FN-FAL - Build

[cavetech]

By way of setting up this story I thought I'd give a little background. I like to collect military rifles. I also like to rebuild and build them. The FN-FAL has been called the assault rifle of the world. I didn't have one so this project was born.

Early last year I bought a metric pattern Imbel FN-FAL parts kit that is believed to have come from Chile. It is one of those rifles that looks like it has been carried a lot, but fired little. Parts and bore look very good. The finish is unimportant since I will completely refinish it.

I've waited about 6-7 months to get a DS Arms upper receiver to complete the rifle. Research suggested that DSA made the highest quality receivers. I ordered mine with a cut for the carry handle. Yesterday I finally got my upper receiver after fhp-490 handled the transfer for me.

So, here is what I have.

The major parts.


An idea of what the rifle will look like when assembled.


Notice the rear of the barrel has a piece of the original receiver attached and will have to come off so the new receiver can be installed.




Here is where the upper receiver attaches to the lower receiver and butt stock.


What would an assault rifle be without a bolt, bolt carrier and charging handle?


There is a lot of work ahead of me. I'll continue to post here and update the project. This should be fun. To be legal in the US this rifle will have to contain 7 parts made in the US. For this build those parts will be something like gas piston, gas tube, hammer, sear, trigger, pistol grip, furniture.

In about 6 months the upper receiver should arrive for my Austrailian L1A1 build.

Thanks for looking.

[fhp490]

Cave

Do you have the main spring tool?
If you don't do not try to take it out till you get with me.
After it smacks you betwween the eyes glances of of your forehead goes thorugh your roof and lands in the Bahamas we will be ordering another after you get out of the emergency room.

Bring your butt stock to the shop and i'll build you one on the lathe.

[cavetech]

I don't have the mainspring tool for the buttstock.

The instructional VCR's mention it's strong.

Next Saturday we can make that tool and save my forehead!

[Ad Astra]

An awesome thing to have... long did I want a G3, but wanted one of these even moreso.

Congrats, Steve.

(always heed spring warnings. I KNEW the CZ52 spring could, well, ah, nevermind.)


Mike

[omniviking]

I always liked FAL's and my favorite is the commonwealth version, so if your use so aussie parts it could be good enough for me. Pat

[cavetech]

I find the main spring that is embedded in my forehead helps me sense when objects are near so I don't bump into them.

[Sigosaur]

Someone at werk was jest askin' me 'bout a .308 from DSArms ... said it was basically a FAL. And I've heard folks refer to 'em 'fore. But as of yet, I don't know what they are. I mean, obviously it's a automatic rifle. But I don't know if it's descended from the SKS, M1A, 'er what. Who's used it ... fer what ... when?

Anyone got a link that won't keep me busy fer more 'n a couple minutes, yet answer most of that?

[Jim Bell]

I find the main spring that is embedded in my forehead helps me sense when objects are near so I don't bump into them.

Ohh you laugh now....

[cavetech]

Someone at werk was jest askin' me 'bout a .308 from DSArms ... said it was basically a FAL. And I've heard folks refer to 'em 'fore. But as of yet, I don't know what they are. I mean, obviously it's a automatic rifle. But I don't know if it's descended from the SKS, M1A, 'er what. Who's used it ... fer what ... when?

Anyone got a link that won't keep me busy fer more 'n a couple minutes, yet answer most of that?

DSA makes a FN-FAL clone that they call the SA-58.

My new receiver has SA-58 stamped on the right side.

I think the SA-58 is actually an FN-FAL with a civilian name brand.

The FAL parts kits come from select fire rifles. When you build one using an after market receiver, the receiver limits it to semi-automatic fire. Rather like the M-16 vs. the AR-15.

[cavetech]

Next I chose to remove the old nub of a receiver from the barrel. This isn't my idea, I'm not that clever. I saw it done on a video tape made by the Gunplumber.

I clamped the receiver end of the barrel in a padded vice and got out a Dremel Tool with a cut off wheel. There is an indentation along one side of the old receiver and that is where I used the Dremel Tool to cut a groove front to back on the old receiver. The intention is to cut the groove deep enough to just about touch the barrel threads. Easy does it here. You can tell when you are deep enough. You will see the tips of the barrel threads if you go deep enough. The video said if you nick the barrel threads it doesn't matter. Your face will be close to the work to do this. Wear safety glasses. I had 4 cut off wheels fly apart doing this.

