FN FAL
«Fusil Automatique Léger»
Assault rifleBelgium1953Historic
7.62×51 mm NATO battle rifle, nicknamed the "right arm of the Free World" for its widespread adoption among NATO forces during the Cold War.
Assault rifle//Belgium
ID — FN-FAL
Designation
FN FAL
FN Herstal
Caliber
7.62×51 mm NATO
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Data trust
- Reliability
- Partially verified
- Sources
- FAL service history in MalaysiaFN Herstal · Accessed · Published
- Last reviewed
Identity
- Designation
- FN FAL
- Alias
- Fusil Automatique Léger
- Manufacturer
- FN Herstal
- Country
- Belgium
- Year
- 1953
- Category
- Assault rifle
- Status
- Historic
Ballistics
- Caliber
- 7.62×51 mm NATO
- Muzzle velocity
- 840 m/s
- Rate of fire
- ~700 rpm
- Effective range
- 600 m
- Maximum range
- 3000 m
Dimensions
- Barrel length
- 533 mm
- Overall length
- 1100 mm
- Empty weight
- 4.3 kg
Mechanics
- Operating system
- Presa di gas, pistone corto regolabile
- Bolt / action
- Tilting bolt
Feed
- System
- Caricatore amovibile
- Standard capacity
- 20 rounds
Fire modes
SafeSemi-autoAuto
Production & service
Estimated unit cost
$1,100
Units produced
7,000,000
Main operators
BelgiumArgentinaBrazilAustraliaSouth Africa
Main variants
- ●FAL 50.00 — Standard infantry version with 533 mm barrel.
- ●FAL 50.63 Para — Paratrooper version with folding stock.
- ●L1A1 SLR — British semi-auto-only version.
Historical profile
Designed by Dieudonné Saive in the 1940s, initially in 7.92×33 mm Kurz and later converted to the new 7.62×51 mm NATO standard under U.S. pressure.
Adopted by over 90 nations including the United Kingdom (L1A1), Belgium, Canada, Israel, Argentina, Australia and much of post-colonial Africa.
The tilting-bolt short-stroke gas system with adjustable regulator ensured strong reliability across every theatre, from the Vietnamese jungle to the Falklands desert.
Variants
FAL 50.00FAL 50.61 ParaL1A1 SLRFAL Heavy Barrel
Main users
Belgium · United Kingdom · Canada · Israel · Argentina · Australia
Key components
- ●Stock — Buttstock of the standard FN FAL battle rifle; Para folding-stock details belong to a separate variant.
- ●Receiver — Receiver of the FN Herstal 7.62×51 mm NATO battle rifle; the standard FAL is not the semi-auto-only British L1A1.
- ●Grip — Separate pistol grip of the FN FAL battle-rifle configuration.
- ●Magazine — Detachable box magazine feeding 7.62×51 mm NATO ammunition.
- ●Barrel — Barrel chambered for 7.62×51 mm NATO on the FN FAL battle rifle.
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