Rearming West Germany: The G1 FAL
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
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Today we are taking a look at a German G1 pattern FAL. The initial purchased of the G1 were actual made by the German Border Guard (the Bundesgrenschutz). In the aftermath of World War Two, the western Allies decided to perpetually disarm Germany, and German security was provided by French, British, and American forces. As the Iron Curtain fell across Europe, that attitude softened - West Germany was on the front lines of the Cold War, and could be a valuable ally against Communism in the East. Thus in 1951, the West German Bundesgrenzschutz (Border Guards) were formed and armed - basically with all WW2 Wehrmacht equipment. Looking to improve its small arms in 1955/56, the BGS tested a number of modern rifles and decided to adopt the FAL.
The BGS initially ordered 2,000 FAL rifles from FN, with wooden hand guards and a fixed flash hider (essentially a standard Belgian FAL) - these are known as the "A" pattern. A second BGS order for 4,800 more rifles followed, this time of the "B" pattern with a metal handguard and folding bipod. This was the first use of an integral bipod on the FAL, and would go on to be a popular option for other buyers.
In 1955, the German Army is reinstated as the Bundeswehr. Looking over the BGS rifle testing, the Bundeswehr also decides to adopt the FAL, and places and order for 100,000 rifles - the "C" pattern. These include sights lowered 3mm by specific German request, as well as a set of swappable muzzle devices (flash hider and blank-firing adapter).
Ultimately, FN was unwilling to license FAL production to West Germany, and this drove the Germans to adopt the Spanish CETME as the G3 rifle, which it was able to license. The Bundeswehr G1 rifles were eventually transferred to the BGS and later sold to other allies as surplus.
Special thanks to Bear Arms in Scottsdale, AZ for providing access to this rifle for video!
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I was once a police officer in the German Federal Border Guard, since 2005 named German Federal Police. I had entered service in 1993. At this time the G1 FAL was still in use, but mostly for firing tear gas grenades through an attachable firing cup (Schiessbecher). Your pronunciation of „Bundesgrenzschutz“ was pretty good, Ian.
Interesting... Turns out this beautiful long rifle is instead mainly used for firing tear gas grenades through an attachable can, that is something I could not have thought of
In Poland, kbkg wz. 1960 also have attachment to firing grenade. But I think if a gun have an attachable firing cup, it will be more versatile.
I have a friend that was gs9
Ian's German might be okay, but his French is atrocious.
Sunny - was this in addition to or in the place of your mandatory military service?
In it's early days, the Bundeswehr was sort of frantic to distinguish itself from the Wehrmacht. For example, at first they did not want to use the typical jackboots (Knobelbecher). But when they found that they really needed them nonetheless, they added a well-visible, yet useless extra buckle dubbed the "Demokratenschnalle" (i.e. domocrat's buckle) by the soldiers.
Interesting! Funny how concerned they were with optics at the time.
@@mrblack5145 they were before. thats why hugo boss designed the uniforms in ww2
@@patrikpape5768 Not entirely true. Actually hugo boss produced uniforms for wermacht and SS but they weren't designed by the company. Hugo boss was a an early nazi simpathizer jojining the party in 1931.
The Bundesgrenzschutz (BGS) on the other hand did not have any issues with distinguishing itself from the Wehrmacht or even the SS and quite happily used their camo patterns, rank insignia and more.
@@realQuiGonThey used the "old look" that the Russians at the Border don't mistake them with US Soldiers.
Another sometimes forgotten reason that the BGS wore stahlhelme and carried Wehrmacht kit was to look "distinctly German" to the East-Germans and Soviets. It was feared at the time that if border guards were kitted in M1 helmets and GI-style uniforms , an ordinary border patrol could be mistaken by Soviets for an American attack and trigger retaliation.
The , Wehrmacht ' pattern Stahlhelm was as , Einsatzhelm schwer' also used by Bereitschaftspolizei ( Riot Police, Barracked Police??) units up to about 1990. I, german, born 1965 , didn' t knew this and was rather surprised, when i saw such helmets in TV at state funeral of bavarian Governor Franz Josef Strauß in 1986 or 1987.
They were even drilled and used as kitchen collanders.
The British Frontier Service who provided border guides and liaison wore naval style uniforms to look different from the British Army soldiers on the border.
@@NickfromNLondon Interesting. The first head of the BFS was a Royal Navy officer, but I wonder if there might also have been an element of emulating HM Customs & Excise's naval-style uniforms.
funny that the eastern german NVA had uniforms to look distinctly german too. To be more german than the Bundeswehr to be precise.
The first name during the planning of the West German army was in fact "Wehrmacht", but was changed to "Bundeswehrmacht" in late 1955 and to the final "Bundeswehr" in summer 1956.
Wehrmacht was a generic term for armed forces (all branches) which only later became a special term for Hitler's armed forces. In older publications from the 50s Eisenhower is still called "Befehlshaber der US-Wehrmacht" ;)
@@JGCR59 Indeed. The Wehrmacht was devided into Heer, Luftwaffe und Kriegsmarine. Same with the Bundeswehr (Heer, Bundesluftwaffe und Bundesmarine).
