"Classic" battle rifle mags

[MountainRaven]

This is nonsense. I have FAL mags that have been fully loaded for over 5 years and the lips have not expanded or deformed in any way. There is no good reason to download mags. Nothing about FAL mags is "pretty wimpy" so don't spread nonsense like that. Leave it to the boobs on TOS. I have a lot of experience with the FAL.

My experience is that some FAL magazines, despite appearing to be completely fine, do not function.

And downloading is simply following LAV's advice with extrapolation by me:

"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."

Why download if the feedlips don't have issues? If it's not the feedlips, it's magazine springs. And if it were the springs, that should be easily resolved using higher quality aftermarket springs. Given that the FAL is a rock-and-lock, it can't be for the chief reason folks generally download AR magazines and Glock magazines, which is to say because of difficulty seating the magazine.

I have also seen guys who use FALs in a professional capacity keep their magazines downloaded for storage... and then top them off before deploying them.

It appears that my extrapolation of LAV's advice is incorrect, however. Here is a post he made on another forum:

It is a cheap insurance policy that your FAL will have enough force behind the bolt carrier to chamber a round completely from bolt lock on a dirty, sandy, dry weapon - remember this is for FAL's that are being used in harms way; the majority do not have a forward assist and if it does not chamber completely you can easily induce a double feed when trying to re charge the weapon

Also think about doing this at night

You load 28 rds in your 30 rd AR magazine so you can seat the magazine with the bolt forward- there is inadequate spring compression room when loaded to 30 rds to do it and be 100% sure it is seated

Experience has taught me the loading/reloading sequence on a combat arm is an area fraught with danger where many things can go wrong at the worst possible time if you do not have solid techniques in place

I must quote the Pete Harbeck rule ( somewhat modified for this instance)-'It is one thing to execute something in bright daylight on the range- it is quite another to do it at night, under fire, in the rain'

LAV

Nevertheless, I've never had a problem with a G3 magazine. I have had problems with both FN-contract/license FAL magazines and non-USGI-contract M14 magazines.

[Kyohte]

I agree. FAL magazines should be downloaded. I have found this in accounts of Rhodesian FAL use, and I assume they have far, far more experience than I when it comes to FALs.

As an update, I found 2 bad magazines in a batch of FAL magazines I had set aside. One was a Steyr with feed lip problems. The other was an IMI that was too wide side-to-side to lock in (other IMI work fine). Both appear fine.

[dlagrua]

Agree on the HK91 marked aluminum magazines. They are excellent; load, fit and feed perfect every time. There is still a good stock of new magazines available out there for around $5 each. Always found at the bigger gun shows. I tried them in a Century 308 HK91/G3/CETME clone and they worked well.
As for the FAL; good condition military surplus magazines fit, feed and function well. The US made magazine copies for both rifles can be problematic but I never tried the Magpul brand. The AR guys swear by them so they might be good on these battle rifles