I'm a newbie here on Uzi Talk but have been on the Falfiles and Valmet forums for quite awhile. I am certainly not a newcomer to Galils. The following information is from a project I started after purchasing a Mossberg Galil import and my wanting to know more about it. Please feel free to add to or correct any of the content.
In the 1990’s the IDF decided to stop military production of their Galil rifles and adopt the Colt M16 series as their principal individual small arm for all branches of the IDF. The factors considered were size, weight,and price. They could get M-16s for free from the US Government. This started IMI looking for an export outlet for their Galil rifles as a source of hard currency.
The GFCC / ARMEX galil receivers were all manufactured by IMI in Israel for O. F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc. of North Haven, CT.(aka UZI America). They were so marked and were going to be sold as “Sporter” rifles with no muzzle device and fixed wood stocks similar to the Draganov. Both 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm rifles were in the works, and they imported about three hundred barreled receivers (with 1 in 7 twist chrome lined barrels, trigger guards and feed ramps already installed by IMI) to begin the manufacturing process.
This was all being done in the height of the Clinton era and both houses of the congress were very anti firearm at the time. Sometime during this manufacturing process, Mossberg was given an ultimatum by some members of the Congress. “If you try and go around our idea of what the existing gun laws and executive orders mean in regards to the importation and sales of weapons that we find offensive, you may lose all of your US military contracts.” As a major supplier of shotguns to the DOD, this loss of income would have put Mossberg out of business.
In light of this very real threat, Mossberg decided that discretion and financial stability was far better than valor and bankruptcy. They sat on the barreled receivers for a few years to let the dust settle, and to ensure that they received several very large US Military contracts, then they machined their names off of the receivers and sold them to the highest bidder (GFCC Co in Sacramento CA which eventually became New Helvetica Manufacturing) as one large lot.
These rare rifles (some completed by IMI in Israel and some by GFCC) and the incomplete barreled receivers (with only the barrel, feedramp and trigger guard installed) are REAL, original IMI Galil rifles built from original IMI parts.
The next question is their value. After going through dozens of old postings on the Internet from as far back as the mid nineties, the barreled receivers originally sold for $250 to $500. These were considered post '89 but pre '94 manufacture which essentially makes them "post ban" weapons as far as the Assault Weapons Ban is concerned. However, there seems to be several different interpretations of the AWB in regards to when a weapon or receiver was imported and when it was actually assembled into a functioning weapon. This is the area where the Mossbergs really get confusing. All of the info I've found so far show the "original" IMI/Mossberg receivers were made between 1987 and 1989 and were imported during that period. Since Mossberg held them in storage until 1994 (possibly as late as 1997 according to the Mossberg historian) when they were sold to GFCC, the barreled receivers couldn't have been completed until after 1994, yet there is evidence that some IMI completed rifles were imported by Mossberg prior to 1989. If this is the case then could these be considered pre-bans? Again, as to value, I've seen numerous old auctions and forum posts claiming that unfinished Mossberg receivers have sold for $1000 to $1600. Completed rifles pose an entirely new situation as these appear to be the rarest Galils to ever enter the U.S. and even fewer in civilian hands as Mossberg intended and advertised these as "LE Sales Only". Clink on this link for an original Mossberg/UA brochure: http://files.uzitalk.com/reference/literature/catalogs/1998uziamerica.pdf. I also want to add that conversations with the Mossberg legal department and their historian have basically been fruitless as far as gaining more information regarding these rifles and especially UZI AMERICA. As I was told, this chapter in the Mossberg story lasted only three years and it was an event that was best left forgotten.
Based on this research (my own as well as many other contributors), I present the following list based on the rarity of each Galil import, going from most to least:
1. Galil SAR, AR or ARM with O.F.Mossberg & Sons Inc., North Haven, CT engraved on left side
2. same as above BUT O.F.Mossberg & Sons Inc. has been milled off. No other import name was observed
3. same as #2 but with UZI AMERICA North Haven, CT engraved on left side
4. Galil SAR, AR or ARM with GALIL SPORTER, IMI ISRAEL and 3 digit serial number (001 to 300) engraved on left side. Importer name is GFCC SAC CA
5. Galil SAR, AR or ARM with GALIL SPORTER, IMI ISRAEL and 8 digit serial number (unknown range) engraved on left side. Importer name is NHM SAC CA
6. Galil SAR, AR or ARM imported by Springfield Armory. no other details at this time.
7. Galil SAR, AR or ARM imported by Magnum Research. no other details at this time.
8. Galil SAR, AR or ARM imported by Action Arms. no other details at this time.
Now before I get crucified, please be aware that this research is a work in progress and there are still more variations (such as "sporter", "SPORTER", a large S or a small S), but I think my list is accurate as far as IMPORTERS are concerned. If anyone out there has any new or different info regarding the IMI/Mossberg Galils, I would appreciate your posting that info.
