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Thread: FABARM air rifles

  1. #1
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    FABARM air rifles

    A new one on me (and no entry in the VAG). It appears that FABARM (best known for good value shotguns), made an air rifle (including perhaps for other brands, though that reference in the link below may be to shot guns) in the 1950s. A very conventional underlever along pre-WW2 Diana lines.

    http://www.fabarm.com/web_eng/storia.asp

    Anyone seen one, or know more?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Geezer View Post
    A new one on me (and no entry in the VAG).
    There is now! Well spotted. Who would have thunk it?

    Does anyone on here speak Italian? I'd love a translation - there's a mention of the Diana mods 22 and 25.
    Last edited by Garvin; 11-09-2021 at 06:02 PM.
    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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    Quote Originally Posted by Garvin View Post
    There is now! Well spotted. Who would have thunk it?

    Does anyone on here speak Italian? I'd love a translation - there's a mention of the Diana mods 22 and 25.
    Not really, but I can combine a bit of French and schoolboy Latin.

    That bit about the Dianas I don’t understand.

    The rest appears mostly to be a standard description of how a tap-loading underlever works “when the lever is returned, the gun can be fired” kind of thing.

    It says the basic model was the “Barton” and the deluxe version was the “Redcastle”. I think.

    Feeling slightly smug to have discovered a - to us - previously unknown vintage rifle, and therefore expecting someone like Frank to pop up and tell us he has seven of them, with pics.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Geezer View Post
    Not really, but I can combine a bit of French and schoolboy Latin.

    That bit about the Dianas I don’t understand.

    The rest appears mostly to be a standard description of how a tap-loading underlever works “when the lever is returned, the gun can be fired” kind of thing.

    It says the basic model was the “Barton” and the deluxe version was the “Redcastle”. I think.

    Feeling slightly smug to have discovered a - to us - previously unknown vintage rifle, and therefore expecting someone like Frank to pop up and tell us he has seven of them, with pics.
    Actually, I have just done it using Google translate. I think it says roughly:

    The fabarm carbines are built in two models, namely normal 'Barton' and luxury ‘Redcastle’ and a compressed air rifle in which the barrel is fixed and both the loading mechanism and the cocking mechanism are controlled simultaneously by a single lever suitably articulated with the cocking strut and with the magazine.

    The photographs show the rifle in elevation, for the part needed to illustrate the open or closed position and how it looks in the ready or unloaded position.

    The Fabarm rifle in the open position, that is when it is ready to load by means of a dart or pellet, it has the magazine raised in which a hole is uncovered in which the load is introduced, the strut has already armed the piston. By returning the lever to its initial position, the rifle is ready for shooting.

    The aforementioned company also builds rifles similar to the Diana mod, 22 and mod 25 and ammunition for the above mentioned
    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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    Quote Originally Posted by Geezer View Post
    Not really, but I can combine a bit of French and schoolboy Latin.

    That bit about the Dianas I don’t understand.

    The rest appears mostly to be a standard description of how a tap-loading underlever works “when the lever is returned, the gun can be fired” kind of thing.

    It says the basic model was the “Barton” and the deluxe version was the “Redcastle”. I think.

    Feeling slightly smug to have discovered a - to us - previously unknown vintage rifle, and therefore expecting someone like Frank to pop up and tell us he has seven of them, with pics.
    I think you may have discovered at least three - an underlever with pop-up breech (I wonder if the BSA engineers saw one before the Merlin was produced? Anyway, GLJ was experimenting with pop-up breeches years earlier) plus the two Diana lookalike break barrels (or was there one?).
    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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    Quote Originally Posted by Garvin View Post
    I think you may have discovered at least three - an underlever with pop-up breech (I wonder if the BSA engineers saw one before the Merlin was produced? Anyway, GLJ was experimenting with pop-up breeches years earlier) plus the two Diana lookalike break barrels (or was there one?).
    I feel fulfilled.

    You’re right - it’s a pop-up breech. I’d assumed it was a badly-drawn rear sight with protective wings.

