Any one know how to build a FAL?

[Schuetzenman]

Whatever type of sight that comes on the Austrian stg 58
I'm new to FAL's

Umm, umm, umm! Lost track of this thread and there have been some questionable statements of fact bandied about. On your sight, it looks like a Para rifle's hooded rear sight and would not be typical for an STG58 rifle.
Photo credit DS Arms. This is the typical metric rear sight including STG-58 Austrian rifles.

Next on the topic of Metric vs. Inch pattern rifles. 95+ countries adopted the FAL as their main small arm at one time. Only the UK did Inch along with it's affiliated countries like Australia. Inch pattern magazines have a large front locking lug that is a milled piece that looks to be brazed to the mag body. The Metric magazine has a small rounded locking lug that is forged from the sheet metal of the magazine itself. Inch mags will NOT fit in a metric receiver, metric mags can fit in an Inch receiver. Metric mags are cheaper than Inch because there's about 90+ countries that made them vs. the UK influenced nations that used the FAL. Supply is up on metric magazines so the price is lower.

Next can an L1A1 inch pattern rifle kit be built up on a Metric receiver. Yes it can, I have done it. The funky Inch stocks attach to the lower receiver which is the trigger housing under BATFE rulings. The latch up on the metric receiver was just fine on the Inch lower. Used a DSA type 1 on a guys Inch kit, used the breeching washer, worked out fine. Also have put an Inch barrel on a Metric rifle that had a shot out bore. Most difficulty I had was a new Israeli Heavy Barrel FAL barrel install. I used a needle file to chase the threads and reduce them just enough to screw in all the way so I could get the TDC timing right.

Like I said way back 3 pages ago the FAL is an easy weapon to build, but it takes some special tooling to pull it off; barrel vice, receiver wrench, gauge pins. Only the AR15 is simpler and lower in cost for tooling to build it.

[rahatlakhoom]

Looks like I ended up with a para rear sight.
Owner of the kit had already swapped out a bunch of things
for US parts etc. I guess he must have wanted a para sight on it also.
I can't complain. Next fal build I have my eyes set on one of those IMI
heavy barrels. Sarco has a great furniture deal on this set up.

[Schuetzenman]

Looks like I ended up with a para rear sight. Owner of the kit had already swapped out a bunch of things for US parts etc. I guess he must have wanted a para sight on it also. I can't complain. Next fal build I have my eyes set on one of those IMI heavy barrels. Sarco has a great furniture deal on this set up.

The Paratroop rear sight is hooded to survive being dropped out of a plane with the shooter, but it limits range on the weapon to about 350 meters. The standard sight slides up in 100 meter steps out to 600 meters. Just something you might want to think about given your full length barrel.

[Penguin]

Personally I kind of like the Para rear sights. The ones I really like though are the canadian C1 rear sights.

[deth502]

Next can an L1A1 inch pattern rifle kit be built up on a Metric receiver. Yes it can, I have done it. .

i wanted a sand cut bolt in mine (the only ones i know of are inch) and it wouldnt physically fit into my receiver. maybe i got a bad one :dunno:

[Penguin]

As far as I know the ones that had sand cuts would be the inch ones with the exception of the canadian ones. Also I belive the Para ones had sand cuts as well. So if an inch bolt carrier won't fit in your gun I would look for a Para bolt carrier. All the Para FAL's were metric if I am not mistaken.

[Schuetzenman]

i wanted a sand cut bolt in mine (the only ones i know of are inch) and it wouldnt physically fit into my receiver. maybe i got a bad one :dunno:

You must have as I've had my hands on 4 sand cut bolts that fit in DSA metric receivers. I had assumed they were L1A1 carriers, but the came in demilled kits that were out of Turkey. I think I might still have one in the workbench drawer.

[Schuetzenman]

As far as I know the ones that had sand cuts would be the inch ones with the exception of the canadian ones. Also I belive the Para ones had sand cuts as well. So if an inch bolt carrier won't fit in your gun I would look for a Para bolt carrier. All the Para FAL's were metric if I am not mistaken.

No sandcuts in a standard Metric Para rifle carrier. Israeli's have a form of sand cuts in their carriers but you don't see the milled stripes up the side of the carrier body, just notches in the rails.

[slamfire51]

Schuetzenman knows what he is talking about.
He built my FAL (SPOOKY) on an Imbel receiver.
Never had a problem with it. Great workmanship on his part.

[deth502]

I think I might still have one in the workbench drawer.

if you can find it, can you do me a favor? measure the rail thickness on it here



that was the hold up on mine. if i got a screwed up one for some reason, ill have to start keeping an eye out for another sand cut one at the shows. at this point though, after i headspaced it already, id be worried if it would work with my bolt.

thanks

[Schuetzenman]

if you can find it, can you do me a favor? measure the rail thickness on it here



that was the hold up on mine. if i got a screwed up one for some reason, ill have to start keeping an eye out for another sand cut one at the shows. at this point though, after i headspaced it already, id be worried if it would work with my bolt.

thanks

Found two of them. One that looks newer is micing with digital verniers about .116 to .117" and a more used carrier mics around .115" ish.

[deth502]

thanks. thats right where im at.

i never measured the old one, it went in a trade, but if i had to guess, it was prob about .150". it was almost half again bigger than the slot in my receiver.

so if i find one now, do you know if my metric bolt will fit in the inch carrier?

[Schuetzenman]

thanks. thats right where im at.

i never measured the old one, it went in a trade, but if i had to guess, it was prob about .150". it was almost half again bigger than the slot in my receiver.

so if i find one now, do you know if my metric bolt will fit in the inch carrier?

Should. I have a bolt taken off one rifle in one of the two sand cut carriers.

[abpt1]

i wanted a sand cut bolt in mine

why?

[deth502]

why?

just for the look

[abpt1]

just for the look

yeah that does look much better ....

[Schuetzenman]

No sand in my part of Georgia, just the red clay.

[ak474ever]

My first FAL.

I did do a reweld.
Metric front stub, Inch middle section, metric rear end.
This is an Austrian STG58 kit.
(why didn't you guys tell me the FAL beast is as heavy as a
Garand?)

I do have a semi-auto, US part compliant rifle.
The safety-sear area on the receiver was welded solid.
The safety-sear area on the ejector block was welded solid.

Enjoy the pics, I have dumped 80 rounds of nice Yugo 7.62 x 51
into this toy this morning without a hitch.

- did you heat treat it after it was done?
- how many rounds did you put through it?
- how did you mill/smooth out the welds?
- how did you get the charging handle grooves perfect?

[rahatlakhoom]

- did you heat treat it after it was done?
- how many rounds did you put through it?
- how did you mill/smooth out the welds?
- how did you get the charging handle grooves perfect?

No heat treating was done.
I've put 120 rds through it so far.
I did not use a mill. Carbide burrs, die grinder, 4" angle grinder, hand files, small dremel type grinding wheel to
cut the bolt carrier channel and all the other small grooves.
Alignment using attachments gets the process started.

[deth502]

wow, that looks like one hell of a gap to fill in the back.

how many different receivers is that? im guessing its gotta be at least 2 to get the pieces big enough after grinding clean.