Fabrique Nationale FN CAL

Fabrique Nationale FN CAL History

In 1962, the United States adopted the famous M16 assault rifle, followed by widespread use of the matching 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge. The 5.56mm midline joins the full-powered 7.62x51mm round, the NATO standard ammo set for automatic weapons.

When the Americans went to war in Vietnam, they showed the M16 vigorously, proving that the intermediate cartridge was a sound investment. Arms manufacturers around the world observed events on the battlefield and concluded that the market needed a similar 5.56mm rifle system.

Fabrique Nationale of Belgium started designing this gun. By then it had achieved notable success with its famous FN FAL series (in 7.62x51mm NATO caliber), accepted by many participating NATO and non-NATO militaries around the world.

The same basic form and function was used for a smaller size automatic weapon system, which became the FN CAL ("Carabine Automatique Legere") in 1966.

Design work on the rifle began in 1963 and continued until 1966. Production began shortly thereafter under the FN Herstal banner, eventually delivering around 30,000 examples of this type from 1966 to 1975. The CAL is a rotary bolt-action pneumatic weapon (unlike the FAL and its sloping breech). Like the FAL, the CAL's gas cylinder is mounted above the barrel, and the main feed is a straight 20-round detachable magazine.

Therefore, iron sights are standard. The receiver is very clean, with a right-hand mounted charging handle (as opposed to FAL's left-hand approach). The front holds a tubular handguard that contains most of the cylinders and almost the entire barrel. A perforated muzzle brake covers the barrel. A sling ring is fitted under the barrel and on the stock.

The stock is either solid plastic or a double support skeleton - on the latter it is hinged to fold the receiver for a more compact profile. As usual, the pistol grip is ergonomic and the trigger group is directly in front. Then place the magazine well directly in front of the trigger group.

Early CALs were equipped with a fire selector that allowed single-shot semi-automatic, three-shot burst capability, and fully automatic fire.

In practice, the initial cost of CAL is high, mainly due to the quality construction and finish of most Fabrique Nationale products. In addition, the rifle proved difficult to disassemble and maintain on a regular basis, and some of the issues also focused on long-term reliability.

CAL eventually found few buyers in what is now a crowded market which became Gabon, Lebanon, Mexico and Morocco all of which led to its elimination from the Fabrique Nationale line after 1975. Its relative commercial failure led to its simpler, more complex, and less expensive cousin in the 1978 FN FNC, detailed elsewhere on this site.

From a sales standpoint, the FNC fared much better, becoming the standard assault rifle for the Belgian army, while being adopted by at least eight world powers, including Sweden.

Specification

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Performance

Changes