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Posted: 8/12/2008 3:08:18 PM EDT
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Gentlemen, I am noew to the FAL and was wondering what the best one to buy is. All I know is to stay away from Hesse and the SAs are ugly. Are the Centurys any good? Thanks! |
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Ive got 2 that may be for sale soon ;) work like a swiss time piece, never miss a beat. Both are assembled on Century receivers with the correct fed ramps, this is one of the major things to look for. one is a Lithgow(aussie) i put together with US syn stock and PG, with a DSA grip sleeve the other is a UE (brittish) build using all brit military parts on the longest stock available. These are Inch guns that are cut for metric mags only. Best of both worlds. Great guns, Ive had a blast (no pun intended) with them, but I'd like to sell one to buy something else now sorry for the rant, thought i would share (aussie in first pic, brit in second) http://www.mustangmods.com/ims/u/1994/4158/239860.jpg http://www.mustangmods.com/ims/u/1994/4158/239862.jpg http://www.mustangmods.com/ims/u/1994/4158/199931.jpg |
| FN Herstal is the best but figure 3K or so. Ive got one and in truth Id say my Springfield Armory SAR48 is just as nice, its a license built preban 100 percent Imbel rifle. Ive also got a South African FAL on a Enterprise reciever. Probably going to sell either the SAR or South African soon, so IM me if interested. If you want good quality at the medium price range, go DSA or find a Springfield. |
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I have one that is for sale. L1A1 Sporter I refinished with duracoat. Only selling as I was able to get a carbine with 16" barrel which is what I wanted when I got this rifle in the first place. It is a CAI marked rifle and has the widows peak feed ramp. Want $675 shipped for it. Here she is. I would keep it but I have to recoup what I have in the carbine.   A few more pics available if interested. |
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$1200 - not true. Plenty of rifles out there with proven track records for a lot less. Example, I got hold of a Vulcan receiver (yeah, I know - a Hesse)(sucker for a project). Used a Imbel kit and after just a little bit of tweaking, have a great shooter that doesn't look too bad. Could use a refinishing, but that's another project. Someone who know what they are doing can turn a Century, or a Vulcan into a good reliable shooter. As stated, the parts kit makes a big difference. Don't get me wrong, I have a DSA, a couple of Imbels and of course, the Vulcan. You can get a reliable shooter for less, in the $700 t0 $800 range. Of course, if money is not object, go ahead and pay $1200 for a DSA. |
Well, money IS an object, but I don't know much about these guns. I don't like buying a gun and then having to spend more money and time trying to get it shoot right. I had that problem with my M1A. |
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I REALLY want a FAL Para, and the DSA SA58 Para 16 is the one that makes me weak in the knees. It has a MSRP of about $1,900 so I have to wait a bit until I can swing that much money. I hear you on buying a rifle and having to put money into it to make it shoot. I will not do that again! The DSA is lifetime guarantee, so to me it is worth it. I'm not plannig to buy this and sell it in six months, so "the best price" is really not too much advantage, but quality IS important. I have a fixed stock FAL, a STG58 built on an Imbel receiver by AZEX several years ago. It is excellent. I have asked him via e-mail if he can or will convert this to a Para for me. So far no reply. I know he does good work, but if he is slow on replies I guess he doesn't want the job, we will see. I say spent the bucks for as good a FAL as you can find and be done with it. Too bad you are local to the Phoenix area, I could sell you mine at a great price to you and then order what I want... The FFL crap at both ends just about ruins gun trades for me. |
I'm sure he could convert it to para configuration, but with DSA's para conversion kit just about anyone can do it themselves. They have come up with the parts that will drop in to a standard receiver without the need for machining in the para cuts. If you can completely strip the lower and remove the butt stock you can put together a para, the only gunsmithing is necessary is the recommendation to check head spacing after changing the carrier, and even that’s not really all that complicated. |
Now this is good news! I am headed over to the DSA site pronto! You know I will then have extra parts and want to build them into another FAL (does this ever end???) |
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Falcon Arms has a Para kit also. I've used a lot of Falcon parts and they might be more readily available then the same parts from DSA. Another option is Ace LTD. They make a adapter block that attaches to the back of a standard receiver, no modifications necessary. Then you use one of their folding/collasping stocks. You will still need the para bolt carrier, top cover and recoil springs and spring guide. I haven't used the Ace system, but have read favorable reports from a couple who have done it. Unless you already have a "carbine" with the shorter barrel, you'll still end up with a "long" folding stock rifle. I'm in the process of building my 3rd Para from scratch. I'm using either new parts or refinished to new condition parts and I'm up to about $1500. I've got all the parts, just waiting for my shortened barrel to come back from the gunsmith before assembling all the parts. Face it, Paras are expensive. But fun! Again, back to the orginal question, there are a lot of reliable FALs in the $650 - $900 range. PS, Imbel made the FAL under license from FN. Used the FN machines and blue prints. I would rather have an Imbel receiver over a DSA. The 2 advantages to DSA are 1) the're made in the USA and count as a compliance part and 2) you can get a Type 1 or 2 style receiver. Imbels are Type 3 only. |
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Personal opinion here. I have an original Belgium 50-64 para, two springfield SAR 48 prebans and 7 DSA Fals of different configurations. The springfields are the closest to mil. issue I've got with chrome lined barrels, heavy duty reciever, the DSA's are by far the most impressive Fals I've ever shot. With all the options they have now with the Hampton Reciever, every barrel combination imaginable.. They are worth the money. Don't buy an Enterprise, or especially an armscorp... Very bad experiences with weapons and service. yes, a bit pricey, but if your going to stake your life on a weapon.. cash is irrelevant.. If you just want to own a fal to put on the wall and take out and shoot once a year.. go cheap and say you have a fal. This light weight fal is one of my tactical favorites http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii218/fbusmc/Knives/DSC00639.jpg |
Especially the marketplace. You should be able to pick up a quality build for $800 or so. There are so many kinds of FALs and quality of builds, that this all depends on what you want to spend, whether you are willing to work on it, and why you want it. |
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