Fwb 65

[ricardolamos]

I have been viewing a FWB 65 for sale and would like some tips on what to look out for in respect of avoiding a lemon.

Also,is there anybody who services FWB pistols on this forum?

cheers

Richard

[eyebull]

The usual protocols apply with regards to screw heads etc - if they have been chewed up then likely some mungo has been inside. On cocking you should be able to see the breech seal and how new it is. Any debris in the loading chamber would indicate decayed/crumbling seals.
Are you buying in-person or online?

I *think* Lawrie Armatruda was the go-to man for servicing these, but not sure if that's still the case.

You may welll get a better and more detailed response in the vintage and target shooting sections of the forum.

[Mark D]

As well as the general condition, the main area to look at is the seals, there are 3 in total 1.Breach. 2. Piston. 3. Buffer. 1 & 3 are easy to do and the 2. requires the pistol to be stripped to remove the piston.

Look for Green, Blue and Red seals. If the piston seal is an off white, it is likely to be original and will fail at some point. If you look through the breach seal you can see the piston seal (see photo)

The buffer seal, not shown in the photo is at the barrel end of the breach and is easily replaced if required.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...249e96e1_k.jpgDSC03187 copy by Mark Davis, on Flickr

[Kennyb]

Try Dave Price (wonky donky) on here. He certainly used to service them.

[abellringer]

Agree all of the above. Certainly Laurie and Dave are excellent service technicians ; I do them too, although at the moment spares are a little hard to get, for me certainly. When cocked if you look into the action, you will hopefully see a nylon seal [ actually a buffer] if its not there, it has already disintegrated and been shot out of the barrel; not uncommon on older FWB guns. that's a replacement for sure, as has been said if it's white it's likely to fail any time; blue or green are newer respectively; red is almost certainly a Knibbs generic one. Same applies to breech seal, easy to see; white needs changing, blue might be ok, green is the latest so could be ok, red again is Knibbs. Hope this helps

[TonyL]

Brilliant information above, chaps.

I'll have to have a peep at the breech area of my 300.

I don't really need any more guns, but a 65 or 80 will always be high on my hit list. Must get one, one day. Beautiful things.

[Herx77]

You should be able to service it yourself'. Not difficult at all. Parts are available.
Several videos on line on how to do it..
Try a fwb80 a good improvement on the 65
'eyeball', I see you are in Borehamwood where do you shoot or aim to
Shoot.
Herx77.