Right now, I've got 2 problem guns I'm thinking of trading off...

#1...(post-ban) Hesse, A-1 upper & stock, Bushmaster 14.5" HBAR w/pinned AK brake.

#2...(pre-ban) E.A., A-1 upper(no forward assist or brass deflector)
11.5" HBAR w/pinned 5.5" flashhider, collapsible CAR stock. (also has barely noticable small 1/4"long crack at bottom of mag well)(did this myself...dumbass I am)

Both these guns have been giving me trouble for some time now,(cycling & extracting) and I'm ready to move on to something different...

I've got 2 other AR's that run 100%...

#1...Bushmaster 20" A-2 "out of the box"  

#2...20" Colt barreled "tackdriver" gun I built onto an Olympic lower...  

Do I keep screwing with my 2 problem guns?... OR...Do I get rid of them, and get a nice .308 FAL.

Right now I have nothing in .308 cal...

I know NOTHING about the FAL's & need a few pointers, and what to look out for...

Keep in mind, Murphy's law follows me EVERYWHERE!!, I ALWAYS run into problems when I get into a gun I'm not familiar with...

I'm looking for the "Colt" or "Bushmaster" equivalent in a FAL...

Don't try to talk me into an AR-10 either, I've seen too many mixed opinions on them...

My dealer probably has 20 or 30 FAL's in stock, in every configuration & price possible...

I don't know what to look for...

Input anyone ???

[url]http://www.fnfal.com/falfiles/index.html[/url]

[url]http://home.flash.net/~gavin1/[/url]

[url]http://www.gunsworld.com/belg/fal/fal_us.html[/url]

[url]http://fabriquenationale.homestead.com/build.html[/url]

[url]http://www.dsarms.com/default.htm[/url]

[url]http://www.entreprise.com/default.htm[/url]

Hope that helps.......

If you're going to buy a complete (already built) rifle, get a DS Arms.  (Unless you can get a pre-ban Belgian, that is.)  Stay away from Hesse and Century.  Screw inch-pattern - buy a metric FAL.

Hang around the FAL Files and see what's good.

[url]http://www.l1a1.com[/url]

DSA:[url]http://www.dsarms.com/[/url]
The FAL Files Message Forums (should look familiar...):[url]http://www.L1A1.com/cgi-bin/forums/ultimatebb.cgi[/url]
FN Collectors Page:[url]http://www.fn-collectors.net/[/url]

Have fun.

Thanks for the links, guys!

I'll be back in a little while, gonna check out some of the links...

If you go to the FAL Files forum, read the intro page for background material.  Then check the FAQ section of the forum, going back a couple months if necessary.  

Just as there are pre/post ban ARs, there are pre/post ban FALs and clones.  Some are produced domestically on mostly US parts and sold as complete rifles. Others are parted together from imported kits and US compliance parts with either imported or domestic receivers.  Pricing can very greatly ($427 to $1500 for post bans).  Pre bans, especially real Fabrique Nationale production, can go from $1700 to $3000.

You should determine a working budget and see where you fall.  A number of gunsmiths also produce some very fine semi-custom work.  Their sites should be available as links off the FAL site.

I guess I lucked out as my FrankenFal (century L1A1/metric) kicks ass right out the box.

paid in the high $400's for it by it shoots dead on & even has a pretty good finish on it.

It doesn't hurt to take a look in person at these Fal's, the receiver is metric so it uses(cheap) mags too.

Go with a DSA STG58a.  Well worth the $.  $795 plus $15 shipping if you can get a FFL to receive it for you.  The parts are new to nearly new.  You wont get a better shooter for the price.

Your dealer has 20-30 FAL's in stock?
I want one also but I wish I could check a few out and compare them.
I won't be able to get out to Reading anytime soon but could you let me know the name & address of your dealer.
Do you know what the price ranges are for the ones he is selling?

I have to admit I'm leaning towards a DS Arms Carbine.
By the way I just had my dealer order me one of the new Armalite AR180's. At a price of approx $575 and it takes AR15 mags if they prove reliable then it should be a bargain.

I wish I could get out to Harrisburg this weekend and let you shoot my AR-10 you just might reconcider.
Have a good time this weekend.

FALs are great rifles.   A main battle rifle from the generation just before the AR.

Aside from a pre-ban I would only buy a FAL built on an Imbel or DSA receiver.

I recommend that you checkout Arizona Expert Arms [url]http://www.azexarms.com[/url].   Derek and Bratty post to this site regularly.

I’ve owned an AZEX FAL for a bit over a year.    Impressive workmanship, fit, and finish.   For just a little more than a DSA kit gun, you can have one built exactly right, exactly the way you want it.

There are some other great FAL smiths, but my experience is with Derek.

As others have said, check out the FALFiles at http://www.l1a1.com/ they have a lot of information and a lot of great people in the forums.

I actually prefer the looks of the AR-10, but if they are fussy like some AR-15's, I want nothing to do with them.
I'd like a good .308 cal. battle rifle with AK-47 reliability...

Check your E-mail...

.....ART

AR10s look like fun but for one AR10 magazine, you can get 7 to 10 FAL magazines.  Plus everyone ought to own at least one copy of the Right Arm of the Free World.

Since I'm in CA I've been looking at getting an Entreprise FAL. How do they compare to the DSAs? If Derek reads this, are you willing to sell one in CA without a pistol grip?

Shorty

ShortyAK, if you're talking about the STG58 kit guns, for all practical purposes the DSA and Entreprise are the same. They are built from the same Steyr kits, with the only difference being the receiver and a few of the parts necessary for US compliance. Some gunsmiths have had bad things to say about the Entreprise receiver as far as fit, but if you're buying directly from Entreprise you are probably okay.

The main problem I have with Entreprise is not a quality issue. It's their policy of counting the mag follower and floorplate as US parts. That means you cannot legally use your imported mags (if you have any). To get around this, you have to replace two additional parts with US parts. The easiest parts to replace would be the pistol grip and cocking handle. And you can get both for about $40.

If you can get a DSA, that would be my first choice because:

1. They don't count the follower and floorplate as US parts, so you can use imported mags without having to replace additional parts.

2. They are $200 cheaper.

3. Nothing bad has ever been said about their receivers.