11/07/2008
I decided to document my FAL build. This will not be a build from a FAL kit so to speak but, a built from scratch using individual parts. I am doing this partially for Raoul Duke. He had PM'ed me showing an interest in building a FAL after I had mentioned on a thread somewhere that my next rifle was going to be a FAL.
I have liked the FAL ever since I was a young kid living in South Africa. There the FAL went by the designation of R1 and to me the R1 always had that certain coolness factor associated with it. The urge to own my own FAL has been gnawing at me ever since I got to shoot one at the Shirley Independence Day shoot. Mark from Zero Hour was kind enough to bring one for me to try.
Since then I have done a lot of reading and online research. Inch versus metric, Belgian versus Commonwealth, interchanging of whole assemblies between metric and inch in some cases is possible but not individual parts in those assemblies, Type I versus type II versus Type III receivers, lightening cuts, magazine interchangeability, 922(r). My head was going to exploded from all the information available about this fine rifle. It's taken 3 months to barely get my hands around the subject and to be able to talk "FAL".
BUY COMPLETE RIFLE, KIT OR BUILD FROM SCRATCH?
From my online research I have noticed that most FAL kits are pretty banged up. This is assuming you can even find one at a reasonable price or, find one at all. They are used and in some cases abused. You also have to deal with 922(r) parts compliance which means you will have to replace certain parts in these kits with a certain number of US made parts. Replacement of old, used and damaged parts is also highly recommended. Why pay for something and then have to buy certain parts again? To me this is a waste of time and money. These kits are great if you are a collector and are looking for something specific. These FAL kits do not come with upper receivers either so this is an additional item you still have to buy. I decided that this was not the way I wanted to go - at least not for my first FAL.
Then I found DS Arms and I felt like a kid in a candy store. They make brand new rifles - SA58's as well as Austrian STG-58's. To me however, buying a complete rifle is not much fun at all.
DS Arms sells just about every single part needed to assemble a FAL. It dawned on me that building my own rifle from scratch would be the way to go. Sure it will cost a little bit more than buying a complete rifle but that additional cost will be well worth the satisfaction I get from building it myself. I will also be able to:
One caveat, DS Arms does not sell the bolt as a stand along part. The reason they told me for this is that all newly machined bolts go towards their complete rifles leaving none to be had as a stand alone part. No worries, I found another place online that sells refurbished Imbel bolts and bolt carriers with matching serial numbers for about the same price as DS Arms charges for their bolt carrier alone!
ORDERED A TYPE I UPPER WITH CARRY HANDLE CUT.
Today I ordered my upper receiver from DS Arms. Since this part is the controlled part it will be shipped to Zero Hour Arms. ETA for arrival is at least 10-12 weeks. Ouch! I didn't even have to put any money down or give out a credit card number. The lady took my information and gave me my order number. I can pay when it is ready to ship. Nice! This way I get the ball rolling and hopefully beat out AWB part deux. This fortunate event leaves me with this extra money in my pocket I though I would need up front to pay for the upper. What to do? Well, I will be placing an order from DS Arms for the lower receiver and its associated parts and will start building it once those parts come in.
Stay tuned.
UPDATE: 1/21/2009
I have included a list of links that I have amassed over the past 2 months.
ASSEMBLY/DISASSEMBLY
PARTS & SUPPLIES
Well, with Thanksgiving, 6 birthdays (including my own), Christmas, New Years and the death of my farther-in-law I have not had the time to update this thread much. I have finished looking over the DSA FAL schematic and grouping my parts buys into manageable $250-$350 chunks from the same company so as to minimize shipping costs. I came up with the spreadsheet below. Some of the parts may change i.e. the furniture as I may go with wood. The upper receiver is on week 10 of my supposed 12 week wait - I won't hold my breath that it will actually ship on week 12.
UPDATE: 1/28/2009
I have ordered all the tools and supplies I will need to build the rifle along with some parts. I have also learned a couple of things in the last week.
First, while DS Arms prices stayed constant, that cannot be said for the other vendors. For example, the FAL tools from Midway are slightly more expensive. On the flip side the matching serial number Imbel bolt and bolt carriers from Gun Parts Guys is now $10 cheaper... go figure. Remember, the original list I made was only about 2 month old - these things change quickly.
Second, parts become discontinued - the Tapco FAL metric spring set from Midway is no longer available. Neither is the B-Squared barrel vise jaws. I had to find another source for the spring pack. I'll hold off on a barrel vise/jaws until I get the barrel.
Third, waiting for backordered receivers is one thing. Waiting for backordered parts is downright frustrating. Case in point is my order #1 which is a mix of pins, screws and springs... backordered 3 weeks.
