FWB spring pistols

[Geezer]

For anyone who's interested, I've just updated the thread with some new pics.

Very nice.

But....

Until recently, if I saw a 65 for sale, I thought "nice gun".

Since discovering your gallery, when I see a 65 for sale, "nice gun" has been replaced with "oh, what a pity, it's not a short-tang "65K" with sporter grips".

[Garvin]

Very nice.

But....

Until recently, if I saw a 65 for sale, I thought "nice gun".

Since discovering your gallery, when I see a 65 for sale, "nice gun" has been replaced with "oh, what a pity, it's not a short-tang "65K" with sporter grips".

Yes, knowledge can be a terrible burden while ignorance is bliss...

[mrto]

Very nice collection indeed,Danny! You have reminded me of the glaring hole that exists in my air gun collection by not having an example or two of these!

Thanks for posting the link.

Regards,

[trevor1]

Why FWB pistols are "neglected" by many collectors is one of life's greater mysteries.

[Garvin]

Thanks Mark and Trev.

I think because the FWB 65 was made right up until the late 1990s and apparently is still used in clubs today, it hasn't got the collectable appeal of, say, a gun that disappeared from the shelves in the '70s.

But it was launched 50 years ago! Probably part of its attraction for me has something to do with the fact that the model arrived in the year I was born, and it's wearing a lot better than I am.

[I. J.]

Very nice! The FWB pistols (spring, CO2 and pcp) are lovely pistols to shoot and in the case of the springers far better I.M.O. than the Giss system Originals/Diana.

Here are my examples.

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Airs...l?sort=6&o=110

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Airs...l?sort=6&o=111

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Airs...l?sort=6&o=112

[Arthur John Smithsplease]

Thanks very much Garvin. I am green with envy.

I have been looking for a 65 for some weeks now, and have spent a lot of time on the German auction site.

Problem is that I just don't know what to look for and nice photos are not always the best indication of whether a gun is good to go, or is going to need money spent on it, or is just beyond help. I put in one bid but it came to nothing.

There have been a couple of guns where they offer a buy it now price and I've been tempted.

I assume that later models are to be preferred since they are likely to have had less use, but that may not always be the case.

For me it's like taking a shot in the dark, and I would appreciate your advice about what to look for.

For example there is an early model with short tang and pseudo target grip on there that has a buy now price of 250 euros which is about 180 quid. I was thinking of buying it but what put me off was that nobody was making an offer. I thought to myself, Do they know something I don't? But then lack of interest in it might simply be because it doesn't have a fully adjustable grip.

If you ever browse that site and see something that you might have been prepared to bid on or buy outright, I'd really appreciate a pm.

[Garvin]

Thanks both.

Ian, if you want to improve your blue mod 80 case and remind me of your address, I'll send you a few pinches of flock. It's not a perfect match, but is pretty good. If you dab some PVA glue on the damaged areas, drop on some flock particles, let it dry and blow away the surplus, you can get decent results.

Arthur, you are of course right that eGun is a bit of a lottery and you don't really know what you're getting until it arrives. But the flip side is that if it's good, it'll be quite a lot cheaper than if you bought it in the UK. More often than not, eGun auction pics are pretty awful, although if you ask ('frage') the seller ('verkäufer') for extra pics, they will sometimes send them.

Most often, the poor pics are not an effort to hide flaws and German sellers are honest in my experience.

If you PM me with links, I'll try to advise on what might be a good eGun prospect, although be aware that I make no promises and may be wrong!

Of course you might receive a gun badly in need of a service, and you should factor this into your decision to buy. To avoid this altogether, you will probably have to buy a UK model that you can inspect in person, inevitably with a much higher purchase price.

[I. J.]

Thanks both.

Ian, if you want to improve your blue mod 80 case and remind me of your address, I'll send you a few pinches of flock. It's not a perfect match, but is pretty good. If you dab some PVA glue on the damaged areas, drop on some flock particles, let it dry and blow away the surplus, you can get decent results.

Flock me! THANK YOU for your kind offer. Y.H.P.M.

