Fas 604

[JCB357]

I got my 604, secondhand (good deal with helidave1) a few weeks back. It’s of uncertain age - certainly well used and ‘allegedly’ the Italian made originals, like this one, are better than the USA made 6004.

My pistol has a lovely wood grip, the only downside to it being that the palm shelf is not adjustable and as I have quite small hands will need to ‘pad’ it a little. That’s for later though - fine as it is for now.

Sights are a simple ‘notch and post’ and are fine. Gun did come with a foresight extension piece but haven’t used this yet. Windage and elevation adjustment is simple - two large screw heads and quite fine adjustment is possible. No need for tools for this - a 20p piece works just fine and is just the right thickness to avoid damage to the screw heads.

The trigger is a delight - best I have ever used. It’s fully adjustable but having read up on the web how to do this I think I’ll leave it just as it is. It’s fine for me.

Loading is simply a case of releasing the top ‘slide’ and rotating it fully forward. Then load a pellet into the exposed end of the barrel - a bit fiddly but easy enough when you get the knack. Then close down the top slide which charges the cylinder with air and you’re ready to shoot. No safety catch so finger off trigger until on target !
The pistol can be dry fired if you rotate the ‘top slide’ just far enough to cock it.
Not too much effort is needed to do this but youngsters may struggle.

Power? No idea - I don’t have a chrono but as a pure target pistol doesn’t really matter. As Roll Royce used to say about their engines ‘adequte’.

Accuracy? No easy way to measure that. Suffice it to say it’s good. My outdoor range is at 5 metres at the moment and (two handed) ‘one hole’ groups time after time.
So, if like me you want a ‘match grade’ target pistol that is for home shooting but is quite capable in competition and looks like a pistol rather than a prop from a sci-fi movie set go for one of these. On some of the USA sites I’ve looked at a few have said that the original (Italian made) guns are a better buy, if you can find a nice one, than the latest (American made) version.

[nige346]

I would agree that the original FAS604 is superior to the newer 6004, they are a fine, well made and very accurate pistol, it's also nice being able to shoot it under its own power, no need for bottles, pumps etc. Always had a soft spot for these and for good reason too . I also have a modern sci fi looking pistol (Steyr) but can shoot the older SSP pistols just as well, the modern PCP does come into its own when shooting a full 60 shot comp though,

[helidave1]

Hi John,

Glad you are happy with it, I too thought it a superb little pistol with a fantastic trigger. The TX is also a great gun and to anybody reading this I can recommend John as a top guy to deal with.

All the best

David