New to the forum. Help needed!

[thirdwheel]

Simon
Been working so not looked at fun stuff for a while but still shooting every day so stop me going gaga. Why a FWB 65 - well 30 plus years ago I competed with a gamo center a cheep £30 pistol from spain. All the top people used fwb 65's I just could not afford one but now I can!! Found one and bought it and serviced it myself all new polymer bits -piston buffer, breech seal, safety bumper, new spring and piston ring all from germany via . Also bought a Original 6m another recoiless oldie and rebuilt it with a new seal. Why this old stuff well they do not look like copies of firearms and are mostly made of steel. I've also got some new stuff HW40, webley alecto and gamo falcon which is a springer. I like the simple stuff too. I really want to push my shooting and I must have a goal that is why I do the MPL this is a 6yd comp shot at home and you email your scored in once a month. Run and administerd by the classic air pistol association, other comps are run too by the UBC and also a canadian comp over 10m over 40 and 60 shots again email through results. All have their own requirements about what pistols you can use. Try and see if there is a air gun club near you and go along. All of the guns that have been suggested will shoot better than most people can and having the top kit at first is not necessary any of the pistols suggested will get you started but some will suit your style better than others so that is why it is a good idea to go along to a club. Problem is that there is not one near where I live at the moment.

Best cheers
George

[SimonR]

Simon
Been working so not looked at fun stuff for a while but still shooting every day so stop me going gaga. Why a FWB 65 - well 30 plus years ago I competed with a gamo center a cheep £30 pistol from spain. All the top people used fwb 65's I just could not afford one but now I can!! Found one and bought it and serviced it myself all new polymer bits -piston buffer, breech seal, safety bumper, new spring and piston ring all from germany via . Also bought a Original 6m another recoiless oldie and rebuilt it with a new seal. Why this old stuff well they do not look like copies of firearms and are mostly made of steel. I've also got some new stuff HW40, webley alecto and gamo falcon which is a springer. I like the simple stuff too. I really want to push my shooting and I must have a goal that is why I do the MPL this is a 6yd comp shot at home and you email your scored in once a month. Run and administerd by the classic air pistol association, other comps are run too by the UBC and also a canadian comp over 10m over 40 and 60 shots again email through results. All have their own requirements about what pistols you can use. Try and see if there is a air gun club near you and go along. All of the guns that have been suggested will shoot better than most people can and having the top kit at first is not necessary any of the pistols suggested will get you started but some will suit your style better than others so that is why it is a good idea to go along to a club. Problem is that there is not one near where I live at the moment.

Best cheers
George

Thanks for the info and advice! Came across your (?) detailed description of your service of the FWB on another forum I think. Very impressive, wouldn't have the skills/tools to try that myself......
As a matter of interest (and if it's not a breach of forum etiquette) may I ask how much you payed for the 65 and the Original??
ATB
Simon

[wilkinss77]

Thanks guys. Will do some more research based on the advice although looks like the HW45 (not target oriented) and the Compact (you are right Mark I do have historical antibodies to 'plastic'!) are probably out!

granted it has a lot of plastic, but have you considered an alecto? it's well within your budget new, it's powerful (adjustable power) AND accurate.

[thirdwheel]

Simon
FWB 65 £230ish Original £130ish the fwb cost about £70 to service myself and I think the original was £25 for the seals. Yup the sevice for the fwb is mine there is also a service write up for the original too. not many tools are needed but you need quality tools not pound land pliers and screwdrivers. The practical stuff is not too difficult as long as you sort out a clean area and a system that catches little things if they drop and think, take notes and read all service write ups first. Above all have confidence that you can do it!
I paid a bit over the top for both pistols but I wanted them.
George

[davymole]

Hi never mind spending £300 of hard earned cash and everyone likes to help you spend it I like yourself returned after 45 years my first buy was a HW95 which was a good buy after one pistol which I no longer have the second best and for even short target and improving my skills was a HW40 ideal at 10mtrs in the garage just over a £100 notes or watch out for a s/h on the forum has all the build quaility as other Weihrauchs and the change sitting in the bank ready then for that all important buy but by then you will be more sure in what you want and well on your way in compertions good luck in your choice

[SimonR]

Hi never mind spending £300 of hard earned cash and everyone likes to help you spend it I like yourself returned after 45 years my first buy was a HW95 which was a good buy after one pistol which I no longer have the second best and for even short target and improving my skills was a HW40 ideal at 10mtrs in the garage just over a £100 notes or watch out for a s/h on the forum has all the build quaility as other Weihrauchs and the change sitting in the bank ready then for that all important buy but by then you will be more sure in what you want and well on your way in compertions good luck in your choice

Thanks for taking the time to post. You are in one way right of course. Your advice is very fine, sensible, rational and logical. However, the question posed in another thread here by peteswright was 'shooting for what reason' For me it's going to have an emotional component. I am a man of my times and those times were as a teenager during the early seventies. Guns were springers made of steel, blued with the satisfying click of well machined components in operation......(Well maybe getting a bit rose-tinted here-also had a GAT (?) some sort of tin as I recall.....).
I do appreciate that the HW40 has some very fine reviews as does the Alecto which my local (expensive) gun shop has tried to encourage me towards, and I appreciate that they are not 'plastic' but what is described in one review as 'weapons grade polymer'. Same materials as Glock 9mm??!.......
I suspect that you may be a little more grown up than me as the emotions seem to be leading my decision making processes and towards classic springer or possible Hammerli CO2....... (And the 300 squids aren't sitting in the bank in any case-they represent a notional value for a Christmas present.....!)
ATB Simon

[SimonR]

granted it has a lot of plastic, but have you considered an alecto? it's well within your budget new, it's powerful (adjustable power) AND accurate.

