Ever since I got my 300, I have been an admirer of the sheer quality of FWB, and after I had shot Gary's V-Mached 124 at a Boinger Bash I knew I had to have one. The 124 is not too common, and it has taken me all summer to find one, so I really had to buy the first one I saw advertised. Getting it home, I took stock of what I have got - an early mark 1 with no sights, but a very nicely re-blued barrel and cylinder, a pleasant trigger fitted with a metal blade and a decentish stock which does need a bit of work to remove a few annoying marks, and will probably have to be refinished. The bad news was that it was only producing 9.4 ft lbs, and the firing cycle felt and sounded like a toy train crash, so my initial hopes of not having to dismantle it were scuppered from the start. Inside I found a spring of unknown origin, with only about an inch of preload (a bit of a shock, as I had prepared for about 4 inches) and what I believe to be a Maccari seal fitted to a piston which has rather been through the wars - it has marks which suggest it has been gripped in a vice a few times in its life. Fortunately the marks all seem to be inwards, and have not made any visible scratches on the inside of the cylinder. A simple polish will leave the piston quite usable.

So what should I do now? Plan A was to restore it to original spec with an original spring and seal, which I thought with its long preload should give a nice soft firing cycle, but I have since been advised, on the very best authority, that the 124 had a reputation as a scope wrecker, which implies an unpleasantly heavy recoil. Plan B is a V-Mach kit, which I know to make a very pleasant gun, but is a long way from the original. But are there other things I could do, or other tuning kits I could use which would let me enjoy the gun without losing the spirit of the original? I am not looking for ultimate performance, I would just like to get pleasure from a fine old lightweight sporting rifle.

Advice from experienced FWB users would be greatly appreciated.