Thanks for watching guys. Special thanks to the Ukrainian combatants that took the time to help with insights for this video. Check out the full accompanying article for the video here - armourersbench.com/2023/02/24/right-arm-of-the-free-world-fn-fals-in-ukraine/ Thanks again, Matt

FAL finally fights its cold war battle

FAL: *looks at M14* Well old man, looks like our time has finally come. M14: Oorah.

As an ex Brazilian Army infrantryman, this weapon is nostalgic to me. Kicks like a mule, but it's accurate, reliable, simple.

Imagine the logistical nightmare of using all these firearms, their magazines and ammo. I'm sure the logistics chief is going crazy 😵‍💫

21 years in the Australian Army, and the L1A1 "SLR" was my personal weapon for nearly that whole time (except the last few years when the Steyr AUG took over) Heavy, kicked like a mule, but would never let you, or your mates down.

Argentinian Army reservist here, we still have the FAL as our standard issue weapon, a perfect gun, but quite outdated (here the Army is replacing it with local made lighter and shorter modernised FALs), I'm very happy to see it still keeping up with modern warfare!

The FAL definitely wins the beauty contest imo.

FAL's destiny is finally being fulfilled

I am looking forward to an episode dedicated to BREN 2, since its one of the most commonly seen 5,56 rifles in Ukranian use.

I served in the Austrian Army just as my unit was transitioning from the FN-FAL (Stg58) to the Steyr AUG (Stg77). Loved shooting the FAL, also as I'm very tall I never found it that extremely unwieldy, as I'm already unwieldy myself. 😅

Since you bring up Cold War battle rifles, it is a bit surprising that the HKs haven't shown up in considerable numbers.

Did you really think FALs would miss a fight?

I was issued an FN FAL as a 17 year old reservist. It was a horrible weapon for de-bussing or concealed firing given its length. But great stopping power and range in the right hands. Regular units had been issued Steyr Augs but many NCOs preferred FN especially if they had trained initially on Mk. 2 Lee Enfields in reserve units. A shooter's gun good to 500m.

Yeah, his cartridge jam problem was solved by opening up the gas and making it "over gassed" (it's not really over gassed, it's a normal function of the gas regulator) because it's a short stroke piston rod and not like the Kalashnikov rifle, it's a touch more sensitive to variations in ammo and the action can be as well to dirt or wet & freezing conditions, must clean the action and keep it well cleaned & free of any fowling or residue from firing. 🇨🇦

Greetings from Belgium, proud manufacturers of the FN FAL. It was my personal weapon when I did my service in the Belgian Infantry as an officer in 1981-82. I loved this rifle. Very accurate, very easy to clean, very reliable.

Years ago i was speaking with a Canadian Veteran who served as a Peace Keeper at the height of the conflict in Cyprus. Stuck between the Greeks and Turks with their 9 mm pop guns. The Canadian contingent had a coffee can each put a dollar in. The reason for the tin can full of dollar bills, was to pay the $10 fine a Trooper was issued if he discharged his weapon. And discharge that single round then did. When the Canadians grew tired of the Turkey and Greek stupidity of having hot lead fly over their post, the crackle of a single round of the 7.62 NATO would make the battlefield go silent. The Greeks and Turks realized they just pissed off the Canadians and stopped...

The FAL is a great rifle. Easy to field strip and clean. I would do it blindfolded at the age of 17. It is L1A1 in Australia. I loved it

I loved the FAL (SLR downunder) Was issued to me in basic when we were transitioning to the new M16. I got to see first hand what the 7.62 V 5.56 did to ballistic gel. Kept my SLR for the rest of my career. Had very few gas jams as I would field strip & clean it before I would look after myself. Thank you for reminding me.

Fal é um ícone do Brasil! E tem uma precisão absurda nas mãos certas, e uma luneta, ela vira uma arma incrível!

The soldier, with the 10 round magazines, that there were issues with dirt. Two of my former co-workers that served with the SADF in Angola also mentioned that. The FAL can be picky about ammo, the one I have likes really hot ammo. I can run it with the gas system a bit more closed.

Belgium supplied in 2022, a total of 10,000 FAL's of various types along with 5,000 FNC's and 1,000 FN2000's and SCAR's. A further 3700 FNC's or SCAR's are about to be delivered in March. Several hundred MAG GPMG's and Minimi's and over a 1,000 FN manufactured M2 HMG's were also delivered last year. I believe all of these delivered in the first tranche were FN stockpiled weapons ready for overseas sale. The Belgian Govt bought them all and sent to Ukraine instead.

Love the old FN FAL

Some Fal could come from Croatian arsenals. They came to Croatia from Argentina in the 90s when Menem's government sent military aid to Croatia under the pressure of the Croatian-Argentinian community. In the video at least one of them has the narrower flash hider, typical of the Argentinian third-pattern receiver version.

