FN CAL: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Belgian assault rifle}} | {{Short description|Belgian assault rifle}} | ||
{{Infobox weapon | {{Infobox weapon | ||
| name = FN CAL | | name = FN CAL | ||
| image = FN CAL close1. | | image = File:FN CAL close1-noBG.png | ||
| image_size = 300 | | image_size = 300 | ||
| caption = FN CAL on display at the [[National Firearms Museum]], [[United States]]. | | caption = FN CAL on display at the [[National Firearms Museum]], [[United States]]. | ||
| origin = Belgium | | origin = Belgium | ||
| type = [[Assault rifle]] | | type = [[Assault rifle]] | ||
<!-- Type selection -->| is_ranged = Yes | <!-- Type selection --> | ||
<!-- Service history -->| service = | | is_ranged = Yes | ||
<!-- Service history --> | |||
| service = | |||
| used_by = See ''[[#Users|Users]]'' | | used_by = See ''[[#Users|Users]]'' | ||
| wars = [[Vietnam War]]<br>[[Communist insurgency in Thailand]] <br>[[Colombian conflict]]<br />[[Nicaraguan Revolution]]<br />[[Myanmar conflict]]<br />[[The Troubles]]<br />[[Lebanese Civil War]]<br />[[Tuareg rebellion (1990–1995)]]<br>[[2014 Gaza War]] | | wars = [[Vietnam War]]<br>[[Communist insurgency in Thailand]] <br>[[Colombian conflict]]<br />[[Nicaraguan Revolution]]<br />[[Myanmar conflict]]<br />[[The Troubles]]<br />[[Lebanese Civil War]]<br />[[Tuareg rebellion (1990–1995)]]<br>[[2014 Gaza War]] | ||
<!-- Production history -->| designer = Ernest Vervier | <!-- Production history --> | ||
| designer = Ernest Vervier | |||
| design_date = 1963–66 | | design_date = 1963–66 | ||
| manufacturer = [[FN Herstal]] | | manufacturer = [[FN Herstal]] | ||
| production_date = 1966–1975 | | production_date = 1966–1975 | ||
| number = Approx. 30,000 | | number = Approx. 30,000 | ||
| variants = <!-- General specifications --> | | variants = | ||
<!-- General specifications --> | |||
| weight = 3.35 kg (7.385 lbs) | | weight = 3.35 kg (7.385 lbs) | ||
| length = 980 mm (38.58 in) | | length = 980 mm (38.58 in) | ||
| part_length = {{cvt|467|mm|in}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://weaponsystems.net/system/179-FN+CAL |title=FN CAL. |publisher=Weaponsystems.net. |access-date=13 February 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305005225/https://weaponsystems.net/system/179-FN+CAL|archive-date=March 5, 2023}}</ref> | | part_length = {{cvt|467|mm|in}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://weaponsystems.net/system/179-FN+CAL |title=FN CAL. |publisher=Weaponsystems.net. |access-date=13 February 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305005225/https://weaponsystems.net/system/179-FN+CAL|archive-date=March 5, 2023}}</ref> | ||
<!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->| cartridge = [[5.56×45mm NATO]] | <!-- Ranged weapon specifications --> | ||
| action = [[Gas-operated reloading|Gas-operated]], [[rotating bolt]] | | cartridge = [[5.56×45mm NATO]] | ||
| action = [[Gas-operated reloading|Gas-operated]], [[rotating bolt]] with [[Interrupted screw|interrupted thread]] | |||
| rate = 850 rounds/min | | rate = 850 rounds/min | ||
| velocity = | | velocity = | ||
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* {{Flag|France}}: Tested the CAL in the late 1960s and early 1970s for military adoption. It had a [[MAS-49/56]] style rifle grenade launching system. But was never adopted. <ref> {{cite book |last= Huon |first= Jean |date= 2010|title= Le FAMAS et son histoire |trans-title= The FAMAS and its story|url= https://crepin-leblond.fr/armes-d-epaule/607-le-famas-et-son-histoire-9782703003366.html |language= French |page= 43|publisher= Crépin-Leblond Éditions|isbn= 978-2-70-300336-6}}</ref> | * {{Flag|France}}: Tested the CAL in the late 1960s and early 1970s for military adoption. It had a [[MAS-49/56]] style rifle grenade launching system. But was never adopted. <ref> {{cite book |last= Huon |first= Jean |date= 2010|title= Le FAMAS et son histoire |trans-title= The FAMAS and its story|url= https://crepin-leblond.fr/armes-d-epaule/607-le-famas-et-son-histoire-9782703003366.html |language= French |page= 43|publisher= Crépin-Leblond Éditions|isbn= 978-2-70-300336-6}}</ref> | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| Line 71: | Line 74: | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist}} | {{Reflist}} | ||
