Israeli Light-Barrel FAL (from DS Arms)
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- čas přidán 22. 03. 2019
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Israel was one of the very First Nations to adopt the FN FAL rifle - after Canada but before many actual NATO nations. Israel made its first purchases of the rifles in 1955, and delayed them almost immediately in the 1956 Suez Crisis. The first rifles were wholly made by FN in Belgium, but over time IMI in Israel would produce almost all parts except receivers (they had a good working relationship with FN, which had licensed production of the Uzi submachine gun from IMI). These first rifles are good examples of many early FN design elements, which are not seen on later major NATO contracts, as the design details evolved over time. Israel would use the FAL through the Yom Kippur War in 1973 before transitioning to the 5.56mm Galil rifles.
In addition to the light-barrel infantry rifle, Israel also adopted a heavy barreled version of the FAL as a light machine gun or automatic rifle. These were fitted with stout bipods, but used the same 20-round magazines as the standard rifles.
A very small number of Israel semiauto FAL rifles were imported in the late 1980s, and they are very scarce in the United States today - or they were, until DS Arms acquired a supply of Israeli light-barrel parts kits and began assembling them into complete rifles to sell. They are particularly nice builds as the DSA markings and serial number are on the inside of the magazine well, allowing the external surface to be engraved with a very nice recreation of the original Israeli receiver markings with their distinctive Hebrew text and IDF insignia.
Ah, the circumcised FN Fal
Cursed comment
Lmaooo
I hate how much sense that makes.
@@gesamtszenariothey did remove the muzzle device
The gun is very strong though... So strong it felled a local mayor during the morning ceremonies.
Ian's going to be the coolest grandpa.
Yeah, but only because all the cooler ones died in motorcycle accidents while giving themselves tattoos and playing sick guitar riffs. I miss all those cool grandpas.
He's never mentioned having kids, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have any; he's still got time in any event, and I hope he'll go that route eventually if he hasn't alraedy, mostly because it would be awesome to have six little long-haired, mustachioed gun nerds to continue the family legacy. They could be best friends with my kids anytime!
@@nettles89 Well he is a very smart dude and knows that privacy is sacred, for all we know he has kids, but since his channels are pretty adult-themed (Old historical machines, sometimes worth $$$) it's hardly a place he could have kids running about anyway :D
Guy Pierson Ian has a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Most women run in the opposite direction from any engineer. Add that the modern female is very dangerous. One false claim of domestic violence and one can be ... game over. Mgtow has a lot of appeal in the "me too" era. I always thought I might have kids... No wife, happier life with a nice collection of toys. The toys don't all need to be able to go bang.
@@gotsloco1810 He's got a wifey for sure mate, he mentioned her cooking when he was eating British WW2 ration-card rations (not soldiers rations) for a week.
>Israeli rifle
>bare tip of barrel
The joke writes itself.
I'm assuming your dissing the rifle because it's Jewish right? Or because there's actually something wrong with it in some way.
@@nutmaster7242 I'm not dissing the rifle, or Jews for that matter. It's a joke about circumcision. I literally thought it was too obvious to make explicit.
Cargo_Vroom watch out. the jews are a sensitive bunch.
@@cargo_vroom9729 OK then. Sorry for assuming. Is that assuming? I'm pretty sure it is
@@glintwing Not really.
They survived more than any other group had to survive.
As a massive fan of the SLR, any version of the FAL is good to watch
I imagine there were a fair few Aussie FAL’s facing off against AKs in Vietnam!
Those Aussies kicked Charlie's ass
HAHA
USAGreenBeret to be Fair, Aussies tend to kick everyone’s ass
"Small scale brush war" ... 😕
@@matthayward7889 As long as it's people they're shooting yes. Emus kicked their ass.
@@matthayward7889 Except for Emus, i agree
according to my dad, who had the heavy fal for two years 69-71.the maintanace issues were caused, in part, by poor training personal who insisted on a spotless and clean gun. this meant fiddling with the gas system and other parts. he only understood that many years later after a discussion with an idf weapons and sniping instractor
This is honestly one of the prettiest guns I've ever seen. This rifle is really what got me to appreciate the engineering and aesthetics of firearms.
