r/canadaguns • u/16gaugeguy16 • May 20 '26
Gun and gear reviews Brigade Makasi MK-15... why is it an FAL/AR 15 hybrid?
My thoughts: It is an AR15/AR180 combo.
The piston is AR 180 inspired and nothing like an FAL.
The bolt is a multi lug rotating bolt (AR180/AR15) instead of a tilting bolt (FAL).
The receiver is milled in a manner more similar to the AR180 than FAL.
The gas regulator doesn't have FAL style adjustments.
Even the features that make it similar to a FAL are either common on other guns or also used in the AR180 platform.
The Para FAL stock style is used on many platforms. The recoil spring isn't anything like a traditional FAL, only the Para fal... and even that isn't unique (a single large spring?). Non reciprocating side charging handle... not unique.
The takedown lever is FAL like I guess? Am I missing something?
16
u/Acceptable_Visit_115 May 20 '26
Because that's how marketing works. Give it a FAL style charging handle and Para FAL style tube folder and call it a day.
Like how they are calling the T81M "AK".
1
24
u/DougMacRay617 May 20 '26
What are you? A fed? Who cares its been approved and should be arriving next month.
1
-12
u/16gaugeguy16 May 20 '26
Why would that make me a fed lol? Just someone who enjoys guns and technical accuracy.
I just find it interesting how everyone dumps on the AR180 platform, but now that YouTubers say it's an FAL, because it looks like one, everyone calls it a fal.
The AR180 has a lot of great features, and was replicated by a lot of bad companies. But the key point is, this is not a fal. Prove me wrong lol
7
u/Specialist_Chard5231 May 20 '26
Ya that's why it is allowed. It is not a fal. It's is also not a 180. 180s are fine if built correctly.
3
u/FedInformant May 20 '26
I kind of think its to hype up the gun.
Looks like the take-down lever and charging handle are the only real things similar to the FAL. Everything else seems very on par with canadian made 180 variants.
How much is this supposed to retail for in canada?
7
u/Flat-Dark-Earth Big Bore Specialist May 20 '26
$2400.
3
u/FedInformant May 20 '26
Damn. Hard to justify this rifle or the Carmel a these price points. Chances of them being banned are so high. Unfortunately. If I knew these would stay NR, id buy one for sure
0
u/HandSoloquatro May 20 '26
Ever since my type 81s and SW FPC got prohib I’ve been kitting out and learning bolt action shooting. Heck I’ve been eyeing getting a quality pump action too!. Least with that I just gotta keep my licence to KEEP it FOREVER. Much easier to justify spending thousands 😅.
1
6
3
u/yummybunnybear May 20 '26
It's a FAL because I never got a FAL and I want a FAL and it's not an AR-180 because "AR-180 pattern" is a cursed jinx in Canada and we just can't accept that. Is that good enough a reason?
1
u/16gaugeguy16 May 20 '26
Fair answer! I get wanting something that looks like an FAL.
Realistically though, the design features of the AR180 have been hugely successful so I don't think it should be the cursed child people treat it like.
I just think it's important to call a spade a spade, and I'll take the downvotes for that and stand by it lol.
1
u/yummybunnybear May 20 '26
On a more serious note, I think the heart of the matter is that the AR180 is itself a hybrid of the AR15 and the Fal, inspiration-wise. So the Makasi is more similar to the AR180 like you say, and at the same time it is also accurate to say the Makasi is a hybrid of the AR15 and the Fal, because the Makasi and AR180 are siblings from the same lineage.
1
u/16gaugeguy16 May 20 '26
You make a good point, but I still feel like that is a reach. The AR180 piston system came from the SVT40, and no other core design features are shared with the FAL besides the short stroke piston. So technically, it is more an SVT 40/AR15 combo (which is also a loose comparison) than a FAL/AR-15 combo.
To me it's like saying an Sig MCX or CZ Bren 2 are FAL inspired. Sure, but it's just a stretch in my opinion and there are better comparisons such as the AR180
1
u/yummybunnybear May 20 '26
It's kind of like comparing cars. Sure, under the hood, the AR180 came from the SVT40, but aesthetically 10 out of 10 people will "see" more similarities between the Fal and AR180 than between the FAL and SVT40. The Fal was just so ubiquitous and quintessential that it's hard to deny that it had some aesthetic influence on the AR180. Back, then it was either the AK pattern (commie), M16 (USA doing their own thing), or the Fal (the rest of the free world). The SVT40 belongs to the group of earlier aesthetics like the M14. More precisely, we can say the AR180 takes the internals of the SVT40, the controls of the AR15, and geometry of the Fal.
4
2
u/Barbarian_818 May 20 '26
At this point, there is very little room for truly new mechanisms in firearms. There a score or so that are proven to work, so there are lots of firearms that basically amount to playing mix n' match from a menu of options.
Don't get me wrong, there is still a lot of innovation going on. But every new mechanisms is an experiment. If your gun is nothing like existing stuff, the market might not like it. If your gun is nothing like existing stuff, then you're missing out on the decades of refinement that established designs have.
0
u/Individual-Phone5905 May 20 '26
A simple Google/YouTube search would answer that question for you.
2
u/16gaugeguy16 May 20 '26
See I already did my research, on top of years of professional experience in the firearms industry. The point is... it's not an FAL/AR15 hybrid.
My question is directed to the people making that claim, and why they see it that way. So far "it looks like an FAL" is the common response.
Thanks for your input!
1
37
u/Lumindan May 20 '26
Nice try horse cop.