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Thread: Farco Air Shotgun

  1. #1
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    Farco Air Shotgun

    It's been a while since I posted to this forum, changed scenery in the meantime and had the opportunity to pick up some rarer and more interesting airguns.

    This one is a Farco Air Shotgun that was manufactured in the Philippines in the late 1970s.

    Imgur album with high definition images

    Youtube video with some high speed footage of various projectiles being fired

  2. #2
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    Lots of strange and exotic airguns made in the Philippines. Somewhere, I have a copy of some vintage Philippine airgun magazines. What drove this interest was the fact that firearms are banned. So, the next best thing for self defense is an airgun. There were some fascinating looking CO2 pistols specifically designed for self defense. Unfortunately, nobody saw fit to import something interesting like that and instead all we got are these Farco shotguns. Nice guns but crudely made for the most part. I knew a local guy who ran tables at the local gun shows. He bought a ton of Farco and Korean large bore airguns and if he ever sold one I never saw it. Last I heard, he had to declare bankruptcy. No idea what the current situation is.

  3. #3
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    Unfortunately it is a section one firearm in the UK I was shown one over twenty years ago and have to agree that on first sight they look very nice but closer examination reveals they are very crudely made. I seem to remember the one I was shown had a removable rifled liner. Interesting.

  4. #4
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    I seem to remember Jess Galan reviewed one of these in an early Airgun Digest - which was my bible in those days Mainly used for hunting purposes.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by greenwayjames View Post
    on first sight they look very nice but closer examination reveals they are very crudely made. I seem to remember the one I was shown had a removable rifled liner. Interesting.
    It's part of the charm to be honest. The valve flutters horribly on firing, it's clearly an artisanal product made by people with more time than tools and training and I find that appealing.

    Mainly used for hunting purposes.
    I tried 8 x 0.177" BBs at 50 feet fired at a soda can, they patterned nicely in a 1 foot square and did not lack power, punching straight through 1/4" thick fiberboard - but the can was untouched. Definitely a short range weapon without a choke. Same target at the same range with 30 x #4 shot (about 1/8" diameter) resulting in a similar spread and only three hits on the can.

    Apparently they are also used with explosive projectiles to hunt larger game:



    From the Beeman Collection:

    These devices, beautifully lathe-turned from brass, are "torpedoes", designed to be charged with shaped-charges of high explosives, such as TNT, and then fired from Philippine .38" and .50" (9 & 12.5 mm) caliber CO2 rifles, such as the specimen to the left. When he left several different versions of these rifles at our office, the factory representative presented us with these specimens. He also had some, which he took with him for trials with a relative in Southern California, that were already charged. When we asked him how he brought them, when he flew in, he replied: "In my vest pocket"!. Talk about airport security!

    There are both .38" and .50" caliber torpedoes here, some with round heads for surface detonation, others with pointed heads for deep detonation. He indicated that they use them for killing animals up to the size of water buffaloes. But, he added, the problem is that they may blow away "one-quarter" of the water buffalo"!

  6. #6
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    I'll have to dig and find the Philippine mags. One model that I thought was interesting but never saw a picture of was, if memory serves (very questionable) was called a "Bonga" which was a simple pump pneumatic along the lines of the bicycle pump Benjamins. As I recall, this was the basic back woods (jungle?) air gun.

  7. #7
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    Garvin, I tried to reply to your message but you inbox is full. Feel free to use the pictures for your gallery.

    Interestingly going by the serial numbers mine is only two guns apart from this one you already posted.

    I'll have to dig and find the Philippine mags. One model that I thought was interesting but never saw a picture of was, if memory serves (very questionable) was called a "Bonga" which was a simple pump pneumatic along the lines of the bicycle pump Benjamins. As I recall, this was the basic back woods (jungle?) air gun.
    That would be interesting, you mentioned airguns designed for self-defense earlier and firearms restrictions certainly seems to drive this sort of expedient fabrication. The Caselman Air Machinegun was such a development, in the words of the designer:

    "with gun prohibition perhaps staring us in the face it is nice to know you do not have to be without protection. This gun was designed with the idea that any and all guns could be banned and ammo could be illegal or unavailable, this is why we strongly urge you to have these plans. To have the security of knowing you can make a high powered automatic weapon using high pressure air………..a self sufficient alternative for home protection and defense, and also the inexpensive pleasure of machine gun shooting."

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by fullmetaljacket View Post
    Garvin, I tried to reply to your message but your inbox is full. Feel free to use the pictures for your gallery.
    Thank you.

    Sorry, inbox now emptied.
    Vintage Airguns Gallery
    ..Above link posted with permission from Gareth W-B
    In British slang an anorak is a person who has a very strong interest in niche subjects.

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