Posted: 10/31/2019 12:09:22 PM EDT
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I've been thinking about rebuilding my shorty FAL lately. It was built up as a pistol so I believe it can be rebuilt into a rifle and all be kosher. It's already setup with the para stuff. I'd just have to replace the brace with the proper stock.
I feel I would likely use the gun more if it was setup more traditionally with irons But that leads me to my next difficult decision to navigate. 16" or a 18" barrel? What says the hive? Pics of each; shamelessly stolen from Atlantic who is a pleasure to deal with 
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I like the 436mm length, which is the shorter para length from the factory (FN; IMBEL and I think also FM used 440mm for this measurement). In inches, rounded to the nearest hundredth, it comes out to 17.17". I think it, probably not coincidentally, is the shortest length possible if you want to use the socket bayonet or rifle grenades on a bipod-cut barrel and not have it interfere with the sling swivel. On a non-bipod cut barrel, you could probably go a tad shorter, maybe down to 16.5", and still have that be the case. The 17-inchers also don't have the reputation for iffy reliability that supposedly 16-inchers (and shorter-cut FALs with standard gas) can have.
FN itself also made 458mm barrels, which are a hair over 18"; 533mm/21" barrels; and a special-order 406mm barrel, which is just under 16"; for both para and fixed-stock rifles. I know the South African civilian LEAs will cut them down to one of several lengths, or use FN standard lengths, so you see 15", 16", 16.25" 16.5", 16.75", 17" 17.2", 17.5", and 18", although some stay 21". Like I said, I like the 17.2". Mine has a straight 17" cut-down Steyr barrel I got that way for the build (replaced an IMBEL NBC barrel cut down to 17.2" that was stolen in the mail). OAL of the rifle is a bit shorter than an M-16. Extended length on a para should take off another inch or so, IIRC, with that length. This is what mine looks like: 
This is what a para with about the same barrel length (and a NBC barrel) should look like: 
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I believe I seen him post his reason was It is the factory length. Quoted:
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I think Gunplumber is on record online somewheres as recommending 17.xxx" |
Still cant decide 
It's going to come down to either the 16 or 18 DSA offers. I dont care to go to the trouble or extra expense to make it the 17 and some change barrels. I feel I'm leaning 16 due to me having a fixed stock 21"er too Have to admit it looks pretty sexy Does anyone use the bipod on a fal anymore? I feel I always see them sans the bipod except the stg builds |
| I had my para built with the 436mm length barrel (honestly I think it was just cut down to 17" by the builder just to make their lives easier, but if they actually did cut it down to 436mm then awesome) and it's really a lot handier than it looks. If shit happened there would be a serious decision to make between grabbing that para, or grabbing my SCAR with 16" barrel. Not that the SCAR isn't great but that para...man does it handle well. |
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Still cant decide
It's going to come down to either the 16 or 18 DSA offers. I dont care to go to the trouble or extra expense to make it the 17 and some change barrels. I feel I'm leaning 16 due to me having a fixed stock 21"er too Have to admit it looks pretty sexy Does anyone use the bipod on a fal anymore? I feel I always see them sans the bipod except the stg builds 16" is perfect. Especially with a folding stock. Look for an older DSA and keep the SBR. Details why: https://www.falfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=399887 |
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Bipods are not useful. 16" is perfect. Especially with a folding stock. Look for an older DSA. Details why: https://www.falfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=399887 
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I couldn’t make up my mind either on that one so I ordered a 18”, and used my skills and lathe to make it a 17”.  It’s a VCL m/m barrel with the three rings for bipod and sling (I don’t have a bipod on it, I just think the rings look nice). 
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I've got a couple with 16 inch barrels and they are loud as hell. I've used one of them for hunting and I forgot ear pro once ONCE!  it doesn't seem like much but 17.5 or 18 inches makes a big difference and gas issues are generally non-existent but are still easy enough to handle. If you plan to use a can on it shorter is obviously better. |
Had the shop I bought this one from had a longer barrel model available I likely would have went that way. But a bird in the hand and all that I ended up with a 16 inch.
 STG-58CP FAL at CRC Sept 2018 |
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Still cant decide
It's going to come down to either the 16 or 18 DSA offers. I dont care to go to the trouble or extra expense to make it the 17 and some change barrels. I feel I'm leaning 16 due to me having a fixed stock 21"er too Have to admit it looks pretty sexy Does anyone use the bipod on a fal anymore? I feel I always see them sans the bipod except the stg builds 17.2" should be doable starting with an 18". Cut down, recrown, rethread. |
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Historically correct? What are you talking about? Quoted:
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Eighteen is best inches. Also, historically correct. Eighteen gives a comfortable recoil impulse, complete powder burn, and is obscenely reliable. One may or may not worry about being historically correct, but it is a simple concept. For example, I was not worried about it when I built a type 1 kit on a type 3 Imbel upper, but I know it’s not historically correct. And he’s right about the practical reasons too. You can choose full 7,62x51 velocity, OR a huge fireball with deafening muzzle blast, but you can’t get both. |
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What is difficult about “historically correct”? One may or may not worry about being historically correct, but it is a simple concept. For example, I was not worried about it when I built a type 1 kit on a type 3 Imbel upper, but I know it’s not historically correct. And he’s right about the practical reasons too. You can choose full 7,62x51 velocity, OR a huge fireball with deafening muzzle blast, but you can’t get both. Quoted:
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Eighteen is best inches. Also, historically correct. Eighteen gives a comfortable recoil impulse, complete powder burn, and is obscenely reliable. One may or may not worry about being historically correct, but it is a simple concept. For example, I was not worried about it when I built a type 1 kit on a type 3 Imbel upper, but I know it’s not historically correct. And he’s right about the practical reasons too. You can choose full 7,62x51 velocity, OR a huge fireball with deafening muzzle blast, but you can’t get both. Most military paras and some police and commercial ones were 21". Some were 18", like most of the 1980s commercial shorter-barreled imports (but I've seen a factory 17.2" rifle as well from that period). Others were not. Belgian Army, for example, in the early 1960s went with the 17.2" barrel length (the first ones to get them that way) for their paras, and they were not alone. IMBEL went with this length as the standard for their shorter-barreled rifles. FN also offered 16". So either he is in error there, or I'm missing something, hence the question. I don't get a fireball with my 17" barrel, nor bad muzzle blast, and recoil is probably the best I've experience in a 7.62X51mm rifle so far. Not sure how 16" compares in that respect. |