==External links== | |||
{{commonscat|FN CAL}} | |||
{{FN Herstal firearms}} | {{FN Herstal firearms}} | ||
| Line 77: | Line 83: | ||
[[Category:Assault rifles of Belgium]] | [[Category:Assault rifles of Belgium]] | ||
[[Category:FN Herstal firearms|CAL]] | [[Category:FN Herstal firearms|CAL]] | ||
[[Category:Long stroke piston firearms]] | |||
[[Category:Trial and research firearms]] | [[Category:Trial and research firearms]] | ||
[[Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1966]] | [[Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1966]] | ||
Latest revision as of 20:54, 11 December 2025
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The CAL (Carabine Automatique Légère, Light Automatic Carbine) is a Belgian assault rifle that was manufactured by Fabrique Nationale. It was the first 5.56 mm rifle produced by the Fabrique Nationale. It resembled the company's highly successful FN FAL, but was an original design. Unlike the FAL, it was a market failure, although its development led to the more successful FN FNC.
Design details
Prior to the development of the CAL, FN had already constructed a scaled-down FAL prototype before shelving the idea as unmarketable. Noting the growing sales success of the cheaper and simpler HK G3 rifle, FN decided that for any future rifle to be competitive in the marketplace, it would need to use fewer expensive precision-machined parts. These would be replaced by less expensive castings and stampings where possible. While the construction of the new CAL reflected these design principles, it was still relatively expensive and complex, and met with no significant sales. It was eventually dropped for the even less expensive FN FNC.[1] A small number of FN CALs were sold to the civilian market in the US.
Operation
Although the weapon resembled a scaled-down FN FAL, it in fact used a rotating bolt, unlike the FAL, which used a tilting bolt design. The earlier models of the CAL had a three-round selector system, which allowed the weapon to fire a three-round burst with each trigger pull. The CAL could also fire in fully and semi-automatic modes.
The gun used long stroke gas piston to operate the bolt carrier, and the bolt itself had interrupted lugs to lock it into the chamber.[2] Locking lugs were cut diagonally at a steep angle. So while the bolt is rotating to unlock, bolt face is slowly moving back, giving primary extraction of the case. Similar feature can be seen on MG 30, MG 15, MG 17 and MG 34.
Users
- File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium
- File:Flag of Colombia.svg Colombia[3]
- File:Flag of Gabon.svg Gabon[4]
- File:Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland: Provisional Irish Republican Army[5]
- File:Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon: Lebanese Forces[4]
- File:Flag of Mali.svg Mali: People's Movement for the Liberation of Azawad[6]
- File:Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico
- File:Flag of Morocco.svg Morocco: Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie[7]
- File:Flag of Myanmar.svg Myanmar: Karen National Liberation Army;[3] captured by the Myanmar junta [8]
- File:Flag of Nicaragua.svg Nicaragua: National Guard and Sandinistas
- Template:Country data Palestine[9][3]
- File:Flag of Thailand.svg Thailand
.svg){kind=link}
For trials
- Template:Country data Pahlavi Iran: Tested the CAL for consideration to the Imperial Iranian Army, but was never adopted.[10]
- File:Flag of France.svg France: Tested the CAL in the late 1960s and early 1970s for military adoption. It had a MAS-49/56 style rifle grenade launching system. But was never adopted. [11]
See also
- FN FAL, 7.62mm NATO predecessor
- FN FNC, successor
- List of assault rifles
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
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- ↑ a b Jones, Richard D. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition (January 27, 2009). Template:ISBN.
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- ↑ အကြမ်းဖက်လုပ်ရပ်တွေကိုမကြိုက်လို့ ကိုယ်တိုင်ပါဝင် စစ်မှုထမ်းလာတဲ့ ပြည်သူ့စစ်မှုထမ်းများ အပိုင်း-၇ PyoMay Vlogs June 12, 2024
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