Imbel FAL Crooked Front Sight

[timthetoolman]

I picked up a Imbel receiver FAL recently via a trade and the front sight is cocked to the right (almost one o clock position  .  I've done some reading and internet searching to see what I can do to fix it up.  The extractor and barrel seem to line up just fine and I have fired it with no issues.  So my psuedo research leads me to the gas block and or the sight itself.  Does anyone have input on this before I start tearing it down?  Any special tools needed?  Also it is an inch receiver, but my mags are metric.  They work fine but are a little loose.  I have seen where others have modified the mags with a metal tab that is welded or brazed on.  Does anyone know where to get these, or is any interested in a mag swap?

 

Thanks!!   :up:

[Fourtyfive]

Without a pic of the business end of your rifle I can be of no help. The best place for info is http://falfiles.com and http://dsarms.com .

[seez52]

It's been a while since I built one of these but the barrel screws into the receiver. If the sight is canted to the right when sighting it usually means the barrel didn't get screwed in far enough. There's sort of a fine line between when the shoulder of the barrel bottoms on the receiver, and then how much more you turn it to finalize the install. These don't really go in as a crush fit, but (if I remember correctly) you want the initial fit to be in the 11:00 or 11:30 range (from the muzzle end) then put the pressure to it and bring it to 12 o'clock. 

 

It's not uncommon for new receivers to require the barrel shoulder be relieved some in order to get the proper fit.

 

You might want to check and see what your gas piston looks like. If it's too far off center then the piston may not be centered in the hole in the frame. You might also check and see where its shooting. If the sight is at 1 o'clock it maybe be shooting off to the side and the amount it shoots off will increase with the distance.

 

The fix is to remove the barrel, relieve the shoulder then screw it back on. You'll need both a barrel vise and a receiver vice because you'll be putting quite a bit of torque on them. Some people use a straight edge on the receiver and one on the top of the front sight to help them insure things are lined up correctly. It is also possible once you move the barrel, that it will no longer be headspaced correctly. Then you're into swapping out locking shoulders and so on.

[Fourtyfive]

I was about to go dig mine out of the safe and see if I could help but I'll wait to see what happens here.

[timthetoolman]

Well i started a photobucket account just to post the pics and I cant seem to get them to link...... uh where to i find directions for pic posting?

 

I tried posting links below...thanks for the help!

Edited January 4, 2013 by timthetoolman

[timthetoolman]

http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q689/timthetoolman75/photo2_zps714aa8db.jpg

[timthetoolman]

http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q689/timthetoolman75/photo1_zpsa21e1624.jpg

[Fourtyfive]

Like I said , the BUSINESS END , post some pics from the front at the sight post i.e.. gas block from the top and bottom. It would appear that the gas block is improperly installed. Your hand guards are tilted as well. You prob have the gas block wide open due to the fact that it is improperly aligned. 

[gjohnsoniv]

Smack it with a hammer.

 

Seriously though, don't do that, it was a joke.

 

It also looks like your entire front end is canted.  You might just want to pull all of it and start over.

[timthetoolman]

A gunsmith put the barrel on, this wasnt a home project.  The extractor is lined up well.  The gas block is set at 2.5 and holds the bolt open fine, turning it down it won't.  Yeah the handgaurds are jacked sideways as the bolt that holds them on and passes through the gas block lines up with the machined groove.  I will take it a bit further apart and see what i am contending with, but I think the gas port is lined up......hence my frustration.  I dont see how the gas block can be adjusted either direction if it has to line up with the port.  If I were to rotate the barrel and get the site straight then the extractor would be misaligned right?

[timthetoolman]

More pics:

 

http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q689/timthetoolman75/photo_zpsa6ad5775.jpg

 

http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q689/timthetoolman75/photo1_zps66786a77.jpg

 

http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q689/timthetoolman75/photo2_zpsbb229f99.jpg

[Fourtyfive]

The front is pinned , it appears that your barrel is installed incorrectly. 

[timthetoolman]

Unfortunately I think your right, but can the extractor line up any other way? Does it have some leeway in both directions to allow the gas port to be lined up?  

[Fourtyfive]

No

[timthetoolman]

So doesnt that mean that correct extractor position dictates the gas port position and hence the front sight?  How can these be clocked differently?

[seez52]

I recall having to do a little fitting on my extractor once the bbl was properly indexed.

I can't imagine the relationship between the sight and the extractor cut being too far off considering it was presumably a functional gun prior to the demil. Both items are pretty well in fixed positions.

If indeed they are out of whack I think the only way to fix it is to pull the bbl, re-index for vertical sight alignment and then address the extractor cut. If the cut is way out, more than can be corrected by fitting the extractor, the bbl may need to come back out so you can enlarge the cut. Might try and make some measurements after getting the bbl out and see just how much off it might be and work on the cut then.

I can't imagine that you'd need to make much of an enlargement.

[seez52]

With your sight canted, your gas piston should be noticeably not parallel to the bbl when you look at it from above.

Some barrels have a center hash mark on the bottom side.

[timthetoolman]

Yeah the piston is certainly off parallel compared to the barrel a bit, and hence the hand guards are a little twisted too.  Thanks for all the help.  I'm going to take it back to the gunsmith that installed the barrel for my buddy before we traded and see what he is willing to do for me.  Worst case I do it myself.  Something tells me a few "job specific" tools may be needed so I'll see if he will do it before I venture off on it myself.

[seez52]

Good luck!

[Caster]

Was this a Century build? If so, that explains everything.

[peejman]

What these guys are saying.  The barrel isn't timed properly.  And while it fires, I'll also guess its not been head spaced correctly either.  I wouldn't shoot it anymore until it's resolved.  FAL's are not like AR's and they're not like other bolt guns.  If a gunsmith did that, he/she didn't know what they were doing.  Taking it back to that person isn't likely to net you anything.

 

Yes, a barrel vise and receiver wrench are required at a minimum to fix it.  Alignment (timing) tools are also quite helpful.  Here's a good overview of how one is built...   http://www.cruffler.com/trivia-April01-background.html

[timthetoolman]

Thanks!  Great link.  I took it out to my shop, tossed it in the vise, and i couldn't budge it with the tools I have laying around.  So off to the gunsmith it goes.  What a PITA!

[seez52]

If your's is a Century receiver, part of the trouble might be that the builder did not chase the threads before assembly. all the ones I've seen have really tight threads so that the barrel is very hard to turn in. Once you run a tap through and chase the threads the barrel turns in easily and can then be set for proper indexing.

 

let us know how it comes out.

Edited January 8, 2013 by seez52

[timthetoolman]

Keep yall posted.  At this point I have about 3 people interested in buying the thing, so I may wait to see what the new "laws / awb" looks like and do so more trading.  Regardless I am still ahead as I traded a AMT Ruger 10/22 knockoff for it. 

[MarkInNashville]

Keep yall posted.  At this point I have about 3 people interested in buying the thing, so I may wait to see what the new "laws / awb" looks like and do so more trading.  Regardless I am still ahead as I traded a AMT Ruger 10/22 knockoff for it. 

2 things. If the gunsmith takes care of this and you would recommend him after all of this works-out I would like his name and number. I too have a knock-off FAL and you never can tell when you might need some help.

 

Mine has an inch receiver also. If you ever figure-out anything with the magazine would you mind posting a pic of it? I have heard of bending the latching tab out some but I've never had any luck with that.