Fourth, after scouring the internet looking at different pictures of FALs I really like the look of the German G1 and will build a look alike. I found a source that sells fake G1 flash hiders. Ray, you'll be proud of me, I am even getting an authentic German G1 sling for it and not some crappy reproduction.
UPDATE: 2/3/2009
I got a call from DS Arms today. Apparently order number 1 will ship tomorrow. The lady on the phone told me that the Hammer, Trigger and Sear set were back ordered though and that I would have to wait. They apparently had finished machining a whole bunch of them and were now starting to back fill orders from 3 weeks ago. I inquired about my Type I receiver which I have now been waiting 14 weeks for. She talked to someone and came back and said that the receiver "would be shipping soon" - whatever that means. Anyway, she then tells me she has a Hammer, Trigger and Sear Set in her hand and will be including it in my order. Yipee! Good news for once. These sets are very hard to get from DS Arms.
Today I also received my Imbel bolt and bolt carrier with matching serial numbers from Gun Parts Guys.
And verified that it is indeed matching. What a nice bolt and bolt carrier. It looks brand new.
I have also received the remainder of my tools and miscellaneous supplies that I will need for this built. As of today orders 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 14 have been received. Next up, when I get the cash, is order 11 which includes the stripped lower. This way I can start putting something together. I have heard from different gun boards that this part is extremely back ordered from DS Arms. Let's hope the wait is not that long.
UPDATE: 2/26/2009
My search for a fake threaded G1 flash hider is over. I was not able to find to find one. There are plenty of sleeved fake G1 flash hiders that fit on a G1 barrel thought. The 3 year old DS Arms catalog that I have showed that at one time DS Arms made replacement military barrels for the G1. These barrels are chambered in 7.62 NATO and not .308 like the standard barrels they use for their SA58 rifles. The replacement G1 barrel are also chome lined. On a prayer I called DS Arms and asked if they had any of these G1 barrels left. To my surprise they had one left! I bought it and it is on it's way to me.
The downside to this barrel is that it is $45 more expensive that a standard DS Arms barrel. It also only comes with a gas block unlike the standard barrels which includes the gas tube and a completed front sight assembly. All in all the G1 barrels will end up costing about $80 more than a standard barrel when you factor in the gas tube and part neede to assemble the front sight.
Now that I have a G1 barrels I can use a fake sleeved flash hider that quick connects and disconnects to the barrel. I also obtained of those today from a guy over at Calguns.net. Here are some pictures of the fake flash hider.
Closeup of tack weld of the flash hider to the sleeve.
I also purchased a G1 charging handle complete with the aluminum knob. I want to make this look alike G1 as authentic as possible.
With the exception of order 12 all orders have been placed. All others orders have been received with the exception of the lower receiver and the upper receiver which are still on back-order and the top cover (they sent me the wrong kind). I cannot start any assembly until I get a receiver. All I have at the moment is a big box full of parts... About the only thing I have to look forward too is the fact that my claro walnut buttstock and pistol grip from Ironwood will be arriving next week and I can at least start sanding and staining the furniture.
For all you camera junkies out there here's the setup I used to take the picures. A piece of cardboard curved to make a cheap cyclorama. A Nikon SB800 off camera with a miniture Photoflex diffuser set to Slave Mode. Another Nikon SB800 mounted on my Nikon D200 set to Master Mode. The lens used was the Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro lens.
UPDATE: 3/1/2009
I got an email on Friday from DS Arms. My credit card has been charged for my upper receiver! That took 16 weeks to the day and is very good new indeed. It should be on it's way to Zero Hour Arms sometime next week. I also stopped by Zero Hour Arms on Saturday to drop off my STG58 handguards. Mark is going to be Duracoating them for me in flat black. Since the upper is on it's way the priority now is to order the remaining parts need for the upper. To do this I have decided to split order 12 into 2 separate orders as it alone totals over $350 - one for the remaining upper parts and the other for the remaining lower parts. By the looks of it it looks like I'll be waiting 16 weeks for the lower too.
Apparently I exceeded the maximum number of characters for one post. The build continues at post #51.
I decided to document my FAL build. This will not be a build from a FAL kit so to speak but, a built from scratch using individual parts. I am doing this partially for Raoul Duke. He had PM'ed me showing an interest in building a FAL after I had mentioned on a thread somewhere that my next rifle was going to be a FAL.
I have liked the FAL ever since I was a young kid living in South Africa. There the FAL went by the designation of R1 and to me the R1 always had that certain coolness factor associated with it. The urge to own my own FAL has been gnawing at me ever since I got to shoot one at the Shirley Independence Day shoot. Mark from Zero Hour was kind enough to bring one for me to try.
Since then I have done a lot of reading and online research. Inch versus metric, Belgian versus Commonwealth, interchanging of whole assemblies between metric and inch in some cases is possible but not individual parts in those assemblies, Type I versus type II versus Type III receivers, lightening cuts, magazine interchangeability, 922(r). My head was going to exploded from all the information available about this fine rifle. It's taken 3 months to barely get my hands around the subject and to be able to talk "FAL".
