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| The Ultimate Battle Rifle |
| 2008-09-29 |
| Belgium may be best known for fine shotguns, rich chocolate and tasty waffles, but for you and me, this quaint little country is the home of the world's finest major-caliber battle rifle, the FN-FAL. Renowned throughout the world for its rugged reliability, the FAL was manufactured in 10 countries in its heyday and issued to over 70 armies, not to mention various irregulars and mercenaries. In fact it was the FAL's calling card as the weapon of mercs that gained it the most notoriety. Col. "Mad" Mike Hoare, an Irish-born World War II veteran who immigrated to South Africa and went on to become one of the Dark Continent's most celebrated mercenaries, unwittingly did more to promote the legend of the FAL as the merc's gun-of-choice when he led a daring hostage rescue mission into the Belgian Congo in 1964 and freed a group of Americans and Belgians. In the days following the raid, Mad Mike's men held off the rebels long enough to evacuate over 1,800 European and American civilians. If the FAL, the "Fusil Automatique Legere," was not famous before, it would be now. The FAL is a .308 Win. (7.62 x 51mm) gas-operated, short-stroke piston system available in semiautomatic and automatic versions. The FAL's standard payload is a 20-round detachable box magazine; 30-round magazines were also made for a squad automatic version of the FAL, but they're not desirable due to their length and "spring issues" with the elongated box. Balance at the link. As an aside. Original testing for the replacement of the M14 was conducted by the Special Forces weapons committee at Fort Bragg in the late 1950's, early 60's. The FN and the 7.62mm round won the competition. Colt AR-15/M-16 was howevere selected ultimated selected by DoD and the US Army. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #8 "the swiss rifles are generally considered the best around" Last winter I picked up a Sig SHR970 in 280 Rem. Concur with your assessment of Swiss rifles, it's now my favorite. |
| Posted by: no mo uro 2008-09-29 20:03 |
| #7 No THAT discussion began just after the battle of the Bigger Cave, circa 250,000 BC... |
| Posted by: mojo 2008-09-29 15:17 |
| #6 "Shortly after the Second Boer War (1899–1902)(*), a discussion was begun in an unnamed officer's club about the best infantry weapon. Within the week, the discussion had grown to include the nearby NCO club. The discussion has spread to encompass virtually every military forum since, unabated and unresolved. (*) Some believe the discussion began shortly after the battle of Actium, (September 2nd, 31 BC)." -- Anonymous |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-09-29 14:34 |
| #5 My big gripe with the M-16 was that it often took more than one hit to knock down a bad guy. Now, in Iraq, it seems to take a bunch of hits to knock down a guy in a flak vest (and the bad guys have them). The M-14 and other NATO .308 weapons hit hard enough that even if it doesn't kill the guy, it knocks them down. And knocking them down is the key, once a guy is down he can't shoot while he is trying to get up. In places like Iraq and Western Asia, the FAL or M-14 make more sense than the M-16. This stuff about the weight of ammo is bunch because you are more often in a mech unit and have a Bradley or LAV full of ammo to back you up. In a jungle TO, with reduced ability to resupply and you have to carry everything you shoot, a lighter weapon makes sense. Also the .308 is an accuracy weapon that places more emphasis on marksmanship while the AK-47 short and the M-16 are more "spray and pray" weapons. I originally qualified on the M-1 and we were expected to hit targets at 300m with iron sights, when I was training kids on the M-16, we never popped up a silouette at distances beyond 100m. I have always been a fan of weapons that have some punch, especially after shooting my way out of a sapper attack with a M1911 colt. If you read enough anecdotal info on the .50 sniper rifle in Iraq, you realize that being able to reach out and touch someone at distance can reduce casualties. If you can whack a guy at 250m when he can't hit you back, it gives you a tactical and psychological advantage. |
| Posted by: James Carville 2008-09-29 13:40 |
| #4 Btw, this should read "Fusil automatique léger", since rifle (fusil) is a male word (as opposed to carbine, which is a female one, go figure). Wouldn't the german G3 qualify as the Ultimate Battle Rifle? It was used almost as widely as the Fal, still is I think, by turkey notably, and was certainly as good, if german standards are up to what they should be. Or what about the swiss Fass 57? IIUC, the swiss rifles are generally considered the best around, though no one buys them (except Swat teams and so for their current assault carbines, in limited numbers), because they're so expensive and so hard to manufacture... |
| Posted by: anonymous5089 2008-09-29 12:48 |
| #3 Not as accurate as the M14 either, due to bolt lockup design, which is sensitive to number of rounds remaining in the magazine. Reliable though. |
| Posted by: Whiskey Mike 2008-09-29 12:38 |
| #2 Its a smooth shooting gun, never jams, with a handy fold down carry handle, but its heavy, real heavy compared to an AR-15. I'd say it would get real heavy with 6 or 8, 30-round mags added to it. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-09-29 10:47 |
| #1 Sorry about the shoddy grammar. Should read "AR-15/M-16 was ultimately selected." Of everything I have lost over the years, I do miss my mind the most. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-09-29 10:00 |