The FWB127 Sport

I have been working away from most of my collection for the past year, but for the next couple of weeks I'm back at the old house and can play with them.

 

 According to D R Hughes, who imported Feinwerkbau guns into the UK in the 1970s, the Sport was first released onto the US market in late 1973, and arrived in Britain around the summer of 1975. It was manufactured until 1989. The basic variations familiar to British shooters are the 124 (in .177/4.5mm calibre) and the 127 (.22/5.5mm). There are several other variants in existence, including the 121, fitted with a more basic stock, but they are less common, at least in the UK. I first read about the Sport on AirgunBBS, and was immediately interested. A light, quick handling, accurate and simple sporter, made to a standard rarely seen on sporting airguns - what's not to like?

Well, quite a few things, it seems. The more I read, the more little quirks seemed to come out about this rifle. Talk of spongy triggers, failing safety catches, fragile stocks, weak barrel lock-ups, harsh recoil and hold-sensitivity put me off buying one for several years. Why put up with such failings when a HW35 or 95 does the same job with a Rekord trigger and no issues? I asked on the forum, and the resulting discussion laid to rest some of the negative impressions I had gained, but more importantly highlighted just how great a rifle many people consider the Sport to be, despite its faults. I resolved to have a Sport of my own, but it was three years before one came up at a price I could afford: the slightly battered example you see in these photographs. On receiving the rifle, I immediately saw why it is held in such high regard. It comes to the shoulder easily and balances perfectly. Despite worn bluing, a cracked stock and a few knocks to the metalwork, a high standard of workmanship is evident. A nice touch, which I am disappointed to see has been omitted from the new version, is the sling swivel fitted to the breech block. As a Model 127, this is in .22/5.5mm calibre.

My rifle lacks its original open sights, so I fitted a Nikko Stirling Platinum 4x32 scope. A bigger scope might aid accuracy, but I wanted to keep the weight down and preserve the elegant lines. I think the scope dates from the mid-1990s, so it's not contemporary to the rifle (this one was made in 1979) but I think it suits it well. I chose a Sportsmatch OP22C one piece mount, which includes a horizontal pin which fits into the grooves atop the cylinder in order to prevent the mount from shifting back under recoil. Some people don't like this system, as there is potential for the pin to dig into the cylinder and cause damage, but I have taken the risk and all seems well so far. The photograph below shows the underside of the mount, with the cross-pin (fitted to a different scope).

 

Cocking effort is light, and this ease of use is one of the factors that makes it such a joy to shoot. The breech is secured by a ball-bearing and pin/nipple arrangement, which seems solid enough on mine but has come in for criticism by other owners. It seems that in time the pin or nipple on the front of the cylinder can wear down, resulting in a weak lock-up. I have greased mine, perhaps a little too much, to prevent this wear.

On cocking, an automatic safety catch is activated. It is positioned at the back of the cylinder, where my thumb falls naturally. One should never rely on a safety catch, and this goes for that fitted to my Sport more than any gun I've owned - this one does not work. I suspect it is due to a worn part, and it is a very common problem. Fortunately the trigger is reliable, and is unaffected by the defective safety catch.

The trigger is best described as adequate for a sporter. It is not in the same class as a Rekord, but it is not bad. Being a Sport Mk.I, my rifle is fitted with a plastic trigger blade, but I believe this was changed to aluminium on the Mks.II and III. Many owners have also fitted after-market metal trigger blades to their Mk.Is. There is a limited amount of adjustment, but I have left mine alone. Pull on this is about 1kg. It is possible to modify for a more precise two stage release, according to this post on AirgunBBS.

Recoil is noticeable but not excessive. I am used to the recoilless FWB300S so have been spoilt a little, but the Sport is not too bad for a light, full powered (12ft.lbs/16J UK legal limit) rifle. There is some vibration, but again, this is not excessive and I suspect anyone who knows a little about tuning could eliminate it.

I shot this target recently. The group measures 13mm centre to centre, and although 20 metres is not really far enough to show true accuracy, I have no doubt that with care the same could be achieved at 30 metres (maybe with different pellets; while great at close range, flat-headed RWS Hobby tend to spread past 20-25 metres). Although an all-out sporter, the Feinwerkbau Sport does have some competition heritage: the first Field Target competition in the UK was won by a shooter using a 127.

A frequent problem with the Sport is cracked stocks. As you can see, mine has a crack running from behind the trigger guard across the pistol grip. This has been repaired and feels solid, so I am not worried by it. A common fix is to remove the grip cap and insert a bolt through the base of the grip, making it stronger than ever.

 

Another issue is that over time the rubber butt pads deteriorate. I will replace mine, as it does not provide any grip on my shoulder.

It may seem that this article is full of negatives: faulty this, worn out that. It is true that the Sport is not a perfect rifle, and mine is far from a good example, but I must emphasise this: it is much more than the sum of its parts. Handling and shooting it are a simple pleasure. If my limited experience does not convince, read this article by Richard Welham, a competitive shooter who was involved in tuning Sports in the 1980s. Mine is a keeper, one I will never sell.

As always, comments and corrections are welcome.