is the FN/FAL still around?

[Ignition Override]

radom:
You said that your M1A “...is worth being a tomato stake”.

Is the rifle not reliable, or it's not as accurate as you had hoped?

[radom]

It just does not do as well as the L1A1 staying on target in recoil. I did over say the deal but the FAL is a better gun. What's not to love put cross hairs on target and watch bullets hit as fast as you can pull the trigger. Try that with a M-14 clone.

[Ignition Override]

radom:
The gun “Bug” only infected me at age 52 (2007) and I’ve not yet needed, nor owned a scope or red/green dot etc.

[Ignition Override]

My third FAL arrived almost two weeks ago.

It was built by FAL expert (smith)ARS/ Mark Graham:
Austrian StG kit built on an Imbel upper, with 18" barrel.

On most of Mark's builds he put a really tiny stamp underneath the receiver, a tad in front of it.

Quite frankly, I don't have the slightest interest in an AR or other modern rifle, other than the 'modern' S.A. M1A and my 2019 Czechpoint VZ-58.

[davidsog]

modern rifle

The FAL is absolutely a "modern rifle" and it starts out on exactly the same as any AR in terms of modularity.
It's capability can be upgraded as with any AR to reach the same point.

The issue with both rifles is weight. My biggest gripe in the service and lesson learned from the first of my GWOT tours was it does not make any sense to take a nice lightweight rifle and strap 50lbs of crap to it. You end up with a heavy rifle. With the AR, you end up with a heavy supped up .22 with all the capability of a .22. At least with the FAL you have a heavy rifle that is still a full sized rifle cartridge.

Making good choices is essential in having a capable rifle. You could do a lot worse than a FAL and I certainly would not call it anything but "modern". In fact, our experience in combat with the FAL's "modern" upgrade SCAR left me thinking the SCAR was a step backwards and certainly not up to par when compared to the FAL.

I went with a fixed 3x Prism scope on a QD mount. It does not degrade my close quarters capability, adds some night capability, and allows me to take advantage of the full sized rifle cartridge at distance. It weighs 9.2 lbs empty which is right on par with a the M14 rifle as it came standard issue when it was our Infantry rifle.

[Ignition Override]

davidsog:

I enjoyed your explanation. Any 'real world' topic about infantry rifles is Way over my head, and my favorite guns are my NATO-era rifles and clones.

Careless use of the word modern wasn't meant to suggest that the FAL is not modern, but my hazy impression of present day military rifles generally consists of ARs, M4s, SCARs etc.

Also, I'm 68 and have never even owned a scope, light or rail. My only accessory (on at least twenty rifles) has been the Slovakian muzzle brake on my Czechpoint VZ-58.

Is the gun in your photo a DSA or possibly a kit build?