A nice looking rifle caught my eye the other day at my local gun fun shop. I thought (incorrectly) that the rifle was an old Sig Sauer rifle. It turned out to be an IWI Galil.

It wasn’t exactly light but I loved the feel of the rifle. The safety location on the left side of the rifle immediately caught my attention. Overall it felt like a solid rifle with pretty good ergonomics. It’s also pretty damn cool looking.

My gun shop has a pre owned Daniel Defense DDM4 V7 I believe it was in a brown/bronze color for $200 less than the Galil.

There is a very good chance I give into the temptation to bring one of them home.

Those who own or have owned a Galil, what did you like about it? What did you dislike?

Would you choose a Galil over a pretty fairly priced a DDM4?

That’s a Galil ACE, not the same thing as the original IMI Galil. The ACE is an attempt by IWI to capitalize on the classic Galil name by making a modernized version with things like the rails, modernized handguards, and the ability to take standard magazines (kind of like SIG did with the early 556). Personally, I think they uglied up the gun in the process. That’s a Gen 2, which differs from the Gen 1, which had a proprietary folding stock, fixed iron sights (although the rear sight can be removed) in addition to the top rail, and a shorter tri-rail handguard with slide-off covers. I have Gen 1 ACEs in 7.62x39 and 7.62x51, and they’re OK. Got them mainly for something different, not that they’re exceptional in any way. IWI talks about them being lighter because of the polymer lower, but they must be doing comparisons to the original all-metal Galil, because I don’t consider mine to be particularly light compared to similar rifles. The guns are reliable and accurate enough, but nothing special IMHO, aside from their looks.

My dislikes on my guns are the stock is a bit of a pain to fold, the long tab that sticks out the rear of the receiver cover makes reassembly a bit of a chore compared to an AK with a shorter tab (there’s a trick to doing it that’s explained in the manual), and the left side safety is pretty stiff.

Personally, I’d go for the DD, unless you want something different in 5.56.

FWIW, this is what the Gen 1 ACE looked like, which to be honest, I think looks better than the Gen 2.

I owned an original Galil. Heavy. Accurate. Reliable. Well made. Like a really great AK, more or less. But I found the built in bipod made the gun heavy. And I had to get an adapter to fit into the mag well in order to use AR mags. And some AR mags were problematic with the adapter. So I sold it, which was incredibly stupid, give the prices and scarcity of them now.
I would definitely buy an Ace if I run across a deal on one.

Dont know about the new Galils,I have a Magnum Research import Galil AR that Ive owned for 30 years.Never misses a beat.

Magnum Research imported the IMI Galils in the 80’s, before they got caught up in the impost ban. I bought my Galil ARM in 1987.

But, I assume this thread is about the Galil ACE, not the original Galil, based on the picture that the OP posted.

I have many, both Gen 1 and Gen 2. My Gen 1's are all Gucci'd out with RS Regulate rails. It's very, very reliable. It is heavy but when the DD starts choking up at 1,000 rounds in a weekend course the Galil is just getting started. I prefer them in the 7.62x39 platform however. If shopping for 5.56, the CZ Bren 2 is the superior choice.

What caliber is the Galil? If 7.62x39 or .308, I'd go with the Galil. I went with a Galil Ace Gen 2 in 7.62x39, because I don't have another rifle in that round. I'd love to have one in pistol form to SBR and supress, but I don't even know if they make them.

The Firearm Blog did a video on the Gen 1, available on YouTube, and they appear very reliable.

If .223/5.56, I'd go with the Daniel Defense.

quote:

Originally posted by AUTiger89:
I'd love to have one in pistol form to SBR and supress, but I don't even know if they make them.

They did, but I'm not sure if IWI continued importing them during the Biden Brace Bullshit, but they were available in 8" and 12" if I'm not mistaken. Klayco47 on YouTube also did a lot of videos on customizing both the Gen 1 and Gen 2. For suppressing, KNS does make adjustable pistons for the Ace.

As far as the Ace, it's the best AK ever made not named Sig 55X. If you want an AR, my favorite bang for the buck is LWRC, but if you're more interested in an AK style rifle, the Ace is what you want.

I would definitely skip picking up one of these. It has an antiquated reciprocating charging handle, and the top cover that has the rail you would mount an optic on has to be removed every time you disassemble...I would not trust that for return to zero.

The Gen 1 looked quite good, the Gen 2 looks awful.

quote:

Originally posted by DanH:

quote:

Originally posted by AUTiger89:
I'd love to have one in pistol form to SBR and supress, but I don't even know if they make them.

They did, but I'm not sure if IWI continued importing them during the Biden Brace Bullshit, but they were available in 8" and 12" if I'm not mistaken. Klayco47 on YouTube also did a lot of videos on customizing both the Gen 1 and Gen 2. For suppressing, KNS does make adjustable pistons for the Ace.

As far as the Ace, it's the best AK ever made not named Sig 55X. If you want an AR, my favorite bang for the buck is LWRC, but if you're more interested in an AK style rifle, the Ace is what you want.

IWI only shows 16” Gen 2 Rifles

https://iwi.us/product-categor...ms/galil-ace-gen-ii/

They show most Gen 1s as discontinued, although they still list a pistol and SBR in 7.62x51. I’d be surprised if they were still actually available, unless it’s old stock laying around somewhere. I always thought Gen 1 production was terminated when the Gen 2s came out.

https://iwi.us/product-category/firearms/galil-ace/

Both Gens look awful.

Ha! I happen to dig them more than an AK, but then I also like the looks of an SKS, lol.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
Both Gens look awful.

quote:

Originally posted by Dwill104:
IWI only shows 16” Gen 2 Rifles

https://iwi.us/product-categor...ms/galil-ace-gen-ii/

Gunbroker still has some Gen 2 Pistols floating around. Barrel sizes seem to be 8.3" and 13" for all of them. There's even some 5.45s running around.

quote:

They show most Gen 1s as discontinued, although they still list a pistol and SBR in 7.62x51. I’d be surprised if they were still actually available, unless it’s old stock laying around somewhere. I always thought Gen 1 production was terminated when the Gen 2s came out.

https://iwi.us/product-category/firearms/galil-ace/

The Gen 1 is still being produced for military contracts. I know Vietnam replaced their AKs with Aces, and it's been popular with countries that have surplus Russian ammo that need to replaces worn out AKs. Any new Gen 1s that make it to the US could be military production overruns converted to semi auto.

The Daniel Defense rifle sold. I looked at the Galil ACE (5.56 version) again yesterday along with an Sig Sauer MCX-SPEAR LT 5.56 and a H&K MR556A1.

I really liked that Sig Sauer rifle! I’m kicking myself for not buying one of their earlier 556 pistols that had the Swiss style furniture like the one pictured below. They are not as easy to find now.



I think I’ve narrowed my next rifle purchase down to either the Galil, Sig Sauer or H&K.

quote:

Originally posted by JonDaddy82:
I have many, both Gen 1 and Gen 2. My Gen 1's are all Gucci'd out with RS Regulate rails.

Gen 1 with RS Regulate rail, surplus stock, pistol grip, and trigger guard/mag catch conversion looks the best. IMO the Gen 2 is a mistake. I looked at one in 7.62x39 as a go-to in .30 cal, but they are heavy.

Went back to my local fun store and discovered they have a 7.62x39 Galil in stock as well for the same price as the 5.56 version. Hmmm.

Doesn’t make my decision any easier…

A friend of mine has a Gen1 IWI ACE in 7.62x39.

Neat gun, different, reliable, heavy.

If you want something interesting go for it. If you want something practical, get an AR.