  is neat in itself.   Pretty accurate for the short bbl.   My range only goes out to 200 yds and is grouping at about 1".  Better than the STG.  But that's another story.
Big pro is it uses Pmags.   Cheap enough and easy to find.  And feels a little lighter than my STG.  But have not weighed them to check actual weight.

I have had several AR10 type rifles in 308.   Built a PSA and not too heavy.   Sold it before I shot it.   I do have a SIG 716 and it too is on the heavy side.  But I know this rifle will go 1000 yds accurately.

I keep my STG as my go to gun (308)   (I have a AR for my Go to gun in 556.).  Main reason is the adjustable gas system.   And it will eat everything I feed it.  Pretty easy to work on and can find surplus parts fairly cheap.   Picked up a  couple of new main springs for just in case.   Not that the old one was bad, just wanted extra.
The Ace had a little problem with one of the types of ammo I have, and the price is out there.   Probably looking back and knowing then what I know now I would not have gotten the ACE.  Mainly due to the price.  But thought I had to have it.

I have had many HK91/G3 type rifles  as well as Cetme's.  I have tons of mags and they are dirt cheap.  Can't bring myself to get another unless the price was out of this world.
So I keep buying them then wind up selling them.  I did same for  the FAL types but will not sell what I have now.   In fact looking to getting a second rifle.

Depends on the FAL.  A build kit one may be great if you go that route.  DSA's quality as of late has been pretty spotty.  At the least, the Galil ACE is much better built and more reliable than a current DSA FAL.  It's likely more accurate, too, and it has a cold hammer forged barrel vs. the DSA having a 4140 barrel.  You will get way more service life out of the Galil's barrel.  The downside of the Galil, though, is it chews up brass pretty good so reloading for it may be a PITA.

I'd honestly recommend a PTR-91 if you want a 308 battle rifle that's a bit different.  If you just want any 308 battle rifle then I'd go with an AR-10 (assuming here that the SCAR 17 is way out of your price range?)  If not, get the SCAR.

But, if you're sold on a FAL or a Galil, get the Galil if you're considering a DSA FAL.  If you're fine with any FAL then I'd probably roll with an older DSA or a nice kit build.

I'm not a fan of the G3 platform, I've shot them and they do little for me (PTR quality is solid, though). I already have a CMP M1 in .308, so this wouldn't be my first battle rifle.

A few people have brought up that the FAL is cheaper, but around here a DSA FAL (para models at least) cost a few hundred more than the ACE. I have no desire to build anything right now, I want a quality gun out of the box that needs little/no work. I think that is a fair expectation for a $1000+ gun.

Did you end up choosing one? They both come in 11" pistols, having a hard time choosing.

The Ace uses sr25 mags (which I already have) but lacks last round bolt hold open (IWI dropped the ball on this one).

The FAL is a classic but I'd have to get new mags.

Lol, not yet. Though the question in the thread still stands as I'll eventually get around to getting a mag-fed battle rifle.

I've been saving for a house down-payment and am heading out today to look at a few likely candidates, so my money will need to go to that first. Then I have a shortlist of guns to grab once I have spending money again, and a battle rifle is defiantly on there.

I'm still not sure which one I want (first). Based on handling them and comparing the specs for my uses (range gun plus SHTF option) I think the ACE and/or a PoF Revolution DI are higher up on the list simply. The FAL as a pistol gives up a lot of it's original pluses (iconic look, good handling and balance for a longer gun) and enters an arena where the newer guns have serious edges (modern ergos, mags, balance designed for a short gun).
for a short gun).

I actually like the ergonomics of the FAL better than any Galil variant or AR.

On an AR, if someone could mate the LWRC REPR upper (which basically uses an Israeli-style FAL charging handle) with a RRA LAR-8 BCG and lower, and throw in a short-throw selector, that would be just about perfect for me as far as ergonomics go, and it would use magazines of a type of which I have many (FAL mags).  At this point I'm also so used to the FAL that it's kinda like second nature to use it.  I don't really have to think about what I'm doing.

We can be friends.

Having everything work naturally is worth a lot.  FALs have that same automatic ergonomics for me.  I shot a pistol/PPC/rifle match once where every single gun jammed on me.  I hadn't touched the PPC before that day, but it CZ Scorpion Evo, which has the same control layout as a FAL.  When it jammed, clearing it was automatic and unconscious: Yank the charging handle back, tip sideways to let the case fall out, then release to chamber a new round.  You don't have to break contact with your shoulder or firing hand, even if you have to lock the bolt back and remove the mag--just try that with everyone's favorite aluminum princess.

The coolest part, though, is mag changes.  I use the Vickers technique when reloading from slidelock on a pistol: Drop the magazine, shove a new one in, then use the thumb of your support hand to yank down on the slidelock lever to chamber the round.  When you reload a FAL, rocking the magazine in puts your support hand thumb right on top of the bolt hold open lever, and you can use the exact same movement to pull down and release the bolt.

Don't even get me started about the 45-degree safety, index finger mag release, or the fact that every single control you activate on the FAL uses motion in a different direction so there's no chance of sympathetic muscle movements or ergonomic confusion.

We already are friends.