BUY COMPLETE RIFLE, KIT OR BUILD FROM SCRATCH?
From my online research I have noticed that most FAL kits are pretty banged up. This is assuming you can even find one at a reasonable price or, find one at all. They are used and in some cases abused. You also have to deal with 922(r) parts compliance which means you will have to replace certain parts in these kits with a certain number of US made parts. Replacement of old, used and damaged parts is also highly recommended. Why pay for something and then have to buy certain parts again? To me this is a waste of time and money. These kits are great if you are a collector and are looking for something specific. These FAL kits do not come with upper receivers either so this is an additional item you still have to buy. I decided that this was not the way I wanted to go - at least not for my first FAL.
Then I found DS Arms and I felt like a kid in a candy store. They make brand new rifles - SA58's as well as Austrian STG-58's. To me however, buying a complete rifle is not much fun at all.
DS Arms sells just about every single part needed to assemble a FAL. It dawned on me that building my own rifle from scratch would be the way to go. Sure it will cost a little bit more than buying a complete rifle but that additional cost will be well worth the satisfaction I get from building it myself. I will also be able to:
- Spread the cost of the rifle out over 3 or 4 or 5 months
- Customize the rifle furniture
- Customize the rifle muzzle device and
- Scour the internet to find the cheapest FAL parts
One caveat, DS Arms does not sell the bolt as a stand along part. The reason they told me for this is that all newly machined bolts go towards their complete rifles leaving none to be had as a stand alone part. No worries, I found another place online that sells refurbished Imbel bolts and bolt carriers with matching serial numbers for about the same price as DS Arms charges for their bolt carrier alone!
ORDERED A TYPE I UPPER WITH CARRY HANDLE CUT.
Today I ordered my upper receiver from DS Arms. Since this part is the controlled part it will be shipped to Zero Hour Arms. ETA for arrival is at least 10-12 weeks. Ouch! I didn't even have to put any money down or give out a credit card number. The lady took my information and gave me my order number. I can pay when it is ready to ship. Nice! This way I get the ball rolling and hopefully beat out AWB part deux. This fortunate event leaves me with this extra money in my pocket I though I would need up front to pay for the upper. What to do? Well, I will be placing an order from DS Arms for the lower receiver and its associated parts and will start building it once those parts come in.
Stay tuned.
UPDATE: 1/21/2009
I have included a list of links that I have amassed over the past 2 months.
ASSEMBLY/DISASSEMBLY
- Entreprise Arms Great link shows the tools required as well and nice pictorials of FAL assembly and disassembly.
- newsbleed.com - newsbleed Resources and Information. Great article which explains how to headspace a FAL.
- Fieldstripping and Cleaning the FAL Variant How to field strip a FAL.
- Detail Stripping the FAL Variant Trigger Frame Group How to do a detailed stripping of FAL lower receiver.
- The Gun Digest Book of Firearms Assembly/Disassembly Part IV - Centerfire Rifles - J B Wood - Google Books Google books showing the assembly/disassembly of a FAL.
- Building the FAL at Home, Assembly Great CRUFFLER.com article showing the building of a FAL at home from a parts kit.
PARTS & SUPPLIES
- http://www.ironwooddesigns.com/ Supplier of wood furniture for the FAL.
- gunpartsguy.com Gun Parts Guys.
- -D S Arms DS Arms.
- View the Largest Selection of Firearms in Easton PA SARCO.
- Entreprise Arms Entreprise Arms.
- GunThings.com, Military Small Arms Parts Headquarters!* FNFAL, L1A1, 1919, AK, Galil Gun Things
- http://falconarms.com/xcart/home.php Falcon Arms
- http://www.thecountryshed.com The Country Shed
- http://www.americangunsmith.com American Gunsmith
- MSC Industrial Supply Co. | Find Power Tools, Hand Tools, Machine Tools & More MSC Industrial Supply. Sells pin gages used to headspace a FAL.
Well, with Thanksgiving, 6 birthdays (including my own), Christmas, New Years and the death of my farther-in-law I have not had the time to update this thread much. I have finished looking over the DSA FAL schematic and grouping my parts buys into manageable $250-$350 chunks from the same company so as to minimize shipping costs. I came up with the spreadsheet below. Some of the parts may change i.e. the furniture as I may go with wood. The upper receiver is on week 10 of my supposed 12 week wait - I won't hold my breath that it will actually ship on week 12.
UPDATE: 1/28/2009
I have ordered all the tools and supplies I will need to build the rifle along with some parts. I have also learned a couple of things in the last week.
