FN CAL

The CAL (Carabine Automatique Légère) was Belgian

Belgium

The Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...

 arms manufacturer Fabrique Nationale's first 5.56 mm rifle. It resembled the company's highly successful FN FAL

FN FAL

The Fusil Automatique Léger or FAL is a 7.62x51mm NATO self-loading, selective fire rifle produced by the Belgian armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale de Herstal during the Cold War, and adopted by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries...

, but was an original design. Unlike the FAL it was a market failure, although its development led to the successful FN FNC

FN FNC

The FNC is a 5.56mm assault rifle developed by the Belgian arms manufacturer Fabrique Nationale of Herstal and introduced in the late 1970s.-Development:...

.

Design details

Prior to the development of the CAL, FN had already constructed a scaled-down FAL prototype before shelving the idea as unmarketable. Noting the growing sales success of the cheaper and simpler HK G3 rifle, FN decided that for any future rifle to be competitive in the marketplace, it would need to use fewer expensive precision-machined parts. These would be replaced by less expensive castings and stampings where possible. While the construction of the new CAL reflected these design principles, it was still relatively expensive and complex, and met with no significant sales. It was eventually dropped for the even less expensive FN FNC

FN FNC

The FNC is a 5.56mm assault rifle developed by the Belgian arms manufacturer Fabrique Nationale of Herstal and introduced in the late 1970s.-Development:...

. A small number of FN CALs were sold to the civilian market in the US.

Operation

Although the weapon resembled a scaled-down FN FAL

FN FAL

The Fusil Automatique Léger or FAL is a 7.62x51mm NATO self-loading, selective fire rifle produced by the Belgian armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale de Herstal during the Cold War, and adopted by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries...

, it in fact used a rotating bolt

Rotating bolt

Rotating bolt is a method of locking found in gas operated, semi-automatic or selective fire firearms in which the bolt, upon contact with the breech, rotates and locks into place, being held in place by lugs attached to the breech or barrel extension.Upon closing, the bolt passes through the...

, unlike the FAL, which used a tilting bolt design. The earlier models of the weapon

Weapon

A weapon is a tool used to apply force for the purpose of hunting, attack, self-defense, or defense in combat.Weapons can be as simple as a club, or as complex as an intercontinental ballistic missile, and include those that damage individual or group morale.-Prehistoric weapons:Very simple weapon...

 had a three-round selector system, which allowed the weapon to fire a three-round burst with each trigger

Trigger

Trigger may refer to:* Trigger , a mechanism that actuates the firing of firearms* Trigger pad, a device used in electronic percussion* Image trigger, a device used in highspeed cameras* Schmitt trigger, an electronic circuit...

 pull. The weapon could also fire in automatic and semi-automatic form.

The gas system used a tappet

Tappet

A tappet in mechanical engineering is a projection which imparts a linear motion to some other component within an assembly. Properly speaking, a tappet is only that part of a rocker arm which makes contact with an intake or exhaust valve stem above the cylinder head of an internal combustion...

 piston rod to operate the bolt carrier, and the bolt itself had interrupted lugs to lock it into the chamber.