I was reunited with my old Mastersport FWB in April. Seal had gone so VMach fitted a new one and a steel piston liner. Still can't get over how good that old FWB shoots. Goes too show how good they are. Mach 1.5
if its 22 then its a 127 an in my opinion very much over the top end of what you would pay, there's 2 on freeadds at the moment one for £250 and another in a very nice stock if your a leftie for £180, am sure there are other 127s out there for a similar price as to these if you have a search
but as Mr Shed said you pays your money and takes your choice....
I was reunited with my old Mastersport FWB in April. Seal had gone so VMach fitted a new one and a steel piston liner. Still can't get over how good that old FWB shoots. Goes too show how good they are. Mach 1.5
My mate reckons they were one of the best springers ever!
Best springers ever? Hmmm time to start I new thread? They are good but do have their problems. Mach 1.5
I'm sure I've read the Diana 280 has the same bore and stroke as the Fwb sport and I've shot a well fettled one and it was okay but not well sorted 95 nice.
£600 as new less than a tin of pellets, the man's on drugs
£600 for a MK1. You can get a mk4 for that. Mach 1.5
It would need to be a pretty tidy Sport to get over £200, just so many sold.
MK1's sold well, but it was the MK2's that really took off. Then there are a very few standard stock examples rather than the Deluxe. Only a few standard no chequering examples came over here as why not have the far nicer deluxe, but there were plenty sold in Germany and elsewhere. No Sport is that rare bar the odd custom example. Beeman imported some walnut "super" deluxe ones for the USA.
The MK3's "Dan Dare" front weight and sight went dow badly. The MK3 stock was quite good.
£600 for a mint, factory fresh MKI! Even with proof of serial number thats a lot to ask for mint premium for a pretty common rifle. A collector would need to very desperate to spend that for a MK1, and no collector I've met would spend that.
A few years back £250 was the mint price for a MKII. That might have crept up a tad as mint is demanding a good premium now. Maybe hit £300??? For most people a used exceptional example is more than enough at £250, whatever the Mark. Well used then under £200 is plenty.
I like the 124's, but the 127's shoot exceptionally well too (mine holds under an inch at 40m).
Trigger feel can vary. Barrels can go banana. Main tubes over the years do change from batch to batch, especially in the early years; just not always the straightest. (Macarri found that out when doing his custom Sports. No worse that HW35's in the day.)
Being a springer they come with all that comes with a spring system. They appreciate servicing and light tuning. Keep those bolts/screws tight.
Of customs Venom did a few and Mastersport. I don't think either added much as the stock shape didn't need improving just the type of wood. Tuning is always good when done well. But that trigger can't be made more that good, its no Rekord. Macarri probably did the most work with them and made some stunning examples with beautiful stocks.
The Sports will always have fans as they are a break barrel rifle done right. Easy cocking, powerful enough, fair enough trigger, right weight, nice bluing, great looking lines, and accurate barrels.
A joy to shoot.
My HW95 VMatch fully tuned does what a well sorted Sport does, just has a better trigger. However, its still not as nice a build to my eyes as a Sport.
No need to start a which is best thread the evidence speaks for itself
Just look at the ball lockup, the Diana has a twin spring behind the ball giving a solid lockup also Diana has a sleeve around the hing bolt, the FWB don't have a modular trigger and what about that safety catch its even worse than the 45's safety
As for the much harder to engineer angled transfer port just think how successful it is, all the Diana break barrels have it from the old original 45 to the latest 28 ft/lb N-tec for some reason it works, look at SFS 34 tune same TP I hardly call that crap, perhaps you might though lol.
The old FWB sport was OK for its time but the original 45 had more power, a excellent lockup and a modular trigger, I do prefer the FWB stock the only thing back then the break barrels had short for-ends giving them that pellet gun look, still the FWB's are nice for collectors.
Shot both my 127 Sport 4x 40 scope, and an Original 45 .177 3-9x40 scope. I also shot my VMatch HW95, .177 6x40 scope and an Omega .22. They can just about hit anything around farmyard ranges.
The 45 has a lovely two stage trigger.
My 95 has the trigger set a bit too light for its own good.
The Sport was fine.
The Omega the least easy.
Shooting standing, plinking at knockdown targets, the Sport missed less than the other three. Having no moderator it was as quiet as the custom 95 which has one. These two the least tiring to plink away with.
☝️
This.
The safety is dodgy, the trigger is mediocre, the lock-up is poor, and the stock design is at best slightly above average for an 80s rifle.
But the blasted things hit where they are aimed. Especially offhand.
That’s why they ruled FT from its origin in 1981 to the arrival of the 77 in 84-85.