I carried the G1 in my rookie training, but the g3 was used in all of our shooting training.
When we were sworn in after basic training, everyone was given their personal g3.
And all of this happened in the Turkish Armed Forces in the wery last days of the 20th century. :(
PS: I was a pretty good G3 operator, but I could never shoot with the G1, so I always felt sorry for it.
The FAL is celebrated, but I kind of lean toward the G3.
@@justinholland9844 I think some FAL's look better than G3's, and some G3's look better than FAL's. Google (not being bossy) FAL pics, and G pics, and you will see beautiful FAL, and G's with pic-rail, collapseable stock's, retractable stocks (G3's), etc. Take care.
I think the G3 still looks modern, also looks handier and more robust, and I think they get better accuracy.
@@justinholland9844 I think eversince everything adopted rails and mounting systems the G3 has been aging much more visibly. But the same goes for MP5s really. Neither weapon is obsolete, but time has been leaving them behind.
i was carried G1 in boot training in Amasya , there was a hole in rifle butt , previous period soldiers put in message here .
And now it's time to showcase the most common metric pattern FAL floating around in the US: The Austrian StG-58.
I'm looking forward to that, we were just transitioning from Stg 58 to Stg 77 when I was in.
I personally packed and manhandled some of those going to the US.
@@marcusott2973it's only fitting that you could buy one, if you were interested.
...I bought one of those Stg 58 kits in the mid 90s...lost it 21 years ago after my stroke in 2002...lost a lot of other good gun-related shit too...
...in the mid/late 90s I bought one of those StG kits from DSA...lost it after my 2002 stroke, along with a whole PILE of good firearm/reloading sh*t...
For anyone wondering, in the West German Army designation code: the G4 was the AR10; the G3 was the CETME; the G2 was the Sig510; the G1 was the FAL
TBH, Germans have a quite clever name code system.
Great video and thanks for it!
The system is simply counting the number up with each new model getting into trials.
The same code name system as the US uses. The M16 is the 16th rifle... (The M4 is the 4th carbine).
@@JohnHughesChampigny But the Germans are smart enough to use different letters for different things, so they don't have to distinguish between the M1, M1, M1, M1, M1 and M1.
@@ralfrude3532 it is not exactly as that. They test rifles (or pistols) when they are offered to them; and if they are good enough to be considered fit for service they asigne them a letter (g for gewehr or p for pistole or mp for machinen pistole) and the next number in chronological order even if they are not addopted.
What i mean is that it is a very simple and intelligent method that surprisingly not as many countries as any one would think use.
For example some countries use a code based on the year they adopt a rifle or when the rifle was designed (and sometimes they dont match).
Or like the US the put an M followed by a number no matter what you are talking about. For example in WW2, a sargent could get shoot at his M1 helmet and begin returning fire with his M1 Garand while he shouts to ask for artillery fire from M1 howitzers.
And that system went out the window after the cold war with the G36 and now the G95
My first rifle purchases was a G1 clone from a border guard parts kit on an Imbel receiver. A gem of my collection.
my dad always talked about that in boot camp here in Argentina there was a really skinny and small lieutenant that could mag dump two FALs at the same time
There's a great picture out on the internet of some BGS guys, in Stahlhelms, with FALs, jumping out of a UH-1 Huey. The vibe is off the charts
link?
We had this FN in the Austrian 🇦🇹 army too and it was a „fantastic“ assault rifle. We called it StG 58 (Sturmgewehr 58). After we got the Sturmgewehr 77 (AUG) from Steyr and we still have it and it will be always developed. Greetings from Linz Austria 🇦🇹 Europe!
Is there any research into a new service rifle going on in Austria? The AUG is preeeeetty old after all and wasn't super great in the first place (apart from looking amazing and sci-fi).
@@Hortifox_the_gardener There are new models based on the old one. I was for 35 years in the Austrian Army and worked as a armorer (Waffenmeister) and for me it is still the most fantastic assault rifle. The handling, aiming, maintenance and so on was the best I can Imagine. I had the opportunity to shoot with so many other guns but in a conflict I would never change my AUG StG 77 with any other weapon. Greetings from Linz Austria 🇦🇹 Europe! 😎👍💪🪖🍺🏔🐺
Fun Fact: There was quite a heated debate how the new German Army should be called, the two top contenders were: Bundeswehr and Wehrmacht. After all, the latter was though of the word for the armed forces of a country. Even forign news sources, like Pathé called the Bundeswehr initially "The new German Wehrmacht".
The reason why Bundeswehr eventually won out was not because of any negative connotation of the word "Wehrmacht", as back then the myth of the "clean Wehrmacht" was still in fully swing, but because Bundeswehr is a nice throwback to a) the old German empire of 1871 (the emperor was the Head of the "Bund") and b) the Bundesheer that existed from 1822 to 1866.
Don’t forget the „Reichswehr“ from 1919-1933. I rather think they just gave the armed forces their old name back. Scratch „Reich“ which is „empire“ as there was no such thing left and replace it by „Bundes“ which is „federal“. They did they same thing with the railway and postal services: „Reichsbahn“->“Bundesbahn“, „Reichspost“->“Bundespost“ and a whole bunch of other institutions.
