Museum's inventory: F.N. CDN EX1

We used these rifles for years, in the Para training, Got a ad for S.I.R they were $220.00 in the 1960s, If you notice there is a small pin under the change lever, These was put on, so these rifles... that had full auto capability.... would only fire semiautomatic,and could be sold in civ stores, a lot of people just pushed pin out to make this rifle full auto again, you just had to tap with a small hammer. God I Long for the Old days.
 
Eaglelord17 said:
Thanks all for the response, these are truly neat rifles. Now if I could only (legally) get my hands on one.

Also since we adapted the FN-FAL in 1955 when would we have been trialing the FN-FAL? Would these possibly been used in Korea to test the rifle?
Click to expand...

In the late 80's, the arty reserve unit I was assigned to had a couple of FN's with a 1953 stamp on them, I believe that was the year of manufacture (although I could be wrong). I always thought that these were trial rifles that were accepted into Canadian service.
 
Lee Enfield said:
Canada was the first country to make a quantity order for the FAL, in june/july of 1953 we ordered 1000 Ex1 and 1000 Ex2 rifles.

The quantities were changed to IIRC 1700 Ex1 and 300 Ex2 rifles which were delivered and in Trials by about Feb/March 1954.



The chamber drawing was finalized in Dec 1953, when the UK and USA ordered their X8E1, X8E2 and T48 trials rifles.

The Ex1 type rifle was designated as the FAL-Canada and was the standard production rifle until the G1 order design changes in about 1957.

The first production C1 rifles were delivered in 1956.
Click to expand...

shredder said:
In the late 80's, the arty reserve unit I was assigned to had a couple of FN's with a 1953 stamp on them, I believe that was the year of manufacture (although I could be wrong). I always thought that these were trial rifles that were accepted into Canadian service.
Click to expand...

As I posted immediately above, I had one issued to me that was marked 1953. It looks as if the CF kept the Ex1/Ex2 rifles and issued them to units that wouldn't use them on a daily basis, such as field artillery.
 
The FNC1 was the battle rifle during my 12 years service. I knew Patricias that used the XC1 in trials, not equipped with a flash hider. They reported having to kick open the bolt using the non-folding cocking handle after the rifle was made filthy in mud baths, etc. But, they said they had to so the dame thing with the Lee-Enfield under the same conditions.

Some of the FN C1's I remember still had the sliding rear sight as opposed to the later rotating disk. I liked it better. I was told that we went to the folding cocking handle as it was less likely to get snagged during drill movements. I remember having to use a bayonet to pry it up after it was seized in place with grit or sleet.

I don't recall ever having mused the stripper clip slot on the body cover after basic training. It was an ingenious solution to a non-existent problem and was an opening for debris to enter the action.
 
shredder said:
In the late 80's, the arty reserve unit I was assigned to had a couple of FN's with a 1953 stamp on them, I believe that was the year of manufacture (although I could be wrong). I always thought that these were trial rifles that were accepted into Canadian service.
Click to expand...

This Ex1 rifle is serial numbered O.B.0155 which means that this is approx. the 200th FN-CAMP (predecessor) thru FN-FAL ever manufactured. This gun was shipped from Belgium in about January 1954.

These guns (Ex1/Ex2) were not dated, and were all shipped in 1954. If you were issued an FN which appeared to be dated 1953 it was misread (maybe 1958, as production was well advanced at that point), as the tool room development FNs were being built as one off experimentals.

"the North American FAL" and "more on the fabled FAL" is available from Collector Grade books, and I would encourage anyone with an interest in the development of the FN-FAL family to obtain a copy.
 
Here the picture of the markings on the only one FN C1 we have in the collection. This one is dated from 1968 and was made here in Canada. C.A.L. stands for Canadian Arsenals Limited.



Martin
 
Donald Mackenzie said:
We used these rifles for years, in the Para training, Got a ad for S.I.R they were $220.00 in the 1960s, If you notice there is a small pin under the change lever, These was put on, so these rifles... that had full auto capability.... would only fire semiautomatic,and could be sold in civ stores, a lot of people just pushed pin out to make this rifle full auto again, you just had to tap with a small hammer. God I Long for the Old days.
Click to expand...

