FN FAL ejected brass dings the receiver...

[gryphon]

Finally got to shoot my L1A1 today. A couple of questions you might be able to help me with.

1) The ejected brass at times seems to ding the receiver behind and below the ejection port. Is this normal or do I have a bad extractor? I notice if I manually cycle the rifle, it doesn't ding the reciever at all, and winds up spewing the cartridge several feet from my position(which I hear is normal).

2) I started the gas setting at 9. The cartridge would fire, but the action didn't cycle. I repeated this firing process from 9 until 4, where it seemed to work fine. I turned it down to 3(one more notch) as the manual and other previous posters have suggested.
Question is, does that seem like it's a little high? Is there anything that I can do to turn that down? The rifle wass brand new when bought, so I doubt that it could be dirty. I oiled it very well before shooting? Is there something I'm missing? Could the high pressure setting have anything to do with the problem I am having with the ejected brass?

Also, I'm using mil-surp 7.62 NATO ammo.

Thanks in advance for any responses.

[tankertom]

brass marks are normal. I personally don't mind it. The solutions I have heard are using the loop side of a piece of sticky backed velcro or electrical tape on the spot the brass hits.

What ammo is it. The power of milsurp ammo varies quite a bit. I find that I can use a higher gas setting with Hirtenberger than Radway Green for example.

TT

[gryphon]

I'm not sure what kind of ammo(brand) it is, but the bottom of the case is marked with "TZ 80", does that mean anything to anyone?

I don't mind the brass marks either, I just wanted to make sure it was a normal thing and not a sign of something wrong.

[Destructo6]

Mine usually dings the receiver right around the locking shoulder's head. No big deal.

[DaveH]

TZ 80 is Israeli. Not considered one of the better rounds, but I've used it with no problems.

[Tex762]

Widely accepted as a badge of honour for a good functioning rifle.
See those dings, you know it works!
I like 'em and I don't remove 'em.

[Coronach]

1. The brass marks are normal. It means you have a working gun and not a wall hanger. Congrats.

2. If you just started shooting the FAL, recheck your gas setting every so often. Right now you are still breaking in the gun, and after everything gets all work-polished you can back off the gas a bit. Been there, done that.

Mike

[yankytrash]

Although I've found that my L1A1 will spit most ammo at a setting of 6 or 7, I leave mine at 4 or 5 to ensure reliability with all ammo types and weather conditions.

I wouldn't worry about a setting of 3. Like Coronach said, the gun isn't broke in yet. Or you might just have a larger gas port - there again, no biggie. If you're sure your weapon is clean, the gun will eventually tell you what setting it likes, and you can leave it.

I'll bet that in a thousand or two thousand more rounds, you'll find a setting of more like 4 or 5 will suffice for most ammo types.

Happy shootin.

[gryphon]

Thanks for all the responses. I appreciate the sharing of knowledge and opinions.

I can rest easy now.

Gryphon