Not to mention Weimar´s army was called Reichswehr, so Wehrmacht was quiet unpresedented in german history and actualy totaly toxic. By the way I never heard anything about that debate. What´s your source on this, if I may ask?
@@henninghesse9910
"Wehrmacht was quiet unpresedented in german history and actualy totaly toxic."
"I never heard anything about that debate."
Strong statements to put right next to each other there, bröther.
@@henninghesse9910 No, not really. Back in the day, it was usual to state that the "Reichswehr ist Deutschlands Wehrmacht".
"What´s your source on this, if I may ask?"
André Uzulis: Die Bundeswehr. Eine politische Geschichte von 1955 bis heute. Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn, Hamburg/Berlin/Bonn 2005, p. 29.
Before that the name for the Army was simply "Neue Wehrmacht" („Stets am Feind!“ - Der Militärische Abschirmdienst (MAD) 1956-1990. 1. Auflage. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2019, p. 201.)
@@Ruhrpottpatriot thank you
My grandfather served with this and the G3 during his time in the Bundeswehr. He was in an artillery unit, and apparently won a unit shooting competition, though I don't know at what level. He's suffering from dementia pretty badly these days, so I didn't expect a real answer from him when asking which rifle he had preferred, yet he very quickly stated that he liked the "FN" much more than the G3. Before this video, I wasn't sure why he called it the FN and not the G1, so thank you for filling in that gap for me. Imagine my heartbreak as a G3 fan and PTR-91 owner!
My father had one issued to him as a personal defence rifle in the early 1970's when we lived in Fort Victoria, Rhodesia. How it got there is a mystery, perhaps it found its way down from the Belgium colony of the Congo (Zaire)?
Could've been a British SLR they're pretty much identical at a glance
I have seen a RA electro penciled G1 with a combo added. So apparently a few made their way down there.
To my knowledge no imperial FAL's made it to Rhodesia?
All were metric models.
They purchased some from Belgium Pre UDI. But the vast majority of their FAL's were supplied by South Africa. Some were refurbished original FN's. Later on in the war they were mostly South African produced R1's.
@@mazambane286 I think you are right - they do not have the UK style of muzzle brake/flash hider
@@Simon_Nonymous Even if originally fitted with a different type flash hider, after refurbishment they were fitted with the type which can accommodate the P103 R3M1 rifle grenade (and detachable launching cup) known as a "skiet beeker" is SA. Plus were fitted with the grenade sight.
Mostly the old timber furniture was replaced too. Especially the forearm protector. And on some the buttstocks too.
South Africa received stock from all over. Even from Isreal. Prior to starting up our own manufacturing.
Sorry if my terminology is incorrect. I did all my military training in Afrikaans.
I've a deactivated 1958 G1, I suspect formerly in civilian ownership in the UK, pre-1988. It's got a hooked semi-only selector and ratty L1A1 wood handguards, and a polymer L1A1 carry handle. Missing the muzzle device also, unfortunately. I reckon some civilian shooter wanted to make it look a bit like an SLR. Would love the parts to get it back to original G1 condition.
Such a shame it's deactivated.
It is. It's "old spec" though, so not welded up. It can be operated and stripped, you can get an appreciation for function, drills and all parts (bar gas system). And it's nice to have a pre-1960 style FAL, even if it can't be shot.
My grandfather passed away at the beginning of last month and he was in the very first wave of recruits for the Bundeswehr. I think in his Wehrpass is marked, that he was trained in the "Gerät 1" as he always called it. I wonder if those Wehrpässe have a historic value and if it would be an idea to gift it to a museum or a collector or something like that
Still my favorite gun tube channel. I always enjoy learning the history of various small arms. Great job Ian!
The G1 was in use with the Bundesgrenzschutz till it´s end in 2005. After that the BGS units are reorganized and renamed in "Bundespolizei" (Federal Police). The Bundespolizei used the existing BGS G1s as well. The G1 was also in use with the "Bereitschafts-Polizei" of the German states, a kind of para-military and riot-control police units of the states, besides the "normal" police units. Both, the Bundespolizei and the police units of the states uses a small number of G1 till today.
It should be mentioned that the only real reason why regular German police units still maintain old 7.62x51 rifles at all is as a last resort option to kill escaped livestock. So it's only very very small numbers and they get seldom used, don't expect any police units to show up to a threat scenario with old G1s or G3s. There are some more modern rifles in that caliber in use as DMRs and such with special police units, but those won't be G1s or G3s.
A really close translation for "Dauerfeuer" would be "Continuous Firing"
making it S = Sicher = Safe, E = Einzelfeuer = Single Fire, and D = Dauerfeuer = Continuous Fire
And because of being an FN type of gun, we’re on the verge to seeing my most requested episode being the FN Minimi SAW. Time will tell as always.
The minimi is trash
I think he already has a video on it.
@@IIHawkGamingIIcry about it
@@IIHawkGamingII Worn out, poorly maintained Minimis are trash.
Trying to run them using the *intended for emergency use only* magazine.feed results in them not working either. (Funny, with every other "battle short" procedure in military equipment, folks understand that performance is going to degrade, but not with the Minimi...)
