NATO accepted the T65 cartridge but most adopted the FAL. The tests favored the T44, and the Army adopted it. The T48 was tested against the T47, British EM2, and the T44 (M14). Army procured 3000 samples of the “T48” plus 200 heavy-barreled “T48E1s.” A trial run of 500 was made at H&R to ensure this “metric” design would work in inches, and 13 were made by High Standard. In thanks for liberating Belgium, Allied nations were offered royalty-free FAL licenses. After the United States convinced NATO allies that the 7.62x51mm (various loadings, based on the T65 case) was the best choice, FN redesigned the FAL for this round. By 1950 it was described in FN product brochures, but not contemplated in 7.62x51mm NATO. The first prototype FAL was demonstrated to Belgian and British military observers in 1948. The chief designer was Dieudonne Saive, the Browning protégé who perfected the High-Power pistol. By the war’s end it was mature enough to be produced for countries upgrading from Mausers-but it was World War II technology. The SAFN’s Model 1937 development continued in England when Belgium was overrun. The FAL may be considered both a contemporary and logical development of the Model 49 SAFN (Semi-Automatique-FN, or Saive Armee FN (in Belgian service, ABL Arme Belgique Leger). 280 British intermediate round, plus a run of 3,000 in 7x49mm. Although production of the FAL has almost always been in 7.62x51mm NATO, the first prototype was made in 7.92×33, the World War II German round, and exemplars were made in different trial configurations for the. It became one of the most widely used rifles in history because of its reliability, ergonomic handling and combat accuracy. It is gas-operated and magazine fed, with a breech that locks via a tilting bolt. The FN (Fabrique Nationale) FAL ( Fusil Automatique Léger-Light Automatic Rifle) is a self-loading battle rifle, usually with selective-fire capability when so enabled. No small arm will ever reach the production numbers of the ubiquitous Kalashnikov, but the FN FAL may have it beat for the scope of its distribution. It is in production as a civilian semi-auto in the United States. It still is a frontline battle rifle for some, and is fighting in Syria today. It was produced in the millions by more than a dozen countries. The “Right Arm of the Free World,” the FAL earned that moniker during a half-century serving some 90 nations, in more than 30 conflicts.
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