SA-58

The SA-58 is a copy of the of the legendary FN-FAL, a Belgian battle rifle, first issued in the early 1950s, which carries the fame of being one of the most produced modern rifles of the 20th century.

The SA-58 has one variant featured in EFT, which can be extensively modified. The weapon variants found in shops can differ from those found in the world, so there is no base configuration.

SA-58 ammo

The 7.62x51 entered service in 1951 as a full-size battle rifle caliber in the USA and became the standard rifle round for individual rifles and machine guns for armies of the western world. In EFT it is one of the most powerful rounds.

It is only paralleled by its russian sister cartridge, the 7.62x54R in penetration and damage. With the recent "plus ten" damage upgrade for battle rifle calibers, almost every hit up to class 4 can result in a one shot kill (if the center of mass is hit). This heavy power requires a sturdy weapon to fire it and the recoil requires disciplined operators.

Based on our ballistic ingame tests, both battle rifle calibers appear to completely bypass armor up to class 4 with no damage reduction on penetration, as it is the case with less powerful ammo).

The ammo selection offers 3 different types. The M80 is the one ammo with a base damage of 80, which means a direct hit  to the thorax will be a one shot kill. And the 50 penetration will bypass armor completely up to and including class 4. The M61 and M62 lack that 100% chance for a thorax one-shot, but fragmentation damage is still in play and might cause a one-shot. A target hit by any 7.62x51 is either dead or tabbing out to write on reddit how armor repair cost is too high.

So for ammo selection, if targets below class 5 armor are expected, M80 is fully adequate to ruin anything it contacts. It will still get through class 5 on the first shot, but not kill on the first shot. The M61 gets an edge over targets with class 6 armor (which is a very rare thing).

SA-58 Shooting

For a battle rifle and the power it carries, the weapon is relatively easy to shoot. The kick is harder and the sigh re-acquisition takes longer than on an intermediate .223 caliber, but still reasonable for this type of firepower.

However this weapon appears to be not popular with players. It can be bought for ~50k roubles on the market. One reason could be the aperture ironsights. They take some getting-used to, so players do not take the time to get used to it will dismiss the gun as "requiring a red dot" to work. Players who get used to the ironsights are rewarded with hard firepower for a very cheap price.

SA-58 Modding

Various tactical purposes of a SA-58:

• Battle Rifle
  In a conventional configuration with a 21" barrel, without additional mods, the weapon is an ideal weapon to reach targets within visible distance. Compared to smaller caliber assault rifles, the SA-58 gets fewer shots on target in the same time, but the hard damage wins the fight after the first hit.

• Sub-Compact (concealed carry*)
  With a folded or removed stock, short barrel and drum magazine this weapon will dracarys everything in a room-to-room combat situation. (Remove muzzlebrake to cause large fireball muzzleflashes for dramatic effect). Nothing survives 750 RPM of 7.62x51 (if it is close enough, because the recoil on this configuration is out of this world).
  * requires backpack for concealment

• Covert Ops
  Suppressing a .308 rifle is expensive. The upside is very quiet one-shot power for covert situations. In close combat, this will prevent attracting attention from third parties. In long distance shooting this will obscure the shooter's location from the target longer.

• Light Machine Gun
  The SA-58 can be improvised as an LMG, this is only effective when firing from the prone position and with a large enough magazine. (As of 0.11.7, with the 30% recoil increase for most weapons, full auto fire becomes wasteful to the point where the first 20 rounds are not on target until the gun settles, at 100 meters.)

SA-58 Summary

A versatile high-end gun that is assault rifle, battle rifle and marksman rifle depending on configuration. Correct use of the weapon provides the shooter with a gun that is never outgunned or outarmored. Ideal for shooters that want to the make the first shot count.

Accuracy 10/10
With an accuracy of 0.026 (21" barrel) the SA-58 can hit a soda can within ironsight spotting distance.

Recoil 6/10
The mass of the weapon makes for smooth shooting and low vertical kick. However fully automatic fire is barely controllable unless fired prone because of the high rate of fire of 750.

Ammo 10/10
7.62x51 offers high firepower in close range thanks to full-auto. Long range accuracy and damage causes opponents turn tail after the first hit.

Weapon-specific Modding 6/10
Three barrels, several handguards and a foldable stock configuration offer deep core customization for various situations.

General Modding 3/10
Mounts for red dots sights and threaded barrels for suppressors.