3:08 This might be a Dutch camo pattern on the gun sling.

Two ten round mags??? I think I would be switching it out for something different as quickly as possible. I hope he at least has a good sidearm or something. Always happy to see FALs though. Such an elegant and iconic rifle.

My dad trained on this as a RM back in ‘82. To this day, my dad believes the SLR to be the best modern battle rifle - perfect caliber, perfect length, all curated into one rifle for the likes of a true marksmen

3:12 they say: - Look what kind of thing they give to my friend, what is it name? - I don't remember what it's called, but this thing is good -7.62 caliber, we tried to shoot, and its powerful. Most Ukrainians did not even see this weapon before the war(Because the AK-47 with its 7.62×39mm prevails in our region), but this powerful gun and caliber has already earned respect among some military groups, usually among the Territorial Defense Forces who are armed with 5.45 × 39 or even smaller calibers, and have problems with penetrating Russian body armor. Of course, this is a new foreign caliber for us, аnd this leads to logistical problems... But more even such old ones weapons, more armed defenders of Ukraine, and more chances that one day we will free Ukraine from the invaders and end this war.

5:15 Wolverines! Don’t tell me y’all weren’t thinking it as well.

Loved the FN, was sad when we adopted the 5.56×45mm. The FN gave you the feeling that the down range results where devastating to what ever it hit. Hopefully it has been in Bakhmut.

as a british man there has always been issues with the FAL, notably its size and weight and lack of mounting of optics, all mentioned here by the troops using it. Hence its replacement, IMO I would use a AK-74 but I dont know what condition they would be in.

Both Rhodesia and South Africa used them, in action, and the rifle was well liked. Our average carry was 7 mags, and a bandolier of 60 rounds, on external ops, and just the 7 mags on internals. Mostly only used one mag in a contact.

Wonderful rifle. I used the FN FAL 7.62 mm 1966-68. Immensely powerful and, without a scope, I could hit man-size targets at 400 metres. Easy to strip and clean. Only once did the front sight work loose. I agree a little heavy and a bandolier of ammunition was certainly weighty. In those days, you could turn it into full auto by simply slipping half the thickness of a match under a tiny spring inside the trigger housing. A Bren mag could be used too.

The FAL is a fearsome weapon. Very powerful, very accurate with very good range.

Very symbolic seeing the right arm of the free world in the hands of the people fighting to join the free world.

*The Right Arm of The Free World*

Austria also used the FAL with the designation "Sturmgewehr 58", domestic licensed production. Germany had them with designation G1, but they were actually replaced by HK G3 in 1959 after not getting a license for domestic production from FN.

Another great video about the ongoing weaponry being supplied to Ukraine. Matts work behind the scenes gathering the information is truly unsung. Well done mate

That was nice of him to answer questions for you so we can all hear how it's performing over there. 👍🇺🇦

2:27 9 magazines, that’s 180 rounds assuming 20 round magazines, that’s pretty good for how much power the FAL brings

Amazing! I spent a good few years carrying one as a conscript and active reserve, during the Angolan border war in the 1970's - 1980's. Thanks

I used that in the Canadian army we loved them.

As a proud owner of a Lithgow L1A1 (Imperial version of the FAL), I will attest that it is an outstanding rifle and profoundly effective. It is a legend for a reason and simply beautiful.

The FALs in the videos look new. Barely any scratches to the finish

Awesome footage as always

Absolute poetry, that these beautiful rifles get to fulfill their purpose

The first weapon i was issued with was the FN 7.62 SLR and it was very accurate at long range with great penetration as demonstrated by training officer shooting through 2 railway sleepers , at 9lb it is quite heavy but i never had a stopage it was easy to strip and clean i loved it. I served in the RAF and British Army with it .

I was issued with an L1A1 (SLR) back in the late 70s when I joined up. It was a great weapon, accurate and very reliable. If not a little on the heavy side. I acquired some spare 30 round LMG magazines, which were the same fitment and they nit only worked very well. They looked really cool.

Great vids. Brings back memories

Right arm of the Free World!

We stopped using the FAL in the 90's. Mostly switched to FNC. The FAL is still used in the Navy to shoot a line between vessels. Last year the last units switched to the SCAR. I've done a parade with it, haven't shot it yet. So I don't think there were many FAL's left in Belgium.

love these video's, keep them coming

Shot the FAL when I was in cadets in the late 80’s up at pucka outside melbourne. Big kick, very accurate. Loved it.

Used the SLR version with the Aust army prior to the change over to the StyerAug. A well maintained FN Fal with a good barrel & receiver is effective out to 600 yards. The only issue was the gas system needed to be gradually wound down to 0 to prevent stoppages during prolonged use as it was prone to excessive carbon build up.

