An FAL
last-round-bolt-hold-open project
Subtitled, "My Adventures in WECSOG"
This was the weekend that I decided my Franken-FAL (CAI L1A1 parts, IMBEL
upper, usual ass't of USA-legal parts) had to have a last-round-bolt-hold-open.
Yeah, I know for you pro's this is amateur-ish stuff, but if these instructions
just help one child out there, then this would have been worth it.
(wait a minute, I think that was from the wrong liberal ad campaign)
First, pull the bolt hold open pin.
See that standard head screw just above the magazine release lever?
Unscrew it. If you didn’t already know
it, you should use a parallel side blade type screwdriver, rather than a
regular one to avoid dinging up the screw head. Like the way this one is.
Once it's unscrewed, the bolt hold open pin just drops out. I’ve had some that were tight. Use your discretion. Note very carefully when you pull it out how
the pin is oriented, and also how the screw you just removed fits through the
opening with the spring and holds everything together.
The pin I had has different size openings depending on what side you checked. That’s
the hole at the top on the right side. The
smaller size I was just able to drop a #48 drill bit (the poor man's
micrometer) in, or .0760 of an inch. That's very close to 5/64 if you do the
math.
Off to the local hardware store. Best I could find for roll (friction fit) pins
was 3/32. Hey, in the WECSOG world, ain't that close enough? Bought a couple, at the high price of $0.13
each. They didn't have an assortment bag. I got two each, ½" and ¾"
length.
The larger opening wasn't a problem. Just to make sure I wouldn't split the Bolt
Hold Open lever driving the pin through the smaller opening, I scrunched the
end of the roll pin down some to make up for that other 1/64". Vise Grips are our Friends.
Driving the pin in. While somewhat high tech for WECSOG, I actually had a brass
hammer and a piece of brass stock.
Driving the pin back out. If you didn't catch it in the last picture, go back
up and look again. I put the pin in backwards. [sigh]
I drove the pin all the way through, and then some. When you put the Bolt Hold
Open pin back in, you’ll need to make sure there’s none of the roll pin is sticking
out the back. Just take a file to the
back part and hit the edges a tad to make it match the original contours. You’ll be able to tell immediately if it
doesn’t slide back in.
With the bolt hold open pin re-installed, this is what it looks like. As you
can tell, it's kinda long.
Cutting to the chase and leaving out various pin insertions and removals,
here's what I came up with. I took one
of the longer pins and trimmed it down some. The one I used is the one in the
middle.
Final result with an empty magazine. It works perfectly. After trimming, it sticks out about ¼". Looking at it from above, it's almost the
same amount of projection as the ejector. Please note: if you have different
brands/flavors/types of magazines, you have to test them all. I only have ten, they're all the same type
except one. I tried this with all of
them, just to make sure they fit.
All the odd's 'n ends used in the project. I just got this table, so it's about the only horizontal surface
in the garage that isn't covered up with junk.
And now it looks like it’s well on its way.
Standard disclaimers:
Void where prohibited.
If you screw up your rifle, your fingers or your life, don't blame me.
Don't use live ammo during testing unless you want to face the possibility of .308 diameter holes in your house.
Your mileage may vary.
No animals were harmed in this production, although once I did have to take a break for a belly rub for Molly dog.
The word "loquacious" was not used gratuitously.