What a Rifle!
What a Rifle!
Took the FAL to the range this morning to give it a try. It was pretty crowded so we ended up on a 25 yard lane but that was enough to see how it shot.
The rifle functioned flawlessly with Argentine surplus ammo. Bob put 10 rounds through it also.
Here is a pic of him shooting, if you look close you'll notice that the bolt is open and there is a piece of brass just above the front sight.
http://pic11.picturetrail.com/VOL368/95 ... 041666.jpg[/pic]
This is what it did at 25 yards from a sandbag with out much effort. Several of the rounds thru the bottom target were off hand.
http://pic11.picturetrail.com/VOL368/95 ... 041690.jpg[/pic]
I am extremly happy with this rifle and can't wait to see what it will do at 200 yards with some handloads.
The only one that wasn't really happy was the guy 2 benches to my right, he kept getting bopped with my brass.
The rifle functioned flawlessly with Argentine surplus ammo. Bob put 10 rounds through it also.
Here is a pic of him shooting, if you look close you'll notice that the bolt is open and there is a piece of brass just above the front sight.
http://pic11.picturetrail.com/VOL368/95 ... 041666.jpg[/pic]
This is what it did at 25 yards from a sandbag with out much effort. Several of the rounds thru the bottom target were off hand.
http://pic11.picturetrail.com/VOL368/95 ... 041690.jpg[/pic]
I am extremly happy with this rifle and can't wait to see what it will do at 200 yards with some handloads.
The only one that wasn't really happy was the guy 2 benches to my right, he kept getting bopped with my brass.
- ThePitbullofLove
- Contributing Member
- Posts: 185
- Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2004 10:24 pm
Why did you have to do it?
You went and showed me something I just have to have one of now. How much is it going to cost me ... about? Any suggestions where to get one?
They show up fairly regularly at the shows here in the 500-600 range, the DSA's seem to be 200-400 more.
After talking about it for over a year I finally made up my mind to go ahead and get one a month or so ago. I looked at 4 of them at the show, 1 DSA, a thumb hole sporter, a Century build on one of their own inch receivers, and the one I got, an STG-58 kit on an Imbel receiver.
P'Bill was very happy with his Century Imbel so I decided that is what I wanted. The bore in mine is absolutely beautiful.
After talking about it for over a year I finally made up my mind to go ahead and get one a month or so ago. I looked at 4 of them at the show, 1 DSA, a thumb hole sporter, a Century build on one of their own inch receivers, and the one I got, an STG-58 kit on an Imbel receiver.
P'Bill was very happy with his Century Imbel so I decided that is what I wanted. The bore in mine is absolutely beautiful.
Thanks Brass Rat
There is bound to be a gun show soon in my area. I'll remember to bring money.
- ThePitbullofLove
- Contributing Member
- Posts: 185
- Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2004 10:24 pm
Just a caveat-
Basically all FAL's are built from parts kits, with the exception of some DSA models (and even then some of the parts are surplus). Of late, Century has been using domestically produced barrels on their rifles. More recent Century builds seem to be fairing better in terms of quality than earlier builds have.
Keep in mind that all Century built FAL's are NOT created equal.
Some run perfectly fine, others have "issues".
On the bright side, most of the Century gun's "issues" (if they have them) can be easily fixed by a person with a modicum of gunsmithing ability.
Century used to build on Imbel receivers, and these are the most desirable of Century guns, as the receiver is actually FN licensed.
Century also built on Hesse receivers and these are some of the least desireable.
In between falls the Century branded receiver. Early models had poor feed ramp geometry known as "unibrow". Rather than having two feed ramps (semi-circular), Century installed one "rectangular" feedramp that often caused feeding problems. There was no cheap fix for this; if you had issues it cost $ to fix it.
They've since replaced that design, I believe with a more traditional feed system.
While Century built receivers are considered to be the least desireable on the market, they are servicable and safe for the most part, and these days, they're much cheaper than DSA and Entreprise, and can actually be found unlike Dan Coonan and Imbel.
Century built guns ofer a great starting point for a shooter who's not ready or inclined to build his own rifle, or unwilling to pay $800+ for a DSA or Entreprise, or a 'smith built gun. Like I said, some have issues, most are easily fixed, and resale value on the Century guns is below par for other FALs, but I think they're an awesome value...a lot of bang for the buck.
For the record, both my FAL's are 'smith built, however I have several friends with Century guns. One fixed his problem by installing a pin that Century "forgot" to install in his gas system. Another had to send his rifle off to a 'smith for some major work. In the end both have accurate and reliable rifles. I know others who's rifles ran well out of the box. At the price, I wouldn't be too concerned with taking a shot. (pun intended) As always, YMMV.
Basically all FAL's are built from parts kits, with the exception of some DSA models (and even then some of the parts are surplus). Of late, Century has been using domestically produced barrels on their rifles. More recent Century builds seem to be fairing better in terms of quality than earlier builds have.
Keep in mind that all Century built FAL's are NOT created equal.
Some run perfectly fine, others have "issues".
On the bright side, most of the Century gun's "issues" (if they have them) can be easily fixed by a person with a modicum of gunsmithing ability.
Century used to build on Imbel receivers, and these are the most desirable of Century guns, as the receiver is actually FN licensed.
Century also built on Hesse receivers and these are some of the least desireable.
In between falls the Century branded receiver. Early models had poor feed ramp geometry known as "unibrow". Rather than having two feed ramps (semi-circular), Century installed one "rectangular" feedramp that often caused feeding problems. There was no cheap fix for this; if you had issues it cost $ to fix it.
They've since replaced that design, I believe with a more traditional feed system.
While Century built receivers are considered to be the least desireable on the market, they are servicable and safe for the most part, and these days, they're much cheaper than DSA and Entreprise, and can actually be found unlike Dan Coonan and Imbel.
Century built guns ofer a great starting point for a shooter who's not ready or inclined to build his own rifle, or unwilling to pay $800+ for a DSA or Entreprise, or a 'smith built gun. Like I said, some have issues, most are easily fixed, and resale value on the Century guns is below par for other FALs, but I think they're an awesome value...a lot of bang for the buck.
For the record, both my FAL's are 'smith built, however I have several friends with Century guns. One fixed his problem by installing a pin that Century "forgot" to install in his gas system. Another had to send his rifle off to a 'smith for some major work. In the end both have accurate and reliable rifles. I know others who's rifles ran well out of the box. At the price, I wouldn't be too concerned with taking a shot. (pun intended) As always, YMMV.
...............................................
life is the crummiest book I ever read,
there isn't a hook,
just a lot of cheap shots,
pictures to shock,
and characters an amateur would never dream up-Guerwitz-1994
life is the crummiest book I ever read,
there isn't a hook,
just a lot of cheap shots,
pictures to shock,
and characters an amateur would never dream up-Guerwitz-1994
Thanks for that bit of advice
My gunsmith ability is nonexistant. Guess I'll have to ponder this a bit more.