Dremel cutting groove along receiver.


When the groove has been cut get a big ass cold chisel and a big ass ball peen hammer and drive the cold chisel into the end of the receiver nub where you cut the groove and hit that chisel good and hard. Maybe a few times. Suddenly the old receiver splits right down the groove you cut and spreads slightly. Cold chisel tip is on the right. Cleaning rod points to the groove which has a very nice split right along it.


Clamp the barrel flats in the padded vice and grab the receiver nub with a wrench and unscrew it from the barrel. It came off quite easily. I used a big crescent wrench. I imagine you can use a pipe wrench. The nub is a throw away part.


The old demilled receiver nub is off the barrel without a mark on the barrel or threads.


This was the toughest job I am suppossed to encounter in dissassembling the FAL. It was easy.

To be continued.

Thanks for looking.

[Smiley Bob]

Next I chose to remove the old nub of a receiver from the barrel. This isn't my idea, I'm not that clever. I saw it done on a video tape made by the Gunplumber.

I clamped the receiver end of the barrel in a padded vice and got out a Dremel Tool with a cut off wheel. There is an indentation along one side of the old receiver and that is where I used the Dremel Tool to cut a groove front to back on the old receiver. The intention is to cut the groove deep enough to just about touch the barrel threads. Easy does it here. You can tell when you are deep enough. You will see the tips of the barrel threads if you go deep enough. The video said if you nick the barrel threads it doesn't matter. Your face will be close to the work to do this. Wear safety glasses. I had 4 cut off wheels fly apart doing this.

Dremel cutting groove along receiver.


When the groove has been cut get a big ass cold chisel and a big ass ball peen hammer and drive the cold chisel into the end of the receiver nub where you cut the groove and hit that chisel good and hard. Maybe a few times. Suddenly the old receiver splits right down the groove you cut and spreads slightly. Cold chisel tip is on the right. Cleaning rod points to the groove which has a very nice split right along it.


Clamp the barrel flats in the padded vice and grab the receiver nub with a wrench and unscrew it from the barrel. It came off quite easily. I used a big crescent wrench. I imagine you can use a pipe wrench. The nub is a throw away part.


The old demilled receiver nub is off the barrel without a mark on the barrel or threads.


This was the toughest job I am suppossed to encounter in dissassembling the FAL. It was easy.

To be continued.

Thanks for looking.

Mostest cool, will looky forwards ta more!
Smiley

[cavetech]

Today I ordered the parts needed to make the rifle US compliant.

I need 7 US made parts. The receiver counts as one part. I chose to replace the hammer, trigger, sear, gas piston, charging handle and grip. While I was on the phone I figured what the heck and ordered a new butt stock and rubber butt plate as well as new handguards. I think that technically gives me 9 US compliant parts.

This gives me the freedom to use the original muzzle brake (which I think is cool), any make of magazines I come across and even an original bayonet.

The parts will be in early next week. In the meantime I have to get a receiver wrench.

[rocketmonty]

just in case you need the barrel align tool and receiver plates plus the head spacing tool . let me know

[cavetech]

just in case you need the barrel align tool and receiver plates plus the head spacing tool . let me know

I most certainly do!

Whatcha got?

You can e-mail me which I can respond to faster tomorrow.

ramanon at cox.net.

[CWO4USCG]

Nice...keep going and you will look like this:




This is my gun show $475 L1A1...US internals and muzzle protector. Aussie upper and lower, IMBEL Receiver, a very good shooter. Apparently it started life as a CAI Thumbhole Sporter but a previous owner completed the transition back to L1A1.

[NJStricker]

Very cool thread. My brother has an FN49 in 7x57. Very fun to shoot.

[cavetech]

The original barrel screwed into the new DSA upper receiver by hand. I would screw it in a short way and back it out a bit and repeat until it screwed all the way in and stopped against the receiver. After the first time the parkerized coating was chased off the receiver threads and the barrel screwed in and out with ease.

Here is an important part of the project. Barrel timing. When the barrel is finally screwed into the receiver and tightened the front sight has to be vertical. You can imagine the results if the front sight leaned to one side or the other, not to mention the gas tube and piston wouldn't align.

