FN FAL - Springfield XD Forum

FN FAL
Fusil Automatique Léger ("Light Automatic Rifle")
“Right Arm of the Free World”.
History
In 1946, the first FN FAL prototype No.1 was completed. This was the only rifle in the FAL family
chambered at the factory for the .7.92×33mm Kurz cartridge developed in 1942 for the Nazi
Germany StG 44 during WWII.
The FN “Universal Carbine”, Prototype No. 1. This was the only rifle in the FAL family chambered
at the factory for 7.92x33mm Kurz.
Prototype No. 1
After testing this prototype in 1948, the British Army urged FN to build additional prototypes both in
the new .280 intermediate cartridge one in Bullpup. 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 caliber,
to the United States for comparison testing against the favored United States Army design of the
time—Earle Harvey's T25.
EM-2,
Harvey’s T25
At this point, the Canadian military began to express interest in the rifle, Known in Canada as the
C1 and the Director of Artillery pushed for further funding of the project. Continuing work reduced the
rifle’s weight from 10 pounds to 9 (4.5 to 4 kg) and simplified its mechanism. Another trial prototype
was scheduled to be ready for testing in April of 1946, but at this point the program began to be
overtaken by the competition elsewhere to develop self-loading rifles.
The 1945 SLR (EX-1)
The 1946 SLR (EX-2)
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 favoring their own EM-2.
After testing it was hoped for a common cartridge & rifle become standard for all NATO members.
Instead the British adopted the EM-2 with.280 cartridge that same month. This decision was later
rescinded after the Labor Party lost the 1951 General Election and Winston Churchill returned as
Prime Minister. It is believed that there was a quid pro quo agreement between Churchill and Harry
Truman in 1952 that the British accept the .30 Light Rifle cartridge as NATO standard in return for
U.S. acceptance of the FN FAL as NATO standard.
The .30 Light Rifle cartridge was in fact later standardized as the 7.62 mm NATO; however, the
U.S. insisted on continued rifle tests. The FAL chambered for the .30 Light Rifle went up against
the redesigned T25 (now designated as the T47), and an M1 Garand variant, the T44.
Eventually, the T44 won out, becoming the M14. However, in the meantime, most other NATO
countries were evaluating and selecting the FAL.
FAL PROTOTRYPE .280/30
T-25 / T-36
T-44
T-48 Belgian & Springfield T-44.
Eventually, the T44 won out, becoming the M14.
Inch-Pattern U.S. Manufactured FAL
M14.
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 NATO members decided that one of the
joint military items that needed to be standardized was small arms ammunition. The action was taken
to prevent the supply problems all nations had encountered during World War II and Korea. The
selection of a service rifle was left up to each individual country: most chose the FAL. The original
FAL prototype rifle introduced in 1948 was chambered for the midrange 8mm Kurz round first fielded
by German forces near the war’s end. Subsequent prototypes were chambered for the experimental
British .280 cartridge.
The controversial NATO standard cartridge selection program ended with the adoption of the U.S.
developed 7.62x51 cartridges in January of 1954. Canada was the first NATO country to officially
adopt the FAL rifle in July of 1953. Since the FN FAL rifle was built using the metric system, the
Canadian Government was the first to address the challenge of converting the drawings from metric
to inches. Later that year, the United States ordered 3,000 standard and 200 heavy barrel metric
FAL rifles from Fabrique Nationale in Belgium. The Belgian made rifles were designated as the
T48. While the United States began work on making an inch-pattern U.S. manufactured FAL rifle,
the Belgian made T48 weapons were issued to the U.S. Army for field testing. After a brief study it
was determined that converting the metric Belgian drawings to inches would not be an easy task.
Personnel from the U.S. Springfield Armory were originally assigned the job of converting the FAL
manufacturing drawings.
Springfield Armory was busy with the T44E4 rifle development and numerous other projects; it
was decided to turn the job over to a commercial entity. Bids were taken for the project and the
contract was eventually awarded to the High Standard Company. The conference, initiated by the
British government, was the first in a series to promote cooperation and eventual tri-partite NATO
standardization of the Belgian FN FAL rifle. The general feeling was that since the NATO
countries had (reluctantly) adopted the U.S. 7.62mm cartridge, they expected the U.S. to
reciprocate and adopt the FAL rifle. Then, not only would NATO have a common cartridge, but a
common service rifle as well. Officials from Fort Benning reported that the Belgian made T48
rifles were experiencing functioning problems under dusty conditions. The problem was traced to
the FAL’s close manufacturing tolerances between the bolt carrier and the receiver . The Belgium
engineers suggested the incorporation of “sand cuts,” or zig-zag grooves machined into the bolt
carriers. This eventually solved the problem.