So a bare metal muzzle? No threading or anything. Like it's been cut. Circumcised some could say.
Dammit why you gotta make laugh at that? Lol
Dangerous jokes that need to happen, well played sir.
funniest thing I’ve read today
it has to happen within 8 days after the barrel was made.
Ironic that it didn't work well in the fine desert sand.
The hebrew markings (read from right to left) translate as:
rifle self-loading f n 7.62
No.1 mark A.
The marking that appears on the front of the hand guard and the magazine is an acronym for "Military Industry".
Oy! How much is this particular FAL in existence?
should that not have been right to left....62.7?
@@TheWolfsnack Numbers are read like in English
@@TheWolfsnack also by your logic it should've been 26.7
Bayonet is advanced tech. It has a blade catch for using it as a Main Gauche when duelling and automatically detaches from the rifle when you’re done bayoneting the enemy and start firing again.
You are right that the lugs are designed for duelling but the bayonet is not designed to fall when you start shooting ,in all my years of using the rifle in the I.D.F it never happened
@@haimpaz5417 this was a joke Britney...
@@SeelenschmiedeIsraelis do fight often with knives during the 1960's
I was issued with the South African FAL, aka R1 after completing my military service. Heavy, but a great rifle. Liked it more than the R4 we used during National Service. Maybe you can do an episode on the South African FAL.
In Holland I also was isued the FAL when I served in the mid 90's. I loved that heavy but accurate rifle!
I'd like to see one on the Indian FAL too. IIRC they were all unlicensed copies
i thought he did videos on the R1 and R4, have you checked the archive?
I'm sure Ian did a vid on a Rhodesian FAL. I think with Larry Vickers.
There's a whole series on RSA weapons.
Some clever AK builders have found ways to mount Israeli FAL handguards on AK's. It looks *really cool* .
To be fair from my service experience, the Sergeant in the IDF would have altered the selector switch himself, if the men really felt the need to be able to fire fullauto
I agree. But that's actually the point. A professional/experienced soldier would understand that the removal is counter-productive.
@@juanzulu2755 What I meant is, that the IDF is functioning a bit different, if people felt the Need to have Fullauto on the FAL then the Sarge wouldve had no Problem with them altering their guns, heck he would've done it himself.
@@FriedrichHecker1848 I have Shot fals full auto and it's pretty easy to controlle
Bayonet "flash wings" were great bottle openers. I had one when serving in the sinai - never had a jam, but we were very maintenance conscience.
The Aussie Lithgow SLR had slots cut in the bolt carrier to clear dirt, making it extremely reliable in the jungle 😀 I trained with the SLR in the 70s
Loved how you put the video of you shooting the FAL as you talked about it.
Fun fact. You can put the handguard from an Israeli FAL to a Daewoo K2. The small male end of the Israeli FAL handguard socket will fit in the handguard retaining area of the K2, and you can drill through the handguard grills to utilize the K2’s handguard retaining bolt hole. It looks really sexy.
Thank goodness for DSA and their obsessive love for the Fal. Haha actually saving up the 2k for a fal myself.
I just wish they stopped using cast receivers and went back to forged.
The out of spec cast receivers are indeed a problem as of recent years. Make sure you do your homework before investing.
I have a SA58 I love, but in the present day, if buying new, with DSA qc issues and high magazine cost, I would get an AR10 instead, especially now that they are making them reliable.
@@RexApplegate AR10's are *more reliable now than they used to be, but they still don't really have a set technical data package so it's a toss up if parts will even interchange. Also, S&W purposely made their AR10 with proprietary parts. Things like that make me stay away from AR10's.
I've got one on order myself, currently the Israelis are the cheapest available from DSA. Seems an 8wk lead time, and there may be issues, I've heard great things about their customer service and some of their issues are easy to fix. The FAL heyday for buyers is apparently about 15-20yrs past. But they've fascinated me since I got to fire an aussi heavy barrel years ago and finally have the chance to get a FAL!
So good luck hope ya manage to find one for yourself sometime soon
@@lioncelica5170 what i would do and what you would or should may very well drastically differ.
I just picked up an Israeli FAL kit from PSA. Now if DSA would hurry up and build some barrels and receivers I can bring another rifle back from the dead. Thanks for the great video.
