Did I get a deal on my FAL clone?

[tekrunner]

Went to the gun shop today and they had a used FAL on consignment. Looked good to me so I swooped it up. Came with pouch and 5 clips! For 600 out the door I'm happy. Watta you guys think?

R1A1 Sporter CAL 308
Receiver by Hesse US
Assembled by CAI st AB VT

 

[1000-points-of-fright]

If it came with 5 clips, you got ripped off. If it came with 5 magazines, then you might have done ok.

 

[tekrunner]

If it came with 5 clips, you got ripped off. If it came with 5 magazines, then you might have done ok.

Ok fair punch on the lack of proper armament vocab. So I got five magazines, anyone know about the manufacturer? Are any of them actually made in Belgium anymore?

 

[Doktor_Jeep]

.308 is not a cheap or plentiful round.

Get into reloading or you will never get enough practice.

 

[tekrunner]

.308 is not a cheap or plentiful round.

Get into reloading or you will never get enough practice.

I hear ya Dr. I spent some time today setting up the spot in my basement for a reloading center before I picked up the new rifle. Was it you or Gunny that had the thread on reloading? Anyways, shits on the way already and I look forward to it.

BTW, except for .22 aren't all rounds getting too expensive for regular practice? Reloading may likely be the difference between the haves and the have nots soon IMHO.

 

[Doktor_Jeep]

The Carlisle group, Bush family connected, bought out all of the ammo producers.

There was a reason for that: all guns become useless without ammo.

 

[maeqFREEDOMfree]

I have an R1A1 sporter assembled by century arms and the gun has never, and i mean NEVER functioned correctly. I am continuing to have a problem with the gas tube. This gun was assembledusing random scrap parts, evidence can be seen in the fact that some parts are stamped FN while others (like the receiver) are stamped Century. Eventually i need to take it to a gunsmith because i'm not confident in my own smithing abilities.

Have you shot the rifle yet? i put all of about 10 rounds through mine before it started having problems.

 

[the_british_are_coming]

The Carlisle group, Bush family connected, bought out all of the ammo producers.

There was a reason for that: all guns become useless without ammo.

and the Chinese, and rising cost of metal... not to mention the demand caused by the war on terror had NOTHING to do with the military demand on ammo, and thereby shortage of civilian ammo.

you sir, are a genius. thank you for enlightening me, i was about to kill myself due to a perceived "communist threat," but now that i can blame it on bush, i will just file it under expensive gas and bad mexican food, and feel good about myself.


jesus h. criminy. if you're going to blame someone for that kind of thing, at least use the head above your waist, and blame soros. come on.

 

[ttrainor]

The Centuries are hit-and-miss quality-wise. Some look like they were assembled by angry beavers up in St. Albans. Unfortunately, the ones with the Hesse receivers are some of the least desirable. You did get an alright deal, though. $600 bucks is the going rate for such a rifle. Now be prepared to spend that much more feeding it ammo (and stocking up!)

You can find out more about FALs on the forums at www.falfiles.com

 

[tekrunner]

Thanks for the info, I was always intending to buy a new one regardless and this has been a good learning experience.
So Century Arms sucks(Do they make the crappy AR's too?) who makes the best stuff?

 

[ttrainor]

Fabrique Nationale probably makes the best ones, but that'll set you back 3 to 5 thousand dollars. DSA makes a very good rifle, but will cost you at least double what you paid for the Century.

There were many "demilitarized" rifles imported over the years, and this is what most of the FALs were built from. These rifles had their receivers destroyed by torch cutting them into three pieces before importation. You could then assemble the parts on an aftermarket receiver from DSA or Imbel and have yourself a real warhorse on the cheap. The days of cheap kits (and cheap surplus ammo! ) are over, but you can still find decent deals on kit guns assembled by reputable gunsmiths.

Have you shot your FAL yet? It might be okay; some Centuries are just fine. If you are still looking to "upgrade" you might want to scan the Marketplace section of falfiles, or keep an eye on gunbroker.com auctions.

As was mentioned before, it's the ammo that's going to be the big concern. You're looking at $.50 a round for 30 year old 7.62 milsurp, and even more for new commercial .308

You might want to function check your rifle and if it works okay, put any extra cash into ammo. The time is now, and it ain't getting cheaper!

 

[TruckinMike]

If you have problems with your hesse --- go to the falfiles.com and read.

Here is a link that you might find helpful... don't get discouraged, test your rifle, if ti fires without a hitch-- then Great! -- if not, the just fix it... no matter what the problem is -- it can be repaired.

http://www.falfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=230975&highlight=hesse

TMike



I just finished my Imbel Kit last week --- DSA receiver w/ para rear sight and Garand cloth loop sling