Running them over gassed (as the ones with adjustable gas regulators *invariably* are) results them in being trash. Which is why the adjustable gas regulators were replaced in early US M249s with non adjustable regulators in the PIP program from the 1980s, because Private Snuffy *always* ended up cranking it to "Adverse" because "SAW go BRRRT!" (Honestly, the SAW PIP should have kept the two position regulator, but changed the gas port settings to "Normal" and a smaller one intended to drop the ROF to where the magazine spring could keep up... note the Israelis looked at this issue with the SAW, and redesigned the Negev gas regulator early in development so the 3 positions it has are basically, "Magazine loaded", "Normal belt/Adverse mag fed" and "Adverse belt fed" as opposed to the original prototype design of "Off", "Normal", and "Adverse".)
Used properly, as what it was *actually* designed for (a squad LMG), and maintained *properly* (something noticeably deficient on most Marine Corps and non-Infantry US Army units) with parts replacement as spec'ed, they were fantastic, and a tremendous improvement over the previous options available. GPMGs (amd proper "full power" LMGs like the Bren) were too heavy and used different (and heavier and bulkier) ammo, automatic rifles like the BAR and bipod equipped battle rifles had both the ammo issues of the GPMG and were *always* substandard squad LMGs (and often unreliable and nearly uncontrollable), bipod equipped 5.56mm rifles couldn't maintain the weight of fire to act as a squad support by fire element, and the Stoner was proven in field trials to be an inferior idea if you had any other credible choices (note, when the SEALs bought and used them in more than trial numbers, there really weren't any better options available, they could afford to dedicate the maintenance time between missions to keep them running right... and they dumped them as soon as the M249 and lightweight M60E3 came along.)
@@geodkyt- not taking issue with anything you wrote just adding my unrequested experiences, haha. In my mech infantry unit, the SAW gunners were the team's two Automatic Rifleman. So yes, the M249 absolutely is a light machine gun but one where you get to be your own Alpha Gunner, carrying 600 rounds in tupperware plus that stupid green vinyl spare barrel bag, along with your ruck and TA-50, ugh. What a ball buster. People who only know how awesome the SAW is from Modern Warfare or whatever need to realize that humping one as you run a training lane in August at Ft Pickett while the OCs throw artillery simulators at you is somewhat less than fun, haha.
SVT-40, FAL, G3, M-14, and so on: there's something about these battle rifles that I just absolutely love! The M-16/M-4 and AK's are wonderful, but there's just something different about these bigger rifles; a certain beauty meets power all their own.
They will probably come back in some way or form. After all 5.56 doesn't fully cut it anymore with modern body armour. In some way they already had their comeback since 7.62 rifles were put into every squad as DMR. Funny how for instance the Bundeswehr equipped the soldiers with decades old G3s again.
Interesting to compare this to a G3A3. The Bundeswehr got rid of the bipod (except for designated marksman rifles), changed the lettering on the fire control group to S-E-F (F = Feuerstoss = Burst fire) and the muzzle device is screwed in place.
Feuerstoß in this case is not Burst Fire, but Full Auto. Burst Fire usually is a short burst of a limited number of rounds, like M16A2’s 3-burst. The G3A3 features Dauerfeuer, though.
Bundesgrenzschutz pronounciation is just fine :) As I said in another comment, they retained pretty much Wehrmacht style equipment in contrary to the Bundeswehr, including prussian style litzen and Wehrmacht style camo until the end of the cold war. Funny thing is a lot of BGS surplus camo got dressed up as Wehrmacht stuff by just switching labels. I heard of a guy in Czechia who literally bought a container full of BGS camo jackets which were almost identical to Wehrmacht ones for one Deutsche Mark and sold them on as the real thing for like 1000% profit :P
I'm totally fine with grifting the sort that want to pay top dollar for "genuine" Wehrmacht stuff
@@thatfriggingbathroom2656😅
@@thatfriggingbathroom2656Awfully assumptutious, but okay
In the immediate post WWII years, M-1 carbines were issued to various policing agencies in Bavaria- Forestry Police, Rural Police, Prison Guards, etc. A lot of the rifles are in as issued condition with early features because they never went back to the states for refurbishing. The Germans took excellent care of their weapons, they are probably the best examples of imported M-1 carbines you can come across. Many of the rifles have the top section of the peep sight removed as the Germans were more comfortable with the K98 sight picture as opposed to the ring and post of Garands and carbines.
Well... Peepsights kinda suck, I fully understand that decision.
Thank you for visiting the BGS FAL story Ian! Ive owned a completely matching numbers BGS FAL for quite a while and it has always been the gem of my collection. I knew a bit of the BGS history but this has taught me more of the background, very informative. Also learnt my FAL is quite original with the correct furniture, the serial is coincidentally quite close to yours.
Ive always wondered what the stamped out mark was, any light to be shed on that?
This was my fathers gun. He was a Panzergrenadier from 1959-63 and I have pictures of him wearing the splinter pattern suit that was cold and noisy, the awful paper thin copies copies of the M1 helmet and one wearing the hated "affenjacke"....old BW guys will know what I am talking about.