Thanks for this and yup have looked at the Alecto. (See reply to daveymole). Seems to be a very fine gun but apart from the 'plastics' it does, and this is an entirely personal perception, look rather like something out of a Star Wars film.......
ATB Simon

[SimonR]

If you can stand it's good looks, a 2nd hand 'Izzy' could be another option within budget...

Picture: http://www.pyramydair.com/images/IZH..._pistol_lg.jpg

Sorry missed this..... Soviet tractor or what?! Still, a lot of folks on various forum
appear to like them. From a quick review seems that I would need a set of wood carving tools except that second hand versions are generally already carved therefore I would need to factor in the cost of new grips to carve for myself and then they would probably be useless for anyone else if I wanted to sell it..... Or am I missing something?
ATB
Simon

[SimonR]

Hi Simon

All of those pistols were built to last several lifetimes,provided they have been looked after and had the seals changed when required. There are seal kits available and a number of guys on this forum that will replace them.
That Master is a beaut - but I would say that as it belongs to me!

Just seen your transformer thread. Very very nice Mark!

[Fierynick]

Hello,
With a budget of £300 and a desire to do target shooting if it were my money I'd buy the FAS, they're well made reliable and accurate. It will also hold its money so if you want to upgrade to something more expensive or just sell up you know that you'll get most of your money back.
. The MPL sounds like a great place to start shooting with the pressure of competing. There are also both 'postal' and live comps all over the UK on a regular basis.
. I would suggest maybe calling Peter Friend at Surrey Guns to ask his advice, and to see what he has in stock. He carries a vast array of second hand target pistols and is good to deal with. I picked up my new Morini from him yesterday and can't recommend him enough.

Regards,

[harvey_s]

Sorry missed this..... Soviet tractor or what?! Still, a lot of folks on various forum
appear to like them. From a quick review seems that I would need a set of wood carving tools except that second hand versions are generally already carved therefore I would need to factor in the cost of new grips to carve for myself and then they would probably be useless for anyone else if I wanted to sell it..... Or am I missing something?
ATB
Simon

Hi again Simon
Don't write the izzy off till you''ve seen & shot one they're very well made from good quality materials and extremely capable of match quality performance

[SimonR]

Hello,
With a budget of £300 and a desire to do target shooting if it were my money I'd buy the FAS, they're well made reliable and accurate. It will also hold its money so if you want to upgrade to something more expensive or just sell up you know that you'll get most of your money back.
. The MPL sounds like a great place to start shooting with the pressure of competing. There are also both 'postal' and live comps all over the UK on a regular basis.
. I would suggest maybe calling Peter Friend at Surrey Guns to ask his advice, and to see what he has in stock. He carries a vast array of second hand target pistols and is good to deal with. I picked up my new Morini from him yesterday and can't recommend him enough.

Regards,

Will certainly give him a call, looks as if they are within reasonable travel distance for me which would be great. Thanks for the advice.
ATB

[SimonR]

Hi again Simon
Don't write the fizzy off till you''ve seen & shot one they're very well made from good quality materials and extremely capable of match quality performance

Fair comment Harvey. I will reserve judgement and keep quiet until I know better ....... It's just that at first sight it did look kind of agricultural.......
ATB
Simon

[harvey_s]

Fair comment Harvey. I will reserve judgement and keep quiet until I know better ....... It's just that at first sight it did look kind of agricultural.......
ATB
Simon

Hell, you think what you like - its a free country & all I'm saying is that if you value traditional materials (steel, proper wood & aluminium) over plastic & die-cast then the izzy fits the bill and is not the ex-soviet tat you perhaps think it is...

(they also hold their value extremely well and generally go s/h at the top end of your budget - so they're not the cheap option...)

[SimonR]

Hell, you think what you like - its a free country & all I'm saying is that if you value traditional materials (steel, proper wood & aluminium) over plastic & die-cast then the izzy fits the bill and is not the ex-soviet tat you perhaps think it is...

(they also hold their value extremely well and generally go s/h at the top end of your budget - so they're not the cheap option...)

Chuckle! I will indeed...... Will never think it's aesthetically beautiful, however, beautifully constructed is another matter. Some fine reviews but as you say top end of my budget so probably not.
My first shotgun was a Baikal 12 bore single-30 barrel, came with a massive 'recoil pad' fitted. The whole thing was nearly as tall as me.....the gamekeeper on the estate where I had a Saturday job eventually bought it off me to have something 'cheap and cheerful' to throw in the back of the Land Rover!