[BlueTrain]

That's a fair question. I have examined a few, though not stripped. I did own an FN-1949, another rifle from the same period. Any idea how the design compares? I'm not sure which design is older but the difference would only be a couple of years but the Armalite series came along not all that much later.

I've never read anything much about the development of the French rifle but I wonder if there was any consideration to using an intermediate cartridge. Supposedly the original FN light auto rifle was intended for use with the 7.92 short cartridge but that was too radical for some people, as were all the smaller caliber British experimental cartridges (not all of which were chambered in bullpups). There is such a thing as being ahead of the times, as well as behind the times, too, I suppose.

Of course, changing the ergonomics and scaling to suit a new cartridge would mean a whole new design and when the French got around to adopting the NATO cartridges, they really adopted something new. It isn't talked about much around here, possibly just because it's French, so what users think about it is not exactly common knowledge.

But it has to do more than compare favorably. It has to be better, at least in some ways, and cost no more than the competition. The design has a lot of catching up to do. On the other hand, the M1A hasn't gone away, has it?