The bayonet isn't designed to be attached when firing left handed Ian.
The Fal is one of my favourite firearms
I stopped at DSA this morning and ordered a Officer Grade War Hammer, said to expect to get a call in 8-10 weeks.
this is a really beatiful rifle, with a interesting history attached to it.
Awesome video! keep it up!
Beautyfull combination of wood and metal.
Great vid, greetings from Argentina!
The Ak was a mean looking rifle, the fal is the epitome of graceful lines.
Always great on topic, delivery, and enthusiasm. Thank you, Ian.
I've built a few of these from parts kits, back in the eighties, after buying a rifle complete and enjoying it's accuracy and handling. Those Israeli parts kits are great because of the very well functioning wood grip and stocks. It's still my favorite "battle rifle" substantially more than an AR pattern I had for two decades of service in the Marines. You know if you hit what you're aiming at, "it will stop".
The FAL is one of my favorite battle riffles
I've always loved the way they look, such a sleek looking rifle, if slightly impractical in certain situations.
Hey Ian your work is brilliant please keep up the awesome work
You've forgotten your allies in Vietnam were the Australians and the New Zealanders. Where it was used to great affect.
I wonder if it actually increased survivability vs the american forces.
@@richmeisterradio Given that the M16 was seriously mis-issued in that conflict, it's very possible.
@@MarikHavair my thoughts indeed. But 30 vs 20 round mag could make the difference. Along with the 3 to 1 ratio of 556 to 762 in terms of weight. Gotta look at the stats.
If the FALs in ANZAC service were just as poorly maintained as the M16s in US service I doubt they fared that much better.
@@richmeisterradio i think that was mord due to the rotation system, the US would use individual rotation Aus would use a unit rotation. Not sure about the Kiwis but im guessing they used the unit rotation. This was a double edged sword because it meant great unit cohesion but no old hands in the unit so in the early days on the units tour simple mistakes could be made. I have read that silence was a large part of Anzac tactics whereas the US where heavily criticized for their lack of sound discipline. Its easier for countries like Aus and NZ to train and maintain discipline in their armies due to the smaller size, so an anti insurgency war is perfect for these countries. Heard much criticism of the US infantry but great respect for the US professional soldier. In Good Company, and Aussie book and Company Commander a US book addresses this well. Anyway we see the US as our greatest friends we just get pissed off at being overlloked and forgotten. Since La Hamel we have been their beside you guys but sometimes it feels like you see us as a near enemy when we are the same people.
When I had my FALs 20 years ago, one of the reasons that I found that the Israelis went with wood furniture was due to heat; there was a belief that polymer/synthetics would heat up faster/more than wood. Whether that is an apocryphal story or not, I'm not sure, but the Galil also had wood on the early rifles so there might be something to it.
The G36 was to be dropped by the Germans because of their experience in Afghanistan with rapid, intense firing "tending to loosen up the bedding of the plastic". This left all other NATO countries thinking they got duped.
I watching a video about the Israeli FAL from another channel, noticed you made a video about as well and immediately started watching yours. Love you Gun Jesus!
Props to how good the editing is on these latest videos
Thanks for this, love the SLR.
Great video and am a fan of both FAL and G3 thank you for this very informational video
Ian,
You are one of the greatest resource of information in this time.
Holy crap - I had no idea these were taken into combat in semi auto!
Man I'm so jealous, I wish I owned that Rifle, what a BEAUTY.
EM***MILITIA *** go order one from DSArms. They’re like 1400 bucks.
The officer grade ones are even nicer they are freshly coated and instead of looking like they came out of the isreali army they look like they are going into the isreali army.
I mounted a 8x optic on my israeli Fal for the fun of shooting with it at longer ranges. Well thanks Ian, seems like mine is a one of the first produced since it has the vertical lever. Scared me off when it opened
Never thought I'd say this but 1400 dollars for a FAL is really really good when compared to the prices of everything else the days of 300 dollar AKs are gone and anything brought to the market that's Eye catching is about the same price. Talking to you Brownells!
I love my Israeli FAL from DSA.
Of course, Gun Jesus reads Hebrew!
