I'm completely new to FALs. I have a new AR on order and my son's band director has been trying to convience my about the virtues of the FAL. How accurate can they be? How much does a good one run? Which brand is a good one? And how hard is it to put one together and what special tools would I need?
A lot of questions. Any help?
Tom

All your questions will be answered with the purchase of a DSA built FAL.

Man o' man, where to start...

They can be quite accurate but remember, they were designed to be accurate enough to hit a man and be rugged/reliable at the same time.  Your "typical"  FAL normally get approx 1.5-2 MOA as long as the shooter does his job.  Accurized models will see group sizes of 1 MOA, maybe slightly less.

A store bought FAL will run you approx $1200 for a DSA model.  Yes, DSA is the best if you go this route.

How hard they are to assemble depends on your mechanical inclination..  I've been a backyard mechanic most of my adult life and had zero problems building the 2 FALS I own.  You can expect to save quite a bit of money building one yourself, even more if you decide to build many.

Which tools you need is dependent on how professional of a build you plan to make it.  You can get by with less, but to do a truly pain free, professional build you will need the following:

1. Receiver wrench (A must)
2. Barrel vise (Nice but not absolutely necessary)
3. Headspace sizing rods (A must)
4. Headspace gauges (Go and NoGo) (A must)
5. Barrel TDC tool (Nice but not absolutely necessary)
6. Buttstock tool (Nice but not absolutely necessary)
7. Gas nut spanner (Nice but not absolutely necessary)

I am assuming you have all the other basics such as a good strong bench vise, punches/drifts, mallets, screwdrivers, etc.

The DSA StG-58A, which is their "factory parts gun", runs $995.00 retail, and is absolutely top notch, with a lifetime warranty.

My StG-58A and pre-ban Sprignfield Armory SAR-48 Para.  The StG-58 is every bit the quality, if not more so, than the pre-ban Springfield, and that's NOT a cut on my Springfield.



After wood stocks arrived:

Thanks for the info. After the initial cash outlay on my AR I may need to go the kit route. I think I can borrow the needed tools from my son's helpful teacher. The best place for a kit is DSA also? I'm new to the FAL boards but I'm trying to absorb info. How much can I expect to save by going the kit route over an off the shelf gun?
I had the best after school job in the world when I was a good bit younger. I worked for a gunsmith a block from my house so I picked up the basic knowledge of what makes guns go bang-bang.
Tom

Cheap kits are becomming hard to get.  The best kit is the STG58 from DSA for $300.  You'll also need some US made compliance parts and a receiver.  You're looking at about $600 worth of stuff before tools.  

You might want to put out a call for a "build party" at the FALfiles.  I'm working with 3 or 4 guys in Northern VA to build a few FALs at the moment.  You may want to look at the Hometown confrence in Virginia for more details of what we are working on.  It may help you to figure out how to proceed.

oh and btw Templar... have any interest in building one with us this summer?

Cliff, I appreciate the offer, but I don't think I'll be able to make it.  I have 2 FAL's, different enough from each other that I can "justify" it.  The only FAL variant I may want is a 18" "Congo" style, and I don't really "need" one right now, as my trusty 21" barreled beasts do well enough.

I've got a guy who's jonesing for my 16" barrel Galil AR in 5.56mm so bad he wants to trade me straight up for a Galil AR in 7.62 NATO.......but I already have a side folding 7.62mm MBR in my Para.

I'll keep it in mind though......