IMBEL SAR-48
- Category
- Battle Rifle
- Barrel
- 533 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.31 kg
- Introduced
- 1985
About
What it is, and why it matters
The IMBEL SAR-48 is a semi-automatic, metric-pattern FN FAL battle rifle chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO, manufactured by Brazil's IMBEL and imported into the United States by Springfield Armory, Inc. from the mid-1980s. It uses the FAL's gas-operated short-stroke piston system with a tilting breechblock and an adjustable gas regulator, feeding from 20-round detachable box magazines. Praised for the quality of its IMBEL-made receivers, the SAR-48 was offered in standard 21-inch rifle, Bush (18-inch), Paratrooper (folding stock), and heavy-barrel configurations before being succeeded by the SAR-4800.
Although sold in the US under the Springfield Armory name, the SAR-48 was actually built in Brazil by IMBEL, and its receivers were considered good enough that surplus IMBEL FAL parts became the backbone of the American semi-auto FAL homebuilding scene.
Marketed by Springfield Armory, Inc. but manufactured by IMBEL in Brazil. After the Gun Control legislation changes of 1989, the rifle was reworked into the thumbhole-stocked SAR-4800 with certain military features removed. IMBEL receivers from these rifles remained in high demand among American gunsmiths building FALs from parts kits.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Industria de Material Belico do Brasil
- Category
- Battle Rifle
- Country
- Brazil
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1985 to 1990
- Variant of
- Semi automatic export
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 533 mm
- Overall length
- 1100 mm
- Sight radius
- 549 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.31 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
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
Chrome lined barrel
Bayonet lug- Semi automatic only
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 | 4.31 kg | 4.30 kg | Heavier than about 60% |
| Overall lengthAmong 85 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 1100 mm | 1025 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| 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 SAR-48
How much does the IMBEL SAR-48 weigh?
The IMBEL SAR-48 weighs 4.31 kg (9.50 lb) empty and 4.70 kg (10.36 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the IMBEL SAR-48?
The IMBEL SAR-48 is chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO.
How many rounds does the IMBEL SAR-48 hold?
The IMBEL SAR-48 holds 20 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the IMBEL SAR-48?
The IMBEL SAR-48 is 1100 mm (43.3 in) long overall, with a 533 mm (21.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the IMBEL SAR-48?
The IMBEL SAR-48 is made by Industria de Material Belico do Brasil (Brazil). It was designed by Dieudonne Saive.
When was the IMBEL SAR-48 introduced?
The IMBEL SAR-48 was introduced in 1985 and discontinued in 1990.
How does the IMBEL SAR-48 operate?
The IMBEL SAR-48 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
- United States civilian market
- 1985
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/imbel-sar-48' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "imbel-sar-48", "name": "IMBEL SAR-48", "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": 533, "weight_empty_g": 4310, "action_type": "gas_operated_short_stroke"}