FAL.

weapons are made for war it is their purpose and a weapon that cannot fight is not a useful one not all are forged in battle however and the forces that drive us apart can equally unite us the FAL a classic Cold War rifle used the world over a design the shed wartime wood from the modern age so how did the notion of a NATO standard rifle come about what obstacles stood in its way and in games why is such a widely used weapon a relatively rare sight the year is 1945 war had left millions dead cities in ruins and a collective will for a long lasting peace it was a time of treaties and unions with wounded nations shoring support in case of future conflict the seed of a new European Union was planted in the Treaty of Brussels a pledge of mutual defence between Britain France and Benelux lest the Nazis ever return as the dust settled it was clear that Germany was no longer a threat the massive manpower and nuclear weapons of the Soviets were another story nobody was more concerned by the rise of communism than the United States and thus the North Atlantic Treaty was drafted extending the zone of mutual defense to cover the u.s. Canada Denmark Iceland Italy Norway and Portugal with Greece Turkey and West Germany joining shortly after with the establishment of NATO a clear line in the sand was drawn between the first and second world a deterrence that had a chilling effect on military action ensuring the Cold War stayed that way NATO's role was to organize effective cooperation between each members military proposing standardization for procedures communication equipment and ammunition with most member nations still using bolt-action weapons if there was to be a collective modernization the so-called free world needed a new firearm FNS doubt what key innovators in the early 20th century well noted for their self-loading firearm designs and for the work of John Browning after his death in 1926 work continued in the hands of FNS chief weapons designer Jude Don a safe he was the man responsible for finishing the browning hi-power but he would become better known for his gas operated rifles the first was the FN model 1949 or the SA FN a capable semi-automatic rifle but it's non progressive design relegated it to a prior era Saves next project which shared such conservatism an attempt to define the next generation of small arms with select fire capability removable magazines with a 20 round capacity and reliable self loading function regardless of ammunition compared to the wooden weapons it would replace this new light automatic rifle would be state-of-the-art inspired by the 7.92 millimeter Curt's cartridge fired by the German Stern giver the FAL was originally designed to fire intermediate rounds just like a modern assault rifle the experimental 280 British was the prime calibre contender a small high-velocity round which retains rifle grade ballistics while lessening recoil and necessary weight the FAL was to be a truly modern rifle barring the perfect round what could go wrong America's doctrine demanded power 30 caliber was the minimum acceptable man stopper and in their dominant position they dug their heels and so the new rifle was retooled for the more powerful 308 Winchester round eventually becoming the NATO standard 7.62 millimeter cartridge despite getting their way america's snug to the foreign-made rifle after testing instead electing the homegrown m14 the dream of a universal weapon destroyed we advanced use of intermediate cartridges delayed even so from its first production in 1953 the FAL still saw massive adoption it has been used by over 90 countries and over 2 million rifles have been manufactured it was the NATO equivalent of the AKM through its widespread service earning it the title the right arm of the free world the old thing about the FAO with regards to its depiction is its rarity with the huge number manufactured it's amongst the top 10 weapons of all time it should rub shoulders with the m16 and ak-47 but it doesn't it's a sideline a relic from the Cold War overlooked in favor of valiant world war two stories and more relevant tales of modern terrorism after all it was a weapon designed for unity a peace an uneasy peace perhaps but with few exceptions its conflicts or no greater scale than skirmish it's a relatively unassuming weapon to look at to the most prominent feature of its sleek black exterior is its carrying handle compared to weapons made just 10 years before it's a very modern looking rifle but it's imitations are obscured by those who imitated them caught in the middle of two eras it's no war hero nor is it particularly tactical designed for duty and nothing else the FAL Hawks to an era before picatinny rails where customization meant spray-painting the weapon with situational camouflage a primitive hunk of Steel without delicate decoration you lame with sights of iron and you'll like it a might not fire the round that was originally supposed to but it still spits it's 30 caliber with a palm it is unapologetically powerful there's perhaps a battle rifle should be and leaves no wish for more but such power is not with our detriment the recoil is significant by modern standards and while a typical rifleman is no stranger to such force the bolt actions of your lacked the FAL select-fire simply put a relatively lightweight firearm discharging a full-power cartridge full auto at some 700 rounds per minute it's unusable and so the FAL served primarily in single fire which in most circumstances is fine conserving ammunition and ensuring more accurate shots combat was evolving however and individual marksmanship as an ever decreasing factor in modern combined arms doctrine towards the end of the 20th century the benefits of intermediate cartridges were increasingly clear compared to modern assault rifles the FAL was too long too heavy and too difficult for some to handle slowly the rifle intended for universal service was replaced the Americans led slip their stubborn grasp on 30 caliber rifles with the m16 the Austrians adopted the AUG the Belgians the fnc the British the l85 all bearing the new standard of the 5.56 millimeter round however the FAL in Jaws like the AKM it's too common to ever fall entirely out of favour and it still turns up in all sorts of places it's time as the prime tool of NATO forces might be over but its steadfast service is sorely missed you it emerged in a fractured world one thoroughly weary of war the start of a new global responsibility I need not to fight but to be prepared weapons might be made for war but this one was a product of peace the fal pacifier Sentinel stole war friend thank you very much for watching and until next time farewell

Channel: Ahoy

Views: 3,788,716

Keywords: xboxahoy, fn fal, fal, iconic arms, weapons, guns, guns in games, game weapons, video game

Id: Q9JoHzlIAqs

Length: 9min 44sec (584 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 04 2016

Reddit Comments

[u/fintetsu]

Ahoy could make a ordinary spoon sound like an assault rifle

[u/[deleted]]

Iconic arms is back baby!

[u/[deleted]]

I recognize some of those animations with the firearms being shot and taken apart. They're from the mobile game Gun Disassembly 2.

[u/Azberg]

I like how he feels the need to shoot watermelons in the middle of a firefight

[u/[deleted]]

Well now I'm going to go play some more Insurgency.
Edit: I've got about 800 hours into that game since it came out. If you don't have it, go buy it on steam. I think it's on sale. I love it and if you find a good server with dope people, you'll have a lot of fun.

[u/keeganlol]

Love the title card with the magazine of the FAL making the black part of the Belgian flag.

[u/qwertyisdead]

Man, that was pretty neat. Does this guy do more videos like this? I was entertained the whole way through.

[u/Caesar_Epicus]

Wow, I just assumed he stopped making gun history videos

[u/GoblinGrills]

Oh shit, it's Xbox Ahoy! I used to eat up his Black Ops weapon guides.