Hab ich in einem „Zeitgeschichte in Bild und Ton“ Video gesehen. Bis zur Einführung des Feldanzuges im Jahr 1960 sah die Bundeswehr ziemlich komisch aus
I have a G1 built on a parts kit with a Coonan receiver.
There is a technique to removing the flash suppressor without a tool. Seated, I place the butt on the floor with the front sight facing me. I then grasp the suppressor tightly with my right hand and twist the suppressor clockwise. It takes a little practice but, if done right it will twist right off. Just for you, I tried it with my left hand. It didn't work. Use the right hand and grasp low on the suppressor.
I had an L1A1, it was really really heavy. Yet shot tight groups.
Great video. Thanks Ian.
I've got a Century Franken-FAL. BGS Upper components, metal handguards w/bipod, Bundeswehr lower receiver, Belgium flash hider, the weird Century receiver. If I can get the flash hider off and replace it with a T-48 type, I'll be closer to the BGS last pattern (1956) FALs.
Few corrections from a german viewer:
The "Z" in the middle of "Bundesgrenzschutz" is pronounced the same as the "TZ" at the end.
The same goes for the "Z" in "Einzelfeuer".
And finally, "Dauerfeuer" actually translates to "sustained fire" or "continuous fire"
My father was a police officer in the 70s/80s, but not with the Federal Border Police. They had refurbished FALs in training. In addition to shooting in training, it was supposed to be used for tear gas grenades. The rifles were never really used in service in its time, shortly thereafter it was switched to the MP5 which was then used in normal service. I think it was easier than carrying around an FAL. Now I know where the FAL came from.
During my 14 months in service of Her Majesty Queen Beatrix in 1986-1987 (Lichting '86-3) I had a FAL that looked much like this German G1. Mine had a metal handguard too, but the flash hider was much shorter and it had no bipod. The sights were fixed ar 250 meters. Dutch serial number was 45992 or 45592, can't remember exacly.
The Dutch contract FAL has non-adjustable rear sight. The front sight has a dome protection. The flash hider is the standard combo device. The bipods are detachable. If you didn't see them on the rifle, they were removed and kept at warehouse.
Interesting to see how different the FAL is in different countries. Just the gas plug itself is so much different than the one in the Canadian C1 I carried.
Ditto from the L1A1 SLR I was humping about the bush here in 90-93. I still kinda miss that thing, even though it was a heavy bitch. Not quite as bad as the L2 AR though, with it's heavier barrel, bipod and pain in the arse 30 round mags. (AR was ~8kg versus the SLR 5kg.)
@@DAH1020 Assuming they were much like the Aussie version, I'd 100% agree with both of those statements. 😁
As a German, the "we need the sights to be 3mm lower" is such a German procurement thing to say.
I built one of those up about 30 years ago out of a parts kit and an embel receiver. It looked great along with my Austrian stg 58, L1A1 and Israeli FAL clones. What can I say? I was FAL crazy as a young fella.
Your Bundesgrenzschutz was pretty good. Thanks for sharing this interesting rifle.
I can only imagine the eye roll from the Belgian FN rep when the German general dropped that line about wounding vs killing the enemy.
thx ian. as per usual an informative vid. i served as a conscript compulsory military south african army young man, 2 year period 1983/4. this fairly heavy rifle nearly 'killed' us youngsters during first 3 months of basic physical training. we survived of course. one of the instructors' favourite torture exercise was to get us stand at attention as a platoon with the R1 rifle held above our heads, high up. our arms started shaking after some time. this then triggered the sado instructor to tell us "do you see the tree far away. bring me a leaf". we were super fit and sexy. discipline never hurts (eventually). we also amongst other things had to do a 1.5 (2,4km) run with it with loaded backpack and gear under a given time. cannot remember what the cutoff time was. it was hard. if you didn't make it you'd have to do it again after a bit of rest. the FAL we used was a south african product, the R1. solid thing. they cut off the carry handle like the rhodesians. the rhodesians probably sourced it from us. it was a good kicking shooter in 7,62x51mm. the muzzle device was very different from your rifle. shorter, stockier. rear facing ports, bayonet lug and could accommodate a rifle grenade. dark grey plastic/composite hardware all round. i stole my bayonet. nice self protection thing i keep in my vehicle
Dankie vir die diens wat u en al die ander jong "seuns" manne gedoen het.
Ahhhhh, @frannie swannie the old stand and suffer then run for it back and forth. Did in in US army infantry basic training earlier this year, but I was running with our version of your FN MAG.
The german police overall was rather militarized for the a while.
In west germany the WW2 Stahlhelm versions were used until the 90s and even new versions produced. Sumpftarn, the german late war camo, was adopted in a slightly changed Version for the Bundesgrenzschutz. They even had Police MG-Batallions equiped with MG42s until the mid 70s.
In east germany a similar police/paramilitary was formed called the KVP (Kasernierte Volkspolizei). They used recolored wehrmacht uniforms, Stg44s and other german and soviet ww2 Equipment at the start. That got later replaced by Equipment similar to the Equipment of the NVA (Nationale Volksarmee) before the KVP got disbanded and its members/units taken over into the NVA in 1956.