@synoptic problem LOL! :)
It's gun hebrew
Just completed a very nice kit. A gem in my collection
I was looking at DSA FAL's just yesterday!
The stalwart battle rifle of African conflicts and much appreciated/loved by operators. Very happy to see your review of the Rhodesian / South African variant.
Portugal also had a bare muzzle version with a flash hider integrated into the bayonet. I have been told this was influenced by British doctrine at the time, where bayonets were always fixed at night, and you only and a flash hider was only seen as necessary at night
Just pickup the Officers model I ordered in February and it's AWESOME, well worth the wait!
I was trained in the Army Reserves to use a variant,the SLR L1A1 7.62mm.Beautiful assault rifle to use,after a couple of weeks training,you goto build a little muscle before you can wield it effectively.
Ian....what about the Australian and New Zealand Army in Vietnam?
Exactly. Ten years fighting the VC and NVA apparently counts for nothing.
Dragonstorm Dipro hard to imagine when you remember we lost against some emus
@@biggles1024
we South Vietnamese and our allies Americans Australiërs New Zealand never lost a batles but we lost the war
thank to Democraat dominant in the congres at the time they did cut off aids to South Việt Nam
Also used by British and Commonwealth forces in Malayan Emergency
not to mention the Canadian "observers" on the Cambodian border.
Always great information!
Love it keep up the good work Ian
Thanks for making this specific video. I ordered one during the SHOT Show about 2 months ago so hopefully I’ll be getting it soon. I believe that I ordered the officer’s version, it was the only one that they mentioned when I gave them a call. But either way I’ll have something that I think is pretty cool!
Thanks for these videos and your knowledge about it. =)
When I was in India last year I saw Indian military men with FALs that looked just like that one. Except the Indian ones looked new and were spotless clean..
Love the integration of the shooting in this video!
Ian sounds so sad when he noticed the bayonet fell off
It might be interesting to do a sand/mud test on the Israeli FAL.
During basic training at Kapooka, here in Oz, there were guys that had difficulty qualifying on the range with the FAL mainly due to them shutting both eyes at the time of detonation of the charge in the round and the subsequent kickback giving these guys, who were typically a bit shorter than average and lightly built, a bit too much recoil, so they used a M15 sized cartridges that were able to be fired through a standard 7.62mm barrel with a 5.56mm barrel insert, modified magazine and breach block.
Thank you , Ian .
I'm going to regret not buying one of these
Bryce P - yes, you will regret it.
@@workingman6910 but the wait time... and no more room in my safe...
Bryce P - It’s only a couple of days, get another safe! LOL
They 'kicked' like hell when firing rifle grenades - used barrel adapter and closed the gas valve.
If I have ammo, there won't be a bayonet on my rifle.
Very nice presentation. Thanks so much...
Ian the Australian and New Zealand army’s used them in Vietnam for ten years over 60,000 troops in country in your speak. Google battle of Long Tan 1 Aust army COY with NZ artilliary support vs an NVA regiment
some of the FN T48 rifles made for the USA had a hand guard that sort of looked like the Israeli FAL while the H&R T48 had handguards that looked like the Canadian FAL. cool stuff
I was a soldier with a FAL for five years. I really like your series of presentations, and the Israeli review at the end. Makes sense as I struggled for long before I totally understood how to manage the gas ring on the FAL.
Canada's FALs -- or FNC1A1 as we designated them -- were semi-automatic only as well. We did have the FNC1A2, the auto version, but it was used generally as a LMG-style rifle. When I served I always preferred carrying the A1.
And it does suck in sandy conditions.
That's cool bloke, tell us more.
8 week back order on these, I ordered mine in mid February so I only have a few more weeks to wait (Hopefully)!
@john kertzman Congrats! :) I've never seen one of these guns in person. But every time I walk into their store I drool over their FAL pistols ;)
Its like whataburger, they don't make it till you order it! Haha
Convoy test the FAL.
