kajuntriton
*Banned*
OK 1st thing first: Cost..... We are talking a complete rifle; well they can run from ~$700 to ~$2500 depending on the rifle and where/what you get. Honestly NOT that much more expensive than todays poodle shooters! Yes ammo is a bit more!
Mags??? Not sure what you mean there, but I only have the metric version rifles therefore I only have metric mags. I have paid from $15 to $25 per mag depending mainly on cosmetic condition, some were completely bare with slight rust some were as new and some have been either painted or parkarized. I have all metal mags except for 11 in my collection and these 11 are BELGIAN Hiduminium Mags which is basically an aluminum light weight alloy. Not much too them as long as the feed lips are not bent and or damaged.
Ammo, I have been buying various ammo (haven't started reloading yet but I am getting VERY CLOSE!) Aussie ammo is the schite! Love it in all my FALS, I refuse and will NEVER run steel case ammo thru my FAL's or AR's. Ammo prices are like most, high right now! I just look for deals and buy in BULK!
If you do reload, when you are purchasing surplus ammo, make sure you know what you are buying! You should know if you are purchasing corrosive or non-corrosive ammo! I will shoot corrosive in mine just because I am so anal about a clean weapon! BUT this is not something I do often, there isn't enough in price savings to by corrosive vs. non-corrosive! Also something to look out for is the primers, some are boxer primed and some are berdain primed. The aussie that I like so much is Berdain primed they not something you will reload! Also FAL's are very hard on cases, most people say only 3 reloads/case. I cannot say for sure yet; although I should be able to expound more on that in a few months!
HAHA Well yes, when first getting started into the FAL addiction, it can be very overwhelming! SO many variations, so many foreign country contracts. Again Inch vs. Metric Search the internet and try not to get overwhelmed! Check out FALfiles.com very knowledgeable guys there that know from a lil (Like me) to those that seem to know just about every variation, model, and year of contract for each country served by FN.
As far as how used is too used? Like most firearms look for the obvious, frosting and pitting on the barrel, check the lands and groves. Check the throat and muzzle erosion REMEMBER, unless it is an American made after market barrel, these things could be as old as 50+ years old.
Like I was told when I started until you learn more it is safer to stay away from a few of the receivers (such as Century and Hesse) you will learn more about these as you go. Just better to be safe in the beginning than sorry. Look for a rifle that has either a DSA, DCI (Dan Coonan Industries), an Imbel, or lastly an Enterprise upper receiver.
I would HIGHLY recommend a complete rifle for your first. Find one that has been shot, not just a safe queen! These things are TOUGH as NAILS!
ALMOST as tough as a GLOCK!
Ok I had to add that for the Glock fans!Like the pics in the post above these things can be finished with almost any finish you can imagine. Some guys even like to find complete kits, purchase a DSA or DCI receiver and NEVER touch the finish of the rifle, they like it to look battle field fresh!
I know this is a broad discription and may not be exactlly what you were looking for but there are no straight up easy answers.
Hope this helps!