    Reading the translation, it can be read (though is open to interpretation) to suggest that the Barton was the D22 style, the Redcastle the 25, both described as carbines, and then there was the u/l rifle.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Geezer View Post
    I feel fulfilled.

    You’re right - it’s a pop-up breech. I’d assumed it was a badly-drawn rear sight with protective wings.

    Reading the translation, it can be read (though is open to interpretation) to suggest that the Barton was the D22 style, the Redcastle the 25, both described as carbines, and then there was the u/l rifle.
    Not sure I agree with this interpretation. Why would the say "also" instead of mentioning the Diana-type guns in the first paragraph? And the Fabarm website blurb says the Flobert guns were carbines.

    This may stay a mystery until some contemporary literature emerges... Is there an Italian airgun forum?
    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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    Quote Originally Posted by Garvin View Post
    Not sure I agree with this interpretation. Why would the say "also" instead of mentioning the Diana-type guns in the first paragraph? And the Fabarm website blurb says the Flobert guns were carbines.

    This may stay a mystery until some contemporary literature emerges... Is there an Italian airgun forum?
    I’m not sure I agree (with myself…) either. Pure speculation. It’s a limitation of the translation. And gun adverts haven’t always been written in the clearest language.

    Fascinating that they’d make what appears to be a pretty serious “adult” type rifle, but design the breech block to be able to take darts. With all the implications that would have for the effect of that much freebore on pellet accuracy.

    I was wondering if we had any Italian members.

    Anyway, I have cheekily emailed FABARM to see if they can provide any more info. Probably not, but worth a punt.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Geezer View Post
    Not really, but I can combine a bit of French and schoolboy Latin.

    That bit about the Dianas I don’t understand.

    The rest appears mostly to be a standard description of how a tap-loading underlever works “when the lever is returned, the gun can be fired” kind of thing.

    It says the basic model was the “Barton” and the deluxe version was the “Redcastle”. I think.

    Feeling slightly smug to have discovered a - to us - previously unknown vintage rifle, and therefore expecting someone like Frank to pop up and tell us he has seven of them, with pics.
    Actually .. no!
    All credits are on you Sir, never heard of these ones either.
    Getting info from Italy about airguns is allmost impossinble, I have tried with the Breda airguns I have.

    =======================
    Frank

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    Quote Originally Posted by frakor View Post
    Actually .. no!
    All credits are on you Sir, never heard of these ones either.
    Getting info from Italy about airguns is allmost impossinble, I have tried with the Breda airguns I have.

    =======================
    Frank
    Good stuff Frank. I still think that if anyone can find one, it will be you!

  11. #11
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    Yes, it is describing a pop-up breech mechanism. But this is an announcement of the system, not really an advert? I would have thought this was put out to gauge interest, though there must have been a prototype at least.

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    I'll have a go at making it more understandable in english as it is spoken rather than translated, since I understand and speak Italian very well.

    The Fabarm rifle comes in two models the standard one called the Barton and the luxury version called the Redcastle.it is a compressed air rifle with a fixed barrel where the cocking and loading are done by a separate lever which also operates the loading mechanism via an articulated part.

    In the photos one can see the picture in elevation format that shows the rifle in the open and closed positions, that is to say in the unloaded and loaded positions.

    In the open position or rather when the rifle is ready to be loaded with darts or pellets, the piston has already been cocked while the raised breech exposes a hole through which a pellet or dart can be inserted.

    Swinging the underlever back to its horizontal position makes the rifle ready for shooting.

    Fabarm also makes a normal air rifle like the Diana mod 22 and Diana mod 25 as well as darts for these.

    Fabarm (Weapons Factory of Brescia) has its headquarters in Trento Road 16a, Brescia.


    What follows are some observations of mine.
    The mention of the two Diana models indicates that Diana were the reference mark for others to aspire to, at least from a commercial point of view. It is interesting to see that they also mentioned their production of darts in the same paragraph as they refer to Diana rifles. This leads me to think that in those days(mid1970s?) marketing and production was aimed towards the general shooter, rather than specialised target shooters, hence the mention of the specific two Diana models and dart production. This advert highlights Fabarm as also being capable of making air rifles which were of a higher design standard by mentioning two basic break barrel Diana's which were nevertheless extremely popular at the time.
    Another observation is the English names given to these models. Perhaps they were targeting the UK and USA markets.

