My DS Arms STG58 FAL

I have recently purchased another firearm... an STG58. This is the Austrian version of the Light Automatic Rifle known as the FAL (Fusil Automatique Leger). This rifle was developed in Belgium by Fabrique Nationale and, in its various iterations, has served as the main battle rifle for over 90 countries. It has been put to use by Britain, Canada, South Africa, Portugal, Australia, West Germany, Turkey, Brazil and Israel to name a few. This rifle was almost adopted by the USA to replace the M1 Garand. It did well in the trials, but the M14 (a rifle based on the M1) was adopted instead.

It is a very robust piece of hardware, built to withstand a variety of harsh battlefield conditions. It fires the 7.62mm X 51mm NATO (.308 Winchester) rifle round. A double stacked 20 round magazine is standard, although 30 round, 10 round (shown in the photo above) and 5 round magazines are available. The action is known as a "tilting breechblock" and operates by way of a gas piston driven by gas pressure tapped off from the barrel. The amount of gas that enters this system is easily adjustable by way of a gas regulator "dial" located near the front sight. This is a key feature of the rifle, allowing for efficient recoil management as you can set it to push the piston just hard enough to cycle the weapon, minimizing wear on the weapon and lessening the recoil experienced by the shooter. The system also provides a way to adjust the rifle's performance for a variety of ammo and levels of weapon cleanliness.

I have liked FALs for long time. I remember being much younger and watching war movies with my Dad. Once in a while, an FAL would pop-up on the screen. The aggressive look of the weapon always prompted me to ask, "Hey... what kind of rifle is that?" I had always envisioned a "real rifle" as part of my firearms collection. I am not too crazy about the AR-15, though I may own one some day for historical reasons. They do have their place, but I wanted something that fired a bigger round than a .223 (5.56mm X 45mm NATO). A .30 cal was better in my mind. No AK or SKS for me though. The only other rifle that impresses me (other than the FAL) is the Hechler Koch G3/91 style rifles. Seeing an ad for a JLD Enterprises PTR-91 got me started on the road to buying an FAL. In researching that rifle, I came to the conclusion that the FAL was the better choice. That's fine, since I had been a fan of the FAL before I even knew what an HK was.

I finally decided to go with a DS Arms built STG58. The company builds this rifle from used surplus military parts and adds in their own receiver and some other new parts to comply with the US import regulations. Like many gun laws, these regulations were/are a total farce and have led to a number of perfectly legal workarounds so people like me can own these semi-auto rifles. I was a bit nervous about spending $900 on a rifle equipped with military surplus parts, but the next rifle in their lineup, the SA58, was $1400! I could not justify spending an extra $500 for a new barrel and a few more new parts. The majority of the SA58 is made up of the same quality (military surplus) parts that you'd find in an STG58 anyway. Metal is metal... who cares if someone carried a hunk of metal around before I did.

Some stuff about this rifle... It is semi-automatic obviously. It is finished in a rough dark grey-olive colored phosphate finish. The stock and pistol grip are a shiny black polymer. The foregrip is an Austrian style made of pebbly textured black polymer, not metal like the original. You burn your hands less with plastic. I will replace this with a Belgian style fiberglass reinforced polymer handguard because I like the look of that one better. The rifle also has a folding bi-pod that's pretty neat. The front sight is adjustable for "elevation" and the rear peep sight can be moved along a ramp into different notches that correspond with different distances. The rear sight can also be adjusted left or right to change horizontal point of impact (windage). There is a carry handle integral to the Type I receiver. It shipped with a 10 round magazine, though all FAL mags are "pre-ban" because just about all FAL mags you can find were manufactured way before 1994. I guess DSA was playing it safe as New York is one of the least gun-friendly states (lucky me). Oh yeah, I also had to buy a gun lock in order to leave the store with the rifle. I guess I can add that to my collection of locks. The rifle also came with a US made fully legal Austrian style long muzzle break (not a flash diverter). This has been silver soldered onto the threaded barrel.

This weapon disassembles super easy. On this style of FAL, there is a take-down lever oriented vertically near the stock attachment point under the rear sight assembly. Push this lever, and the gun breaks open on a hinge very similar to the way some shotgun open for loading. You can then pull out the bolt carrier and bolt assembly by way of an attached rod referred to as the "rat tail". Once this is out, you can slide out the top dust cover. The bolt comes out of the bolt carrier easily and you can remove the firing pin without any special tools. Just ahead of the gas adjustment dial is the gas plug knob which, when rotated 3/4 of a turn, will allow access to the gas piston and piston spring. Once removed you can get into the channel that the piston rides in and clean it. I've read quite strict advice that no lubrication of any type should enter the gas chamber as it may dangerously increase the pressures there. Some people suggest very slight coatings of lube to keep the parts from rusting in storage. On my initial inspection disassembly, I compromised and wiped down the piston rod with Flitz metal polish which removes oxidation on metal and leaves a light coating of oxidation inhibitor. The abrasiveness of Flitz is negligible in my opinion.

So there it is, my first real rifle. I can't wait to fire this thing! I will post a range report when I finally go. Check out the photos below.