A friend of mine and avid collector has had an L1A1 for years. Here in the Socialist Republik Kanada since it's registered (all restricted class {handguns ar's etc. } and prohibited [FN's, full auto stuff] has been for years, this happened before the long gun registration fiasco) FN-FALs here are roughly the equivilent to class3, it's about as much as you can get, and there is no difference between a select fire FN and a semi- same classification, stupid but true. Anyway, apparently the only difference between semi and select fire selectors is that the semi ones are longer so that semi-auto position is as far down as the selector can travel due to the fact that it's longer at the front than auto ones, and hits the upper. I heard an old soldiers trick years ago, apparently when it was decided that the FNs were uncontrolable in auto the armorers fitted the guns with the longer levers (that came in contact with the upper when in semi, thus preventing them rotating to auto). What the troops used to do was break the action open so that the upper was out of the way, and then rotate it to the auto position and close again. Of course you had to break it open again to get it back, and if the Sgt-Major caught you you were toast. My frien has had this gun for years, and I tried it (empty of course!) I broke the action and rotated it. There were no "auto" markings on the receiver, but there was a indentation in the receiver for the detent ball to grab (same size and shap as the indent for semi- mode) I then closed the action and proceded to work the bolt handle. You guessed it, every time the bolt went fully ahead the hammer went "click!" My friend had never known, and since it didn't affect the status of the weapon he ground down the offending flange on the selector until it just cleared the upper while on it's way to auto. He was pretty happy, although that's more than I can say for his son, since the rifle is registered it's has to be destroyed after the owner dies, no if ands or buts! It can't even be de-milled into a wall-hanger or a momento to be passed on to his son, the day he dies (assuming the records haven't been lost, which is likely with our system) the police confiscate it.

Just thought it was interesting, since AR semi-only selectors won't allow full auto even if all the other parts are there, but an L1A1 selector is the same except for the larger flange that stops it from rotating to auto.

The problem with the Semi-auto's in the states is that the receiver cut for the auto/safety sear is what separates the two.  On the USA semi FAL's, there is no auto/safety sear, so putting the selector in the full position, or even pulling the selector out will just result in the hammer following the carrier back forward, without enough hammer force to ignite the primer.

P.S. What fun is a 5 round burst?  At least in the states, we can get our hands on a full auto, and use the entire 20 round mag capacity.

Dano, if you are a collector you can have any capacity he wants. I forgot to add that this is an original L1A1, so it's not slam firing or anything like that.
I still find it funny that the only difference between semi and auto selectors it thelength of the flange on the outside ot the receiver. They sell auto selectors for about $60, but what's the point, you can get a semi for $6.99 and grind, fit and finish it and it'll do the same thing. Apparently the semi Fns are prohibited class here as well as auto ones, because they are so easy to convert and are considered select fire even if they aren't capable of it at the time.

Edited because I thought you said Kalifornia, not Kanada.

The L1A1 selector doesn't have the FA notch. Putting it in the FA position does nothing. You need the L2 selector, check the pictures in the manual.