    Incidentally, I know someone who swears by the reliability of Fabarm semi auto shotguns, so they know how to manufacture good stuff like most of the weapon makers in Brescia.

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    Quote Originally Posted by dvd View Post
    I'll have a go at making it more understandable in english as it is spoken rather than translated, since I understand and speak Italian very well.

    The Fabarm rifle comes in two models the standard one called the Barton and the luxury version called the Redcastle.it is a compressed air rifle with a fixed barrel where the cocking and loading are done by a separate lever which also operates the loading mechanism via an articulated part.

    In the photos one can see the picture in elevation format that shows the rifle in the open and closed positions, that is to say in the unloaded and loaded positions.

    In the open position or rather when the rifle is ready to be loaded with darts or pellets, the piston has already been cocked while the raised breech exposes a hole through which a pellet or dart can be inserted.

    Swinging the underlever back to its horizontal position makes the rifle ready for shooting.

    Fabarm also makes a normal air rifle like the Diana mod 22 and Diana mod 25 as well as darts for these.

    Fabarm (Weapons Factory of Brescia) has its headquarters in Trento Road 16a, Brescia.


    What follows are some observations of mine.
    The mention of the two Diana models indicates that Diana were the reference mark for others to aspire to, at least from a commercial point of view. It is interesting to see that they also mentioned their production of darts in the same paragraph as they refer to Diana rifles. This leads me to think that in those days(mid1970s?) marketing and production was aimed towards the general shooter, rather than specialised target shooters, hence the mention of the specific two Diana models and dart production. This advert highlights Fabarm as also being capable of making air rifles which were of a higher design standard by mentioning two basic break barrel Diana's which were nevertheless extremely popular at the time.
    Another observation is the English names given to these models. Perhaps they were targeting the UK and USA markets.

    Incidentally, I know someone who swears by the reliability of Fabarm semi auto shotguns, so they know how to manufacture good stuff like most of the weapon makers in Brescia.
    Excellent! Many thanks.
    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.

  14. #14
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    Just noticed that you are clear that only a single air rifle was made by Fabarm like the Diana 22 and 25 - which of course are very similar to one another.
    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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    Quote Originally Posted by dvd View Post
    I'll have a go at making it more understandable in english as it is spoken rather than translated, since I understand and speak Italian very well.

    The Fabarm rifle comes in two models the standard one called the Barton and the luxury version called the Redcastle.it is a compressed air rifle with a fixed barrel where the cocking and loading are done by a separate lever which also operates the loading mechanism via an articulated part.

    In the photos one can see the picture in elevation format that shows the rifle in the open and closed positions, that is to say in the unloaded and loaded positions.

    In the open position or rather when the rifle is ready to be loaded with darts or pellets, the piston has already been cocked while the raised breech exposes a hole through which a pellet or dart can be inserted.

    Swinging the underlever back to its horizontal position makes the rifle ready for shooting.

    Fabarm also makes a normal air rifle like the Diana mod 22 and Diana mod 25 as well as darts for these.

    Fabarm (Weapons Factory of Brescia) has its headquarters in Trento Road 16a, Brescia.


    What follows are some observations of mine.
    The mention of the two Diana models indicates that Diana were the reference mark for others to aspire to, at least from a commercial point of view. It is interesting to see that they also mentioned their production of darts in the same paragraph as they refer to Diana rifles. This leads me to think that in those days(mid1970s?) marketing and production was aimed towards the general shooter, rather than specialised target shooters, hence the mention of the specific two Diana models and dart production. This advert highlights Fabarm as also being capable of making air rifles which were of a higher design standard by mentioning two basic break barrel Diana's which were nevertheless extremely popular at the time.
    Another observation is the English names given to these models. Perhaps they were targeting the UK and USA markets.

    Incidentally, I know someone who swears by the reliability of Fabarm semi auto shotguns, so they know how to manufacture good stuff like most of the weapon makers in Brescia.
    Brilliant, thank you.

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