FN FALO
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Barrel
- 533 mm
- Weight, empty
- 6.00 kg
- Introduced
- 1958
About
What it is, and why it matters
The FN FALO (Fusil Automatique Lourd) is a Belgian gas-operated, select-fire light machine gun developed by FN Herstal as the heavy-barrel squad automatic version of the FN FAL battle rifle. Designated the FAL 50.41, it pairs a thicker, heavier barrel with an integral folding bipod and a carrying handle so it can deliver sustained automatic fire as a section support weapon. It fires the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge from detachable box magazines, typically 30-round magazines, and shares the FAL's tilting-bolt action and reliability.
Conceived as a low-cost way to give an infantry section automatic fire support using the same rifle, ammunition and magazines as the standard FAL, the FALO's fixed heavy barrel ultimately proved its weakness, since it could not be swapped out when hot, prompting most armies to adopt purpose-built belt-fed machine guns instead.
The fixed-barrel FALO could not be quick-changed, which led to overheating during prolonged automatic fire and limited its effectiveness as a true light machine gun; many forces eventually replaced it with belt-fed designs such as the FN MAG.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- FN Herstal
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Country
- Belgium
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1958
- Variant of
- Heavy barrel
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 533 mm
- Overall length
- 1170 mm
- Weight, empty
- 6.00 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 6.70 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 30
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Phosphate
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 840 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3360 J
- Effective range
- 600 m
- Maximum range
- 3000 m
- Rate of fire
- 675 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.
Heavy barrel
Integral bipod
Carrying handle
Select fire
Gas regulator
Tilting bolt locking
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 32 7.62x51mm NATO machine guns | 6.00 kg | 10.51 kg | Among the lightest tenth |
| Overall lengthAmong 32 7.62x51mm NATO machine guns | 1170 mm | 1149 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 32 7.62x51mm NATO machine guns | 533 mm | 559 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 222 machine guns | 30 | 50 | Holds fewer rounds than about 60% |
Its place in the rankings
Answers
Questions about the FN FALO
How much does the FN FALO weigh?
The FN FALO weighs 6.00 kg (13.23 lb) empty and 6.70 kg (14.77 lb) loaded. It is the 1st lightest of 32 7.62x51mm NATO machine guns in the catalogue.
What caliber is the FN FALO?
The FN FALO is chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO.
How many rounds does the FN FALO hold?
The FN FALO holds 30 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the FN FALO?
The FN FALO is 1170 mm (46.1 in) long overall, with a 533 mm (21.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the FN FALO?
The FN FALO is made by FN Herstal (Belgium). It was designed by Dieudonne Saive, Ernest Vervier.
When was the FN FALO introduced?
The FN FALO was introduced in 1958.
How does the FN FALO operate?
The FN FALO uses a gas operated 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
- Australian Army
- Australia
- Argentine Armed Forces
- Argentina
Provenance
Confidence in this record
78%
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-falo' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "fn-falo", "name": "FN FALO", "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": "machine-gun", "name": "Machine Gun", "description": "Fully automatic firearms for sustained fire" }, "country_of_origin": "BE", "year_introduced": 1958, "barrel_length_mm": 533, "weight_empty_g": 6000, "action_type": "gas_operated"}