After the first 100 U.S. made T48 FAL rifles were ready in September 1955, 10 were randomly
selected for testing at the Aberdeen Proving Center. The T48 rifles experienced a few initial
problems with small parts failing and stoppages. After these problems were addressed and solved,
testing resumed. Early manufacture T48 rifles were unable to qualify in the accuracy test. This
problem was traced back to excessive machining tolerances on the barrels, partially as a result of a
drawing conversion error. A final head to head full-scale test of the T48 versus the T44E4 was
scheduled for the spring of 1956. However, instead of an out and out test, only a brief trial was
conducted. The testing took place concurrently at Fort Benning, Georgia and the U.S. Marine Base
at Quantico, Virginia.
There was a great deal of skepticism on behalf of those involved in the testing about the United
States Army adopting a foreign designed infantry weapon for its forces. Many felt that the U.S.
Ordnance Department was simply going through the motions of testing the FAL rifle to appease the
other NATO members, who were pressuring the U.S. to adopt the Belgian rifle.
On the other hand, there was great political pressure from the U.S. Army and the Springfield
Armory to adopt the U.S. designed T44E4. After a thorough study of all the test reports, which
lasted nearly a year, the U.S. Ordnance Department finally came to the conclusion that the U.S.
designed T44E4 rifle possessed the following advantages;
The T44E4 rifle was a full pound lighter than the T48.
The T44E4 contained fewer parts and had a single-port gas system that didn’t require
adjustments.
The similarities between the T44E4 and its predecessor, the M1 Garand rifle, would ease both
training and manufacturing requirements.
Despite pressure from the other NATO countries for the U.S. to adopt the Belgian designed T48
rifle, on 1 May 1957 Secretary of the Army Wilbur H. Bruckner announced that the T44E4 and
T44E5 were being adopted as the Standard U.S. service rifles as the M14 and M15
respectively.
An Ordnance Committee meeting held on 14 November 1957 finalized the adoption of the M14
and M15 rifles as Standard.
USA as the "Inch Pattern" FAL.
SLR by the Canadian Army designation C1A1 (C1)
The L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle
SVT-40.
The FAL operates by means of a gas-operated action very similar to that of the Russian SVT-40.
BSA RIFLE 7.62 mm L1A1.22RF CONVERSION Kit
BSA's conversion of the L1A1 did use a removable tubed sleeve akin to the later Heckler and
Koch L12A1 conversion unit, but included disabling of the full-bore gas operation system, which
precluded easy reconfiguration of the modified rifle to its original format. The .22RF barrel sleeve is
considerably shorter than the 7.62mm parent barrel; probably just adequate for short range use up to
around 25 yards, especially if compared with the barrel length of a .22RF target pistol.
BSA RIFLE 7.62 mm L1A1.22RF CONVERSION KIT con’t.
The markings on the side of the action body show the original caliber barred out and ".22LR" (for
the Long-Rifle cartridge) over stamped.
The replacement rim-fire breech-block is shown separately below.
The .22RF magazine has a stepped feed platform to permit staggered loading of the rim-fire round,
maximizing capacity as in the full-bore version.
Sturmgewehr 58
The first 20,000 were manufactured by FN, but later the STG 58 was manufactured under license
by Steyr-Daimler-Puch (now Steyr Mannlicher). The STG 58 was formerly the standard rifle of the
Austrian Federal Army. It was selected in a 1958 competition, beating the Spanish CETME and
American AR-10. It was replaced by the Steyr AUG in 1977.
STG 58
CETME
AR-10
Steyr AUG
During the Falklands War both British and Argentine troops carried the FN FAL. The British
carried the L1A1 semi-auto, while the Argentineans carried the FN FAL 50.41 and the FN FAL 50.61.
Both Argentinean models were produced with the full auto fire option. Both weapons were usually
known as FM FAL.
L1A1
FN FAL .41
FN FAL 50 .61
The Argentine Armed Forces officially adopted the FN FAL in 1955; licensed production of
FALs began in 1960 and continued until the mid-to-late 1990s. When production ceased, a project to
modernize the existing FAL began In 2010. This project was called FAL M5.
FAL M5
FALs were produced by the government-owned arsenal FM (Fabricaciones Militares) at the
Fábrica Militar de Armas Portátiles "Domingo Matheu" (FMAP "DM") in Rosario. A version of the
FALMP III chambered in the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge was developed in the early 1980s.
FALMP III
By September of 1944, construction of the first prototype of the new rifle had begun at Springfield
Armory’s Model Shop, and the rifle was designated T20. The T20’s receiver was lengthened vs.
that of the M1 by .3125 inches, and was adapted to use 20-round BAR magazines. In addition, the
roller lug from the M1E3 replaced the solid camming lug of the original M1, and full auto fire was
provided for by a connecting bar on the right side of the receiver which actuated an extension of the
sear.
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