Cute story bro, it made coffee come out of my nose.
(FYI, the 10 ring is 55 mm by 78 mm / 2.165 X 5.9 inches )

I love the FAL rifle and have owned many and still have three and none are MOA, or less.

My FAL or Australian SLR l1a1 built by the gun plumber even with my best reload is 3 to 4 MOA rifle and my barrel is nice .

The FAL and ACE are excellent rifles , just not 1000 yard rifles.

Yep.  My Steyr McMillan with a 14x Zeiss scope with specially loaded handloads would have a hard time doing that.
A surplus FAL, no way in hell.

That being said, my Springfield SAR 48 would shoot close to 1.5 MOA when I first bought it back in 1989 after I had a
trigger job done on it.  With good ammo and a Trijicon TA-01B ACOG on it, 1.5" groups at 100 yards were not very difficult
if I did my part.  However, this was a brand new factory-built rifle not a parts kit assembled on a receiver.

But, now that I am older, and the barrel has many more rounds through it, I doubt it would perform as well.

The farthest I've taken one is 960 yards, and that was only about 50% accuracy on a man-sized target.  It was a little windy, though.  

My former STG was a matching number parts set with a mint barrel and it would do 2 MOA with standard sights.
I currently have three rifles to sight in and test. A rescued Century R1a1 (?) with a molested Styer barrel I pulled, cut and crowned then reinstalled.
One metric pattern on a FMAP receiver and a recent pick up of an STG on a DSA Grayslake receiver with a nice barrel.

None will be 1000 yard head & 10 ring guns, lol.

Out of the hundreds of FAL rifles I have shot and seen shot maybe 5 could approach 2moa.

Is that you Rapid Rob?

Galil Ace is not the same as the original IMI Galil, so a lot of that comparison may not carry over.

For the money back then, if I could buy a 100% Imbel FAL (like the old Springfield SAR-48)  or an IMI Galil 308, I'd get the SAR-48 everyday.

Given the new FAL's available now versus the 308 IWI Galil now (ACE), I'd get the Galil.  That has to do with support, price, quality, etc.

If I could turn back the clock, I'd buy 10 HK-94 carbines and 10 SIG AMT's and a US imported FAMAS......

I don't like either rifle.  But the gal is the clear choice.  It has parts available and is an actual proven battle rifle.  The ACE is completely proprietary and has no pedigree what so ever.

That's not really true.  I don't know about the .308 version, but the Galil ACE itself is the main service rifle for multiple countries and has been proven in battle.  It has been in service since 2008.

I stand corrected.

The POF Rogue (I think that’s what they are calling it) has my interest.

Lightweight 308 pistol.  Add a suppressor and it appears to be a nice package.

Even the PTR pistol is really heavy in comparison.

The POF doesn’t have the history, but I’d like a small semi auto rifle to smack hogs down in under 200 yards.

I don’t have the POF nor have I seen it.   I do have another POF DI rifle and it’s been good to go.  So, high hopes.

FALs are capable of MOA with the right barrel and some custom fitting of the BCG. My scoped FAL averages right around MOA, but I have done some work to it. There was a thread a few years ago where I explained why FALs tend to have precision issues and how to address them.

You are correct.  With a bit of work, and some good ammo the FAL can shoot pretty well.  
I would like to read that thread you are speaking of.  I'm sure I would find it very interesting.

I've achieved down to 1.25MOA with my StG58 on a DSA type 1.

I left it the way it was with the wood stock and it does well...but it only likes 150 to 155 grains and nothing else.

I've chased this demon for years but my sincere belief between my L1A1 and StG58 and Argentine is the Stohl device.

It somehow does things with the harmonics.

That's just my experience owning my Stg58 for 22 years now.

Impossible.  Just ask anyone on the internet, and they will tell you that a FAL is just a
4 to 6 MOA rifle.  

Also want to add to this b/c I've heard too many people parroting how FAL rifles are all "Minute of Man" accurate.
My STG58 with German DAG Surplus ammo can reliably group around 2MOA at 100 yards, iron sights.

There are too much generalized misinformation going around on the internet...
Figure I would take this opportunity to also share how well the AUG can do, to balance out on the misinformation about them being inaccurate guns.
Last picture shows what my AUG A3 can do with standard FMJ ball Norma 55gr 223 w/ 4x ACOG.

Yep.  There is a very big difference in actually shooting and knowing what you are talking about, and
speculating about things based upon what you read on the internet.   I have actually had people tell
me that FAL rifles are inaccurate, and that ARs are unreliable pieces of shit, but when I ask them how much
real world experience they have, they state they have never owned either.

It is a real eye opener when they actually go to the range and fire said weapons.  Many attitudes change,
and old myths go out the window when they see the real world facts.  

That's about the same accuracy I get out of my early AUG A3 too...

POF rogues shipped to distributers yesterday according to their social media.

Waiting for the 12.5" 308 pistol to be available. I'll likely be one of the early adopters. This thing is 5.6lbs, which gives me plenty of room for silencers, accessories, etc without it ending up weighing 12lbs.



I have a scar 17 SBR but it's not really the lightest option and it doesn't seem to play well with electronics (IR/thermal stuff and optics in general). I have it set up as more of a dmr.

The Galil ACE is a Galil in name only.

LOL!