DSA FAL Still Having Problems

[ZombiesAhead]

I purchased a $1200 FAL from DSA thinking it would be "good to go" out of the box. I was so confident, I even purchased almost $300 in accessories and magazines from DSA not to mention some $400 in 7.62x51.

Ever since I got it, the return of the bolt (big hunk of metal) was unable to strip the top rounds (and sometimes lower rounds) out of a full or even half-unloaded magazine.

Then, I started having problems where the chambered and fired cartridge would not be removed from the chamber. The firing pin carrier would "come out/forward" of the bolt and everything would lock up with the pin carrier protruding from the bolt. At this point, it would take all my body weight to free this bolt/firing pin carrier assembly with the charging handle and thus eject the last round.

Lots of hand-cycling and lube have made the stripping-first-round problem happen only 1/50 times (even with downloaded mags). However, this thing where the firing pin carrier and bolt lock up and get a fired round stuck in the chamber will not go away. It happens 1/3 shots.

I have played with the gas settings every way possible. I have fired 140+ rounds now ($70) and while I am not done with that DSA calls the "500 round break in" I can't spend any more money on ammunition to fix this. The point where the pin carrier and bolt lock in is getting seriously polished by the force of locking and hand-unlocking. This is not a magazine problem as I have used 14 different mags, some loaded full and others with only a few rounds in them.

What is wrong? I will call DSA on Monday but am I missing something?

 

[Bwana John]

Dude!

Did you smooth the underside of the feed rails?

If not go back to your first post on this subject and look at WEG's photos then fix that problem first.

I have played with the gas settings every way possible

Everyway possible dosent cut it, do you understand how gas is regulated? If so did you close the gas regulator all the way so the the action is worked with maximum gas pressure?

At this point, it would take all my body weight to free this bolt/firing pin carrier assembly with the charging handle and thus eject the last round.

The "Pogo" is part of the "Manual of Arms" for the FAL. To free the fired cartridge that has been partually extracted then stuffed back into the chamber;
1. hold FAL vertictlly.
2. grasp charging handle.
3. bounce FAL on buttstock while retracting charging handle.

The inertia of the BOLT and BOLT CARRIER will help extract the fired case.

 

[MTMilitiaman]

Hell no. Dude, screw that.

You made a good investment on a product based on the reputation of the manufacture. While everyone puts out a lemon now and then, it is time for DS Arms to put up or shut up. Send it to them and make them stand behind their product.

Tell them in the politest way possible that a 500 round round break in on what it supposedly the finest reproduction of the world's most popular and trusted battle rifle is BS, that you invested good money on their reputation and it is time for them to earn it. It's inexcusable for these manufactures to try pawn off their mistakes.

HK pulled the same thing on a USP Tactical I bought years ago and the thing still hasn't been fixed. It collects dust in my room to this day. Don't let the same thing happen to you.

You deserve better.

 

[TexasRifleman]

You've had 2 pretty knowledgeable people suggest taking some sandpaper to the underside of the feed rails.

Did you do that?

I did it to my DSA FAL and it runs fine.

 

[MTMilitiaman]

If he bought some Century build for $500 or took a kit build off Bubba from a gunshow, I'd agree--a little work in the garage wouldn't be a stretch for me.

But he invested in a top tier product so he didn't have to sand, Dremel, polish, or "break in" his rifle. It's absolutely ludicrous to suggest he should be expected to work on it himself or deal with the problems after spending the extra money to get what is supposed to be the best on the market.

 

[goon]

I agree with MTMilitiaman.
You don't pay over $1K for a new gun just so you can work on it yourself. If there is something wrong it's DSA's responsibility to fix it.

Alexd - you said you've played with the gas. But if you're not adjusting the gas the right way it won't solve your problem.
I also gotta ask if you adjusted the gas to vent all of it back into the action. You should be able to see - the valve will be screwed down tight against the gas block and when you shoot it, it should kick like hell and send your empty brass into the next time zone.
Not having enough gas can cause some strange problems with the FAL, including screwy feeding and failures to extract/eject.
Also, the pogo drill is an integral part of adjusting the gas on a FAL. All you have to do is hold the charging handle with your left hand and gently bump the butt against the ground. It is in the original manuals and it doesn't hurt the gun.
You have to go through the whole process of adjusting the gas the right way before you can determine what's up with the rifle.

 

[LongRangeInternational]

Send that thing in. DSA will make it good. Give them a chance.

 

[W.E.G.]

A little work on the underside edge of the feed rails will work wonders.

You can send it back to DSA if you want. But, its a simple fix if you just go slow and easy.

Its the underside radius edge of the feed rails that is is grabbing the rounds as they try to feed into the chamber. Knock that sharp corner off the radius edge, and this issue should be resolved.

While I may be infamous for my dremelitis, I do not use a dremel on this job. A dremel would be overkill.

A needle file will take down the sharp radius quickly. Then follow up with light application of 220-grit, then 400-grit sandpaper to polish the now curved and smooth radius edge of the feed rail. If the entire job takes you more than 15 minutes, you are removing too much metal.

This picture shows a view from above the receiver, and with the top-cover removed. The area where the blue ellipse meets the red ellipse is the area that is the largest part of your problem. To be sure, you need to knock-down the sharp radius on the area covered by the blue AND the red ellipses. Remember, this is only a view from above the rails. It the UNDER-SIDE of the rails that needs the attention. If you get confused and knock-down the radius on the top edge of the rail, it won't hurt anything, but it probably won't help anything either. Work on the under-side where the rail digs into the cartridge as it feeds toward the chamber.

Or send it off in the mail... and wait-and-worry at least as much as if you just fix the problem yourself. This is a common "problem" with all new receivers on FAL rifles - even expensive DSA guns.

 

[TexasRifleman]

But he invested in a top tier product so he didn't have to sand, Dremel, polish, or "break in" his rifle.

Well let's be fair. How many high end 1911's need a little polishing on the feed ramp out of the box? This is the equivalent.

I did the feed rail sanding job on my G1 clone. It was simply that the DuraCoat stuff was on a little thick and a couple of rough spots. 5 minutes later the problem was gone.

DuraCoat can be from .25 to 1.5mil thick, that's pretty thick on the high end and it's not a big deal to take that down a little. Parkerizing adds hardly any thickness to the material but the sharp corners still might be there.

Not sure I'd say DSA sent me a faulty rifle or a "lemon" because of that and it certainly didn't warrant a trip back to them. This is a VERY common issue.

After that 5 minutes of work the rifle has performed 100% over the 1000 or so rounds that have been through it since.

The other problem sounds very much like a gas adjustment issue. People tend to adjust the gas to that the rifle barely kicks the brass clear since it makes the recoil a little nicer. Don't be afraid to go 3 or 4 clicks past that.

 

[FALna45]

pin carrier? sticking out of the bolt?
how about the bolt sticking out of the bolt carrier.
in that $300 worth of accessories i hope there was at least one manual.
sheesh!
the grey FN is a good one if there wasn't.
is your gas plug set to grenade?

 

[zeke]

W.E.G.-thanks for the tip and picture