I have a copy of an FN operator/armorer's manual for the FAL (which has been helpful with both the FAL and the FN 49, pretty much the same rifles in different configurations, with the FAL being the much improved model). It actually has very good instructions for how to setup the gas setting on the rifle, that are very simple, just time (and ammo) consuming. The basic idea is to (in theory) start with the gas setting open to a point where the rifle will not lock back on an empty magazine, then adjust it one round at a time till it locks open automatically, then take it one to two clicks past that point to ensure reliability. At that point, provided you keep using the same ammo, you shouldn't have to mess with the gas adjustment ever again. It's held true for the slightly crummy Century build FAL that I shoot so far, but it doesn't get shot that much sadly (I'd still love to get a better quality one some time, these IDF rebuilds look interesting).
The British X8E1 & E2 FAL Trials rifles had some similar features, the selector and cocking handle etc. Would be great to see an X8 series episode, those rifles had some really interesting features ( EM2 optic, ability to be Charger loaded etc.)
I have a video on the X8E1 & E2 filmed, but not published yet.
I look forward to it, National Firearms Collection? Keep up the great work!
Yup.
That's awesome that the bayonet is part of the flash hider 13:00
Cool! Thanks Ian
One of these days, I gotta get myself a FAL
We all gotta do that...
Si_Vis_Pacem Para_Bellum - Do It soon!
Si_Vis_Pacem Para_Bellum A Guy in my Gun club said AR? Why would I have an AR? I have an FAL!
brit SLR's (FAL variant) had zig zag shaped sand clearing cuts in the bolt carrier to solve the sand issue
They worked well unless the sand was wet.
That property mark, that looks like [ת צ] - is probably a proof mark, since it stands for Military Industries - which was later incorporated as IMI.
Secondly, keep in mind the FN-FAL was the IDF's first semi-auto capable rifle. The Uzi and Stens were not meant for this role, obviously, and besides some machine-guns, the IDF only had K98k's in service.
By the way, the Hebrew wiki page for the FN-FAL mentions that infantrymen in the IDF did in fact cut off the part the prevented the gun from switching to full-auto, and that later, in 1969-70, the IDF replaced the semi-auto selectors with full-auto capable ones. Since it's a wiki page, no idea how reliable it is.
DSA is a really cool company. I live fairly close to them, and I always enjoy going into their store to see what cool stuff they have for sale (and on display.) Very nice people to deal with :) And going back to what you said in the video, the Metric FAL mags are definitely plentiful. Plenty of NOS and used military surplus steel mags available for a reasonable price. There are also new Thermold plastic mags available for as low as $15/ea, and new Korean-made steel mags for as little as $12/ea. I bought 6 of the latter recently (for use in my KelTec RFB,) and they appear to be fairly well made. Next time I go to the range I will give them a try :)
The sexiest version of the FAL without a doubt
I just bought one from DS Arms. Maybe I’m crazy but I’m considering putting in into a shadow box and making it a wall hanger 😂
Slight correction at 2:00, the g1 was first ordered in 1956. It was replaced by the G3 in 1959. The G1 never really saw full adoption, it was supplemented by US weapons throughout the 50s, and by 1962 the G3 had become pretty much standard. You can still find pictures dated after this of troops with US weapons or the G1, but rare and mostly for training units
I just ordered a 21" standard profile (I wanted the carrying handle and bipod) from DS arms yesterday. Can't wait. Besides, I need something to get me off this IWI Galil Ace kick I've been on.
I love FAL's... Living about 25 miles from where they were born might have something to do with it :)
Oh, and kinda growing up shooting-wise on their testing/shooting range might too, there's video of me blasting my trusty ol' JvH Model P.37 as an 8 year old there and other stuff.
Still have that gun, now some 35 years later.
Also called in my time - Gods Own Rifle, Stupidly Long Rifle and my personal favorite... The Pig.
P943044S thought the pig was the m60?
@@mattdickson2 Different armies different names, we called ours The gympy, the SLR was a pig because it was a pig to lug about :)
Stupidly long as a non bull pup, deadly accurate with a high velocity round. Kerbblewie,!
@@stevenhoman2253 I mean, it is entirely possible to not be a bullpup and not be stupidly long.
Granted, you get a carbine but that's besides the point.
Mate, inAustralia we used a piece of construction cord, string if you like, to make the SLR or L1A1 fully automatic. Back then in the 80s the SLR or slur was semi auto only.but by opening the rifle and putting
Come cots under a part it would be full auto. The SLR is easy to convert without different parts.
