Nice. I really appreciate a rebuild as an original battle rifle.

 

looks good to me bub.

would love to see a shot of the whole set of them together... dunno know why bu tthats always cool to see all sides.

 

I like the looks as well. Wish I had picked up more of those painted FAL mags Tapco used to sell cheap. Many of them were dated as well as having the Rhodesian camo paint added.

 

i bought about a dozen of them when they were cheap, but i don't have a clue where they are now. i will find them as i dig.

ron

 

i got up this morning and dug out 2 of the SOUTH AFRICIAN fal's.
one is a rhodesia rifle. marked RA it has the three colors on it now and need to be rubbed to get a little more of the paint off of it ( it had most of the colors still on it when i got it and i was able to get a good color match for all three colors). 2 shades of green and then a mix of the 2 shades of green to make the third color.
it is in the first picture. it was an excellent demilled kit ( i went thru several kit to find this one, most SA kits were trash)
the carry handle on this one was intact, so it is on there like that. ( most were broken off)

the second is a zimnanwe fal, also an excellent demilled kit,( this was a contract import of the imbel rifle) it is marked ZA. it has 3 of the 4 colors on it now, i will add the dark brown color later, i let the paint set for a few months then i rub off the paint in the typical rub spots. (2 shades of green, tan/kaki and a dark brown.)
second picture. the carry handle on this one was broken off. ( as were most SA rifles were)

i have the original mags for each of these rifles ( it came in the kits). in a box somewhere.

notes: both of these rifles had paint on the barrels, some of the SA rifles did and some did not. also some had paint on the rubber butt plate, the RA did and the ZA did not.

the red/orange numbers on the stocks will be added later.

none of these will have a attached sling.

both rifles are 922r compliant.

on the paint, i tried auto paints, didn't hold up well and i did not like the look of it. so, i went to LOWES and the girl there was able to match the colors perfect. it is the best exterior enamel paint they sell. they will mix it into a small sample size ( 1/2 pint) for around $3.00 each. it is more than is need for several rifles.
i took a hand guard and the pistol grip for them to scan. the paint for the RA and ZA are the same 2 green shades. except that 1 or 2 more colors were added to the ZA rifle when they got the RA fal's. (i have looked at several of the ZA fal's and it usually does not have the 2 green mixed color on it.)

HOW ABOUT SOME OF YOU GUYS SHOWING US YOUR SOUTH AFRICIAN FAL'S AND TELLING ABOUT THEM.

 

do you have the paint codes or do they get it right the first time at lowes? ive got a para mutt in the works thats not going to be totally SA but I really like the paint so im thinking of doing the used finish on it

 

johnny,

i have found out that there are several different paint colors that were used. if you have any of the paint left on one part they can match it pretty close.
what i have been using is the best enamel house paint that lowes sells. Get it in the 1/2 pint sample cans. it has held up better than any of the auto paints i have tried. it took the girl 5 or 6 times to get the color just right on the first one. the second one she got it right the first time.

i will look down in the shop tomorrow and see if i can find the paint cans and get the codes off of them.

i don't have the dark brown paint yet, so i will not have that code yet.

UPDATE: i forgot, i gave my paint to another builder. i called him and he gave it to someone else and does not remember who it was.

ron

 

I love the South African Fals. The paint jobs are all different. I am ready to get mine barrelled and headspaced on my receiver.

 

Rhodesia was supplied with rifles made in South Africa during the arms embargo. In South Africa the early R-4 rifles had wooden handguards, carry handles and floating firing pins. In 5.56 there were a lot of slamfires. After about one year the R-4's were turned in to have the carry handles removed and to have the firing pins modified. The firing pin mod is a rubber o-ring with a retainer pinned to the firing pin. The o-ring is really bushing but it is called a "spring". The South African 5.56 ammunition was then made with very "hard" or less sensitive primers. Later South African tested the Steyr AUG but was it rejected because it couldn't reliably fire the South African 5.56 ammunition with it's hard primers.

The R-1 is the FAL, the R-2 is the heavy barrel FALO and the R-3 is the H&K G-3. The G-3's were issued to police units and mounted (horseback) troops. Some mounted troops with R-3's had the stocks changed for heavier stocks that changed the balance of the rifle and had an FAL type rubber butt pad. The plastic G-3 buttstock were found to crack easily. Many were Portuguese made but some were German made. South Africa tested the G-3 against the FAL and found that magazine changes in the G-3 took 4 times as long as the FAL. The G-3 was thought better suited for mounted troops though.

I was in Zimbabwe shortly after the war there. They had both FAL's and G-3's. There were bandits dressed in uniform that set up road blocks to rob people and there were also government road blocks and check points. Hard to tell them apart. Zimbabwe didn't allow anybody to enter the country that had a South African stamp in their passport. I had to "lose" my passport in a neighbouring country and have a new clean one issued before I could enter Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwean military almost took my camera when they saw me taking photo's.

 

another one of my SA fal's, no cammo on it. ( no paint on the kit parts when i got it.)
it is 922r compliant.

 

Posting to keep this thread open. I've got a parts set with some paint on it, ZA markings, bbl nice. Havn't built yet.

 

Sweet rifles posted here!

 

i was digging thru my boxes of parts and found some S.A. stock sets i had left over from some builds. most do not have any paint left on them.

i am thinking about cleaning them up (not repairing them) and puting a coat of paint on them like the S.A. FAL's had on them.

is there any interest on them? if not i will put them back in storage for later.

this is not an offer to sell at this time. i need to get some paint mixed for them, but if there is no interest i will not bother with it.

i am trying to get some money to buy more parts to build some more fals. ( it never ends)

see my pictures of a couple i did earlier in the first few threads.

ron

 

I was reading a post like this at the FAL Files a few years ago.
Someone matched the paints with some paint numbers.

Dupont Centari Automotive Industrial Paint:

• Forest Green-DS166A
• Yellow/Green-YS432A

 

that is it, i lost the paint numbers.
thank you very much.

for those that don't know there are 2 more colors.
one is an equal mix of the the two colors above ( gunplumber gave me this information several years ago)
(that is the colors for the RA rifles)

the 4th is a light sand/tan/kakie color. i will look and see if i can find the color number again) this was added to the Zambawe rifles (ZA) along with the other 3 colors.

there is not any perticular way the colors are put on the rifles. everyone one did it there own way.

ron