There is a small rounded notch on the barrel. It should line up at the 11:00 o'clock position when screwed in tight by hand. The 11:00 o'clock position is defined by an imaginary triangle at the base of the the gas tube port on the receiver. Then when the barrel is torqued down the front sight should be lined up vertically.

In the photograph the brass punch is pointing to the rounded notch on the barrel. The pic is dark so take a close look for it.

The pencil points to the imaginary triangle at the base of the gas tube port.

As you see, my barrel notch lines up at the 10:00 o'clock position. This means the mating shoulder at the base of the barrel will have to be turned down on a lathe just enough to index the barrel notch at the 11:00 o'clock position against the receiver. Fhp-490 will do the machining this Saturday.

[cavetech]

I took my barrel and receiver to the machine shop of gunsmith Russ Fritz (fhp-490) so he could do the machining needed to time the barrel to the receiver. Russ had his big lathe pretty much set up and waiting for my job.

Perhaps one thousandth of an inch had to be removed from the torque shoulder of the barrel so it would align with the receiver properly when tightened. In other words the front sight had to be perfectly vertical and the extractor notch had to align with the extractor. That's what the lathe was used for.

The barrel in front of the sight was placed in the chuck.


The breech end needs to be secured and steadied during turning. One way to do this was to just run the live center into the chamber. Russ had a more innovative method which also protected the chamber from possible damage from the live center. He previously chucked and center bored a .308 dummy round to insert into the chamber and the dummy round would accept the live center. Take a look at the prepped dummy round.


Here is the breech. You will see the dummy round inserted into the chamber that the live center will go into and help steady the barrel while turning.


When the tool is cutting it is much easier to see what it is doing if you color the metal area being worked on with a stain called Dykem. It's a liquid that just brushes on with a self applicator.




Cutting the torque shoulder. Go easy and only take a little off at a time and check your progress by screwing the receiver on.


A posed shot showing the relationship of the cutting tool to the torque shoulder.


Here is the tail stock and tool assembly in cutting position.


Check your work frequently. Russ (left) with micrometer. He's mic'ing the barrel flats so he can modify a 1-1/16" open end wrench to fit on and tighten the barrel. Me (right) with the receiver to check barrel timing.


This dark picture shows the barrel timing to be at 11:00 o'clock, exactly where it should be after the lathe work but before tightening the barrel.


Build to be continued.

[cavetech]

Today was assemble the FAL day. I headed over to the gunshop of Russ Fritz (fhp-490) because I needed two specialty tools machined so the FAL barrel would be timed correctly with the receiver. In other words screw in the barrel and have the front and rear sights line up correctly when done.

I needed two timing tools made.

One was a 1/4" diameter rod threaded on one end to screw into the front sight assembly. So Russ chucked an aluminum rod in the lathe, turned one end down to the right diameter and threaded it 12x28.

The second tool was more involved. It was an aluminum block that would secure in the upper receiver with a 1/4" rod sticking up precisely dead center. So Russ mic'd the inside width of the upper receiver and then milled an aluminum block to the precise size. Then it was drilled through so a 1/4"x20 bolt could be inserted and tightened to secure the block in the receiver. Tho final process was to insert an aluminum rod into the block in the receiver so it was sticking straight up.

Picture the barrel being screwed into the receiver. For the final tightening of the barrel one rod stuck up from the front sight and one rod stuck up from the top of the receiver. When you could look down the length of the receiver and barrel and both vertical rods were as perfectly aligned (like sights) as the eye can tell, then stop tightening the barrel. It is timed to the receiver and hopefully when the rifle is assembled both sights will be lined up and the front sight isn't canted over to one side.

Here is the rod for the front sight being threaded.


This is how the inside of the upper receiver is measured with a micrometer to determine how wide to machine the aluminum block.




Coat one side of the block with Dykem and scribe a line at precisely the right width.


Carefully set up the block in a milling machine and mill it to the proper width to fit in the receiver.








When the block is the correct height and width use the milling machine to bore a hole into the block exactly in the center. This hole will hold the rod.


Then drill a hole all the way through on a drill press for the retaining bolt to go through. I can't find this pic, but I bet you get the idea.

Here is the rod installed in the front sight.


Here is the aluminum block secured in the top of the upper receiver with the rod in it from the top.


Receiver block from the bottom.