The selector pin wasn't some sort of after-the-fact modification to sell the rifles as surplus. After 7.62x51 was adopted over the British .280 intermediate cartridge, the decision was made by the Commonwealth countries to have the FN standard issue as semi-only, but with the capability to easily change to select fire. Details (including the factory drawing of this conversion) can be found in the above mentioned Blake Stevens books on the FAL from Collector Grade Publications. These are the authoritative reference work for anyone that would like to learn more about the FAL.
 
tjhaile said:
The selector pin wasn't some sort of after-the-fact modification to sell the rifles as surplus. After 7.62x51 was adopted over the British .280 intermediate cartridge, the decision was made by the Commonwealth countries to have the FN standard issue as semi-only, but with the capability to easily change to select fire...
Click to expand...

Was this not the justification for making them prohib in Canada? That anyone with grade 6 reading ability and a few minutes could make their FN into a rattlegun? Damn poor justification in my books, but it's something I've heard a number of times from several sources. I'd be curious to know if this was actually something a guy could do, were he bored one night in barracks, or just the usual paranoia.

The FN-FAL is a fave of mine. Such an elegant device. The Jerry Hall of the rifle world. :) Thanks for sharing pics of this special one, mate.
 
Yes, sadly it is possible to modify very quickly and easily the mechanism of a C1 if you have access to a C2 trigger assembly. Just a single part could make the C1 fully auto and not like with that stupid story of putting a match somewhere in the mechanism that din't allow to stop firing by releasing the trigger. Jamming the mechanism that way made the gun full auto but unstoppable, which is far to be a brilliant idea. The FN C2 had the exact same mechanism than the C1 and parts were interchangeable. So, it still true today that someone can change the C1 to full auto mode with less than a grade 6 reading ability! ;-)

Martin
 
Lee Enfield said:
This Ex1 rifle is serial numbered O.B.0155 which means that this is approx. the 200th FN-CAMP (predecessor) thru FN-FAL ever manufactured. This gun was shipped from Belgium in about January 1954.

These guns (Ex1/Ex2) were not dated, and were all shipped in 1954. If you were issued an FN which appeared to be dated 1953 it was misread (maybe 1958, as production was well advanced at that point), as the tool room development FNs were being built as one off experimentals.

"the North American FAL" and "more on the fabled FAL" is available from Collector Grade books, and I would encourage anyone with an interest in the development of the FN-FAL family to obtain a copy.
Click to expand...

dauph197 said:
Here the picture of the markings on the only one FN C1 we have in the collection. This one is dated from 1968 and was made here in Canada. C.A.L. stands for Canadian Arsenals Limited.



Martin
Click to expand...

Lee Enfield, after seeing the picture Martin posted, I think you're right. The 1953 marking was probably a poorly stamped 1958, as IIRC the stamping looked just like this one.
 
dauph197 said:
Yes, sadly it is possible to modify very quickly and easily the mechanism of a C1 if you have access to a C2 trigger assembly. Just a single part could make the C1 fully auto and not like with that stupid story of putting a match somewhere in the mechanism that din't allow to stop firing by releasing the trigger. Jamming the mechanism that way made the gun full auto but unstoppable, which is far to be a brilliant idea. The FN C2 had the exact same mechanism than the C1 and parts were interchangeable. So, it still true today that someone can change the C1 to full auto mode with less than a grade 6 reading ability! ;-)

Martin
Click to expand...
Martin , If you use the match stick in the right place its not unstoppable.. who would tell you such nonsense.
 
gaff said:
Martin , If you use the match stick in the right place its not unstoppable.. who would tell you such nonsense.
Click to expand...
C2 trigger pull pin and C2 selector does the job, save the matches for lighting your Coleman two burner to make the coffee.
 
I often wondered why we didn't adopt the three rd burst escapement developed for the FN FAL. That would have made it more controllable.
 
Sharps '63 said:
I often wondered why we didn't adopt the three rd burst escapement developed for the FN FAL. That would have made it more controllable.
Click to expand...
The C1 was just fine in semi auto, to be honest I have fired all of FA guns back in the day and while they have a time and place most all shooting is semi only. To develop your question further I have long wondered why we soldiered on with the C1 for as long as we did till SARP came along. I love the C1 to death (and miss being able to shoot it) but by the late 1980s it was getting a little dated.
 
gaff said:
Martin , If you use the match stick in the right place its not unstoppable.. who would tell you such nonsense.
Click to expand...

I would say, all the old guys who had time to use the C1, told me this. I used the C1 when I was in the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, so I do not know much about it, always had the C7 as service weapon.

Martin
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom