Some rifle announcements make me check my calendar for the release time, and this is one of them. I’m Lance Rankin, owner and gunsmith at Western Sport in Roanoke, Texas, and Harrington & Richardson, now operating under the Palmetto State Armory umbrella, is bringing back the T48: a limited production run of FAL-pattern rifles in 7.62 NATO, reproducing the gun H&R built for the U.S. service rifle trials seventy years ago.
The history, briefly
In the 1950s the Army went shopping for a replacement for the M1 Garand: something in the new 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge, fed from box magazines. The trials pitted the AR-10, the FN FAL, and what became the M14 against each other. The FAL variant in those trials was designated the T48, and Harrington & Richardson was one of three companies contracted to build them. The M14 won, the FAL went on to arm most of the free world anyway, earning the nickname “the right arm of the free world,” and the American-made T48 became a footnote that collectors have chased ever since. Original examples are unicorns. That’s what makes this release interesting: it’s not just another FAL clone, it’s a reproduction of the specific American trials rifle, and H&R is even using the original serial number range.
What you’re actually getting
The new T48 is a collaboration between H&R and D.S. Arms, which is the right partner; DSA has been the serious American FAL house for decades. The spec sheet reads like it should: entirely American-made components, a 21-inch chrome-lined barrel with a 1:10 twist and flash hider, forged steel receiver and metalwork in a Parkerized finish, and oil-finished Amish walnut furniture. You get adjustable sights, the FAL’s adjustable gas regulator, an integrated carry handle, and a 20-round metric-pattern magazine.
Two details earn a nod from the gunsmith’s bench. First, the metric magazine pattern is the practical choice; metric FAL mags are everywhere and cheap, while inch-pattern mags cost real money and take hunting. Second, the adjustable gas regulator is the FAL’s quiet genius. It lets you tune the action to your ammo, which is why these rifles ran reliably everywhere from the Arctic to the desert. If you’ve never owned a FAL, that regulator is also the first thing to learn to set properly; a lot of “malfunctioning” FALs that hit my bench just have the gas set wrong for the load.
Availability and my advice
The launch is set for Friday, May 29th at 4:30 PM EST, and with a limited run of a historically significant rifle, expect it to evaporate fast. Retro reproductions like this have been selling out in hours, not days, and walnut-and-steel battle rifles have a buyer base that shows up with alarms set.
My honest take: this is a rifle you buy with your heart, and that’s fine. A modern AR-10 will beat it on weight, optics mounting, and ergonomics. What it won’t do is feel like 1955, and there’s real value in a piece of the trials story you can actually shoot. If you land one, I’d shoot it, gently and with the gas set right, rather than entombing it. If it sells out before you get yours, take a look at the rifles we keep in stock.
If you snag one online, I can handle the transfer: $40 plus the $10 NICS check, local pickup by appointment here in Roanoke, north of Fort Worth. My buying a gun online guide walks through the process, and this explainer covers what an FFL does at each step. Questions, or want a FAL inspected or serviced? [email protected] or 817-393-4000.
Lance Rankin is the owner and Chief Gunsmith of Western Sport, a family-run Type 07 FFL and Class 3/SOT dealer in Roanoke, Texas, serving shooters since 2007. Born and raised in Texas with over 50 years of experience handling firearms, Lance purchased Western Sport in 2017 and turned his lifelong passion into his profession. He specializes in AR-15 and AR-10 platform rifles, manufactures Western Sport’s own AR-15 line under the Rankin Industries brand, and runs the shop’s in-house Cerakote coating operation. When he’s not behind the counter or the workbench, you’ll find him on his ranch deep into the night, hunting coyotes with an AR-15 and thermal optics. Lance holds an MBA and personally shoots and tests the products Western Sport sells.