Kasernierte Volkspolizei became the Nationale Volksarmee after 1956 when the Bundeswehr was founded in West-Germany. East German border guards were the Grenztruppen der NVA directly under the command of the Ministerium für Nationale Verteidigung. The Bundesrenzschutz was under the direct command of the Bundesministerium des Innern.
@@senseo2848 Thanks for the correction on the change from KVP to NVA part. I wasnt Sure there
Only Bundesgrenzschutz ( of West German Federal Governement) and Bereitschaftspolizei units of west german states had been paramilitary.
Hello Ian,
your pronounciation for "Bundesgrenzschutz" is very good!
May thy see a possibility, to visit Suhl in Thüringen?
There are so many gunfactorys over the time in Suhl, like HAENEL, SAUER & SOHN, MAUSER, MERKEL ...., and also some GDR Kalashinkovs were produced here. Rumours said, they were exported to Ethopia for coffee. In the 80s there was the development of an new "Sturmgewehr" the "Wieger" in 5,56 mm. Also there were gun fairs in Suhl and near by Oberhof for civilian guns, hunting guns and sport guns, because in Oberhof there was a frost chamber, to shot sport guns for Biatlon.
The Hotels were cheaper, the possibilities to contact gun factorys in the warsaw pact for commercial sales were better.
Greetings from Matthias in Eastern Germany!
@@dayeeoliver have fun over here and enjoy your stay! I‘m not too informed about this tbh but I’d suspect that basically all of them have a lil museum and tour for visitors, bc they need any positiv PR they can get :D
When you pulled out the gas plug and I saw the gunk, it sent a shudder through me… spent a lot of time cleaning an FN half a lifetime ago.
I picked up a new/unissued G1, complete with 6 x 20-round mags and leather sling, converted to semi-auto only for the UK in 1984. Great rifle, but I changed the metal hand guard for a British SLR L1A1 plastic pattern, as the former got really hot really quickly. The bipod was not a lot of use and I changed the magazine catch for the larger L1A version.
Being a basic looking FAL video, I didn’t think this video would be all that interesting-I was wrong. God bless you Ian
Love the FAL. I saw the parts kit prices went from $99 to $1,000 + over a period of 10 years.
Thank you Ian, the rifle certainly does look better with the wooden grip.
The Soviets had proposed a unified Germany that would be neutral, like Austria, but the other Allies didn't like that, as they thought that the communists might have too much influence in Germany after the war. One benefit of the 3mm lower sights on C model is, the rear sight has a bit of play and even with the same amount of play, the taller rear sight would have larger movement at the higher sight aperture. The type 2 upper receiver not only has the extra reinforcement tabs at the rear, but the slots for bolt carrier have more material under them, as the lower lightening cuts are not as high as they are in the type 1 receiver. The FAL was originally designed without a flash hider, but the US requested a long flash hider, as the US-designed 7.62 NATO ammo had Winchester ball powder and there wasn't a method to produce ball powder with flash retardant at the time. It was thought at the time, that a slotted flash hider required slots that were several calibers long, in order to be effective.The FAL was supposed to be a, "lightweight" rifle, so the long flash hider was made fairly thin. It was prone to damage, so the later short FAL flash hider was overbuilt, being one of the heaviest 7.62 flash hiders.
Awesome, l love the FNFAL and all its variations
Every time a video about a FAL appears I smile ear to ear
I know this is a little off track. I joined the Coldstream Guards in 1974. I know this came in to British service in the late 50's. As a ceremonial rifle, it was superb. Far better than previous and post SLR's. Imho.
Bought a belgian fal from a guy on arms list for 2K when covid first kicked off. I knew nothing about the rifle other than they were special, and he didn't know anything about it but was desperate to sell his inherited weapons for a move he had planned. As soon as I saw it I knew It was REALLY special, I shelled out the money and went home and researched it. The serial number was listed on the ATF relics list, it was imported by browning in like 1973 or something as a fully auto variant. It was mint. I wound up selling it through the owner of shockwave via an online auction for $9500 and put all the profit down on a new car.... a car I love to this day :)
I have an early BGS FAL, type B iirc, kit I haven't had a chance to have built. I collect BGS gear and uniforms, I appreciate the look into the G1.
Nice G1. Thanks!
RE: FAL magazine shown. That mag body is a later pattern. The bent lips that retain the floor plate are wider than the early mag bodies. You might inspect your other mags and see if you have an early body.
RE: Gas plug and regulator. The regulator has nothing to do with launching grenades. It only regulates the firing of ammunition. When the plug is rotated to the Gr position, it cuts off all gas to the piston. If you were to fire any type of projectile off the muzzle using a grenade laughing blank and you left the gas plug in the Auto position you would most likely have a disaster and trotline weight minus a few spare parts. Won't matter if the regulator is full open or closed.
RE: front sling swivel. The sling loop was actually a 90 degree "L" shaped style. Also used on the Stg-58.
Tilting Breech guns really did have some potential.
Heck, in a Delayed Blowback system they're even simpler to engineer than Roller-Delayed guns.
Powerful yet heavy rifles, even with the plastic grips. Unlike the rugged AK 47 which keeps on firing despite abuse, the FAL range of rifles were prone to jamming through dust and dirt ingress.
