FAL built exactly how I want it....Franken style!

[xtriggerman]

I wanted a QD rail that could take a pounding with heavy optic if need be so I built this to my own spec. This is on a early CIA thumb hole Imbel that I picked up off GB. Now, its reconfigured the way I want it!
The blank and the starter.....
 
zero tolerance recoil plate

a cap to be welded over the stud extension yet.

All friction fit

The rear sight peep slide will be mod-ed into rear lock down latch over the 2 extensions.


Good thing the bolt cover top radius is exactly a 1/2" ball nose cut under the base.
 I guess this is one of those challenges that I had to sink my imagination into.









 That's the rear base in the raw. now the front hand guard is Israeli Light Rifle with a custom fabed accessory rail I cobbed out of a cheap China AR handguard.

The gas tube rings are made from aluminum bar stock & milled to fit the hollow channel under the rail. Also, I fit a steel front end to recoil up against the steel vented hand guard.

 Now for the finished unit with a fabed up L1A1 flip up peep made to fit the rail that is windage adjustable.



Rear base lock in open position.

Locked up rock solid...

I wanted a flip out handle that could be popped out with the flick of a finger or edge of the hand so I welded the handle locking edge out quite a bit more so it sticks out just enough to get at easy but still lives nicely in an over stuffed safe.

The scope base/cover slides off & on the receiver to perfect zero no matter what. The Century Imbel Franken is exactly what I want built over a first gen DSA Alloy lower. Now it can keep my SAR48 company!

[Chucktshoes]

You’re insane. 
 

I love it. 

[peejman]

Awesome is as awesome does I always say.  Very cool. 

[KahrMan]

Very cool.  Nice machining skills!

[Grand Torino]

You sir did a terrific job! Are you a machinist by trade?

[Quavodus]

That is cool as all get out. I love it.

3 hours ago, Grand Torino said:

You sir did a terrific job! Are you a machinist by trade?

I was gonna ask the same thing. They frown upon anything like that here where I work.

[xtriggerman]

Thanks for all the comments. I'm not really a machinist, machinist. I had machining classes in Gunsmith school that was on all manual milling & lathe. No DROS or CNC stuff for me. Just simple math off a caliper. I have to say the Grizzly bench top miller I bought about 12 years ago is like my 110v mig welder. I couldn't live with out them! My 29 year old Grizzly lathe is getting long in the tooth tho.... Maybe a new one is in order when I get SS checks in a few years.  

[MacGyver]

It’s great when you’ve got enough imagination, enough skill, and enough discretionary income to cool stuff. 

It also probably a benefit to not have to be overly concerned with screwing something up. 

Turned out great.  
 

[btq96r]

Very nice!

[Handsome Rob]

I want to give you my children.

That's an insane job!!! 

[TripleGGG]

Very nice 

[Erich]

Some mad skills.  I am sure your SAR48 is now pretty much second class with that uber optic setup on frankenFL. I would be more than happy to give that poor SAR a home so it does not feel neglected.

[xtriggerman]

19 hours ago, Erich said:

Some mad skills.  I am sure your SAR48 is now pretty much second class with that uber optic setup on frankenFL. I would be more than happy to give that poor SAR a home so it does not feel neglected.

IDK about that, I rigged the SAR for glass back in about 1986. One time it shot my Sierra 168 BTHP off max loads of W748 into a 10 rd 5/8ths hole @ 100 yds. Normally a flyer or 2 called out a 1.5" 10 string.  My rear mount M2 bipod was a success. Back in 86 scope options sucked so I did the next best thing....

THANKS for all the comments!

[JT59]

You should post this on the FAL files, they would find it interesting.

[Erich]

18 hours ago, JT59 said:

You should post this on the FAL files, they would find it interesting.

It would be polarizing. Folks appreciating the execution and work vs having a coronary about seeing an Imbel with holes drilled in it.

[Erich]

23 hours ago, xtriggerman said:

IDK about that, I rigged the SAR for glass back in about 1986. One time it shot my Sierra 168 BTHP off max loads of W748 into a 10 rd 5/8ths hole @ 100 yds. Normally a flyer or 2 called out a 1.5" 10 string.  My rear mount M2 bipod was a success. Back in 86 scope options sucked so I did the next best thing....

 

Ok, now you're just showing off. Once you get a shooter like that, you'd never want to get rid of it.

I remember when CDNN was liquidating the SAR's...looks like the buyers showed just how smart they were about appreciating those gems.

[Chucktshoes]

59 minutes ago, Erich said:

It would be polarizing. Folks appreciating the execution and work vs having a coronary about seeing an Imbel with holes drilled in it.

Yeah, it would be hella hilarious. 

[xtriggerman]

8 hours ago, Erich said:

It would be polarizing. Folks appreciating the execution and work vs having a coronary about seeing an Imbel with holes drilled in it.

Yeah, your probably right! Dealer on that gun was $789.00 when I ordered it. It wasn't perfect either. The thing was throwing fliers no matter what I put in it. Then one day when cleaning it carefully, I noticed the cleaning rod had ever so slight a bind just before a snug swab popped out of the bore.  Apparently they crushed the bore when they treaded the muzzle. So I cut that off and put on that contraption you see there. When I used to work at Auto Ordnance, Numrich Arms had a steel scrap barrel in front of one of their parts ware houses right next to AO. I would go at that barrel lunch time and find all sorts of broken gun parts and various bent barrels.... goodies. One day a M14 muzzle brake was laying in the dirt not far from the barrel. The spline end was broken off. That's what you see on the SAR. I turned the broken end to fit into the original base end, then silver soldered it in there. Thing is I never opened up the gas port despite cutting about 3/4" off so I run it with the gas port shut so it would eject. I should drill it out since once in a while I get a fail to eject but it shoots so dang well, I'm afraid to touch it now. Murphy may pay me a visit..... prick that he is.