IMBEL ParaFAL
- Category
- Battle Rifle
- Barrel
- 458 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.90 kg
- Introduced
- 1985
About
What it is, and why it matters
The IMBEL ParaFAL (Fuzil 7,62mm M964 A1) is a Brazilian battle rifle, a folding-stock paratrooper variant of the license-built IMBEL FAL chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO. It pairs the FAL's gas-operated, tilting-breechblock action with a shortened barrel, a side-folding stock, and high-impact polymer furniture in place of the original aluminium parts, making it lighter and more compact than the full-length M964. Because the standard FAL recoil spring runs through the buttstock, the receiver was redesigned to relocate the spring so the stock could fold, and these parts are not interchangeable with the fixed-stock rifle. Compact and selective-fire, it is favored by paratroopers, special forces, and police units.
By the 1980s Brazil sought a more compact rifle for paratroopers and special units without abandoning the proven FAL, so IMBEL developed the folding-stock ParaFAL, redesigning the receiver to relocate the recoil spring out of the buttstock and swapping aluminium parts for polymer to shed weight.
Existing M964 rifles can be upgraded to ParaFAL configuration with an IMBEL conversion kit. Also marketed as the M964 A1 MD-1. Not to be confused with the inch-pattern L1A1; the ParaFAL is a metric-pattern rifle.
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
- 1985
- Variant of
- Folding stock paratrooper
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 458 mm
- Overall length
- 1020 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.90 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 4.30 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
- Polymer
- Finish
- Parkerized
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 820 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3205 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.
Side folding stock
Shortened barrel
Tilting breechblock
Left side charging handle
Adjustable gas regulator- Metric pattern
Polymer furniture
Relocated recoil spring
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 | 1020 mm | 1025 mm | Shorter than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 87 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 458 mm | 458 mm | Near the median |
| Magazine capacityAmong 87 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 20 | 20 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the IMBEL ParaFAL
How much does the IMBEL ParaFAL weigh?
The IMBEL ParaFAL weighs 3.90 kg (8.60 lb) empty and 4.30 kg (9.48 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the IMBEL ParaFAL?
The IMBEL ParaFAL is chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO.
How many rounds does the IMBEL ParaFAL hold?
The IMBEL ParaFAL holds 20 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the IMBEL ParaFAL?
The IMBEL ParaFAL is 1020 mm (40.2 in) long overall, with a 458 mm (18.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the IMBEL ParaFAL?
The IMBEL ParaFAL is made by Industria de Material Belico do Brasil (Brazil). It was designed by Dieudonne Saive.
When was the IMBEL ParaFAL introduced?
The IMBEL ParaFAL was introduced in 1985.
How does the IMBEL ParaFAL operate?
The IMBEL ParaFAL 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
- Brazil
- Brazilian Marine Corps
- Brazil
- Brazilian Military Police
- Brazil
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/imbel-parafal' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "imbel-parafal", "name": "IMBEL ParaFAL", "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": 1985, "barrel_length_mm": 458, "weight_empty_g": 3900, "action_type": "gas_operated_short_stroke"}