First, while DS Arms prices stayed constant, that cannot be said for the other vendors. For example, the FAL tools from Midway are slightly more expensive. On the flip side the matching serial number Imbel bolt and bolt carriers from Gun Parts Guys is now $10 cheaper... go figure. Remember, the original list I made was only about 2 month old - these things change quickly.
Second, parts become discontinued - the Tapco FAL metric spring set from Midway is no longer available. Neither is the B-Squared barrel vise jaws. I had to find another source for the spring pack. I'll hold off on a barrel vise/jaws until I get the barrel.
Third, waiting for backordered receivers is one thing. Waiting for backordered parts is downright frustrating. Case in point is my order #1 which is a mix of pins, screws and springs... backordered 3 weeks.
Fourth, after scouring the internet looking at different pictures of FALs I really like the look of the German G1 and will build a look alike. I found a source that sells fake G1 flash hiders. Ray, you'll be proud of me, I am even getting an authentic German G1 sling for it and not some crappy reproduction.
UPDATE: 2/3/2009
I got a call from DS Arms today. Apparently order number 1 will ship tomorrow. The lady on the phone told me that the Hammer, Trigger and Sear set were back ordered though and that I would have to wait. They apparently had finished machining a whole bunch of them and were now starting to back fill orders from 3 weeks ago. I inquired about my Type I receiver which I have now been waiting 14 weeks for. She talked to someone and came back and said that the receiver "would be shipping soon" - whatever that means. Anyway, she then tells me she has a Hammer, Trigger and Sear Set in her hand and will be including it in my order. Yipee! Good news for once. These sets are very hard to get from DS Arms.
Today I also received my Imbel bolt and bolt carrier with matching serial numbers from Gun Parts Guys.
And verified that it is indeed matching. What a nice bolt and bolt carrier. It looks brand new.
I have also received the remainder of my tools and miscellaneous supplies that I will need for this built. As of today orders 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 14 have been received. Next up, when I get the cash, is order 11 which includes the stripped lower. This way I can start putting something together. I have heard from different gun boards that this part is extremely back ordered from DS Arms. Let's hope the wait is not that long.
UPDATE: 2/26/2009
My search for a fake threaded G1 flash hider is over. I was not able to find to find one. There are plenty of sleeved fake G1 flash hiders that fit on a G1 barrel thought. The 3 year old DS Arms catalog that I have showed that at one time DS Arms made replacement military barrels for the G1. These barrels are chambered in 7.62 NATO and not .308 like the standard barrels they use for their SA58 rifles. The replacement G1 barrel are also chome lined. On a prayer I called DS Arms and asked if they had any of these G1 barrels left. To my surprise they had one left! I bought it and it is on it's way to me.
The downside to this barrel is that it is $45 more expensive that a standard DS Arms barrel. It also only comes with a gas block unlike the standard barrels which includes the gas tube and a completed front sight assembly. All in all the G1 barrels will end up costing about $80 more than a standard barrel when you factor in the gas tube and part neede to assemble the front sight.
Now that I have a G1 barrels I can use a fake sleeved flash hider that quick connects and disconnects to the barrel. I also obtained of those today from a guy over at Calguns.net. Here are some pictures of the fake flash hider.
Closeup of tack weld of the flash hider to the sleeve.
I also purchased a G1 charging handle complete with the aluminum knob. I want to make this look alike G1 as authentic as possible.
With the exception of order 12 all orders have been placed. All others orders have been received with the exception of the lower receiver and the upper receiver which are still on back-order and the top cover (they sent me the wrong kind). I cannot start any assembly until I get a receiver. All I have at the moment is a big box full of parts... About the only thing I have to look forward too is the fact that my claro walnut buttstock and pistol grip from Ironwood will be arriving next week and I can at least start sanding and staining the furniture.
For all you camera junkies out there here's the setup I used to take the picures. A piece of cardboard curved to make a cheap cyclorama. A Nikon SB800 off camera with a miniture Photoflex diffuser set to Slave Mode. Another Nikon SB800 mounted on my Nikon D200 set to Master Mode. The lens used was the Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro lens.
UPDATE: 3/1/2009
I got an email on Friday from DS Arms. My credit card has been charged for my upper receiver! That took 16 weeks to the day and is very good new indeed. It should be on it's way to Zero Hour Arms sometime next week. I also stopped by Zero Hour Arms on Saturday to drop off my STG58 handguards. Mark is going to be Duracoating them for me in flat black. Since the upper is on it's way the priority now is to order the remaining parts need for the upper. To do this I have decided to split order 12 into 2 separate orders as it alone totals over $350 - one for the remaining upper parts and the other for the remaining lower parts. By the looks of it it looks like I'll be waiting 16 weeks for the lower too.
Apparently I exceeded the maximum number of characters for one post. The build continues at post #51.
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