In the 1990’s the IDF decided to stop military production of their Galil rifles and adopt the Colt M16 series as their principal individual small arm for all branches of the IDF. The factors considered were size, weight,and price. They could get M-16s for free from the US Government. This started IMI looking for an export outlet for their Galil rifles as a source of hard currency.
The GFCC / ARMEX galil receivers were all manufactured by IMI in Israel for O. F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc. of North Haven, CT.(aka UZI America). They were so marked and were going to be sold as “Sporter” rifles with no muzzle device and fixed wood stocks similar to the Draganov. Both 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm rifles were in the works, and they imported about three hundred barreled receivers (with 1 in 7 twist chrome lined barrels, trigger guards and feed ramps already installed by IMI) to begin the manufacturing process.
This was all being done in the height of the Clinton era and both houses of the congress were very anti firearm at the time. Sometime during this manufacturing process, Mossberg was given an ultimatum by some members of the Congress. “If you try and go around our idea of what the existing gun laws and executive orders mean in regards to the importation and sales of weapons that we find offensive, you may lose all of your US military contracts.” As a major supplier of shotguns to the DOD, this loss of income would have put Mossberg out of business.
In light of this very real threat, Mossberg decided that discretion and financial stability was far better than valor and bankruptcy. They sat on the barreled receivers for a few years to let the dust settle, and to ensure that they received several very large US Military contracts, then they machined their names off of the receivers and sold them to the highest bidder (GFCC Co in Sacramento CA which eventually became New Helvetica Manufacturing) as one large lot.
These rare rifles (some completed by IMI in Israel and some by GFCC) and the incomplete barreled receivers (with only the barrel, feedramp and trigger guard installed) are REAL, original IMI Galil rifles built from original IMI parts.
The next question is their value. After going through dozens of old postings on the Internet from as far back as the mid nineties, the barreled receivers originally sold for $250 to $500. These were considered post '89 but pre '94 manufacture which essentially makes them "post ban" weapons as far as the Assault Weapons Ban is concerned. However, there seems to be several different interpretations of the AWB in regards to when a weapon or receiver was imported and when it was actually assembled into a functioning weapon. This is the area where the Mossbergs really get confusing. All of the info I've found so far show the "original" IMI/Mossberg receivers were made between 1987 and 1989 and were imported during that period. Since Mossberg held them in storage until 1994 (possibly as late as 1997 according to the Mossberg historian) when they were sold to GFCC, the barreled receivers couldn't have been completed until after 1994, yet there is evidence that some IMI completed rifles were imported by Mossberg prior to 1989. If this is the case then could these be considered pre-bans? Again, as to value, I've seen numerous old auctions and forum posts claiming that unfinished Mossberg receivers have sold for $1000 to $1600. Completed rifles pose an entirely new situation as these appear to be the rarest Galils to ever enter the U.S. and even fewer in civilian hands as Mossberg intended and advertised these as "LE Sales Only". Clink on this link for an original Mossberg/UA brochure: http://files.uzitalk.com/reference/literature/catalogs/1998uziamerica.pdf. I also want to add that conversations with the Mossberg legal department and their historian have basically been fruitless as far as gaining more information regarding these rifles and especially UZI AMERICA. As I was told, this chapter in the Mossberg story lasted only three years and it was an event that was best left forgotten.
Based on this research (my own as well as many other contributors), I present the following list based on the rarity of each Galil import, going from most to least:
1. Galil SAR, AR or ARM with O.F.Mossberg & Sons Inc., North Haven, CT engraved on left side
2. same as above BUT O.F.Mossberg & Sons Inc. has been milled off. No other import name was observed
3. same as #2 but with UZI AMERICA North Haven, CT engraved on left side
4. Galil SAR, AR or ARM with GALIL SPORTER, IMI ISRAEL and 3 digit serial number (001 to 300) engraved on left side. Importer name is GFCC SAC CA
5. Galil SAR, AR or ARM with GALIL SPORTER, IMI ISRAEL and 8 digit serial number (unknown range) engraved on left side. Importer name is NHM SAC CA
6. Galil SAR, AR or ARM imported by Springfield Armory. no other details at this time.
7. Galil SAR, AR or ARM imported by Magnum Research. no other details at this time.
8. Galil SAR, AR or ARM imported by Action Arms. no other details at this time.
Now before I get crucified, please be aware that this research is a work in progress and there are still more variations (such as "sporter", "SPORTER", a large S or a small S), but I think my list is accurate as far as IMPORTERS are concerned. If anyone out there has any new or different info regarding the IMI/Mossberg Galils, I would appreciate your posting that info.
