FWB Mod 65 Pistol - LM

[Mark D]

I have a 2nd series FWB Mod 65 and the manual has the serial number of the pistol followed by the letters 'LM'

These letters are not on the pistol that I can find.

Anybody know what the letters stand for ??

[IMG]DSC03184 by Mark Davis, on Flickr[/IMG]

[Garvin]

I have a 2nd series FWB Mod 65 and the manual has the serial number of the pistol followed by the letters 'LM'

These letters are not on the pistol that I can find.

Anybody know what the letters stand for ??

[IMG]DSC03184 by Mark Davis, on Flickr[/IMG]

I think it's something like lauf mantel (barrel weight) Mark.

[Garvin]

[Mark D]

Thanks Danny - mystery solved

[Geezer]

Laufmantel = barrel sleeve.

[Garvin]

Laufmantel = barrel sleeve.

Sleeve, that's the word I was looking for.

[DrGunn]

I have the same barrel sleeve on mine, I’ve not seen it on many 65s though so presume it wasn’t that common?

[Geezer]

I have the same barrel sleeve on mine, I’ve not seen it on many 65s though so presume it wasn’t that common?

I think not.

Really stupid question, to which I definitely should know the answer. LM is stamped on the manual, but not on the guns themselves. Makes me wonder why they stamped it after the serial on the manual?

[Ian Cartmell]

Just sold my 65 with the blued barrel sleeve

[Garvin]

I have the same barrel sleeve on mine, I’ve not seen it on many 65s though so presume it wasn’t that common?

I thought this, but I found that most of the 65s in my collection had sleeves!

https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery....ol-collection/

[Mark D]

I thought this, but I found that most of the 65s in my collection had sleeves!

https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery....ol-collection/

Now if I had looked first I would have spotted the LM on the owners hand book

I see that 89276 has the sleeve but not the 'LM' on the manual, so maybe a later addition.

[DrGunn]

Ok, so not so uncommon after all!
I’ve wondered (but done very little to find out) if they are removable, as first glance it looks like they are retained by the front sight but the flat at the bottom by the action suggests there may be more to it. Has anyone tried removing one?

[Garvin]

Ok, so not so uncommon after all!
I’ve wondered (but done very little to find out) if they are removable, as first glance it looks like they are retained by the front sight but the flat at the bottom by the action suggests there may be more to it. Has anyone tried removing one?

No, but I have one loose and it's just an empty tube, presumably held on by the front sight as you say. Not sure what the flat is for?

[MDriskill]

From years of poking around on that famous German auction site, the factory-fit tapered blued barrel sleeve seems common on European-market 65's. Not often seen on Beeman imports here in the US, though. There was a version of the weight made for the short-barrel 65 "Junior" as well.

Just speculation, but: 1) the little flat underneath may relate to the 65's removable recoil lock piece; 2) FWB rifle sleeves were typically epoxied on when factory fitted, but also available loose on the aftermarket. The same might be true for the pistol sleeve.

That's a really beautiful pistol by the way!

[Garvin]

1) the little flat underneath may relate to the 65's removable recoil lock piece

Good thinking Mike. That might be it, to make room for the recoil attachment plate.

Here is one of the sleeves cut down for the FWB65 'shortie':