Then clamp the receiver wrench around the front of the receiver and put it in a big vice, tightly. Screw the barrel in and put a wrench with a cheater bar on it for leverage. You're going to need leverage to do the final tightening on the barrel. When the front sight rod and the receiver rod line up you are done. This shows the position of the rods after tightening the barrel into the receiver.




When I got home it was time to assemble my FAL. Here are the main parts groups.


Front portion of the rifle with gas tube installed and then the handguards.


Lower receiver and buttstock assembly.


Finally the rifle is assembled. It's not head spaced yet and of course it isn't refinished.




It is now US compliant with a minimum of 7 parts made in the US.
Upper Receiver
Trigger
Sear
Hammer
Gas Piston
Pistol Grip
Cocking Handle

I could replace the plastic furniture and have 9 US parts.

Special thanks to:
Russ Fritz (fhp-490) for his skills as a machinist and gunsmith. He is THE man to contact for any gunsmithing in my opinion. We've worked together on a number of special projects.

"Court" from the FAL Files. The barrel timing tools were his idea.

To be continued.

[fhp490]

Cave did everything work out right.
It looks great.

[omniviking]

Today I ordered the parts needed to make the rifle US compliant.

I need 7 US made parts. The receiver counts as one part. I chose to replace the hammer, trigger, sear, gas piston, charging handle and grip. While I was on the phone I figured what the heck and ordered a new butt stock and rubber butt plate as well as new handguards. I think that technically gives me 9 US compliant parts.

This gives me the freedom to use the original muzzle brake (which I think is cool), any make of magazines I come across and even an original bayonet.

The parts will be in early next week. In the meantime I have to get a receiver wrench.

Not to be a smart alec but do screws count

great job, i probally said this before but the FAL is about my favorite / wanted assault rifle. Pat

[cavetech]

Not to be a smart alec but do screws count

great job, i probally said this before but the FAL is about my favorite / wanted assault rifle. Pat

Only if you are under 35 and it's Saturday night.

Actually, screws don't count. Only very specific parts count toward US compliant parts. Other than the 9 parts I have all ready listed as US compliant, the muzzle device is another. The bolt and bolt carrier might count, I'm not positive about them. Baybe the barrel, too.

Even the magazines, or specifically the magazine floor plates can count. You can keep more of the rifle original and swam the foreign magazine floor plates for US made floor plates, but then you can only use those mags in the rifle.

You can change the selector lever from the military part it comes with to a US part. The military part will rotate into the full auto position, but nothing will happen. The rifle won't fire full auto. A US selector will only rotate to Safe and Fire. I think it looks cool being able to set the selector lever to full auto.

[cavetech]

Hi Russ:

The rifle went together effortlessly last night. I didn't even use the video for help. Everything cycles and functions just like it should. It's an easy rifle to take apart. Magazines insert, lock in place and eject easily. Even the bolt lockback works fine.

The first thing I checked was headspace. Since you turned the torque shoulder down so the barrel timing would be correct I've figured headspace would be off because the breech was now to the rear a bit more than it originally was.

Sure enough the bolt will not fully close on a round. So my last gunsmithing project on it is to set the headspace. Since I don't have different sized locking shoulders and don't want to wait until I order the correct size in, I think I will file and stone the existing locking shoulder until my .308 gages tell me I have the correct headspace. The Gunplumber video course says the locking shoulder is heat treated all the way through and this can be done safely. The worst case scenario is I have to order another locking shoulder if I ruin this one.

Then it will be time to go to the range and test fire it.

Finally it needs to be refinished.

I like the rifle. There's something cool about it.

[Ad Astra]

"The Free World's Right Arm."

And .308 Win./7.62x51 NATO is becoming more available than it was last year... I picked up some Russian-made "Monarch" (really Barnaul) steel case last night for $7.67 at Academy. That's less per round than we were paying for dirty-ass Indian ammo last year.

Mike

[cavetech]

What/where is Academy, AA?

Do you think ammo will become more available and at better prices?

[cavetech]

To headspace, the bolt has to be removed from the bolt carrier and the extractor has to be removed from the bolt. I also removed the firing pin because my Go Gage was a live .308 round and I didn't want to take the chance of having an accident. I am accident prone and manage to slip with tools, gouge my fingers and hands and drop small parts which are never seen again.

