FN FAL 50.63 Para
- Category
- Battle Rifle
- Barrel
- 436 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.90 kg
- Introduced
- 1958
About
What it is, and why it matters
The FN FAL 50.63 'Para' is the paratrooper carbine variant of the FN FAL battle rifle, developed for airborne and mechanized troops who needed a more compact weapon. It pairs a shortened 436mm barrel with a side-folding tubular steel stock, allowing the rifle to be carried in a much smaller package during parachute jumps and vehicle operations. Because the folding stock could not accommodate the standard FAL's reciprocating top-cover-mounted charging arrangement, the Para series received a redesigned upper receiver, a folding charging handle, and a fixed single-aperture rear sight. Chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO and fed from standard 20-round magazines, the 50.63 retains the FAL's gas-operated short-stroke piston action and tilting breechblock while trading a degree of long-range accuracy for portability. Para FALs saw widespread service with airborne and special forces units across the FAL's many operator nations.
Argentine paratroopers carried folding-stock Para FALs into the Falklands in 1982, where British forces armed with the inch-pattern L1A1 fought their Argentine counterparts wielding the very same FN-designed rifle.
The 50.63 Para differs from the full-length 50.64 chiefly in its shortened ~436mm (roughly 17.4 in) barrel; the 50.64 retains the standard 533mm barrel with the same folding stock. Para-pattern lower receivers, top covers, springs and bolt carriers are not interchangeable with standard fixed-stock FAL components. The rear sight was simplified to a single 250m aperture on many Para rifles.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- FN Herstal
- Category
- Battle Rifle
- Country
- Belgium
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1958 to 1988
- Variant of
- Carbine
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 436 mm
- Overall length
- 998 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.90 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated short stroke
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 20
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Steel
- Finish
- Parkerized
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 810 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3127 J
- Effective range
- 500 m
- Maximum range
- 3800 m
- Rate of fire
- 700 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Tilting breechblock
Side folding stock
Folding charging handle
Adjustable gas regulator
Select fire
Shortened barrel
Muzzle brake
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 86 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 3.90 kg | 4.30 kg | Lighter than about 80% |
| Overall lengthAmong 85 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 998 mm | 1025 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 87 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 436 mm | 458 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 87 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 20 | 20 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the FN FAL 50.63 Para
How much does the FN FAL 50.63 Para weigh?
The FN FAL 50.63 Para weighs 3.90 kg (8.60 lb) empty.
What caliber is the FN FAL 50.63 Para?
The FN FAL 50.63 Para is chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO.
How many rounds does the FN FAL 50.63 Para hold?
The FN FAL 50.63 Para holds 20 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the FN FAL 50.63 Para?
The FN FAL 50.63 Para is 998 mm (39.3 in) long overall, with a 436 mm (17.2 in) barrel.
Who makes the FN FAL 50.63 Para?
The FN FAL 50.63 Para is made by FN Herstal (Belgium). It was designed by Dieudonne Saive.
When was the FN FAL 50.63 Para introduced?
The FN FAL 50.63 Para was introduced in 1958 and discontinued in 1988.
How does the FN FAL 50.63 Para operate?
The FN FAL 50.63 Para uses a gas operated short stroke action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Belgian Armed Forces
- 1958
- Argentine Armed Forces
- Argentina
- Israeli Defense Forces
- Israel
Provenance
Confidence in this record
74%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/fn-fal-50-63' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "fn-fal-50-63", "name": "FN FAL 50.63 Para", "manufacturer": { "id": "fn-herstal", "name": "FN Herstal", "countryCode": "BE", "foundedYear": 1889, "website": "https://www.fnherstal.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:43:43", "version": "868b12ac455d24b965edddf486bafb1892f606961311b1ab9907556e3a23b075" }, "category": { "id": "battle-rifle", "name": "Battle Rifle", "description": "Selective-fire rifles chambered in full-power cartridges" }, "country_of_origin": "BE", "year_introduced": 1958, "barrel_length_mm": 436, "weight_empty_g": 3900, "action_type": "gas_operated_short_stroke"}