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Century's Golani Sporter: the Israeli-designed AK hybrid is a solid performer.

Article Excerpt
If it looks like a Galil and functions like a Galil, is it a Galil? Nope, it's a Golani Sporter, named after Israel's Golani Brigade instrumental in selecting the Galil after conducting extensive field-testing with it. After a long absence from the surplus pipeline, a Galil clone in 5.56mm is being made and assembled by Century International Arms, and it's a dilly.

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Rumbling into the Six Day War of 1967 armed with the FN-FAL, the victorious Israel Defense Force came away from the fray with a great deal more respect for the Arabs' AK-47's. Their adversaries' AK's operated well in the sandy battleground while Israel's FN-FAL proved to be sand sensitive and awkward in a highly mobile environment. The result was a period of study and weapons testing to identify a replacement for the FN-FAL.

Israel's greatest ally and source of foreign aid, the United States, had already adopted the M16 and the 5.56mm cartridge. Attracted to the low impulse 5.56mm cartridge, Israel was still impressed by the reliability of the AK-47 and its gas-piston design. At the conclusion of a series of destructive field tests by the Golani Brigade involving the M16, Stoner 63, HK33, AK-47 and a design by Uziel Gal, the AK-47 was still considered the best of the lot.

Hybrid Design

What emerged was a hybrid design developed by firearms designer, Israel Galil. Galil borrowed freely and blended the best elements of the AK-47, the refined Finish AK, known as the Valmet M62, the M16 and the FN-FAL with some unique ideas of his own. The end product was so successful it was adopted in 1972 and, reportedly, saw action...

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