I determined that the bolt would slide forward and close on an empty chamber.


When I inserted a cartridge into the chamber I discovered that the bolt would not close all the way. I needed more headspace. This photo is exaggerated for illustration.


So I drove out the locking shoulder. That's FAL speak for a pin that goes through the receiver and has a square corner (shoulder) on it that the rear of the bolt locks against when the bolt is in battery. The vernier calipers read that the locking shoulder was 61 thousands thick. The shoulder had to be made thinner or a thinner diameter pin installed. I didn't have the luxury of different pin sizes on hand so I opted to file the shoulder down by hand very carefully. I put it in a vice and used a hand file to carefully take off some thickness maintaining a flat surface and a uniform thickness.


My first attempt reduced the locking shoulder diameter to 55 thousands. I drove it back into the receiver and again tried to close the bolt on a round. It was closer, but not good enough.


So I drove the shoulder out again and took it back to the vice for a little more file work. I do mean a little. We're talking about a few thousandths of an inch. Back to the rifle and the calipers showed the locking shoulder thickness was now 50 thousandths. I have removed 11 thousandths of an inch total.


I slid the bolt forward on a round in the chamber and it closed all the way and was locked into battery!

The pencil is pointing to the locking shoulder.


The rear of the bolt must drop down and lock against the bolt shoulder. When it is right it looks like this. The pencil is pointing to the location.


Now it was time to insert my .308 No Go Gage and try closing the bolt on it. I couldn't find my gage. It wasn't with the other gages I keep on hand. Nuts. But, I think I am OK. I'll find or replace the gage by next weekend before I go to the range.

To be continued...........................

[Ad Astra]

Digging the FAL project.

Academy sporting goods... cheaper than Sports Authority.

http://www.academy.com/

http://www.academysports.com/index.p...324-03600-0223

http://www.academysports.com/index.p...324-03600-7639

Monarch is just a house brand name. The ammo's Barnaul, steel-case Russian. Dirty- so what. Sometimes said to be harder on extractors, but that has to depend on the gun. Won't bother my Browning MG. I have shot a lot of steel-cased Wolf in AK and SKS platforms; fine for my purposes.

I'm just glad to see cheap 7.62x51 fodder again. CF (.223) rifle ammo under $5/box = good.


Mike

[cavetech]

I still can't find my .308 No-Go Gage.

So I used an old expedient method to see how close I am with my headspace.

I checked to see how the bolt closed with a live round and a live round with one layer of plain masking tape on the head of the case. I also used cartriges of different manufacture.

Fo more variety I used the bolt by itself. The bolt in the bolt carrier and ever the bolt in the carrier and the firing pin in.

The extractor was out for all tests.

All combinations closed on the variety of bare cartriges.

None would close fully on the cartridge with the masking tape.

I think I'll be OK.

Any thoughts?

[Ad Astra]

I've risked my face and good looks on riskier headspace propositions than that.

Fire it off!

'Course you could do the redneck thing and lash it to a tire for the test shot.


Mike

[cavetech]

I an confident it is OK.

I just might lash it to my bench rest and pull the trigger with a long string for the first 1-2 rounds until I can inspect the fired brass for any signs of trouble.

[fhp490]

Cave

Are you comming to the Lake City gun show Sat?

I think Ga John has one

[cavetech]

Well, Russ, it looks like I'm not going to make the show Saturday unless it's late afternoon.

Errands in the morning and then to the range with the FAL. Can't shoot until noon because of a blackpowder match that will be on the rifle range. I really want to try out the FAL.

Now Sunday is a good possibility to get up there.

[cavetech]

Today was the day to test fire my FAL build so I loaded up and headed to the range.

I set up on a bench rest and put a target out at 25 yards. The rifle and sights had been completely disassembled so I had no idea where it would shoot.

With the rifle clamped in the rest I chambered one round and reached up from under the concrete table top and squeezed the trigger. It went just fine. Uh, of course. I fired a few more rounds that way and examined the ejected brass. They all looked very good.

So it was time to shoot that rifle and see what it would or wouldn't do. I loaded one round at a time at first. Then two rounds and finally five rounds. If the rifle was going to go full auto on me I wanted that to be as controlled as possible. But it didn't. It shot semi-auto every time. Slow fire and rapid fire.

Ready to shoot.






