Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

FN-FAL SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIFLE

Date

1972

Materials

STEEL, ALUMINUM, WOOD

No. Pieces

2

Height

21.5

Length

115

Width

5.5

Description

1. RIFLE: RIFLE IS SEMI AUTOMATIC ASSAULT RIFLE WITH STEEL RECEIVER AND BARREL AND WOOD STOCK, FOREGRIP AND PISTOL GRIP. RECEIVER HAS CURVED STEEL ROD HINGED TO FRONT WHICH HAS RIGHT ANGLE CYLINDRICAL HANDLE MADE OF WOOD. WOOD HAS FLUTED GRIP. RIGHT SIDE OF RECEIVER HOUSING HAS EJECTION PORT AND IS STAMPED WITH "R.F.I. 1972" AND "1005-001853". TOP COVER OF RECEIVER HOUSING IS PAINTED BLACK. AT FRONT OF RIGHT SIDE IS STAMP OF CROSSED FLAGS BENEATH A CROWN LIKE SYMBOL BESIDE A FIVE POINTED STAR. AT BACK "SA", "TD", "D" AND "53" ARE STAMPED INTO RECEIVER HOUSING. LEFT SIDE OF RECEIVER HOUSING HAS SLIDING BOLT WITH HINGED HANDLE THAT HAS FLUTED GRIP. LEFT SIDE ALSO HAS SAFETY SWITCH WITH FLUTED THUMB GRIP. STAMPED INTO SIDE IS "RIFLE 7.62MM IA1" AND "BR 1399". PISTOL GRIP HAS DARK FINISH AND NUMEROUS SCRATCHES AND GOUGES. WOOD STOCK HAS DARK FINISH AND ALUMINUM BUTT PLATE. PLATE HAS HINGED CAP. ON RIGHT SIDE OF STOCK "49" IS PAINTED IN WHITE AND "SA" AND ARROW IS STAMPED INTO WOOD. AT TOP AND BACK OF RECEIVER HOUSING IS OPEN PEEP SIGHT THAT FLIPS DOWN. FOREGRIP IS TRANGULAR WITH TWO VENTS NEAR FRONT ON BOTH SIDES. GRIP IS BUILT IN TWO HALVES AND COVERS OVER TOP OF BARREL JACKET. AT FRONT OF FOREGRIP IS V-SIGHT WITH POST AND FLUTED DISTANCE WHEEL THAT HAS GRADUATED NUMBER SCALE ON IT. AROUND BARREL IN GRONT OF GRIP AND AT BOTTOM OF STOCK ARE BRASS LOOPS FOR SHOULDER STRAP. END OF BARREL HAS FLASH GUARD WITH THREE OVAL SHAPED VENTS. FLASH GUARD HAS RED PAINT ON ONE SIDE. STAMPED INTO SIDE OF GUARD IS "NO.2" AND "ICR 1576". 2. MAGAZINE: 15.3 X 7.8 X 3 RECTANGULAR STEEL CLIP. MAGAZINE HAS THREE VERTICAL GROOVES ALONG EACH SIDE. BOTTOM OF MAGAZINE IS TAPERED WITH WIDER LIP BASE. IN SIDE IS SPRING LOADED PLATFORM WITH RAISED RIDGE. STAMPED ON PLATFORM IS "1506". MAGAZINE HAS NUMEROUS SMALL SCRATCHES.

Subjects

ARMAMENT-FIREARM

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

DONOR PURCHASED RIFLE IN AROUND 1990 FROM THE INTERNATIONAL FIREARMS TRADE FAIR IN MONTREAL. HE PURCHASED THE WEAPON IN RESPONSE TO PROPOSED FEDERAL LEGISLATION THAT WOULD REQUIRE ALL SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIFLES TO BE REGISTERED. UNDER THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION A GRANDFATHER CLAUSE WOULD ALLOW THOSE WHO ALREADY OWNED SEMI-AUTOMATICS TO KEEP THEM WITHOUT REGISTERING THEM. DONOR PURCHASED THE GUN SO THAT HE COULD COLLECT IT WITHOUT HAVING TO REGISTER IT. RIFLE WAS LOANED TO THE MUSEUM EARLIER IN THE 1990'S FOR A DISPLAY ON THE ARTILLERY UNITS OF LETHRBIDGE. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF MILITARY OBJECTS. SHE WAS UNABLE TO UNCOVER ANY FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING THE RIFLE'S MILITARY HISTORY, BUT EXTRACTED THIS INFORMATION FROM THE DONOR'S OBITUARY FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD WHICH STATES:" WILBERT 'WILL' STRATTON, BELOVED HUSBAND TO AMY, PASSED AWAY ON DECEMBER 4, 2008... [HE] WAS BORN ON DECEMBER 4, 1932 IN TABER, AB WHERE HE STAYED UNTIL HE MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE IN 1951. IN 1954 HE HELPED HIS BROTHER-IN-LAW DRIVE CATTLE FROM TABER TO HANNA, AB... WHERE HE MET AMY AND THEY WERE MARRIED ON NOVEMBER 26, 1960 AND RETURNED TO LETHBRIDGE." *UPDATE* ON JUNE 17, 2021 THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE GALT MUSEUM & ARCHIVES APPROVED A MOTION TO DEACCESSION 175 MILITARY-RELATED ARTIFACTS FROM ITS PERMANENT COLLECTION. THIS ARTIFACT AND ITS RELATED PIECES WAS ONE OF THE OBJECTS DEACCESSIONED. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE RATIONALE BEHIND THE DEACCESSION, OTHER ARTIFACTS DEACCESSIONED AT THE SAME TIME, AND THE FORESEEN DISPOSAL OF THE DEACCESSIONED OBJECTS, PLEASE REFERENCE THIS OBJECT’S PERMANENT FILE. *UPDATE* AFTER CIRCULATING A LIST OF DEACCESSIONS AVAILABLE FOR TRANSFER TO CANADIAN PUBLIC MUSEUMS, THE ARTIFACT WAS NOT REQUESTED FOR TRANSFER. IN AUGUST 2021, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE DEACCESSIONED ARTIFACT WOULD BE DIVESTED OF THROUGH PUBLIC SALE. PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE FOR DETAILS ON THE SALE.

Catalogue Number

P19960081000

Acquisition Date

1996-09

Collection

Museum

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