Emotionally the fal is possibly my single most favorite rifle ever. But I would 1000% take an ak74 over a fal in combat.

We used those FN's in RCNR in the early seventies.(Royal Canadian Naval Reserve.) I was in the honour guard and was our standard issue. Used with live rounds during my GMT in Halifax NS. Nasty kick for a nineteen year old.

I was last fully limbed when I parted company for the last time with my left arm - L1A1 I simply felt complete when holding it.

The simplicity in the looks of the FAL is what makes it one of the cleanest and sexiest rifles out there. It may be a bit heavy but it's also one of the most reliable weapons out there.

I miss the FAL! .... I'm glad they're getting to see some service doing what they were designed to do....defend sovereign nations from imperialist aggression. Being an ex-cold warrior, I will be the first to admit that that ethic became a bit....skewed during the last cold war, too bad some "leaders" seem to not have learned from it...anyway, the FAL is a fine weapon though not without it's flaws. The 7.62 NATO round should have had milder loads available when it wasn't on a disintegrating belt, perhaps a 120 grain projectile and a bit less powder, the empty space taken up with kapok or some other non absorbent filler. The Ukrainians have been doing excellent work modding some of the western weapons shipped to them, cutting the barrel back, then crowning it using the head of a nylon bolt and some fine abrasive compound is simple and quick, and adding a locally fabricated muzzle brake with some seriously backward angled baffles would help with the godawful climb the FAL has during full auto fire. The cut down barrel would also help during indoor clearing operations. I'd be in Ukraine now if I wasn't so old and handicapped from multiple wounds...not all earned in combat I'm embarrassed to say. All I can do is donate and encourage other's to do likewise. Ukraine is going to win this fight, let's all hope they win it soon, war sucks and this one is unnecessarily hard on the civilian population....because Putin is losing and he knows it. Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦

During the Balkan wars in the '90s the Argentinian government was involved in illegal arms trade to Croacia and Bosnia. Thousands of Argentinian made FALs (metric pattern) were part of that traffic, so it wouldn't be a surprise if some of those FALs are already seasoned veterans :P

SLR a very reassuring feel to have one in your mits. Carried one round the streets of NI and "discharged it" on two occasions. The butt was pretty good too for "convincing" uncooperative types. Was not there to be everyones mate on the hearts and minds trip.

I've used the British version of this weapon the SLR 7.62 cal. I found it very accurate at 600 yds without a scope.

in Malvinas war this weapon was used in both side, argentinian version had de adv that it was automatic

Glad to see our Ukrainian friends have a truly great battle rifle in the war against the madmans army. I loved mine in the 80's !

At 0:25 seconds into the video, the image shown is not an FN FAL but an FN LAR (Light Automatic Rifle). It's the heavy barrel version of the FAL designed for automatic fire. In Canada, it was altered to be designated the FN C2. The giveaways in the photo are the thicker barrel, the bipod and the 30-round magazine laying next to it under the 20-round. The LAR usually came with 30-round magazines.

It was a sad day the day we got rid of the SLR and started using the SA80. I don’t know any solider that trained on the SLR that thought different. If you are a good shot, the SLR it will never fail to put a man down!

These things still going. Wow. Loved my SLR in the ARES.

The FAL, although being replaced by the new Imbel IA2, is still widely used by the Brazilian Army, in fact, the IA2 is very inspired by the FAL in several aspects, as Imbel has already manufactured dozens of versions of this veteran rifle and has all the knowledge and tools of work on it.

A small note: it's unlikely unlikely to have been Portugal. We used FALs during the Colonial Wars but they were a stopgap until G3 production started. I don't believe there were any still around in 2022. We did send basically all of our G3s though, which had only been retired two years prior. Fun fact: the PTR-91 is made with old Portuguese G3 tooling

Often wondered what happened to my old British Army SLR Serial No 26461 that I was issued with in 1986

In the New Zealand and Australia armies from the late 50s to late 70s including the Vietnam War the standard long arm infantry weapon was the FN FAL manufactured by Lithgow in Australia but was designated SLR ie self-loading rifle.

My father's unit had a record of capturing the "Australian Rifle" (fn fal, I think) in Vietnamese hands during the Sino-Vietnamese War, but due to lack of 7.62nato ammunition, this rifle was not given to the front line troops and was given to truck drivers to replace the Type 54 submachine gun (Chinese made pps43).

Great video! That brings back memories, I loved the FN FAL and wasn't happy when it got replaced by the FN FNC early 90s. But the FN FNC turned out to be a very reliable rifle. It served the Belgian Army good in conflicts all over the world.

FN used in South African Police..definitely the rifle to have in a gun fight..practically shoots through anything..👍❤️

Thank you!