This is the ammo I fired. Austrailian military surplus .308.




Here is a sample of the fired brass. No buldges, cracks or primer issues.




Here are my first shots at 25 yards. The first group is at 6:30 in the white. What a surprise! The target is an SR-1 which is for 200 yard shooting at 100 yards (it's reduced in size) and is a good target to practice on if you want to shoot in military rife shoots like the Garand and 1903 matches. The black bull is 6" diameter.


I made a few sight adjustments and was shooting in the black at 5:30.


Moved the same target (above) holder out to 50 yards and fired the remaining group labeled 50 yards with the line pointing to hits.

At 100 yards the lack of group was entirely me fault. I can't see to shoot iron sights well at that distance.


These are just a few pictures that I like.






This is the majority of the hand tools I used on this build.




My extractor removing tool. A big vice grip clamped on an M-16 fiing pin. It worked great for retracting the extractor plunger and spring.


I stripped the rifle down after shooting it to see if anything bad happened inside. It was A-OK.

This brings my FAL build to a conclusion. Thanks for following along and especially thank you for your input.

[omniviking]

looks good and thanks for sharing this article. Alittle more tuning and might be up to driving nails. Pat

[cavetech]

Today was my day to DuraCoat the FAL. I gave up on sandblasting. I couldn't get the right blasting media so I sanded everything with 800 grit wet/dry sandpaper used dry. Just enough to break the surface.

I degreased with mineral spirits and denatured alchol before sanding and with acetone after sanding.

Then I stung a wire across my workbench and hung as many parts from it as possible.

Then I mixed the semi-gloss FN Black DuraCoat and began work. I applied it in a few layers.

Here are some parts and my air brush.


Here are hanging parts. I made parts hooks from wire coat hanger.







Things I would do differently next time with this finnish process is definately sandblast. I had my air brush supply pressure set at 35 PSI and it was too high. I'd try perhaps 25 PSI next time.

Next time you see this FAL it should be done.

[Ad Astra]

Very cool durastuff and thanks for the look...


Mike

[DOC]

dude, this is the coolest build thread i think i have ever seen here on ramanon.
i had NO CLUE the effort that went into re-animating a de-milled FAL.

[CWO4USCG]

some of you know that I am following in Cave's footsteps...except with a twist - I already have (had) a working L1A1 that used to be a Century Arms Thumbhole stocked Sporter and someone else tried to convert it back to its original configuration. I bought an FN-FAL kit from James the GunPartsGuy that without a receiver is ready to build; all I need to do it remove the barrel from the Century Arms Imbel Receiver, spray and bake the Teflon/Moly finish on the receiver, install, time, and headspace the bolt and go shoot it...

Steve's build is great; it inspired me to go ahead with the project..as he has done; I intend to provide photos.

Steve generously loaned me his receiver wrench; not wanting to screw up the barrel I am taking off I ordered a barrel vise to hold it without damage...I've posted photos elsewhere so I won't kill you with jpgs...

[cavetech]

Looking forward to seeing your build and how that beautiful parts kit from Gunpartsguy worked out.

Because if your Century receiver builds well, I might pick one up for my L1A1 build. My DSA receiver won't be ready until the end of this year.

Loaned the wrench?

Wasn't the invoice in the box?

[CWO4USCG]

box? you sent me a box?

Of course now we will have a barrel vise available for loan...

[cavetech]

That's extortion.

I'm calling the law.

Oh.

Oh, well.

[CWO4USCG]

That's extortion.

I'm calling the law.

Oh.

Oh, well.

Hello. You called? How may I help you? Extortion you say? Was there a counter charge of mail fraud for an empty box?

I am the law .

[cavetech]

I DuraCoated my FAL build last Sunday and have it fully reassembled.

I am blown away how nice it looks. I'm very proud of this build even if that sounds silly. I'll try to post some pictures tonight.

[cavetech]

The FN-FAL is finished.

I'm really proud of this build.

Rather than bore you with more typing I'll just show you the results. The stock and handguards are new Penguin from the GunPartsGuy.

I wish I could take better pictures.















Thanks for looking.

[CWO4USCG]

Damn fine looking gun...

My barrel vise shipped today...

[tstetz]

That looks great! Really nice job

I like that SAW grip too. I'm on the fence about keeping my FAL but if I do I think I may go to one of those grips.