Were We Going To Use The FN FAL?

[patches]

I didn't know the Army and Marine Corps trialed them, but they did.

 

A Marine at Quantico posing with one during trials, the solution as we see to carrying the large magazines for it was to use the M1910 Ammo BAR Belt.

[M1Garandy]

The T48, as I understand it, the USMC museum in Quantico has a number of these still. 

[Salvage Sailor]

We drilled with these on NATO honor guard details to be 'consistent' for parade inspections with our counterparts (British, Norwegian, Dutch, Belgian, etc.) but then ditched them and went back to our M-14's

 

 

[patches]

6 hours ago, Salvage Sailor said:

We drilled with these on NATO honor guard details to be 'consistent' for parade inspections with our counterparts (British, Norwegian, Dutch, Belgian, etc.) but then ditched them and went back to our M-14's

 

Great photo.

[Rhscott]

Would have been much better off with the FAL than that outdated M14.  The M14 had the shortest production span of any US general issue rifle.

[dcollector]

That great image of the FAL "might be" from the second set of US tests around 1953.

 

The first time the FAL was tested by the US army was in 1950.

The FAL and the EM-2 BOTH in .280 British (7.62x43mm) were tested and performed well. But, the US stipulated that they needed it in 7.62x51mm (T65) caliber, not the intermediary .280 cartridge.

*Dieudonne Saive designed the original FAL around the 7.92x33 Kurz round, it was Britain who requested the .280 caliber change. Dieudonne also developed the Browning Hi-Power pistol.

 

FN redesigned it for the rifle cartridge. However, despite the T-48 FAL Rifle performing well in the 1953 U.S. Army tests, The United States decided to adopt the T-44 Rifle as the M14 Rifle.

M14 was a pound lighter and contained less parts, and performed better in the cold conditions.

Also was a statement about it being able to be produced on M1 Garand machinery, which proved incorrect.

 

 

[HD-Ghost]

History comes full circle.  During the NATO trials of the 1950s, the .280 was deemed a better cartridge than the presenting .303 and .30-06.  But our Ordinance Dept pushed for the .30 bullet.  Now, in 2022, the Army has adopted the .280 Common (AKA .277).

Back in the day, the US was not keen on using other country's designs and weaponry.  The FAL did win the trials.  The rest of the free world used it extensively.  We took our ball and went home.

[patches]

Here's a Army Man training with it in 1955, unit and location unknown.