ATB
Ian (balding in patches).

[Arthur John Smithsplease]

Thanks both.

Ian, if you want to improve your blue mod 80 case and remind me of your address, I'll send you a few pinches of flock. It's not a perfect match, but is pretty good. If you dab some PVA glue on the damaged areas, drop on some flock particles, let it dry and blow away the surplus, you can get decent results.

Arthur, you are of course right that eGun is a bit of a lottery and you don't really know what you're getting until it arrives. But the flip side is that if it's good, it'll be quite a lot cheaper than if you bought it in the UK. More often than not, eGun auction pics are pretty awful, although if you ask ('frage') the seller ('verkäufer') for extra pics, they will sometimes send them.

Most often, the poor pics are not an effort to hide flaws and German sellers are honest in my experience.

If you PM me with links, I'll try to advise on what might be a good eGun prospect, although be aware that I make no promises and may be wrong!

Of course you might receive a gun badly in need of a service, and you should factor this into your decision to buy. To avoid this altogether, you will probably have to buy a UK model that you can inspect in person, inevitably with a much higher purchase price.

Thanks Garvin.

I appreciate your offer. Don't worry. Any decision I make is my own responsibility.

I wish more of the German sellers would include a photo of the breech seal and buffer. I'm not a collector. I want something that will shoot for the next ten years or so. However I don't want something with a lot of the surface coating missing or covered in unsightly scratches. I take care of my things - obsessively according to my wife.

I'd rather have something in good cosmetic condition that needs a full service and replacement seals, than a working gun that has been seriously neglected.

I know to a collector like you it would be heresy to even consider touching up a gun. I realise it would lose value, but is it doable? In fact how likely is it that some of the guns for sale have been touched up to hide faults at some stage?

Whatever the possible pitfalls, eGun is probably my best bet.

[Garvin]

Thanks Garvin.

I appreciate your offer. Don't worry. Any decision I make is my own responsibility.

I wish more of the German sellers would include a photo of the breech seal and buffer. I'm not a collector. I want something that will shoot for the next ten years or so. However I don't want something with a lot of the surface coating missing or covered in unsightly scratches. I take care of my things - obsessively according to my wife.

I'd rather have something in good cosmetic condition that needs a full service and replacement seals, than a working gun that has been seriously neglected.

I know to a collector like you it would be heresy to even consider touching up a gun. I realise it would lose value, but is it doable? In fact how likely is it that some of the guns for sale have been touched up to hide faults at some stage?

Whatever the possible pitfalls, eGun is probably my best bet.

Arthur fair enough re. condition. I'm with you there.

As for touching up the finish on the FWB pistols, I think it's difficult since the original finish was apparently sprayed/baked on enamel of some sort. It seems nigh on impossible to effect any finish repairs using the usual paints, or at least I've had no luck anyway.

You're right that I wouldn't do touching up out of choice, but I have one pistol that is otherwise near perfect but for a single tiny chip in the paint. Attempts to try to cover it up have made matters worse.

I've sent you a couple of eGun prospects, although there isn't a good crop on there at the moment, unfortunately.

[Arthur John Smithsplease]

Thanks Garvin. You're a gent.

[gingernut]

I think it's time I bought another one of these Danny!

[I. J.]

Thanks both.

Ian, if you want to improve your blue mod 80 case and remind me of your address, I'll send you a few pinches of flock. It's not a perfect match, but is pretty good. If you dab some PVA glue on the damaged areas, drop on some flock particles, let it dry and blow away the surplus, you can get decent results.

True to his word Danny, a true gent, sent some which I received today. In the next few days I will do some touching up and 'flocking'. Ive never done this before but I should be good at it because Ive often heard people whisper "There goes that little flocker!".

ATB
Ian.

[Garvin]

True to his word Danny, a true gent, sent some which I received today. In the next few days I will do some touching up and 'flocking'. Ive never done this before but I should be good at it because Ive often heard people whisper "There goes that little flocker!".

ATB
Ian.

Good luck, Ian. I've heard you described as a "complete flocker" too, so it should be no problem.