User Panel
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I think the 18” looks better, but if you plan to hang a can on the end of it or use it for anything more than plinking at the range or ranch, I’d go 16” for utility.
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I couldn’t make up my mind either on that one so I ordered a 18”, and used my skills and lathe to make it a 17”.
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The standard barrel lengths are 17 inch 18 inch and 21 inch for Paras. Although making a Shorty bitch gun like the Aussies had in Vietnam would be very cool. I’ve got a para receiver and a para lower waiting for a front end.
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The perfect Para FAL barrel length is the actual Para FAL barrel length, which is not an even inch length... IIRC it's something like 17 3/8".
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I think Gunplumber is on record online somewheres as recommending 17.xxx"
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I like my 16" a lot, went with the short gas system. Maybe I'll chop it to 13" one day. The 18" is going to be the best all around for practical use if you want that sweet spot for velocity.
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Quoted:
I believe I seen him post his reason was It is the factory length. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes |
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Still cant decide
It's going to come down to either the 16 or 18 DSA offers. I dont care to go to the trouble or extra expense to make it the 17 and some change barrels. I feel I'm leaning 16 due to me having a fixed stock 21"er too Have to admit it looks pretty sexy Does anyone use the bipod on a fal anymore? I feel I always see them sans the bipod except the stg builds |
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I had my para built with the 436mm length barrel (honestly I think it was just cut down to 17" by the builder just to make their lives easier, but if they actually did cut it down to 436mm then awesome) and it's really a lot handier than it looks. If shit happened there would be a serious decision to make between grabbing that para, or grabbing my SCAR with 16" barrel. Not that the SCAR isn't great but that para...man does it handle well.
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My para is a 16", and my congo version is an 18" barrel.
On the para, I prefer the 16" barrel. |
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Eighteen is best inches. Also, historically correct. Eighteen gives a comfortable recoil impulse, complete powder burn, and is obscenely reliable.
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Quoted:
Still cant decide It's going to come down to either the 16 or 18 DSA offers. I dont care to go to the trouble or extra expense to make it the 17 and some change barrels. I feel I'm leaning 16 due to me having a fixed stock 21"er too Have to admit it looks pretty sexy Does anyone use the bipod on a fal anymore? I feel I always see them sans the bipod except the stg builds View Quote 16" is perfect. Especially with a folding stock. Look for an older DSA and keep the SBR. Details why: https://www.falfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=399887 |
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Bipods are not useful. 16" is perfect. Especially with a folding stock. Look for an older DSA. Details why: https://www.falfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=399887 View Quote |
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I’m a 21” fan. Sure it feels like a musket but that’s not important
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Quoted:
I couldn’t make up my mind either on that one so I ordered a 18”, and used my skills and lathe to make it a 17”. View Quote It’s a VCL m/m barrel with the three rings for bipod and sling (I don’t have a bipod on it, I just think the rings look nice). |
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I've got a couple with 16 inch barrels and they are loud as hell. I've used one of them for hunting and I forgot ear pro once ONCE!
it doesn't seem like much but 17.5 or 18 inches makes a big difference and gas issues are generally non-existent but are still easy enough to handle. If you plan to use a can on it shorter is obviously better. |
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I like them longer to keep the velocity up.
If you go too short you get 762x39 territory pretty quick. 762x39 can be done with lighter weight and cheaper system. Sbr 308 is blasty. |
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Had the shop I bought this one from had a longer barrel model available I likely would have went that way. But a bird in the hand and all that I ended up with a 16 inch.
STG-58CP FAL at CRC Sept 2018 |
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Quoted:
Still cant decide It's going to come down to either the 16 or 18 DSA offers. I dont care to go to the trouble or extra expense to make it the 17 and some change barrels. I feel I'm leaning 16 due to me having a fixed stock 21"er too Have to admit it looks pretty sexy Does anyone use the bipod on a fal anymore? I feel I always see them sans the bipod except the stg builds View Quote 17.2" should be doable starting with an 18". Cut down, recrown, rethread. |
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Historically correct? What are you talking about? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Eighteen is best inches. Also, historically correct. Eighteen gives a comfortable recoil impulse, complete powder burn, and is obscenely reliable. One may or may not worry about being historically correct, but it is a simple concept. For example, I was not worried about it when I built a type 1 kit on a type 3 Imbel upper, but I know it’s not historically correct. And he’s right about the practical reasons too. You can choose full 7,62x51 velocity, OR a huge fireball with deafening muzzle blast, but you can’t get both. |
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Quoted:
What is difficult about “historically correct”? One may or may not worry about being historically correct, but it is a simple concept. For example, I was not worried about it when I built a type 1 kit on a type 3 Imbel upper, but I know it’s not historically correct. And he’s right about the practical reasons too. You can choose full 7,62x51 velocity, OR a huge fireball with deafening muzzle blast, but you can’t get both. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Eighteen is best inches. Also, historically correct. Eighteen gives a comfortable recoil impulse, complete powder burn, and is obscenely reliable. One may or may not worry about being historically correct, but it is a simple concept. For example, I was not worried about it when I built a type 1 kit on a type 3 Imbel upper, but I know it’s not historically correct. And he’s right about the practical reasons too. You can choose full 7,62x51 velocity, OR a huge fireball with deafening muzzle blast, but you can’t get both. Most military paras and some police and commercial ones were 21". Some were 18", like most of the 1980s commercial shorter-barreled imports (but I've seen a factory 17.2" rifle as well from that period). Others were not. Belgian Army, for example, in the early 1960s went with the 17.2" barrel length (the first ones to get them that way) for their paras, and they were not alone. IMBEL went with this length as the standard for their shorter-barreled rifles. FN also offered 16". So either he is in error there, or I'm missing something, hence the question. I don't get a fireball with my 17" barrel, nor bad muzzle blast, and recoil is probably the best I've experience in a 7.62X51mm rifle so far. Not sure how 16" compares in that respect. |
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Disgusting....
Went to type in DSA on interwebs browser to see what's out there in the FAL land and some socialistic sheite came up Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Eye bleach please.... |
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