Hey guys - First time caller.

Can someone tell me what these stand for?
Went to the gun shop today and nobody could tell me what it stands for. I'm interested in an AR 15 but have been lookin at the .308s to see what is out there.
 As for the AR15 I'm leaning towards the Bushmaster "shorty". I see alot of you like BM , any pros/cons for CavarlyArms? Trying to do some brainstormin before forkin out the $$$!
  This is a great site, lots of info, glad to run across here.
   Thanks for any input.

Welcome HossRoss, though this ain't the Johnboy and Billy Show!  You are a newbie.

FN/FAL=Fabrique Nationale-Fusil Automatique Liger, or something along those lines.

National Manufacturing-Light Automatic Rifle, roughly.  

Go to www.falfiles.com and get the lowdown, then go to www.dsarms.com for the best.

Bushmasters are okay, along with Armalite, Colt, and a host of other manufacturers.

If you are near Charlotte, go to the show this weekend.

Just my .02, YMMV.

Edited to correct board code.

Hoss,
There's one hell of a difference between a real "FN" (Fabrique Nationale) and a "Bushmaster."
"SF" has recommended DS Arms for a FAL - not an FN FAL but a DS Arms FAL - I agree with this recommendation.
DSA has a STG-58 for about $800 rifle and $850 carbine - that's dealer cost before shipping that would give you a fine .308 FAL on a very fine American receiver built my DSA.

By contrast an FN L.A.R. 50.00 Match - a real Belgium FAL - would cost about $2200 - $2500.

In the "AR" arena my pick would be the ArmaLite M15A4 carbine.

Please remember, the "AR" in AR-15 - be it Colt's, Bushmaster or whomever - stands for ARMALITE !

Quoted: .though this ain't the Johnboy and Billy Show!

SF,
alright, I'm impressed - now what's the "Johnboy and Billy Show ?"

Quoted: Quoted: .though this ain't the Johnboy and Billy Show!   SF, alright, I'm impressed - now what's the "Johnboy and Billy Show ?"

5subslr5:

I stand corrected, the REAL Belgian FN-FALs are no longer made and are BIG money.  Licensed copies are still made elsewhere.  Hey let's really mess his head up and get him onto a Para version.  $$$!!

Johnboy and Billy are a couple of syndicated DJs with a morning show out of Charlotte.  They are a couple of "good ol' boys" and are widely broadcast in the Southeast.  Some of their characters and routines are hilarious.

When a caller announces, "first time caller", they hit a button for what sounds to me like a sheep sound.  

Hope that helps!

Got IT !!

Hoss,
the FN that "SF" alluded to is the FN 50.63, 7.62X51, 16" barrel with a side folding stock.  (There's also a 50.64 with an 18"(?) barrel but not quite as desirable.)
Excellent weapon but in roughly the $3500 range.

On the other hand I bought a very fine FN FNC Para (.223) for $2200 with the scope-mount and almost impossible to find factory bipod.  The FN FNC alone would have been $1800.

I don't know where your budget is for this purchase but the FNC is worth considering if your dollars allow.  (And you can have it legally converted to select-fire - with appropriate paperwork of course.)

Hang with us HOSS and you too will be gun-poor !!

A couple others to consider:

SAR48 - Springfield Armory's preban import (no longer made).  Good gun, and you can legally put a bayonet on it for marshmellow roasting.  They run in the $1500 plus range.

Kit guns built by one of the smiths that specialize in these such as Mark Graham.  Check out www.arizonaresponsesystems.com/.

If you're a big muscular guy you might consider an FN 50.41 HB.  I had one but sold it.  Too damn heavy.

There were a lot of derivative FAL manufactureres, FN was the original and perhaps the most famous.  You might look at some of the Commonwealth inch variants as well as the Israeli models.

Just more useless info to cloud the issue.

Oh, BTW, these things can be more addictive than ARs.  Once you progress to the kit building phase you'll need to start looking for a good 12-step program-- "Hi, my name is Xxxxx, and I'm a FALaholic".  

Ok - what I get from this is FN was/is a maker of a FAL (light automatic rifle)?
And AR is Armalite? I figured it was automatic rifle?

 That dsarms site was nice,but like marvl said, I could get addicted and not know it!

I'm still set on going with .223 to start and might work my way up to .308.
 

 SF- I always thought it was a "moo" of a cow, I aint hung out much with sheep!!
 Charlotte little far.I'm in Duplin co.- Pink Hill. Went to the Dixie gun/knife in Raliegh couple weekends ago and its got me saving my pennies for the Bushmaster shorty.

Thanks again guys for the input.

Hoss:

Right.  FN was a plant in Belgium where the FAL was designed and produced.  I has been built around the world, and is currently still manufactured in Brazil and Argentina, at least.

AR may or may not be ArmaLite.  Armalite and Eugene Stoner designed the AR-10, AR-15, AR-18 and a whole bunch of other weapons.  They sold the rights to the AR-15 to Colt, who made a ton of money off of it.  

5subslr5 is an AR/Armalite trivia nut and can put you to shame with the details he knows.

Currently, ArmaLite (formerly Eagle) makes one of the AR-15 clones, along with Colt, Bushmaster, Olympia, etc.

DSA makes their receivers and some of their guns here in the US.  Their bargain line (the STG-58) is made from Austrian Army rifles which were torn down prior to import due to our countries' arcane firearms laws and EOs.  Like potato chips (or pork rinds) Once you start, you just gotta have another of a different configuration.  I just sent you to FalFiles and DSA cause you wanted to know about FN-FALs.

Going with .223 (or 5.56) first is a great idea.  The Bushmaster shorty is a fine item.  But then you'll need a 20" A2, then an A1, then an M-4gery, and some mags, and a couple of optics, and mounts, oh yeah, a RIS or RAS, and LOTS of ammo, bwaaaahaaaa!  Another addict, hooked!

For what it is worth, the FAL is actually cheaper to get started, cause the rifle is the same $ to a little more, but the mags are MUCH less.


Good show in Raleigh.  Look for Ed's Guns.  His prices on new are usually the best.  Then come back here for all of the goodies you will need for it!

Hoss, if you think that's a cow, you haven't spent much time around them, either.  Sheep can be gooooood friends.  And they're shorter than cows, too!

Quoted: And AR is Armalite? I figured it was automatic rifle?

Hoss,
most everyone believes the "AR" in AR-15 stands for automatic rifle or assault rifle.

ArmaLite invented this whole "AR" concept and AR stands for ArmaLite - they (ArmaLite) used the AR designations on all their guns in the early days.  For example:

AR-7 - a .22 caliber semi-auto survival rifle
AR-17 - a 12 gauge semi-automatic shotgun
AR-10 - This was/is both an assault rifle and an automatic rifle.

Colts' management's ass still chaps when they have to admit "AR" stands for ArmaLite.

Best they could do is come with the CAR-15 - Colts'-ArmaLite-15 so they could get their name on something !

(I ain't touching that sheep thing you guys got going.)