I'd love for Ian to review my father bolt action rifle, it's a .22 but it's point of origin says Yugoslavia so it's stampings alone make it a rare rifle and because he bought it while in the reserve army it has back a story or a history, heck I'll even give him a chance to shoot it after so Ian if you're ever in Ireland give me a buzz and we'll sort something out
I like how you make sound effects for things like the bolt closing. I do that too
Had a bastardized parts kit version some years ago. Nice to see what was right and wrong with that gun. Just wish NATO had gone 8mm kurtz or 280 Brit, I probably would have kept the gun if it was significantly lighter even though it had a nasty vertical string.
Love the FAL. Such a beautiful rifle.
The Belgian attitude toward Germany seems understandable. After all Germany had occupied Belgium for 8 of the previous 40 years.
Eh, if France are okay with West Germany being in NATO, then I don’t think they need to be too concerned …
*De Gaullle being De Gaulle in 1966*
… *Takes a deep breath* Excuse me for a moment.
*Walks into the next room and screams every four-letter word know to man about the existence of France*
now they are occupied by EU
Up to 1790s ( 1792?) current Belgium was under the name , Austrian Netherlands' a regular part of HRE.
In the end Belgium was just part of German territory before just like the Netherlands.
Just like an ex that doesn’t want to get f‘ed anymore.
"Let's not make incredible amounts of money by letting them manufacture our gun and force them to make a better gun and not give us any money at all" does not seem like an understandable attitude. Especially considering how much more popular the G3 became. That's a giant loss in global market share for no real reason.
Your pronounciation, as always, is spot on. You could even pronounce the "z" a little harder, almost like "Bundesgrentsschutz", a german wouldn´t hear the difference between "Grentsschutz" and "Grenzschutz". Germans, btw, usually stick to "BGS" (" Be - Ge - Ess" ~ "Bae - Gay - Ass" . carry on, there is no intentional joke here, we are all adults).
I still miss my FNC1. Love to see the minor technical differences between the different national versions!
I was just thinking yesterday I wish I had bought one of those parts kits that came in about 20 years ago😢
I've seen the G1 in the hands of a BGS member in 1982, when we made a visit to the inner German border.
They were gone 10 years later. On my first visit to Germany in 1992 the BGS guy that checked our passport (with the classic stereotypical arrogant German manner...) had a G3 standing behind him in the tiny office he sat in
@@TheNorwegian il a été remplacé par le FN Scar 17 et 20, et même le 16 le meilleur fusil d'assaut, Paul Mauser a apprit son métier en Belgique, Le fameux Fusil MP 44 a été mis au point par des prisonnier de guerre belge qui travaillent a La FN , la légende parle du MP44, propagande le premier est le FN 37 qui est devenu 49, il y toujours eu une grande rivalité entre Allemand et Belge mais un respect , souvent la cause des Américains, aucune notion de géographie les fîtes belge sont devenues française ?
the dutch army too used the FAL, with the bipod,metal handguards and (usually?) plastic stock and pistol grip. and semi-auto only.
The day Ian is doing a FAL video is a good day.
My goodness gracious, what a beautiful rifle. This configuration of the FAL with the polymer pistol grip has to be the most aesthetically attractive rifle out there. I would happily auction off my internal organs to get my greasy little claws on one of these babies.
As a G1/BGS/BW Fal owner I've been waiting for this video!
Oddly, I have a Hensoldt scope that's marked in FARSI.. only adding to the complexity that is the early G1.. great video
I just picked up my G1 FAL for $800 (w tax!) at a pawn shop. I was hoping I'd see a video from Ian, thank you!
I fired the UK version of this (SLR) many times when I was in the RAF. It's good to see its German cousin here :)
me too!
You had me at FAL
No one seems to have commented on the condition of the gas plug and bolt face. After firing the L1A1 they would need to be cleaned till they shined like a new sixpence. A bottle of Jenolite rust remover would help, but woe betide you if you got caught.
Belgian conscripts rolled the carbonized piston between their hands in the sand bucket at the block entrance. Quickly, before the armorie closed , so they could leave base.
The head of a match fitted the inside curve.Vinegar cleaned the thing up nicely too.
Lowering the sights by 3mm may be the most German thing in weapon procurement I've ever seen, and surely explains why German weapon development was such a mess in WWII
my bud's had these and we used to play 'he-man' 3-gun back in the day ..... i could never get on the iron sights on these guns, my neck is too long/high .... i dunno .... i guess the 3mm is why ,.....
Was? It still is. But we are on a good way to purchase more stock components rather tha have everything tailored to the specific need of some General or Defenseministry purchaser.
Someone watched Perun videos.
But at least they didn't ask FN not to drill holes in the barrel and to incorporate a mechanism that the gun can still operate as a bolt action.
My all time favorite rifle. The FN FAL.
What a fine example of an FN FAL. Truly a fine piece of hardware. I don't think I really appreciated it as much back when I was a recruit in the Canadian Forces as I do today. I recall it bruising my skinny, bony shoulder at the range back in the day. FN C1A1 ;)
And hurting your shoulder during drill as well
In Turkish army you can still see them in training regiments doing their job, with bit of tear and wear especially on the metal handguards. The only unforeseen effect of having this rifle is, the "FN FAL" nomenclature never took hold in the TR army. Whenever this rifle needs to be mentioned, even non-German FAL specimens captured from the kurds gets registered as G1. Most Turks wouldn't know what an FN FAL is, but G1 is a universally known name, especially among the old generation.
