Way back on 8 June 2005, I promised readers that I would tell you what you needed to do to build your own T48 replica. On 26 May 2006, I received my completely refinished and assembed T48 rifle back from Arizona Response Systems and it was a gorgeous creation. 

 

Beginning in 1950 and continuing into early 1957, various versions of the FN-designed FAL rifle were considered for service by the United States.  U.S. Army Ordance under Col. Rene Studler evaluated both a standard cartridge for adoption by the member NATO countries and a standard infantry rifle.  Studler's two pet projects were to see the adoption of the T65E3 cartridge, a redesigned ballistic equivalent to the .30-06 Springfield, and adoption of the T44-series rifle as the standard infantry rifle.  Studler got his wish in both cases; the T65E3 became the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge.  The T44E4 rifle was adopted as the U.S. Rifle, 7.62mm, M14 in 1957 by the United States.

 

However, the adoption of the M14 did not mean its FN-designed T48 competition was less capable.  It was not and, in some areas, it was superior to the T44E4.  In reality, the two rifles were equivalents. 

 

The T48 rifle was manufactured by FN for American trials, by Springfield Armory (limited numbers of new and modified existing rifles), by High Standard Manufacturing, and by Harrington and Richardson Company.  Limited numbers of T48 rifles were procured for various trials done by the Ordnance Corps in a desert environment, in the tropics, in temperate areas, and in the arctic.  Your first decision is the variant of T48 you want to build; that is, FN, Springfield, High Standard, or H&R.  You also must realize that some parts are very difficult to find if they can be found at all.  [Remember: the T48 was not adopted and so there weren't a lot of parts made for it.]  It was for these reasons that I decided the FN produced T48 was the easier rifle to replicate.

 

Another word is appropriate about replicas.  First, this is a replica of a famous rifle.  It is not an exact replica because: (1) I wanted a "shooter" rifle and not a museum piece, (2) I did not have the time, patience, or budget to find all of the original T48 parts (assuming they could be found), and (3) I wanted a rifle that captured the spirit of the T48 rifle.  This philosophy was the guide for the build of this rifle.  Your philosophy may differ from mine, and that's fine.

 

Here's the list of U.S. manufactured parts that I used:

Receiver -- Dan Coonan Industries (DCI).  Gas piston and gas piston tube -- TAPCO.  Carrying handle, gas regulator, short top cover, semi-auto safety selector, stripped aluminum lower receiver, T48-style trigger guard, magazine catch and spring and pin -- DSA.  Wooden buttstock and pistol grip -- Ironwood Designs.

 

FN or FN-licensed parts:

* Flash suppressor, screw, and index washer (GunThings.com).  * Hammer, trigger, sear, rear sight assembly with S-spring and screws, vertical locking lever with associated parts, trigger spring, sear spring and plunger, trigger and hammer pins, L1A1 hammer plunger assembly, receiver pivot pin, recoil spring plunger with inner and outer springs, recoil spring tube screw and washer, butt swivel assembly and screws, bolt assembly and bolt carrier assembly, locking shoulder, butt stock tang screw, butt plate and screw, hammer and trigger spring retainer plate, front sling swivel (use L1A1 swivel), gas piston spring, gas tube pin, gas regulator sping, gas tube nut, FN Type B large bolt hold open, cocking handle assembly with pins.

 

The barrel used is a new Argentine open ear barrel with a new Argy gas plug, an Israeli front sight and spring, and Israeli handguard spacer (replica).  The high Israeli rear aperture sight replaces the FN sight aperture.  (Israeli and replica Israeli parts are available from GunThings.com.)  The front handguard is FN new, old stock that has the escutcheon for the front sling swivel pressed in.  My handguard also had the barrel band that is usually missing from the wooden handguards.  I had to supply the front handguard machine screw.  The front sling swivel was modified from an L1A1 rear sling swivel to fit the pressed-in threaded escutcheon.  I like the L1A1 magazine, and since I had nine of these magazines that were modified to fit the metric latching notch, I was set.  My modified L1A1 magazines fit great and function well.

 

All parts were phosphated.  The inside rear of the receiver has to be modified to take the stop tabs of the short top cover.  The Argentine barrel had to have its threads redone from 9/16-24 LH to RH and a notch cut in the top for the index washer.  The left side of the receiver was machined and then engraved for the T48 nomenclature: RIFLE, caliber .30, T48, FN.  Engraving was done by Tom Sawyer Manufacturing following this photo of a real T48 receiver.