D R Hughes imported Feinwerkbau airguns into the UK in the 1960s and
70s. He is something of a legend in British airgunning circles, being
one of the first to see a market for German craftsmanship in a country where the BSA Airsporter and Mercury ruled supreme.
Not just a businessman, but a genuine enthusiast, he wrote several
handbooks to accompany his rifles. Perhaps the most well known of these
are for the HW35 and the Feinwerkbau Sport, but he wrote one for
the Original/Diana 35 and maybe also for the BSF 55. The handbooks
themselves are collector's items now in their own right, and rarely seem
to come up for sale. Recently however, Mr Hughes himself found several
copies of the FWB Sport handbook in his attic, and sold them on eBay. I
bought one.
It covers the specification of the rifle, basic maintenance, recommendations for scopes, and stripping/servicing. The Sport isn't the easiest of rifles to strip, the spring being under considerable pre-load, so detailed instructions and helpful photographs are provided.
Everything covered in the manual is now pretty much common knowledge
among FWB Sport owners; detailed information on disassembly is available
on any airgun forum online. For me the value of the handbook lies in
the care and attention to detail that went into it, in an age when such
knowledge was not so easy to share. Keep your eye on eBay and you might
find one (mine is not for sale!).
