FN FAL
| FN FAL | |
|---|---|
The FN FAL
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| Type | Battle rifle |
| Place of origin | Belgium |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1954–present |
| Used by | 90+ countries (See Users) |
| Wars | See Conflicts |
| Production history | |
| Designer |
Dieudonné Saive Ernest Vervier |
| Designed | 1947–53 |
| Manufacturer | |
| Produced | 1953—present |
| Number built | 2,000,000+ |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight |
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| Length |
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| Barrel length |
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| Cartridge |
7.62×51mm NATO .280 British |
| Action | Gas-operated, tilting breechblock |
| Rate of fire | 650–700 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity |
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| Effective firing range | 200–600 m sight adjustments |
| Feed system | 20- or 30-round detachable box magazine. 50-round drum magazines are also available. |
| Sights |
Aperture rear sight, post front sight; sight radius:
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| Sturmgewehr 58 | |
|---|---|
StG-58 with DSA Type I receiver
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| Type | Battle rifle |
| Place of origin | Belgium and Austria |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1958–1977 |
| Used by | Austria |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Dieudonné Saive |
| Designed | 1956 |
| Manufacturer | Fabrique Nationale de Herstal and Steyr-Daimler-Puch |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 4.45 kg (9.81 lb) to 5.15 kg (11.35 lb) |
| Length | 1,100 mm (43 in) |
| Barrel length | 533 mm (21.0 in) |
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| Cartridge | 7.62×51mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated, tilting breechblock |
| Muzzle velocity | 823 m/s (2,700 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 800 m (870 yd) |
| Feed system | 20-round detachable magazine |
| Sights | Iron sights |
Aperture rear sight, post front sight; sight radius:
The FAL, or Fusil Automatique Léger ("Light Automatic Rifle"), is a semi-automatic/selective fire battle rifle produced by the Belgian armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale de Herstal (FN). During the Cold War it was adopted by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries, with the notable exception of the United States. It is one of the most widely used rifles in history, having been used by more than 90 countries.
The FAL was predominantly chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO round (although originally designed for the .280 British intermediate cartridge) and because of its prevalence and widespread use among the armed forces of many NATO countries during the Cold War it was nicknamed "The right arm of the Free World". A British Commonwealth derivative of the FN FAL has been produced under licence as the L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle.
In 1946, the first FN FAL prototype was completed. It was designed to fire the intermediate 7.92×33mm Kurz cartridge developed and used by the forces of Nazi Germany during World War II (see StG44 assault rifle). After testing this prototype in 1948, the British Army urged FN to build additional prototypes, including one in bullpup configuration, chambered for their new .280 British caliber intermediate cartridge. After evaluating the single bullpup prototype, FN decided to return instead to their original, conventional design for future production.
In 1950, the United Kingdom presented the redesigned FN rifle and the British EM-2, both in .280 British calibre, to the United States for comparison testing against the favoured United States Army design of the time—Earle Harvey's T25. It was hoped that a common cartridge and rifle could be standardized for issue to the armies of all NATO member countries. After this testing was completed, U.S. Army officials suggested that FN should redesign their rifle to fire the U.S. prototype ".30 Light Rifle" cartridge. FN decided to hedge their bets with the U.S., and in 1951 even made a deal that the U.S. could produce FALs royalty-free, given that the UK appeared to be favouring their own EM-2.
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Wikipedia