Workbook

LESSON 208: ADJUSTING THE LATCH, LOCKING BODY

(Revised 09-23-00)

The upper and lower receivers on the FAL are hinged to facilitate cleaning. The two halves snap shut and

lock. A lever (lever, locking catch assembly) on the left side of the receiver unlocks the upper receiver by

disengaging the catch (catch, locking body). A poor fit of this part results in the receiver snapping open

unexpectedly or a wiggle between the upper and lower. The catch is self-adjusting so it can compensate for

wear. It is normal and desirable for the lever to to be slightly to the rear of straight up. As the engagement

surfaces wear, the lever moves forward. When the lever has moved to the point where it has contacted the

rear of the receiver plate, a loose, sloppy fit between upper and lower will soon follow. There are three types

of levers: a long upright lever, a short upright lever, and a lever that points forward. There are several

cosmetic variations of each type, depending on whether the part is a stamping, one-piece machined, or two

parts welded together. The long upright lever is standard. Airborne forces discovered that a parachute

harness could activate this lever. Additionally, the inertia of launching rifle-grenades could jar the lever

rearward. So FN shortened it, which increased the amount of force needed to move it. Another solution

common on paratrooper FALs and most Israeli and South African FALs is a small lever pointing forward. I

originally thought this was more desirable, because it's less common, cool looking, and out of the way (or so I

thought). After taking a three-day Urban Carbine Instructor's Course with a SAR-48 Para, I decided against

this configuration. It is too close to the selector lever and after snapping the safety on and off a few thousand

times, I ended up with a blistered, bloody gash on the inside of my left thumb where the edge of this part

rubbed.

Often a new receiver combined with a new catch will cause the weapon to snap open. You fix this by

modifying the catch. Follow the rule of "cut on the least expensive part" and leave the tab on the receiver

alone. Properly adjusted, the lever should point about 5 degrees to the rear. As the parts wear (years of

heavy use), it will move into the vertical position.

First remove the stock assembly. There is a screw in the rear (screw, retaining, locking catch body).

Removing this frees the cross-pin (pin, retaining, locking catch). Be careful as this pin retains a spring and

plunger that are under tension (stay, locking catch spring). You can now remove the lever and the catch.

Apply Dykem or marker pen on the engagement surface and reassemble. Work the upper receiver open and

closed several times. Disassemble and hone or sand the high point where the Dykem was rubbed away.

Repeat this procedure until the latch positively locks. Test by inverting the rifle and tapping the end of the

barrel on your bench. The receiver must not pop open.