You can do much worse than to be armed with a FN FAL. Used one in the South African "bush war" in Angola. Lubricated with baby powder instead of oil because of the dusty conditions in ran flawless and was more accurate than any other rifle used in the conflict.

A few US civilian gun companies have sent pistols to Ukraine, including Kimber who weirdly sent sub compact pistols for some reason. Would be interested to see a video on that topic

How can we get them more 20 round magazines? DSA here in the US makes a polymer magazine that works very well and would eliminate the 10 round magazine restrictions and weighs a LOT less than the steel mags that originally came with the FAL. And DSA also makes an exceptional optics mount that replaces the top cover. It has a Picatinny rail on top for easy mounting of optics that will let them make the best use of the rifle.

On Deutsche Welle english this morning, they reported that Belgium has shipped to Ukraine the following from their arms warehouses: FAL, FNC, M4, and SCAR. No details were provided, just what has been shipped

Love the FAL, I think the anonymous soldier just needs some larger capacity mags, a rail from the US so he can mount a scope, maybe his version also does not have the sand channel. and then maybe he would learn to love it. More accurate, harder hitting and longer range. With all the open space in Ukraine I would take the battle rifle over an assault rifle, depends how much FIBUA your doing.

God this bring back memories from when I was in the British army

This was a 👍 while the ad was playing!

I love the inch pattern L1A1. I grew up drawing them.

2:25. That is either an Argy or DSA carry handle - the forward edge is bugle shaped. This is a consequence of using a later "long" style carry handle plastic, on an earlier style "short" stem/wire. The lack of paint on the handguard metal, and the bevel on the top radius of the rear sight, make me think the rifle is Argentine in origin.

Like anything, it’s how you use it. The FAL still has some fight left in her.

Dmytro was my neighbor in 2019 and my first friend in Ukraine. All around cool guy.

The FAL with rattle can and fur goes hard, may need to clone that.

This would be my choice of battle rifle. Superb piece of kit. I could still strip and reassemble it with my eyes closed. Not good in automatic, but still a great weapon. They are 20 round magazines not 10.

Could I ask, if a donor were able to obtain a couple or 4 20 round metric FAL magazines, & a Gucci replacement Para FAL top cover with a rail on for scope mounting, would you be able to get it into the hands of the user who mentioned he only had iron sights & 2 10 round mags, with no way of mounting his thermal optic?

The first rifle I was issued was an FNC1. Serial number OL0709. I loved that rifle. I am two metres tall, and the rifle comes with different butt sizes. The XL fit me perfectly. The rifle was comfortable to carry all day. It was very accurate. The sights were quickly adjustable and allowed for rapid target acquisition. And the 7.62 round has excellent stopping power. The only real disadvantage is that the 7.62 is really too big with too much recoil. It was designed for a 7 mm round, which would be better for anyone who is not as tall as I am. When the government made the political decision to allow women into combat arms, it was necessary to switch to the small 5.56 round. I also really like the FNC2 LMG. Almost all the same parts as the C1, so easier logistics. The issue with the old BREN gun is that the BREN has a two-man crew, with the #2 carrying the spare barrel. It is not all that much extra weight to add the rest of the gun to the spare barrel, so that instead we now have two men carrying two guns.

I wonder if any country ever produced a FAL variant ment for a marksman role. It already comes with a bipod and a good length of barrel along with a round that can go the distance. The lack of optic mounts would be the issue a special variant would need to address.

We had them issued in late seventies and early eighties,most of us said it was showing its age then,I would imagine though being hit with possibly the 7.62 calibre would err have some effect especially wearing body armour👹

Canadian army 1970, notice the carrying handle at the point of balance, and the flash eliminator of the slotted type, 10 lbs with a 20 round magazine.

Best New FAL is made by DSA in Barrington, Illinois . Very low recoil for a .308 👍🏻

Noice, waiting for Barrett 50 cal soon

Great powerful round for a strong gun

I know of a person who used a G3 i dont know if he has a photo of it, but from what i remember he said that when he found it he had no mags for it and had to load rounds one by one. If i remember correctly he had said this in a video where he was explaining what he was doing in Ukraine after getting out to Azel the youtuber.

There's one manufacturer left in the USA that still manufactures the FAL. This manufacturer is called DS Arms. The variant that they manufacture is called the SA-58, which was patterned after an Austrian licensed version of the FAL. I know that some police and military units in South Africa and South America are customers of DS Arms. From my understanding, said rifles are popular and well liked. If enough of these FAL rifles reach Ukrainian Soldiers, there will definitely be a market for the FAL. I think the shorter barrel versions would be better suited for Ukrainian troops in CQB situations.

It's how you can tell your sides winning when you have to cobble together small arms from literally EVERY military calibre and from all around the world.

Mostly for Ukraine's type of warfare the FAL would not be the most suitable rifle but it would be useful for marksmen and down to mid range work.