FN CAL

Lore & Background

Prior to the CAL, FN had constructed a scaled-down FAL prototype but shelved it as unmarketable. Noting the sales success of the cheaper HK G3, FN decided that future rifles would need fewer precision-machined parts, replacing them with less expensive castings and stampings. The CAL reflected these principles but remained relatively expensive and complex, meeting no significant sales. It was eventually dropped for the even less expensive FN FNC. A small number of FN CALs were sold to the civilian market in the US.

Although the weapon resembled a scaled-down FN FAL, it used a rotating bolt, unlike the FAL's tilting bolt. Early models had a three-round selector system allowing a three-round burst per trigger pull, in addition to fully and semi-automatic modes. The gun used a long stroke gas piston to operate the bolt carrier, and the bolt had interrupted lugs to lock into the chamber. The locking lugs were cut diagonally at a steep angle, so that while the bolt rotated to unlock, the bolt face slowly moved back, providing primary extraction of the case—a feature similar to that seen on the MG 30, MG 15, MG 17, and MG 34.

Users included Belgium, Colombia, Gabon, the Lebanese Forces, Mexico, the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie, the Karen National Liberation Army (with some captured by the Myanmar junta), the Nicaraguan National Guard and Sandinistas, Palestine, and Thailand. Non-state users included Abu Sayyaf (a CAL was recovered when an Abu Sayyaf leader was killed in a clash at Bohol), the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and the People's Movement for the Liberation of Azawad. The CAL was tested by Pahlavi Iran for the Imperial Iranian Army but never adopted, and by France in the late 1960s and early 1970s—the French test rifles had a MAS-49/56 style rifle grenade launching system—but was never adopted.

Reader's Guide

The FN CAL occupies a transitional role in Fabrique Nationale's rifle development. As the company's first 5.56 mm rifle, it attempted to modernize production methods by incorporating castings and stampings to reduce cost, yet it remained too expensive and complex to compete effectively. Its market failure contrasted sharply with the success of the FN FAL, which it outwardly resembled, and its development directly paved the way for the more successful FN FNC. The CAL's rotating bolt and long stroke gas piston operation, along with its early three-round burst capability, represented technical departures from the FAL's tilting bolt design. The diagonal locking lugs that provided primary extraction were a notable mechanical feature shared with earlier machine guns. Despite limited sales, the CAL saw use by a variety of state and non-state actors across multiple continents, including in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Its testing by Iran and France, though resulting in no adoption, indicates it was considered by several militaries. The recovery of a CAL from an Abu Sayyaf leader in the Philippines demonstrates its continued presence in conflict zones long after production ceased. Ultimately, the CAL's significance lies not in its own success but in its role as a stepping stone to the FN FNC, which became a more widely adopted weapon.

Did You Know?

• The FN CAL was the first 5.56 mm rifle produced by Fabrique Nationale.
• Early models of the CAL had a three-round burst selector system.
• The CAL's locking lugs were cut diagonally at a steep angle to provide primary extraction, a feature similar to the MG 30, MG 15, MG 17, and MG 34.