Well, it has been a few years but this past weekend I told the family I am spending a little quality time on a project. My Fal history is rather brief... Back before the crime bill died I purchased a few Fal kits but I held off until after the crime bill died to build. On midnight after the crime bill died I spent the night threading barrels on my AKs and AR-10s, adding collapsable stocks to my ARs and AR-10s and I built my first FAL, an Imbel on Imbel rifle.
Well, it has been several years sence then and I recently sold off two of my three FAL kits I had been storing (My G1 kit and my Grade 2 Imbel) but I saved one for this special Para build. I used part of the money from the kits and receivers to buy the DSA para parts I needed to build my Para and this past Sunday I finally put her together.
Obviously neither gun has been refinished yet as I wanted to get them both refinished at the same time so the parkerizing will match.
The Imbel Rifle was built on an Imbel Gear upper using one of Dan's Grade 3 kits. The compliance parts on that build include the grip, forend, stock, HTS, and Piston. The rifle weighs 10lb 4-oz.
The PARA was build on a DSA Type 2 receiver, US Piston, DSA HTS, Para Stock, DSA para bolt carrier. The barrel was a new Imbel bipod cut chrome linned barrel that was cut to 18-inches with a gas port drilled to .113. The forend is new STG grips and the bipod is also STG. The scope mount/dust cover is a DSA unit and it has a handy retainer in the top that holds the recoil spring for the Para bolt. The para weighs 10lb 6-oz (2-oz heavier then the full length rifle).
I have not shot the Para yet but I am glad to finally own a Para FAL. I had some interesting challanges stripping the parts from my Imbel Lower to allow me to use them with the Para stock assembly as I destroyed the latch assembly trying to get it out of the Imbel lower. So, I had to order a new one from DSA and it showed up today so I was finally able to complete the build.
Kinda sad as I expect these will be the only two FALs I will build but it was educational and I am anxious to test fire the Para and then send them to a pro for refinishing!