In kurdish side of the discussion, it was a very different story. They considered this as the king of all rifles. Since their insurgents had a very little western made variety in their arsenal, (95% they were issued soviet AK, SKS, DP or PPSh's) FN FAL was considered items of status When a G1/FAL was recovered from a PKK dead, it would get extra attention because then you knew that you were looking at one of their leader's dead body.
An unintended consequence that would excite Intel weenies....
You actually nailed the pronunciation of Bundesgrenzschutz :) well done
You can actually remove the muzzle device with a firm twist instead of messing with the spring
FAL / G1 is a beast but solid performer. Like the G3 also
About 15000 would be sent to Portugal before the production under license of the G3 would start, around 1963.
I kick myself every time I think about the G1 I sold years ago… but still have my R1 and L1A1 clones.
I have a G1 receiver that was rebuilt by century arms when it was imported as a semi-auto sporter. I want those foregrips
Just by looking at that flash hider I can tell it sounds like someone hitting a bell with a hammer when fired
Another excellent video on what I consider one of the best-looking battle rifles ever produced and also my personal favorite...
I love my G-1 (209XXC) I purchased it back in 1987 thur Armex (Importer). My has the black plastic pistol grip. One of the best Class III weapons I ever purchased.
I've shot the SLR masses, and that bipod would really have helped at the range- maybe not so much in actual use, which is probably why we didn't get one......
4:42 "The Wehrm... The Bundeswehr"... common mistake, really. Especially if you look at the payroll files.
It's sooo cool how you care about german pronunciation (and "Bundesgrenzschutz" is not the easiest word!). Only few u.s. youtubers seem to do this. Nicely done! ("Bundeswehr" as well!)
Ian's obvious respect for Europe... not just European armaments but Europe in general... is really appealing. In much of the world Americans' relationship with guns can seem pretty strange but Ian commands complete respect.
As a Belgian, hearing Belgium listed in the 'major countries' category at 5:00 is hilariously funny.
I always thought that FAL meant "Fusil Argentino Liviano" (Light Argentine Rifle)
Nope, Fusil Automatique Leger.
@@ForgottenWeapons I know it now, but when I was younger I thought it was like the TAM (Tanque Argentino Mediano). It made sense in my mind. Thanks to Forgotten Weapons I know more of the history.
Actually, the BM59 in Italian Army was called FAL, fucile automatico leggero (same As French/Belgique, but in italian)
The mighty FAL..so iconic.
Great video. As always. If I remember correctly you made a video of the G11, G3 and now the G1. What about the G2 or the G4?
The G2 and G4 were the SIG 510 and Armalite AR10 respectively. They were not adopted; the designations were used in testing only.
@@ForgottenWeapons yes i know, but are there deviations, special features or markings on them, worth a video. If so please make one.
@@daddanet74 I suppose the main issue would be getting access to one of the trials guns.
@@onelonecelt9168 but who else could do it. Ian is Gun Jesus, he is the only person to find a G2 or a G4.
Your pronunciation of Bundesgrenzschutz is hervorragend 👍😀
This is also very close to the setup of the Austrian army variant STG-58 which appears to have most of the same features as the German army version. I'm guessing they took the cue from the changes the Germans made and since that one was adopted in 58 the timeline also makes sense. A lot more of those must have been manufactured and used since quite a few parts kits made their way into the U.S. afterwards.
Was the FAL even accurate enough for 3mm of sight elevation difference to matter?
i guess that depends on the distance. but it always matters no matter how accurate.
I carried one of the rebuild L1A1 SLR in the Australian Army and could make solid body shots out to 800m.
Don't know if this was common as I always felt mine was one of the better examples.
The Greek SF were using the FAL till the 1980s mostly long barrel para models with polymer handguards till they were changed by M16s and to an extent M4s (depending on the unit) later on. I had the fortune to check one out during my serve and i got to say it is an excellent battle rifle.
Interesting that sides of the mag well are asymmetrical. Never have seen that before.
Standard in FALs, as it allows you to use the mag well as a three sided magazine funnel for faster reloads, even with the nose and rock back locking (if you're right handed, anyway). Slap the magazine against the shelf (nice and wide opening to hit), and your magazine is automatically lined up to lock in. Quick and easy, even when not looking.
I don't think dropping the sights 3mm was inconsequential. I like a tight cheek weld, but on this rifle I had to push my face into the stock so much, it hurt.
This rifle has the trigger mechanism housing axis pin in the wrong way around , It is the large screw head behind the carrying handle .Back in the day [ the eighties ] it was an idication that the troops were stripping their weapon more than the regulations allowed , in the british army we called the FAL the SLR or self loading rifle .
I seem to remember hearing that the G1 wound up with the reservists (The "Grumpy old men with guns") for a long time.
The rifle my father carried when he was in the Royal Canadian Navy. One of my favourite weapons ever!