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Thread: Current state of DSA SA58/FALs?

  1. #1
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    Current state of DSA SA58/FALs?

    Just curious, because one hears so many things.... And I haven't really been hearing much since the SR-25 got all the bugbears out of the system and the SCAR 17S hit the market.... And then the gun scare. And I looked back through threads going back to the beginning of the year and didn't see anything. ANYWAY.

    Is anyone familiar with the quality of current production DSA FALs? Are they still good to go or should they be avoided?

    Many thanks!
    " Nil desperandum - Never Despair. That is a motto for you and me. All are not dead; and where there is a spark of patriotic fire, we will rekindle it. "
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    Good thread idea, I'm interested in this as well.

    I've always wanted to pick up an 18" PARA Carbine or PARA Congo. I see AIM gets several models in from time to time, usually the PARA Tactical.
    "In a nut shell, if it ever goes to Civil War, I'm afraid I'll be in the middle 70%, shooting at both sides" — 26 Inf


    "We have to stop demonizing people and realize the biggest terror threat in this country is white men, most of them radicalized to the right, and we have to start doing something about them." — CNN's Don Lemon 10/30/18

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    You can still buy Imbel FAL receivers for around $500 on Gunbroker. I'd get one of those before a DSA, but I'm not a FAL guy. heh heh
    Crossing the Noobicon

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    AIM Surplus has 16" Para SA58s if you're interested...

    http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.as...fle&groupid=11

  5. #5
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    How hard is it to find magazines now?

    I remember way back when they were just a few $ each even for NIB.

    Has the surplus dried up? Can you get new production now?

    I always used to want a Para Congo too.

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    My understanding is that LV gives them a thumbs up. This is from his website (http://vickerstactical.com/tactical-...ttle-rifles/):

    I frequently get asked which battle rifle is my choice for a preferred 7.62mm weapon. I have one of about every type ever made in my personal reference collection, and some are better than others in a given area, but the one I have always liked the best is the FAL. The M14 can be tuned to a higher degree of accuracy and the G3 I would consider the most rugged, but all things considered the FAL as a 7.62mm battle rifle or carbine is, in my opinion, the all around best choice.

    I currently own 14 FAL style rifles of different flavors, mostly original Belgian made guns, but I would recommend a buyer look hard at DS Arms offerings if you find yourself shopping for a 7.62mm rifle or carbine vs paying the high price for a pre ban Belgian FAL. In addition DS Arms deserves the lions share of credit of keeping the FAL viable in this day and age and offering more options and varieties than Fabrique Nationale ever dreamed of. I own 3 DS Arms FAL style rifles and I find them well made, more than adequately accurate, and reliable if you know how to treat an FAL. Make no mistake the FAL is not an AK; you cannot abuse it like an AK and expect it to work. If you treat it with the respect it deserves however it will serve you quite well. Jeff Cooper said it well; “The AK is the rifle for the masses and the FAL is the rifle for the classes”. As he so often did Jeff summed up the situation perfectly; and make no mistake the FAL is the rifle for the classes.

    Featuring excellent engineering the FAL has always been a weapon that holds a special place in my heart. In addition it features attention to detail and quality construction throughout. I find serious firearms enthusiasts almost always love the FAL for the sake of the remarkable design characteristics. For a serious use FAL my favorite is the tactical carbine offered by DS Arms. With an aluminum alloy lower receiver and 16.25 inch barrel it makes for a very handy 7.62mm carbine. For my particular version I used an Israeli mag release, a Norwegian AK4 style modified FAL bolt carrier with forward assist scallop, and DSA scope mount. I also mounted a Surefire flashlight with a Vltor clamp to a short piece of picatinny rail to the handguard. I topped it off with an excellent Schmidt & Bender Short Dot II scope with a 7.62 mm M118LR BDC. The S&B scope is heavy duty so to keep the weight down I opted against a DSA modular rail system. After I did a radiusing of all sharp edges DSA black Duracoated all the metal and I installed one of my VCAS slings. The end result is a superb general purpose battle carbine. It would be my first choice in a .30 caliber carbine to take into harms way.

    There are countless spare parts and accessories available for the FAL on the market. Many of the parts interchange with other FAL variants so customizing your 7.62mm rifle is easier than with any other long gun save the AR family. DS Arms not surprisingly is an excellent source for FAL parts and a simple Google search will reveal several others also.

    A few end user tips on the FAL: keep it reasonably clean and well lubed, learn how the gas regulator functions and how to adjust it, and only load 18 rds in the magazine. In my experience if you abide by these rules the FAL will serve you well.

    I can recommend the FAL as a weapon and DS Arms as a vendor of guns, parts, and accessories for the FAL. If you are in the market for a serious 7.62mm rifle or carbine, give them a call.
    Last edited by Sensei; 05-30-13 at 11:36.
    I like my rifles like my women - short, light, fast, brown, and suppressed.

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    I used to be big time into FAL rifles a couple years ago, and the consensus I received at the time from actual FAL gunsmiths and legit FAL experts was to pass on the new DSA FALs in favor of either imported rifles like the SAR48 by Imbel or just getting an imported kit and receiver from Imbel or Steyr and having a gunsmith build one.

    The reasons I was given include the fact that LMT no longer made receivers and a number of gunsmiths like gunplumber reported the dimensions being off on the receivers and the quality nowhere near as high, some instances of bolts breaking (which is extremely rare on FALs) because of improper heat treating, etc.

