This topic always cracks me up! Especially when the FN/FAL comes up. We got screwed here in the States, in that we never really got any legit "Real" FAL's, most are built from some form of kit, and few folks ever bothered to learn how to set them up and tune them to run correctly, so they bitch and moan, and end up selling them to others who also never learn, so you get the reputation of being unreliable! Now, having spent a life time in other countries freeing the shit out of people, I have tons of experience with the FAL, REAL ONES, and have learned to appreciate them for what they are and just how damn good they are! SO, I took that experience and I learned hot to make what we have available here in the states WORK as they should, and my FAL's are absolute perfection! It should tell you something that someone with as much experience as I have, would choose this rifle OVER all the others, my answer is always this, TRY doing what the FAL can do with any of the others and you will find your answer. My SHTF Rifles will always be the FAL first, followed closely by a Lever Action Winchester, but not just any lever gun, the legendary 1895 Winny, chambered in .30/06, followed by my most fav. Mauser 98, also chambered in .30/06, and then followed by my little AR Carbine! Usually, there's also a K-31 frankenschnutzen in there, a sporter in .308 that I really REALLY like, and there's also a Remmy Mod-8, also chambered in .308, cause ,it's one of JM Browning's finest, and it flat out works! I also have my 1911's one in .45 and the other in 10 mm, cause reasons! Great videos, I Laughed a few times, and learned a new word, Giga-Chadd!
@Ura-Ki if you haven't already, you should consider doing some videos, to show people how to do what you do, with your FAL rifles. Maybe even consider putting it up (anonymously, of course) on Youtube?
I have thought about that a few times, just lazy I guess! I have helped several folks build and tune their own Rifles, all worked like they are supposed to!
I like the idea of an adjustable gas port on the FALs. My father left me an old FN-49 chambered in '06 and even that (I believe it was a forerunner, correct me if I'm wrong) is a pretty interesting piece of machinery.
FAL/SLR are great rifles and were probably even a little ahead of their time, yes the US trials were very much stacked against the T48 in favour of the T44 and in the end I think that was truely a loss to the US services that ended up going to war with M14s. I know I am bias, it does not take much figuring out that I have a things for the SLR that goes back years and I do dearly miss mine (from a time when you could here mail order one direct from the factory in Lithgow). And yes the “parent” design was the SAFN49.
Man, if you still have that FN-49, keep it, it's really increasing in value, or you could sell it to me, it's one of my Unicorns! You are correct, it was a sort of grand daddy to the FAL,( it also came from the Swedes, who came up with the system that would become the FN as well as the Hakeme, and there was also a German rifle that didn't really go far), and far superior to most other designs to come, such as the HK Series, and the U.S. designs! Sadly, the U.S. Politics and ONE Army general officer who was deeply in bed with the Springfield arsenal, skewed the results toward the M-14 design, and we all got screwed! Don't get me wrong, the M-14 is an awesome design and it's performance is amazing, but it was outdated when it went into production, and was replaced quickly in light of what Stoner/Fairchild were doing,, ( that's a whole nother fuckup) and instead of ether platform, we got the M-16!
Should probably load up some moderate loads and take it out on a target shoot one of these days. I've got M2 ball and some brass, maybe slap a few of those AR500 steel plates that are laying around.
........ back when I had two, a Belgian contract in 30/06 and an Egyptian contract in 8x57. I remember being about 12 and shouldering one (FN49) for the first time and thinking that this felt "juuuuuust right" took me the next couple of years to get the 06 quickly followed by the 8mm. In those old late/post WW2 semis the Swedish AG42b was my absolute favourite to shoot though.
I like my ar, but if i had to get out fast i love my little rossi .22 mag bolt action. Got tons of ammo that dont take up much room
Yep! Fires the same ammo, and you can shoot a LOT more, AND some pretty crappy ammo, without worrying about fouling. I have a stainless steel mini 14, and ran ~1000 rounds of steel jacketed thru it, before I did more than just a brush & swab down the barrel cleaning on it. It never misfired, and gobbled up that ammo like a champ, just asking for more! Added bonus, where I live now, AR's will always be looked at as those mean old black rifles, and ridiculously over-legislated. While a mini 14 is looked at, as just another hunting rifle!
I'm set up pretty good for SHTF but there will be plenty to scrounge if I need a Ma Deuce or something