Respect from Australia.
Where is the Aussie and Kiwi, Nam representation? Ian you dropped the ball.
The UK had adapted the SLR (FAL) to semi auto at least as early as 1975, although those using it were well aware of the file induced modification. The Falklands conflict was 1982. The bigger shortcoming that became an issue for the Paras in the Falklands was their standard issue DMS boot, which was acknowledge by the higher ups and resulted in the British Army squaddie being issued with a much better boot.
In the video was shown only two of three existing bayonets types for the original version of FN FAL-type A and type C.The rifles with combination muzzle device and bayonet lug use bayonet type B,he look like bayonet type A but because of muzzle device have a bigger muzzle ring and has no flash hiders "fingers"
I loved my folding handle. Used to it on back pack when master corporal wasn’t looking.
Enlisted superiors are usually responsible for all his children and their weapons so no you wouldn’t get away with it if he found out and then what happens when you go to actually shoot that superior is going to hear the one guy that’s shooting full auto while all of his other children aren’t.
I used to own a falo which was the heavy barrel version imported by Springfield Armory. It was designated SAR48. What a pleasure to shoot from a rest(the bipod was all but useless because it was so tall) because if it's weight and adjustable gas system it hardly recoiled. I truly miss that rifle, i had to sell it because of financial debit. Shame.
My understanding Ian, is that the FAL in fully automatic fire was as controllable and comfortable as your demonstration of the .308 M14 , my recollection is that it operated like a firemans hose held by 12 year old ( not implying any reflection on you. ) it was a smooth transition weapon to the M16 effectively. It forcing the militaries hand so to speak.😁👍👍👍
Hey Mr. McCollum, amazing upload as usual! If it's in the inventory, cover the PSG-1 or it military variant! Thank you!
He already did
A minor observation about the FAL in 1973. While there were out there, elite troops would take the UZI. This led to problems when Syrian infantry attacked with AK47s in the early engagements. When the US sent M16 the Israeli realized that it was the superior weapon.
Ian Rocking the Israeli War Hammer!!!!!!!!!!!!. Outstanding.
I remember the "History channel" had an episode where they mentioned the FAL saying that "British soldiers really wanted that full auto capability" and were willing to scavenge to get it. I've known for a while how bad a source of information they were for a while, but it sticks in my mind how often they said something that was either anecdotal or practically the opposite of the truth.
No. It wasn't said that way. You mean the video of Discovery Channel on FN FAL? It was said "all soldiers loved full auto capability" but there it was also said: FN FAL was terrible for full automatic. "Popopopop" out to the sky.. they sid.
@@Cyan_Nightingale Both can be true, and nothing you've said detracts from my point.
The truth is that the full auto problems were known, and few would've discarded their service weapon just to gain an ability they knew was of limited use.
Because that's all I'm commenting on, the fact they said there was scrounging and scavenging to get ahold of that full auto capability.
I've never heard anyone else say the scavenging thing, and I think it's absurd. Whatever channel it was on, it was sensationalist nonsense.
I have an IMBEL FAL and put on the Israeli stocks on it from DSA. I love shooting my rifle. The Israeli stocks give it the cool factor.
Mine should be coming in April! I'm very excited for it :D
Forward assist again lol I qualified on my basic with an M16A1 here in the NZ Army in 86 ,we were told to rack the action to clear it, never tried to jam something in the chamber,it was rack the dud out and rechamber fresh round or drop the mag,rack action,sight chamber and clear if its clear
Again a great video :)
2 remarks: the carry-handle was used by most countries untill the weapons were phased out.
You don't need to alter the safety switch to get full auto: just open the weapon, turn the safety lever up and pull it out et voila: full auto fire.
H.J.W. Bruurmijn I don’t think it works that way... hopefully you are just kidding!😀
@@samiam619 Nope I'm not kidding, with an original metric FAL the "remove safety lever trick" works. I carried the FAL during my time in the Dutch army.
@@bartb7790 I can attest to that.
L1A1 SLR my best friend...
Looking forward to the Canadian C1, C1A1 Videos..