Back FN FAL-aanvalgeweer Afrikaans إف إن فال Arabic FN FAL Bulgarian এফএন এফএএল এ্যাসাল্ট রাইফেল Bengali/Bangla FN FAL BS FN FAL Catalan FN FAL Czech FN FAL Danish FN FAL German FN FAL Spanish
| FN FAL | |
|---|---|
 A standard FAL (50.00 model) produced by FN | |
| Type | Battle rifle |
| Place of origin | Belgium |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1953–present |
| Used by | 90+ countries (See Users) |
| Wars | See Conflicts |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Dieudonné Saive |
| Designed | 1947–53 |
| Manufacturer | |
| Produced | 1953–1988 (FN Herstal) 1953–present (licensed manufacturers) |
| No. built | 7,000,000[1] |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications (FAL 50) | |
| Mass | 4.25 kg (9.4 lb) |
| Length | 1,090 mm (43 in) |
| Barrel length | 533 mm (21.0 in) |
| Cartridge | 7.62×51mm NATO .280 British[2] |
| Action | Short-stroke gas piston, closed tilting breechblock[2] |
| Rate of fire | 650–700 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 840 m/s (2,755.9 ft/s) |
| Maximum firing range | 800 meters |
| Feed system | 20- or 30-round detachable box magazine. 50-round drum magazines are also available.[3] |
| Sights |
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The FN FAL (French: Fusil Automatique Léger, English: Light Automatic Rifle) is a battle rifle designed in Belgium by Dieudonné Saive and manufactured by FN Herstal and others since 1953.
During the Cold War the FAL was adopted by many countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), with the notable exception of the United States. It is one of the most widely used rifles in history, having been used by more than 90 countries.[4] It received the title "the right arm of the free world" from its adoption by many self-proclaimed free world countries.[5] It is chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO, although originally designed for the intermediate .280 British.
A license-built version of the FAL was produced and adopted by the United Kingdom and throughout the Commonwealth as the L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:4was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Bishop, Chris. Guns in Combat. Chartwell Books, Inc (1998). ISBN 0-7858-0844-2. [page needed]
- ^ "Fabrique Nationale FN FAL Battle Rifle (1953)". MilitaryFactory. Archived from the original on 2 August 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
- ^ Hogg, Ian (2002). Jane's Guns Recognition Guide (1st ed.). Glasgow: HarperCollins. p. 290. ISBN 000712760X.
- ^ "The FN FAL: Right Arm Of The Free World". American Rifleman. Retrieved 7 September 2023.