IMBEL FAL M964
- Category
- Battle Rifle
- Barrel
- 533 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.30 kg
- Introduced
- 1964
About
What it is, and why it matters
The IMBEL FAL M964 is a Brazilian license-built battle rifle derived from the Belgian FN FAL, chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO. Adopted by the Brazilian Armed Forces in 1964 and produced at IMBEL's Itajuba plant, it is a metric-pattern, gas-operated, selective-fire rifle with a tilting breechblock and an adjustable gas regulator. The M964 served as Brazil's standard-issue infantry rifle for decades and large quantities of semi-automatic parts kits and rifles were later exported, particularly to the United States.
Brazil adopted the FN FAL as the M964 in 1964 and began licensed production at IMBEL, making the rifle the backbone of the Brazilian Army for a generation before the modernized 5.56mm MD series and later the IA2 began to replace it.
The metric-pattern M964 should not be confused with the inch-pattern L1A1-style rifles; IMBEL also produced the L1A1 sporter for export. Many surplus M964 receivers and parts kits were used to assemble semi-automatic FAL rifles in the United States.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Industria de Material Belico do Brasil
- Category
- Battle Rifle
- Country
- Brazil
- Status
- In service
- Produced
- 1964
- Variant of
- License production
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 533 mm
- Overall length
- 1090 mm
- Sight radius
- 549 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.30 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 4.70 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
- Wood
- Finish
- Parkerized
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 840 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3346 J
- Effective range
- 600 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
Left side charging handle
Adjustable gas regulator- Metric pattern
Bayonet lug
Wood furniture
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 | 4.30 kg | 4.30 kg | Near the median |
| Overall lengthAmong 85 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 1090 mm | 1025 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 87 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 533 mm | 458 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 87 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 20 | 20 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the IMBEL FAL M964
How much does the IMBEL FAL M964 weigh?
The IMBEL FAL M964 weighs 4.30 kg (9.48 lb) empty and 4.70 kg (10.36 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the IMBEL FAL M964?
The IMBEL FAL M964 is chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO.
How many rounds does the IMBEL FAL M964 hold?
The IMBEL FAL M964 holds 20 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the IMBEL FAL M964?
The IMBEL FAL M964 is 1090 mm (42.9 in) long overall, with a 533 mm (21.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the IMBEL FAL M964?
The IMBEL FAL M964 is made by Industria de Material Belico do Brasil (Brazil). It was designed by Dieudonne Saive.
When was the IMBEL FAL M964 introduced?
The IMBEL FAL M964 was introduced in 1964.
How does the IMBEL FAL M964 operate?
The IMBEL FAL M964 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
- Brazilian Army
- 1964
- Brazilian Marine Corps
- 1964
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
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/imbel-fal' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "imbel-fal", "name": "IMBEL FAL M964", "manufacturer": { "id": "imbel", "name": "Industria de Material Belico do Brasil", "countryCode": "BR", "foundedYear": 1811, "website": "https://www.imbel.gov.br", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "abd830829db0a0869f83782ce7bd8fbb8e86959a21412dd0f411dd4237334163" }, "category": { "id": "battle-rifle", "name": "Battle Rifle", "description": "Selective-fire rifles chambered in full-power cartridges" }, "country_of_origin": "BR", "year_introduced": 1964, "barrel_length_mm": 533, "weight_empty_g": 4300, "action_type": "gas_operated_short_stroke"}