There was a time when the sun never set on the British Empire, and that means there was also a time when the sun never set on an L1A1. The only countries where an encountered FAL will most likely not be made by FN are in nations that produced their own copies or in Commonwealth member states that adopted the L1A1 pattern of FAL. Guerrilla fighters from the Middle East to Africa to Asia who are seen using FALs more often than not have an original FN example. Photo: Rock Island Auction Company.īecause many FN-made FALs were sold to poorer governments in less stable regions, many Belgian FALs have fallen into the hands of non-state actors over the decades. Even most of the countries that would go on to produce their own FAL variant got started by ordering a batch from Belgium. From 1953 until 1988, FN was churning out FAL rifles to equip armies all around the world. Some of these nations also sold and distributed rifles abroad, but not on the same level as FN. This is in part due to the fact that while several other countries made the FAL, they primarily did so to supply their own armed forces. While official production numbers from any of the manufacturers are hard to obtain, it’s safe to say that FN-made examples were and continue to be the most abundant. As the first designers and producers of the rifle, Fabrique Nationale de Herstal has made more FAL rifles than any other single nation or factory. The original cold warrior, straight outta Liège, Belgium.
#Identifying a century arms l1a1 license#
The FAL and its variants have been produced under license by at least eleven different countries since its inception, but here are the five makes you’re most likely to still see being used in the wild around the globe.
That isn’t to say that the project didn’t result in a mighty fine rifle and cartridge that were used and loved by millions, but it is to say that there’s nothing standard about a British L1A1 compared to an original FN when it comes to parts interchangeability. While the entire goal of the FAL project was for NATO to standardize on one small arm and cartridge, the amount of variation that existed between the member states’ rifles was great enough to consider the effort a failure.
#Identifying a century arms l1a1 free#
The FN FAL became known as the right arm of the free world due to its widespread adoption by NATO-aligned countries during the Cold War. “SLR”, “L1A1”, “right arm of the free world”, the FN FAL has had many names and even more variants, but here are the five most common examples you’ll likely find spread throughout the world.
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