Ask and ye shall receive.
I went with a friend to Elite in South Kingstown tonight and rented their DSA SA58. Not sure what specific model it was but it had the cover-mounted full-length rail, what looked like a folding stock (resembling an AK clubfoot in shape), vertical foregrip, and extended safety. I suspect it was an 18" barrel because it didn't come off as pike-esque but we also didn't really feel a big concussive blast. I think this was the gun, painted in a subdued, very professional looking Rhodesian baby poop camo pattern:
DSA SA58 Improved Battle Rifle - 18" Medium Contour Barrel, BRS Folding Stock - DS Arms
Fired off 60 rounds with me doing most of the shooting, but switching off here and there. This was his first time shooting a centerfire rifle so I wanted to let him play a little.
Pros:
*Trigger was very good for a rifle of this type
*Sights were good, I was hitting exactly where I wanted to hit - not a great accomplishment in a short indoor range, but hey, consistently tight groupings make the day fun
*Safety was easy to engage/disengage
*Left-side charging handle is nice
*Mags: this is a big plus. The FAL does rock-and-lock mags nicely without fumbling
*Ergonomics were pretty straightforward and modern
*Newb friendly, my friend managed to keep all his shots on the paper and he was very happy while shooting
Cons:
*It's a heavy gun, I would estimate 10-11 pounds
*Some people say the FAL is soft shooting. It's not bad for a large .308. However, learning to shoot it fast would require a steeper learning curve than learning to shoot a .223 fast. While this may seem like a "no shit" concept, it's noticeable how much time you spend once the trigger breaks, the recoil pushes you back, and you get your sights back on target
*I can foresee the non-reciprocating charging handle making remediation of stoppages into a problem based on the InRange FAL mud test
*Expensive platform, including ammo, in comparison to a basic AR
That all being said, I think a baby poop FAL is going to be in my future. I'm thinking of doing a R1/Rhodesian clone with a few modern touches: optic and bipod. This was also my first time using a rifle with a vertical foregrip, which I found to be helpful, so perhaps one of those in replacement of the bipod. With a 10-11, 12 pound gun, some form of support would be good.