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Posted: 6/7/2008 9:00:17 PM EDT
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My brother built a fn fal and we were testing it. after about three mags the weopon blew up in his hands shattering the bottom of the mag throwing live shells everwhere,blowing the weopon COMPLETELY IN HALF. this has turned me off from building my own rifle. i was looking at the casings and it looked like it might have been a head spacing problem. is it possible for a weopon to explode just because of that? |
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I built my own. Had a few problems with extracting and chambering through the first few mags. Runs like a champ now. +1 on pics. What ammo were you using? Did he use the locking shoulder with the kit or did he use a set of gauge pins to determine what size was needed? |
Either that or... Head space was way off due to wrong size locking shoulder being used or... Bad ammo of some type? Weren't reloads were they? I had two home builts and they ran like champs. Just depends on how much care and attention as well as quality parts were put into them. |
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I'm not shure about the receiver either. i didnt build it. all i know is that it blew up right after i cleared the second mag and handed it back to him for the third. He got like four rounds through it then bam. i'd never seen shit like that before. the spring was like six feet from him and all he was holding was the stock and grip/trigger asembly,thats it. |
Glad is he is OK but remind me not to have him build a FAL for me. Its worth the extra cost to have it professional built so nothing unexpected happens. .308 is nothing to be messing around with. This sounds like a headspace issue. Rgds, T |
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Is there a bullet stuck in the barrel? Is there any bulge or any other indication that a bullet was stuck in the barrel? It is absolutely vital in any locked breech firearm that headspace is checked. (Even AR-15s, though some people rely on assuming everything is manufactured within specifications.) Please post pics. They may be educational for others. Karl |
To answer your question directly --- yes it is possible for a weapon to explode due to improper headspacing. Put some pictures up of the shell casings if possible as well as the exploded FN/FAL and it might help with finding a cause of the failure. 
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If you are CAREFUL and are ATTENTIVE, you don't need head space gauges. I have the GUNPLUMBER FAL vid and he shows how to do it with out them if need be IIRC. |
A great deal more info and pics are needed. No offense, but it sounds like there is a good chance your brother did not completely understand what he was doing when he built it. |
I guess I won't be buying anything Gunplumber builds.... I don't care what he says building a rifle and not checking the headspace before firing is asking for trouble. A .308 generates around 40,000lbs of pressure....all that just a few inches from the end of your nose, I won't take a chance like that, I happen to like my face, and don't need a .308 to rearrange it for me.. |
You'd be missing out on a great rifle then. He builds them the proper way and his vids and books detail it but the WECSOG method is also shown for if you had no other choice. To think that he would advocate it for everyday builds is lunacy. 
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i am guessing you have no idea who GP is .
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Chicken I build AKs also, I would build a FAL but I just got a Barrett 82A1 so my gun funds are suspended for the rest of the fiscal year For the FAL the barrel has to go on right and be headspaced!!!!! I watched my friend build one and he was showing me how it had to be indexed and headspaced. I told him he would be showing me how to do my FAL build ARs are to easy to build, Its sorta like a snap together model. FREE
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You're right, I don't know and don't care...From what you guys say, he shows a method of barrel replacement without using H.S. gages on his vids. Granted, this is for a SHTF type of situation, but chances are someone will, sooner or later decide to take a "shortcut" and try it, This could of happened here for all I know. I DO know if I was GP, I'd be editing my FAl build vids I don't think showing a method of barrel installation without using gages was a wise move on his part....I'm not wanting to start a flame war, this is just my opinion.... |
Yeah but you would be wrong. Gunplumber has turned out some of the finest FALs on the market. I bought a DSA STG58A before I knew about him, but I have seen his rifles and they are top notch. The main page of his website has his Small Arms Review Gunsmith of the Year award. www.arizonaresponsesystems.com |
the method he discusses is a field expediant method for when no guages are avaialable and works just fine. you might want to do a bit of research on fals,GP and their construction before making such statements. |
I think you missed my point..I understand this method is a 'field expediant" method, and not to be used during a build...My point is, that by putting this method on a vid, for sale to the public, many of which don't understand the how's and why's,(after all, on this board, one person asked about rebarrling '03A3 and one poster replied with a pic of a vice and a pipe wrench with the words "this is all you need") will see this as a shortcut.. even if it was never intended to be, people that would willingly accept a pipe wrench and a vice as proper tools for rebarrling a bolt action, would also take this shortcut and save $$ by not buying headspace gages.... or so they think..... |
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GP is not the only one saying you can build without HS gauges. If you have pin gauges, or a wide assortment of locking shoulders, you should be fine. Anyhow, for the original poster, did the builder use pin gauges of some sort, or just use whatever locking shoulder came with teh kit? |
Man, get over it. He states that it is not the preferred method and can be dangerous if done poorly and then illustrates the proper method. Anyone who is told all they need is a vice and a pipe wrench and believes it when done as a joke is to stupid to undertake the job to begin with. |
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sorry guys we dont have pics. we were kinda in a hurry to get to the hospital. i could call him and see wasup though. he might have some. also the rifle seemed to be firing with the bolt carrier still open about a centimeter from what he said so i'm shure it was headspace. |
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Quoted: sorry guys we dont have pics. we were kinda in a hurry to get to the hospital. i could call him and see wasup though. he might have some. also the rifle seemed to be firing with the bolt carrier still open about a centimeter from what he said so i'm shure it was headspace.[/quote]  I don't know what is scarier- that the rifle was firing with the carrier open, or that you guys *kept* firing it when taht was apparent! Sounds like your brother learned a hard lesson about home gunsmithing! Hope he heals up OK... |
With the carrier back that far, the hammer wouldn't even be able to contact the firing pin. |
i am kinda wondering about that myself. i hate to say this but it sounds more and more like someone with no clue built this gun. |
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I have an FAL L1A1 on a Century receiver, but I haven't shot it yet cause of the headspace issue. The previous owner (bought it used in minty condition with a new Trilux Suit scope for $400,,, ha ha) said it was headspaced and he shot it but I want it confirmed. ALSO>>>>>> Will FAL's shoot both .308 NATO rounds as well as .308 hunting type rounds? I say this as I have a mix of battlepacks and hunting ammo. I would like to pop a deer this fall with the FAL but don't know about the ammo issue. |
Careful with commercial loads. They *might* have too much pressure. Try to find load data for the rounds you're shooting and compare them to the maximum allowable pressure your FAL will take. |
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