How many FN CAL rifles made it into Canada?

A

avroe

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After doing some searching around on the last 36 months of posts on CGN, I was surprised at how little the FN CAL rifle is talked about.

Seems very few of these ever made it to Canada. Might anyone know how many are registered in the system? Or how many might have been imported in the past?

Also, am I right in my assumption that the FN CAL is non-restricted, due to it not being an FN FAL variant, but rather an original design?

Would love if one of you might share photos of yours with the board.

I can only image what one of these is worth.

Thanks in advance for everyones feedback.


FN CAL
The CAL (Carabine Automatique Légère) was a Belgian weapon manufactured by Fabrique Nationale. It was the first 5.56 mm rifle produced by the Fabrique Nationale. It resembled the company's highly successful FN FAL, but was an original design. Unlike the FAL, it was a market failure, although its development led to the successful FN FNC.


Design details
Prior to the development of the CAL, FN had already constructed a scaled-down FAL prototype before shelving the idea as unmarketable. Noting the growing sales success of the cheaper and simpler HK G3 rifle, FN decided that for any future rifle to be competitive in the marketplace, it would need to use fewer expensive precision-machined parts. These would be replaced by less expensive castings and stampings where possible. While the construction of the new CAL reflected these design principles, it was still relatively expensive and complex, and met with no significant sales. It was eventually dropped for the even less expensive FN FNC.[1] A small number of FN CALs were sold to the civilian market in the US.


Operation
Although the weapon resembled a scaled-down FN FAL, it in fact used a rotating bolt, unlike the FAL, which used a tilting bolt design. The earlier models of the CAL had a three-round selector system, which allowed the weapon to fire a three-round burst with each trigger pull. The CAL could also fire in fully and semi-automatic modes.
The gas system used a tappet piston rod to operate the bolt carrier, and the bolt itself had interrupted lugs to lock it into the chamber.[2]


Users
- Gabon
- Lebanon

wikipedia.org/wiki/FN_CAL
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NICE! I had no idea they even existed. Tagging this thread for sure.

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tactical pete said:
it is a prohib just like the FN FAl rifles sorry about your luck. as for how many. i would hazard to say not many.
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Are you sure about this?

Under what basis is it prohib? which 12.X?

I'm only finding FN FAL and FN FAL variants. Shouldn't the FN CAL NOT fall under a variant of the FAL? Even wikipedia is showing the FN CAL as an original design that is not associated with the FN FAL which is prohib by name.

Might anyone who owns (or has owned) a CAL confirm it's classification? (or maybe one of those with FRT access might be able to quickly pull up the FRT sheet for us all?)

- FN-FNC rifle, and variants, including the FNC Auto Rifle, FNC Auto
Paratrooper, FNC-11, FNC-22 and FNC-33;
- FN-FAL (FN-LAR) rifle, and variants, including the FN 308 Model 44,
FN-FAL (FN-LAR) Competition Auto, FN-FAL (FN-LAR) Heavy Barrel 308
Match, FN-FAL (FN-LAR) Paratrooper 308 Match 50-64 and FN 308 Model
50-63;
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Go4snypr said:
hmmm.. first post says it fires in burst, full auto, and semi auto. the full auto and burst fire make it prohib.
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I was under the impression some were manufactured select-fire, and others separately as semi-auto only.

If only selective-fire rifles were manufactured, than I guess this would explain them only being avail as prohib.
 
I've seen 3 in 2 variations. 1 was brand new and infired in the box when I saw it at the soldier shop in calgary for deactivation...

They didn't take stanag mags which is one reason you haven't seen them.

Most of them came in from the US as far as I know.

In my junk I have a (Gun South??) brochure from the early 70s offering several variations of FAL and on the other side of the foldout the CAL is offered.
 
in the movie "heat" the main detective played by al pacino uses an fnc
During the downtown bank heist scene...
 
Fn-cal

The FN-CAL was the precurser to the FNC and is not as far as I can see on the Prohibitited list. It is not named as are the FN LAR or the FN FNC. They did make a Semi auto only sporter version. rigrat
 
rigrat said:
The FN-CAL was the precurser to the FNC and is not as far as I can see on the Prohibitited list. It is not named as are the FN LAR or the FN FNC. They did make a Semi auto only sporter version. rigrat
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..this is the impression I was also under.

So it would seem that the semi-auto only version would be classified as non-restricted and not prohib.

....someone on the board must have owned a semi-auto only version at some point? Might any of you confirm classification?
 
Fn CAL

Here are some pictures of my FN CAL.

It's about 45 years old, i bought it from a FN collector in Belgium.
It is almost new, semi-auto from the factory.
Stamped with AF (Armee Française), and a serial below 200.

I put a grip from a SAW on it, for better grip.

DSC02354Large.jpg

DSC02353Large.jpg

FNCAL2.jpg

Schaarsbergen00111.jpg
 
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