    The biggest reason I was told to avoid the new ones is that DSA had finally run out of the Steyr surplus parts that they had used for years to build FALs, and where the reputation of DSA had largely been built. So all of the other parts are no longer top of the line military surplus Steyr, but DSA or some other third party built. From how it was explained to me, DSA FALs sort of became like the Springfield M1A in going from a mil parts based rifle to a commercial one. Still probably good enough for most people and most situations, but for the type of people who run their rifles hard and shoot a lot like on this site, I am not so sure it would hold up like how a Steyr parts based gun like the older DSA FALs or a SAR48 would most certainly hold up.

    The funny thing about that LAV article on the FAL is I remember seeing that on his site at least three or maybe even four years ago. That was actually what made me interested in the path of FAL rifles and eventually owning a DSA FAL, and as mentioned above, it was done in a time when AR 308s weren't considered reliable and before the SCAR 17 was released, so the FAL vs HK vs M1A debate was the most practical for those wanting a reliable, affordable rifle. I think LAV was completely right, as usual, at the time, and I would still take a DSA FAL over the US commercial versions of the HK and M1A. But I think the new crop of 308 ARs and SCAR 17 really have changed the game. I would love to read what LAV's current thoughts are on this issue!
    Last edited by train of abuses; 05-30-13 at 15:08.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by train of abuses View Post
    I used to be big time into FAL rifles a couple years ago, and the consensus I received at the time from actual FAL gunsmiths and legit FAL experts was to pass on the new DSA FALs in favor of either imported rifles like the SAR48 by Imbel or just getting an imported kit and receiver from Imbel or Steyr and having a gunsmith build one.

    The reasons I was given include the fact that LMT no longer made receivers and a number of gunsmiths like gunplumber reported the dimensions being off on the receivers and the quality nowhere near as high, some instances of bolts breaking (which is extremely rare on FALs) because of improper heat treating, etc.

    The biggest reason I was told to avoid the new ones is that DSA had finally run out of the Steyr surplus parts that they had used for years to build FALs, and where the reputation of DSA had largely been built. So all of the other parts are no longer top of the line military surplus Steyr, but DSA or some other third party built. From how it was explained to me, DSA FALs sort of became like the Springfield M1A in going from a mil parts based rifle to a commercial one. Still probably good enough for most people and most situations, but for the type of people who run their rifles hard and shoot a lot like on this site, I am not so sure it would hold up like how a Steyr parts based gun like the older DSA FALs or a SAR48 would most certainly hold up.
    That is pretty much what I've been reading. As an owner of a 99% USGI SA M1A I would like to have a 100% mil-spec FAL varient.

    Quote Originally Posted by train of abuses View Post
    The funny thing about that LAV article on the FAL is I remember seeing that on his site at least three or maybe even four years ago. That was actually what made me interested in the path of FAL rifles and eventually owning a DSA FAL, and as mentioned above, it was done in a time when AR 308s weren't considered reliable and before the SCAR 17 was released, so the FAL vs HK vs M1A debate was the most practical for those wanting a reliable, affordable rifle. I think LAV was completely right, as usual, at the time, and I would still take a DSA FAL over the US commercial versions of the HK and M1A. But I think the new crop of 308 ARs and SCAR 17 really have changed the game. I would love to read what LAV's current thoughts are on this issue!
    From his SME sub-forum (and you posed the question ):

    Quote Originally Posted by train of abuses View Post
    Are FALs still your favorite battle rifle . . .
    Quote Originally Posted by Larry Vickers View Post
    Good question - I still have a soft spot for the FAL but with all the new Battle Rifles on the market I would have to pick one of the new ones over it- ergonomics alone dictate that

    Honestly I have a bunch of them but haven't really shook them out to see which one is top dog - if I had to choose one right now it would probably be the SCAR H based on use ( and testing) by the military. The MR762 is coming soon so we will see how it shakes out

    Interesting times we live in - I plan on doing some stuff on my show about the re birth of the battle rifle - should be cool

    Cheers

    LAV
    https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=95957
    Last edited by Moose-Knuckle; 05-30-13 at 15:37.
    "In a nut shell, if it ever goes to Civil War, I'm afraid I'll be in the middle 70%, shooting at both sides" — 26 Inf


    "We have to stop demonizing people and realize the biggest terror threat in this country is white men, most of them radicalized to the right, and we have to start doing something about them." — CNN's Don Lemon 10/30/18

  9. #9
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    Yeah - I remember asking the question I meant if he still views DSA as being high quality. Sorry, should have clarified, and I didn't word my post all that well.

    And if you want a mil spec level FAL, I believe the most affordable factory rifles are the SAR 48 imbel imports that pop up from time to time on sites like gunbroker and gun forums for sale. The great FAL gunsmith gunplumber out of AZ has one as his personal FAL, or he did the last time I remember reading him talk about it. He also really liked the SCAR 17 after buying one from what I remember, too.
    Last edited by train of abuses; 05-30-13 at 15:54.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by train of abuses View Post
    Yeah - I remember asking the question I meant if he still views DSA as being high quality. Sorry, should have clarified, and I didn't word my post all that well.

    And if you want a mil spec level FAL, I believe the most affordable factory rifles are the SAR 48 imbel imports that pop up from time to time on sites like gunbroker and gun forums for sale. The great FAL gunsmith gunplumber out of AZ has one as his personal FAL, or he did the last time I remember reading him talk about it. He also really liked the SCAR 17 after buying one from what I remember, too.
    Ah hah, gottcha.

    In the end I may just go with the SCAR 17 with all things considered.
    "In a nut shell, if it ever goes to Civil War, I'm afraid I'll be in the middle 70%, shooting at both sides" — 26 Inf


    "We have to stop demonizing people and realize the biggest terror threat in this country is white men, most of them radicalized to the right, and we have to start doing something about them." — CNN's Don Lemon 10/30/18

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