My ugly duckling FRANKENFAL

45collector

45collector

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This is my first build. I used a parts kit my father had given me. I thought it was an STG 58 but yesterday at the military rifle shoot, someone told me it's an Imbel. Either way, it's metric and I built it myself, fired it and didn't blow myself to smitherines! I just need to get the front sight adjustment tool and bring it up a bit.

From this:
round2035.jpg


To this:
FAL001.jpg

FAL002.jpg


I like that none of the metal finishes match. It says "yeah I look like crap, but I was built with nice, quality parts, I'm accurate, and my owner is proud of me." LOL. I'm not going to refinish it.
 
I love the looks of it. It looks like it came from a battlefield somewhere in the far east or Libya. Good work!

You can adjust the front sight with a pair of pliers, if I'm not mistaken. If it's like my FAL, then all you do is turn it and it moves up or down. Then again, mine isn't a Imbel and is a argentine pattern, so they could be different...
 
Dude, nice rifle. I really want to build one of these myself, but I have to buy a truck this summer. [grin][sad]
 
Very nice.

That looks to be a vanilla Type-3 Imbel lower, but that's an StG 58 upper in the top picture, with the classic Stg 58 flash hider, metal handguard, and folding bipod.

Now you need to get it all one color. Any one color.

I have a combo front sight tool and gas wrench you're welcome to borrow.
 
Well since I got the parts kit for free, that was a good chunk of it.
I spent about $500 for the receiver, and all the US-made 922r compliant parts. I honestly don't remember what I spent on the barrel vise and receiver wrench. Also had to buy a set of pin guages, and .308 go/ no go guages. I have all the receipts in a folder somewhere at home. I just don't recall exactly what those tools cost me. Instead of trying to find the correct locking shoulder, which needed to be .257, I took the .261 that came with the parts kit and carefully filed/ sandpapered it down to .257. The only labor I didn't do myself was pin and weld the muzzle brake, which I paid $50 to a gunsmith to do.
 
ScottS said:
Very nice.

Thanks

That looks to be a vanilla Type-3 Imbel lower, but that's an StG 58 upper in the top picture, with the classic Stg 58 flash hider, metal handguard, and folding bipod.

I guess its possible it was a mixed parts kit. Everything in the upper group looks almost unfired. The bolt, carrier, and top cover all had zero wear on them where they would be rubbing metal on metal. The bore looks unfired. The lower, as you can see, definitely saw some use.

Now you need to get it all one color. Any one color.

No way! She's staying just like this. ;)

I have a combo front sight tool and gas wrench you're welcome to borrow.

Thanks, I'm going to try the snap ring pliers when I get home today. The gas tube is fine where it is.
Click to expand...

I have another Imbel kit I may have to build and if I do maybe I'll decide to refinish one of them. Maybe that'll be my winter project. I've already got the tools, might as well keep building! :D
 
45collector said:
Well since I got the parts kit for free, that was a good chunk of it.
I spent about $500 for the receiver, and all the US-made 922r compliant parts. I honestly don't remember what I spent on the barrel vise and receiver wrench. Also had to buy a set of pin guages, and .308 go/ no go guages. I have all the receipts in a folder somewhere at home. I just don't recall exactly what those tools cost me. Instead of trying to find the correct locking shoulder, which needed to be .257, I took the .261 that came with the parts kit and carefully filed/ sandpapered it down to .257. The only labor I didn't do myself was pin and weld the muzzle brake, which I paid $50 to a gunsmith to do.
Click to expand...

If you don't plan on building another one, I recommend selling the vice, receiver wrench, and pin gauges on Falfiles, and recover a good portion of your outlay.

I wish you had asked. As a fellow green-member, I would have gladly lent you my barrel vice, receiver wrench, pin gauges, and go/no-go's.
 
My gas setting nut moves very easily by hand. Is that bad? We were adjusting it yesterday at Sippican while firing, and it would whip cases across the benches set on 1, and just barely spit them out set on 5.
 
The finish doesn't look bad at all in regular daylight. Like I said... some steel wool to the receiver and it'll look like a battle field pick up.
 
Nice work Ray. You taking it to GPP? I want to try it out if that's okay with you.

Sent from the Hyundai of the droids, the Samsung Replenish, using Tapatalk.
 
You know, the dude who started this thread?

[wink]

Sorry fixxah, I don't know what "GPP" is, but if you're where ever I am when I'm shooting it, yes of course you can try it out.
 
45collector said:
Sorry fixxah, I don't know what "GPP" is, but if you're where ever I am when I'm shooting it, yes of course you can try it out.
Click to expand...

I'm guessing "gun powder pig" which, I think, is the shoot at Monadnock this August.

I gotta fix my FAL so I can shoot it next to yours sometime. I love what you did with that parts kit. It looks great.
 
My friend will be at the club this Sunday with his FAL and the tool to fix the front sight, so PLEASE do not take a chance with pliers!!! He said they can strip and snap if done wrong. The color thing gives it that " Seen some action" look and shows that someone (You) took the time to save what could be saved and put it back into the fight. You were just doing your part to be "Green". Ya,...Ya,... thats it,..thats it. See you Sunday.
 
Nice FAL,
Dam I want one of these. Last September I passed on two NIB Century FAL's that my local dealer was selling for $550.00 each. They were decent but not as nice as the DSA FAL's he was selling for $850.00. I figured I would just come back in a month and pick one up for $550.00 as he had them for at least 1-2 months at that point.

Well one month later when I went back they were all gone and the price to order a CIA FAL jumped up to $650.00. I figured the price would come back down so I passed again but it hasn't.

A month ago I called DSA to order one for around $1,000 but they quoted me least 10 weeks. Enterprise had some FAL in stock at that time but they had some bad reviews.
Couldn't wait 10 weeks so I used the money to build an AR. I am planning on making an FAL my next purchase.
 
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Yep. I did a little research before building mine and CAI is infamous for having monkeys for rifle builders.
I saw one report that said one of their builders was actually grinding down the face of the chamber to get headspace.
 
I need to get a bi-pod for mine. Found a place online that has new ones for about $40 shipped IIRC. I didn't build it, but someday I might strip it down and put the parts on a better receiver, and not the Hesse it has now [angry2] If only I knew then what I know now...its been a pain at times, but it works (usually)

I'd like to put an Israeli forward assist handle on it too.
 
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