DSA FAL Go or NoGo?

[AndyLate]

Is it worth buying a new DSA FAL? Purpose would be to own and shoot, always wanted a FAL, could not afford to get into them in the good old days when there were excellent pats kits everywhere.

I probably would get an 18" fixed stock classic rifle.

Thank you

Andy

[1168]

The DSAs at the Foreign Weapons Course are fine. Thats my only experience with them. The gas adjustment is a little bit different than the norm. Reliability and precision are on par with other FALs. 80s music would start playing whenever I carried them around in Ranger Panties.

We had some kind of problem that I don’t remember, so it must have been minor, and is just as likely to be something stupid that the kids were doing as a gun problem. Army kids will tear up a gun. FALs, in general, are really good rifles for their time.

Gunthots has a brutally honest review on the tubes.

[Alpha-17]

I've got a DSA Voyager, which was their "budget" option from a while back. It's a fine range toy, and worked well enough to bag a buck and a doe last year. Not my first choice to go innawoods, or fight off the aliens, but it's fun.

EDIT: Obligatory pic:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50096679213_fd72b6c766_z.jpg

[SteyrAUG]

All my DSA's are from the Steyr days, but they are 100%.

[Allen]

Have a DSA para. 2-4 MOA at best with ball. Trigger will always be heavy, the Jard is a POS, dont buy one. Shot a few two gun matches with it for shits & giggles. Bought it from MountainRaven here back in '14, probably put 3-4K through it since. Barrel is still nice.

Don't run steel case. It tears up the extractor & if you get an overcharged round ( lookin at you wolf) it'll anneal itself to the chamber requiring GP to ream it out. He will call you a knucklehead. Wolf did foot the bill in the end though.

[Korgs130]

I say go for it. bought a DSA Stg58 Congo Para a while back. Like you, I’ve always had a soft spot for the FAL. Great fit and finish. Definitely a fun shooter. Full disclosure, I initially an issue with the gun causing short stroking failures to feed. DSA customer service was fantastic. They fixed an issue with the receiver and I have had zero issues since.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230418/7ea30dbdf5467e7465c36ee4e1c4f462.jpg

[1168]

I say go for it. bought a DSA Stg58 Congo Para a while back. Like you, I’ve always had a soft spot for the FAL. Great fit and finish. Definitely a fun shooter. Full disclosure, I initially an issue with the gun causing short stroking failures to feed. DSA customer service was fantastic. They fixed an issue with the receiver and I have had zero issues since.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230418/7ea30dbdf5467e7465c36ee4e1c4f462.jpg

Can you tell me more about that top rail? If that thing holds zero well, I might buy one myself.

[Allen]

Not Korgs, It's the DSA rail - they make 3 variants, the above is slightly short to accommodate the carry handle, they make a long one that goes all the way to the hand guard and a short version that includes a stripper clip guide. There's also a SKU for each for Para FAL's and another SKU for predrilled ACOG holes.

I've had good luck with mine, with the caveat of blue locktite and witness marks on it.
https://www.dsarms.com/c-829-scope-mount-and-accessories.aspx

Al
70175

[Diamondback]

I don't own any of their rifles but they've always been very helpful out tech questions when I was considering a purchase from them, even when the answer I needed to hear was not the one I wanted to hear and meant not scoring a sale. (Before WA jus went Full California Hell, I've been looking for an inch-pattern FAL receiver and partskit to build into a Canadian C1A1 clone, and they were straight with me that right now their entire line is metric and there's very little that can be done to fake one from the other.)

[1168]

Not Korgs, It's the DSA rail - they make 3 variants, the above is slightly short to accommodate the carry handle, they make a long one that goes all the way to the hand guard and a short version that includes a stripper clip guide. There's also a SKU for each for Para FAL's and another SKU for predrilled ACOG holes.

I've had good luck with mine, with the caveat of blue locktite and witness marks on it.
https://www.dsarms.com/c-829-scope-mount-and-accessories.aspx

Al
70175

Thanks.


Hey DB, if it makes you feel better about the clone game, most people can’t visually tell inch from metric, including myself.

[Diamondback]

Thanks.


Hey DB, if it makes you feel better about the clone game, most people can’t visually tell inch from metric, including myself.

The main reason it matters is I'm specifically trying to replicate the gun her dad would've handled in training in his RCAF days, and HE'd know since the Canuck version had a few unique features. :) Not exactly getting onto the right foot with the prospective in-laws...

[jsbhike]

I don't own any of their rifles but they've always been very helpful out tech questions when I was considering a purchase from them, even when the answer I needed to hear was not the one I wanted to hear and meant not scoring a sale. (Before WA jus went Full California Hell, I've been looking for an inch-pattern FAL receiver and partskit to build into a Canadian C1A1 clone, and they were straight with me that right now their entire line is metric and there's very little that can be done to fake one from the other.)

They have a C1 picture on their L1A1 parts page.

http://www.gunthings.com/

Interesting thing I picked up is the threads on metric rifles are all in inch measurements(with the exception of the Indian 1A which is a reverse engineered hybrid).

For the most part, uppers and lowers of Australia/Britain/Canada rifles will swap out with all other rifles(so long as sight heights match and excluding Indian 1A,) but the small parts on ABC rifles and everything else will rarely swap out.

[Korgs130]

Can you tell me more about that top rail? If that thing holds zero well, I might buy one myself.

It works extremely well. Basically replaces the dust over making it semi permanently mounted so it hold zero. Here’s a install video from DSA that’ll give you a few more details in added to what Allen posted.

https://youtu.be/s7k72xS90rw

[1168]

Thanks, guys.

[kerplode]

I have one of their STG58 as well as a newer spartan tactical para. The STG has been fantastic. The para needed a new bolt catch assembly but that was a quick/cheap repair and it's been 100% since.

If I was in the market for another FAL, I wouldn't hesitate to grab another DSA.

[GNXII]

I picked up two DSA FALS. One in '04-05 time frame with the DSA scope mount factory installed. It worked from day one never had a single issue and ACOG and later an Accupoint was happy on factory installed scope mount. Recently, a DSA no frills version ("Voyager" ?) less expensive version was listed for sale at my range by another member to finance his HK MR762 purchase but with that excellent DSA scope mount installed locally. It had a low round count with questionable Paki or Indo 7.62ammo (150) but dirty as hell. No optic, 6 mags, sling and a cleaning kit. Bought it and after a thorough cleaning along with praying about any damage from possible corrosive ammo, found it was perfectly clean, found no corrosion at all and it shot great. Really happy with DSA products. Also glad I bought FAL mags when they were pretty inexpensive.

[AndyLate]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm still going back and forth between another M1, a FAL, or neither.

Andy

[mrbieler]

I love my two FAL’s but since you mentioned m1’s, my cmp 308 garand has been a wonderful shooter.

[Sokoloka]

I've got two DSA FAL's and they've been great, fun shooters. Ironically I'm looking to pick up my first Garand but have nothing but good things to say about the FAL - has some heft to her but nothing crazy.