FAL type R1A1 308 caliber rifle

[dww]

How good are these?

http://catalog.jgsales.com/?itemnumber=15-93


How about the Indian 308 ammo?

http://catalog.jgsales.com/?itemnumber=5-1123


HOW HARD IS IT TO SCOPE AN FN/FAL?

DWW

 

[Benjamin]

"How good is Indian ammo?"

Never purchase surplus from a country whose populace urinates into its water supply. Yes, that's the cheapest 7.62mm NATO ammo available right now. I recommend against it. Dan's ammo and Aim Surplus should have better quality available for not too much more per round.

 

[7.62FullMetalJacket]

How good are these?

For the money, it is a start. You might get lucky, or you might need a few adjustments to make it work right. I recently purchased a CAI L1A1 and it is giving me trouble. But for $500, I can deal with it. The FAL platform is awesome.

How about the Indian 308 ammo?

Some will say it is OK. My batch was

 

[WhoKnowsWho]

I had to pass on an CAI L1A1 with 3 20 round mags at the show. Cash only... for $325, but all the cash went for the Springfield...

One thing that worried me though, was he said it was an Imbel receiver... I didn't see the Imbel name anywhere, and it sure didn't have the gear logo either...

 

[MiniZ]

There are non-gear logo Imbel receivers. But they do say Imbel on them.

Another option for a relatively inexpensive FAL is through Ohio Rapid Fire.

 

[Black Snowman]

I have one. $500 locally. I had been looking at them for a few years as they went through various reciever manufacturers and this one was much better quality than previous ones I had looked at. Barrel was perfect, fit and finish were good except for the trigger guard. Trigger was HORRIBLE heavy which I fixed by putting in a lighter trigger return spring. Now it's a healthy weight and decent, a little travel and quite a bit of overtravel but at least I can hold a group now. 2" groups at 100 yards with good ammo and a scope.

WARNING: the nice DSA scope mounts don't fit these properly. At least not mine. The right side clamps contact the bolt carrier when installed. It's possible to machine the carrier (or sand as the case may be ) for clearance but that can theoreticly cause problems. Thining the clamps like I did caused them to fail (oops). Don't know about any of the other mounts available.

http://www.falfiles.com/ is a good source for info.

 

[FireInTheHole]

I got lucky when I bought my CAI STG patterned rifle for $535 OTD from JGsales about 3.5 yrs ago. I then had the headspace checked, the barrel cut down, braked, and a complete reparking by Arizona Response Systems for about $200. (He messed up an gave me a free parking ) I'm no FAL guru, so I dont know just how different the STG is from the L1A1 available now.

It has a gear logo receiver and a bipod cut barrel.

Mount Report:
I bought a DSA mount and the brass catcher about 5 months ago and while it is a pain to put on, once the screws are tightened the plates dont obstruct the carrier. Zero scope movement. Be warned... the mount + scope adds considerable weight to an already hefty weapon. With a cheap POS 3-9x40mm scope (nameless rubber coated... $40) I can do 2-3" from prone(with bipod) with premium ammo.

I went in on a case of Indian ammo with my Dad last March and we have shot all but about 300 of it.

Indian Report:
Dad's M1A:
No malfunctions, but horrible accuracy(5-6" groups) from a rifle that usually shoots 1-2" with other surplus.

My FAL:
No malfunctions, gas must be set to 3 for function. Accuracy was better... 4-5"

Verdict:
We arent even bothering with 100yd with this stuff. Strictly for offhand 50yd blasting now. No planned future purchases of Indian.

NOTE: The brass is reloadable... While a pain to process it seems moderately sturdy, I've reloaded one lot of 50 3 times now.

I love my FAL. I'm glad I chose it over an AR-15. Good luck!