Kel-Tec designed the RFB to use metric FAL mags because they were good and cheap on the surplus market. Four years later when the RFB is finally starting to sell in decent numbers, the surplus FAL mags are drying up and the price has risen sharply. They're still not too expensive, but they aren't $5 any more. To add insult to injury, MagPul has a nice polymer mag for the NATO .308 rifles and they've repeatedly said they will not be making a FAL mag.  :'(

It's tough to be a weapon designer, shooting at a moving target.

I guess the answer to your question is, Kel-Tec could have designed the RFB to use M14 magazines, but they didn't. They could redesign the RFB to use M14 mags, but I can't imagine that they would.

 

Not sure how much they will be, but Rock River Arms is coming out with a 30 round polymer magazine.

 

Not sure how much they will be, but Rock River Arms is coming out with a 30 round polymer magazine.

Unless they suck, and I doubt they will suck if Rock River is selling them, I'll get some of these. A 30 round .308 bullpup!

Of course, these mags may work very well in the Rock River LAR-8, so-so in various FALs, and not well at all in the RFB. It should be a simple matter to make a magazine of the same dimensions that works the same in a variety of weapons, but the mag-weapon interface seems more art than science.

I guess it's also possible that the Rock River polymer mags will work best in the RFB. A guy can hope, can't he?

The high tech RFB is just begging for MagPul-ish polymer mags.

If they work well, maybe Kel-Tec can work a deal to provide a NEW 20 round RRA mag with every new RFB. I hope they wouldn't go with the 10 round mag in the hopes of appeasing some nanny states that wouldn't like other aspects of the RFB anyway.

 

Now that's good news. Like the man said a 30 round bullpup in .308 would definitely be a Battle Rifle.

 

That's awesome. I'd want the 20 round magazines, the rifle balances nicely with them, and you can still deal with them when shooting prone, but it'd be neat to have a couple 30 round magazines just for giggles. I've got my fingers crossed, this sure would beat the heck out of what we've currently got in selection of polymer magazines (none).

 

I've got my fingers crossed

+1

 

Isn't NATO metric? I'm kind of confused on the terminology. The RFB uses metric mags, and magpul is making NATO mags, and I think NATO is metric, so
will the magul fit on an RFB?

Kel-Tec designed the RFB to use metric FAL mags because they were good and cheap on the surplus market. Four years later when the RFB is finally starting to sell in decent numbers, the surplus FAL mags are drying up and the price has risen sharply. They're still not too expensive, but they aren't $5 any more. To add insult to injury, MagPul has a nice polymer mag for the NATO .308 rifles and they've repeatedly said they will not be making a FAL mag.  :'(

It's tough to be a weapon designer, shooting at a moving target.

I guess the answer to your question is, Kel-Tec could have designed the RFB to use M14 magazines, but they didn't. They could redesign the RFB to use M14 mags, but I can't imagine that they would.

 

... polymer mag for the NATO .308 rifles ...

In that sentence "NATO" is meant to be paired with .308, meaning 7.62x51NATO.

Any mags they make will be of the "metric" form factor and should, therefore, fit the RFBs.

 

the term metric is in reference to the type of FAL  magazine - FAL's are made in inch and metric patterns

as far as a NATO magazine I believe that that was a misnomer on someones part , perhaps they meant 7.62 NATO instead of "NATO 308"  
as afr as I know the only weapon issued to a NATO military that takes the new 7.62 PMAG is the Brit's Mk11 http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2010/06/14/photos-of-the-british-army-lmt-l129a1-rifle/

Keltec didn't go with the FAL mag because it was cheap they went with it because it was the best tool for the job( much better reason in my opinion)

The RFB appears to be one of the more successful forward ejection bullpup designs of late. Did you choose tilt-locking specifically because of the extractor arrangement, or because perhaps you were working from a bullpupped FAL?

   The locking system is specific to the forward ejection system. The way the extractors rotate up, does not allow the bolt to do anything but tilt. FAL mags were chosen because the feed lips are setup to deal with a bolt that tilts down into the magazine a little. (compared to an AR-10 mag which does not need to deal with this)

from here http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2010/10/12/gun-design-engineer-answers-your-questions/

 

Thanks guys.
So what's a good way for me to understand this? I want to get some extra mags for my brand new RFB, I'm new to the world of .308.
Another post on the port referenced M14 and M1A mags as suitable for the RFB.
How do I tie this info together, M14 and FAL use same mags?
very confused here

thanks

 

The two magazines are NOT interchangeable, and I doubt that either can be modified to work in both systems. I would wait for the Rock Rivers if it were me, and I were starting out. Every once in a while some surplus FAL mags will show up at your local Gun Show at a resonable price. Keep looking and you may luck out.

 

Poogsdad,

At the risk of beating a dead horse: if you are interested, I'd be happy to post (or e-mail you) detailed side-by-side photos of the FN metric vs the M-14 magazine. When you see them together up close, there's no question but that they are completely different beasts, and that it would take a major redesign of the rifle to accept the M-14 magazine (if it were even possible, given the tilting bolt operation of the FAL and RFB vs the rotating bolt of the M-14). I'm just happy that KelTec chose to use a magazine that's obtainable by ordinary mortals (GunBroker has a good selection of them on auction for between $18-$25 each), instead of something expensive and hard to find like, for example (*shudder*), the ever-elusive 25 round .308 Galil magazine.

Safe shooting,

Russell

 

reapur, buy only "metric" pattern FAL mags for your RFB.

 

kel tec should do with the RFB what they did with the SUB2000. make 3 version that take different mags,

version 1. takes FAL mags

version 2. take M14 mags

version 3. take G3 mags (my favorite)


this would be a very smart thing to do. cheaper than dirt sells G3 mags for .97 cents each (that less that a dollar!!)

 

Yep, a M14 mag will not even fit in the RFB magwell...  

Rock River's announcement page shown above said available summer of 2010. There is still no info about the mag on their website... I guess maybe they are on a kel-tec production schedule

I think it was up in the RFB photos thread, on the last page, someone has photos of a Pmag in an RFB, and was talking about how to modify them to work in the RFB...  Something about shaving .010" off each side of the area that inserts into the magwell and welding in an additional piece of plastic to mill the retaining notch...

EDIT:
The pic of the RFB with the Pmag is at the bottom of page 4 in the photos thread. His(Wheelguy) description of modifying the mag to fit is near the bottom of page 6.

"Wouldn't be a commercial success(cost/liability of moding the pmag), but piece of cake as a mod for your own use. You will not believe how smoothly rounds feed from this mag!
Just take .010 off of each side in the area where it inserts into the mag well. For the mag catch, either weld a hunk of plastic in there and mill to shape, or mill a brass bar to clip into the rear left side of the mag back."

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w85/wheelguy/RfbSling.jpg