FN FAL Controllability

[komodoj]

So Im teetering buying this Pre May FAl. I heard the Fal shoots a little softer than most 308 FA guns. How would you compare the recoil impulse? Ive Never shot any FA 308 before? Mostly .223/.556. Thank you in advance, and yes I know anything can be controlled with discipline, Yada, Yada. Yada.

[ranger1385]

7.62x51 and control? ROFL. I used to shoot the M-60 from the shoulder. Couldn't control that either. My FAL (semi) shoots pretty smooth, but I can't imagine it in full auto. I also shot the M-14 in full auto, god knows where the rounds went. Luckily, the impact area at Ft. Benning is good size:)))

[Rekraps]

Totally agree. I too have shot the M14 in full auto and cannot imagine that the FAL would perform any differently. The guns just don't have sufficient mass to absorb the recoil. Now, if you want to shoot using a bipod, or resting, that is a different story. That is why the BAR has a slow and fast auto selector.

[Frank Iannamico]

IMHO Best to worse all suck... the pistol grip helps.

 

H&K G3

FnFal (L1A1)

M14 standard stock... M14E2 with pistol grip stock, bipod and muzzle brake not much better

 

I would suggest shooting one BEFORE buying

 

If I take any 7.62/.308 guns to the range, especially an M14 someone always asks to shoot it, but only once, no one ever says "that was fun can I shoot it again?"

[komodoj]

IMHO Best to worse all suck... the pistol grip helps.

 

H&K G3

FnFal (L1A1)

M14 standard stock... M14E2 with pistol grip stock, bipod and muzzle brake not much better

 

I would suggest shooting one BEFORE buying

 

If I take any 7.62/.308 guns to the range, especially an M14 someone always asks to shoot it, but only once, no one ever says "that was fun can I shoot it again?"

 

I value your opinion! Probably gonna pass on it. On a side note when I bought my Hk53 everyone said i would hate it. Honestly I think it shoots softer than an m16 imho. Ymmv. Then again its not a .308 so probably a hard pass on the FAL.

[huggytree]

My paratrooper Bm59 was a decent 15 yard gun. You could mag dump and not miss from the shoulder. On a bipod you could hit anything at Will Id guess up to 50-74 yards. My range only goes to 35 yards so I dont know.

 

Ive struggled to get a Hk51 to run in full auto. When it did run it was harder to control than the Bm59 but I could still mag dump at 15 yards. You need to lean even harder with it. Ive heard the Fal is a bit better on control vs the Hk.

 

Shouldering a FA 308 is kinda worthless. On a bench w a bipod its enjoyable if thats your thing.

 

I sold my transferrable Bm59. Not worth keeping as a $15,000 gun. Post sample ptr91 for $1200 is fun enough to use once a year. Youd be better off going that route then the fal

[dalbert]

My suggestion is to take Frank Iannamicos advice, and shoot one first. I have no desire to buy a full auto .308 rifle.

 

Heres my further advice, which will save you a lot of money. Buy a semi-auto Belgian FAL 50.00 that was imported in the 70s or 80s. Finding one will be difficult, and run around $5K. It is my favorite rifle, and if I had to pick only one gun out of the safe, its the one.

 

David Albert

dalbert@sturmgewehr.com

[johnsonlmg41]

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Edited January 18, 2022 by johnsonlmg41

[Frank Iannamico]

The M60 from the shoulder is pretty controllable...for however long you can hold it up.

HK51 pretty worthless

Haven't shot any of the HK91's yet FA

Still working on getting a FAL, but it's a backburner project since their full auto reputation is not a good one in recoil terms.

 

The M14 is a handful but can be tamed way down, but it requires a lot of mods to the operating system. The E2 stock is just ergonomically better,but does nothing to really reduce the recoil unfortunately. Adding a can of course adds weight in the right place as well as a shorter barrel. Set up as pictured it's 1/2 MOA day or night with the option of flipping the switch where it holds relatively steady off the bipod. Unfortunately there are only 3 and a postie in the system.

 

I'm still curious on the FAL myself but the physics say it's probably kind of harsh? How bad could it be? Worst gun ever is an HK21 and no way can it be that bad?

 

I have an FN FAL (L1A1) it is an handful on F/A I rarely shoot it, when I do its only a mag or two.

 

If you want a rifle caliber machine gun that you can control from the shoulder get a BAR.

[StrangeRanger]

Just curious, is the FALO heavy barrel SAW version substantially more controllable than the standard rifle?

[b_san]

Bought one last year, It was cheap so I figured I'd give it a try, sold it 3 weeks later. Not a fun gun but they used to be a decent deal in pre-may pricing, not anymore, wouldn't even consider one at the prices people are asking lately.

[Rekraps]

I keep teetering on the M14 since its such a great looking gun, and they are consistently around $20K for a very nice one. Cadets at WP are issued M14's and so I have an affinity for it. Likewise, my go to gun and the most enjoyable of my collection, are my M1A's, of which I have quite a few in all configurations. But I've shot a M14 on FA, and without a bipod its' just a lot of noise.

 

So, I'm gravitating toward a BAR as that is a proven FA .30 gun.