FN FAL Question

kafka73623

kafka73623

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Is FN FAL, or clones of the design. legal to own in Canada? If so, then where would I find it, or who retails them? Are they rest, or non-rest?

If anyone has experience with them, how do they perform? Are they reliable?
Heavy or not?

Just some general questions.

Cheers
 
They are prohibited, only grandfathered owners can still buy them.

They perform very well and are reliable though they were not meant to be target rifles. 10 lbs loaded, pretty much standard weight for that calibre of rifle at the time it was in made.
 
So... if I want something in .308, I would be better off getting M1A or M305, right? There seems to be no other alternative out there. That is why I am asking about FN.
 
The only reason why Ive gone wit the M1A M14 Norinco series is that the FN L1A1 (AKs and HK9X serieis) were no longer allowed to go to the range on a SAP.

Shame, but just forced one to buy more guns :)
 
kafka73623 said:
So... if I want something in .308, I would be better off getting M1A or M305, right? There seems to be no other alternative out there. That is why I am asking about FN.
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Are you planning to hunt with it? How much $ do you want to spend?

I'm guessing here, but it sounds like you're looking for something to shoot at the range, and you don't want to spend a lot of money...

So, as you suggest, an M305/M14S would be a good place to start, and you can upgrade bit by bit... If you want to go higher-end, take a look at the Armalite AR-10, or any of the similar guns out there. The AR-10 type guns are all restricted, but very accurate right out of the box. They are also much more expensive than the M305.

There are other semi-auto choices as well, but what about a good bolt-action rifle? Plenty of options there as well...
 
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The M14/M305 is non-restricted which means that you can use it for hunting as well as target shooting at the range.

As a battle rifle it is felt by some (Fred or Fred's Stock, and Boston T Party (Boston's Gun Bible) to be the best...even edging out the FN FAL and HK.

The 305 is good value and with a little bit of investment you can turn one into a great shooter.

Ask Hungry or SkullBoy.
 
OK, I've heard people say that M305 IS inferior to M1A. So the quality is an issue, here? By how much? I mean, I'm new to the shooting scene, and I'm kinda confused, from difference in guns, especially rifles. I have someone close, who is gonna take me hunting sometime this year. So that's one of the reasons why I'm focusing on non-restricted. Besides, I've always thought that when I have a rifle, I want it to be something that I can take outdoor, you know, into the great wide open space of our great country. I'm afraid of creatures in the wood, as well.
So... M305 is not as well made as M1A, in what way? Are those shortcomings deteriorating in anyway, performance wise? I mean, I can live with sub-par quality stock. And with my shooting ability, accuracy is not even gonna be an issue any day soon. So when you say that, if I invest some extras into M305 to make it on par with M1A, just what kind of extras would I be looking at? Help me out here. I'm lost.

Cheers
 
kafka73623 said:
OK, I've heard people say that M305 IS inferior to M1A. So the quality is an issue, here? By how much? I mean, I'm new to the shooting scene, and I'm kinda confused, from difference in guns, especially rifles. I have someone close, who is gonna take me hunting sometime this year. So that's one of the reasons why I'm focusing on non-restricted. Besides, I've always thought that when I have a rifle, I want it to be something that I can take outdoor, you know, into the great wide open space of our great country. I'm afraid of creatures in the wood, as well.
So... M305 is not as well made as M1A, in what way? Are those shortcomings deteriorating in anyway, performance wise? I mean, I can live with sub-par quality stock. And with my shooting ability, accuracy is not even gonna be an issue any day soon. So when you say that, if I invest some extras into M305 to make it on par with M1A, just what kind of extras would I be looking at? Help me out here. I'm lost.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Most knowledgable people here are of the opinion that the Norinco is equally as good as the Springfield M1A. The Norinco uses forged parts that are closer to the original USGI M14 specs (and stronger) than the cast Springfield parts (Receiver, oprod, etc.) The M1A has a better finish and better stock. The older M1A's have a lot of USGI parts but the newer ones have very few if any. For the money difference, the M305 is a way better deal. Even if you replace some of the, arguably, lesser parts with USGI parts, you'll be way ahead.

Parts that you may want to consider changing out are: Stock, rear sight and bolt. The Norinco bolt is fine, but usually causes headspace on the large side (although still within NATO chamber limits). A USGI bolt usually drops right in and tightens up headspace to within SAAMI 308 specs. All other parts are just fine and don't really warrant changing.

IMHO, there is just no way I'm going to shell out $2000.00 for an M1A vs $399.00 for an M305 :rolleyes:

As our resident M14 guru, Hungry, says: "Don't just buy one M305, buy two" (and you're still money ahead!) :D
 
The FN FAL vs M-14 debate is one as old as both rifles, and in many ways, similar to the Ford vs GM truck argument. (Personally, I'm an FN fellow, and always will be... Those out there that swear by the M-14 design will never understand me, and I will never "get" their preference. I think we can all agree to disagree, however!).

There are also those of us that have bought Norinco products in the past, but won't ever send them a gosh-darned nickel again in the future. I feel the major issue with Norinco products is the utter lack of consistency in their product - Most seem to be perfectly functional, if poorly finished, and good value for the money. Sadly, I would put my personal estimate at 10-15% of their stuff being utter crap, that won't ever work, no matter how many "real" parts get applied after purchase.

This has been my own experience, with a 1911A1 pistol, and my good friend's experience, with his M-305. That said, many people do swear by Norinco.

Why not consider a Milsurp .308 bolt gun? Cheap as dirt, at least as accurate, and with some "history" attached, too?

Just my thoughts... Good luck with your quest!

Cheers,

Neal
 
Money IS an issue for me, so I have to be honest in terms of value. I am planning to purchase one other rifle, bolt action as many of you have suggested, so my other, say battle rifle, must be something that falls within my left over budget. So I probably look into M305. Or not... Man! this is confusing...

I'm ultimately saving up for PE90... Don't know when that's gonna be though... with baby coming and all...

Cheers
 
SKS is like...M14? I'm sorry, but I've only seen SKS in photos here in CGN, so I don't know a lot about them. They are like AK47s or something, right? Only, they have stock like M14... So their reliability is like AK too? I'm not mechanically inclined so i'd prefer my rifle to be reliable.

So my choice so far...

M305
M1 Garand
SKS
Milsurp Bolt action in .308
 
I'm really surprised that some company hasn't made a licensed reproduction of the FN for sporting purposes. Kinda in the same vein as the AR 180b.

I've always really liked the FAL.
 
My vote would NOT be for an SKS if you want to learn marksmanship... Very difficult to tell if you're improving, when your rifle shoots patterns looser than the average shotgun! (Just my experience with the SKS - I do realize that SOME people out there claim to have an SKS that will reliably emasculate a flying gnat at 300m... I just have yet to see one of "those" rifles!).

If you really are on a budget for purchase... get a .22, and shoot thousands and thousands of rounds?

Or a Lee Enfield? (Good Canadian military history in your hands).

My thoughts only - YMMV!

Neal
 
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