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Letter Re: Sources for Inexpensive FAL Clone Rifles
Sir,
Do you know a place to get a cheap yet reliable FAL rifle? I am looking for
one on a budget preferably under $400 or so. I would greatly appreciate help
and i
like
your blog. Thanks, -- Derek
JWR Replies: Unfortunately, because the supply of parts sets
has dried up, the price of US Code Section 922(r)-compliant FAL clones is starting
to rise. The heyday of
FAL clone building
was a couple of years ago, when parts sets were cheap and plentiful. The prices
then bottomed at about $500. Those days are gone!
Here is some background on pricing: US-made FAL receivers sell for $300 to
$450. (That is just for a stripped receiver with sem-auto ejector block.) FAL Parts kits are starting to get scarce (because of the recent Federal
ban on parts sets that include
barrels), so those kits sell for $220 to $450, depending on maker and
condition. (The days of $95 parts kits are long gone.) A set of 922(r)
compliance US-made "HTS" (hammer, trigger, and sear) parts is $55.
Assembly and headspacing by a gunsmith is $75+. And with refinishing included, assembly
is more
often $185+. The very lowest price that I have seen FAL clones sell for is about
$600 (used,
at a
gun show),
and
$800+
is
more typical. (Add at least $100 for an "inch pattern" (L1A1)
variant.) Some of the nicer DSA-made FAL clones now sell for $2,400. For more details, see the
FALFiles.com forums. There, in particular see the Marketplace
Forum and their Gunsmithing
& Build-It-Yourself Forum. For additional background information,
also see my
FAQ on FAL and L1A1 rifles.
With the decline of the dollar versus the Euro, I only expect FAL prices
to rise. In the upcoming recession, you might stumble into a bargain,
as cash-strapped owners sell guns in order to pay their bills. But don't count
on that. Buy
a FAL clone soon! I anticipate they will be at least $1,000 within a year.
