By all accounts, the FARA 83 was a very conventional assault rifle design. It sported tried and proven design features that made for a very functional weapons system. The receiver was rectangular in its overall shape and generally slab-sided with the ejection port and HK-style charging handle set to the right side of the body. The pistol grip was well-angled and ergonomically designed, set just behind the trigger unit. The trigger system was distinct in that it managed the settings for semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. The magazine feed was fitted just ahead of the trigger group and accepted curved, spring-loaded magazine boxes. The stock was semi-skeletal and hinged to fold over the right side of the receiver - this helping to promote a more compact overall design suitable for use by vehicle crews or paratroopers, battlefield elements traditionally requiring the facilities of a smaller weapon. The forward portion of the weapon consisted of a horizontally-ribbed forend, gas cylinder and barrel assembly. The gas cylinder was fitted over the barrel assembly and capped at the front by a forward iron sight. A rear iron sight was set at the extreme rear of the receiver. The barrel protruded a short distance ahead of the weapon and was capped by a noticeably slotted muzzle brake.
The FARA 83 sported a running overall length of 40 inches with the stock fully extended. The length was decreased to a very handy 30 inches with the stock collapsed. The barrel itself measured 18 inches. Unloaded weight was nearly 9lbs. The system was chambered to fire the 5.56x45mm cartridge from 30-round detachable box magazines. Cyclic rate-of-fire was approximately 750 rounds per minute with a muzzle velocity reaching 3,166 feet per second.
As its alternative designation suggests, the FAA 81/FARA 83 rifle appeared in 1981 and production ultimately began in 1984 under the direction of state-owned Fabrica Militar de Armas Portatiles Domingo Matheu of Rosario, Argentina. Despite its promising nature, financial difficulties beset the Argentine military at this point in history. As such, production of the FARA 83 was limited to just 1,193 reaching circulation within the Argentine Army ranks. Production was halted in 1986 due to a lack of funding, making the FARA 83 a short-lived and only mild success. It is believed that limited production resumed sometime in 1990 but manufacture totals of this secondary endeavor are unknown.
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