Airgun Collector magazine

Members of AirgunBBS, together with some US enthusiasts, have got together to produce a brilliant magazine on airgun collecting. It covers a wide range of air rifles and pistols, but of particular interest to Feinwerkbau collectors is a piece by D R Hughes, who led the way in importing high quality German airguns into the UK in the 1960s and 70s, and also wrote a handbook for the Model 124/127 Sport, amongst other rifles.

The magazine can be downloaded free as a Pdf from sources listed on the link above. Please note, I had no part in producing this magazine, credit must go to the contributors and Garvin of AirgunBBS who put it together. Thanks chaps! 

When was my FWB124/127 Sport made?

Whereas there exists a comprehensive list of serial numbers and production dates for the FWB300, comparatively little is available when it comes to the 124/127 Sport. What I have found is listed below, and comes from two discussions on AirgunBBS (1, 2). It appears that the Sport was in production from 1973 and 1989, and serial numbers were sequential, so for example a Model 121 was part of the same number sequence as a Model 127.

#10012 was made in 1977
#17023 was made in December 1978
#34476 was made in September 1980
#44001 was made in September 1981
#49992 was made in October 1982
#51631 was made in 1983
#52589 was made in May 1983

Mention is made of #5974 as being made in 1980; this is probably the result of a typo, as a date of 1980 would more likely fit in with serial number 25974.

When was my FWB150/300/300S made?

The FWB300 series of rifles really began in January 1963 with the introduction of the FWB150. This was followed by the Model 300 in 1969, and the Model 300S in 1972. Other variants include the Model 110 (lacking the recoilless mechanism), Model 300S Junior, Model 300S laufende scheibe, Model 300SU, and Model 300S Match L. You can see some photos of different models on the American Vintage Airguns site here.

The following is a list of serial numbers and the corresponding production dates. I did not compile this list myself; I suspect it originated with the experts on American Vintage Airguns.

Model 150

FWB 150       2624              10/63
FWB 150        4732              04/64
FWB 150        6451              07/64
FWB 150        6776              08/64
FWB 110        22667            (ohne Rücklauf)
FWB 150        31257            11/67
FWB 150        32660            01/68
FWB 110        32905            (ohne Rücklauf)

   
Model 300

FWB 300         51287            01/69
FWB 300         53596            04/69
FWB 300         61000            11/69
FWB 300         63657            01/70
FWB 300         69992            07/70
FWB 300         73190            10/70
FWB 300         75667            11/70
FWB 300         84461            06/71
FWB 300         94765            02/72
FWB 300         98616            04/72

Model 300S

FWB 300S        102357        07/72
FWB 300S        104952        09/72
FWB 300S        123222        07/73
FWB 300S        128486        10/73
FWB 300S        135130        01/74
FWB 300S        135366        01/74
FWB 300S        136047        01/74
FWB 300S        139676        02/74
FWB 300S        1487xx        06/74
FWB 300S        156834        01/74
FWB 300S        160953        12/74              (lange Prismenschiene?)
FWB 300S        169334        04/75
FWB 300S        185763        01/76
FWB 300S        192952        05/76              (kurze Prismenschiene)
FWB 300S        197619        08/76              (lange Prismenschiene)
FWB 300S        198145        08/76
FWB 300S        202785        09/76
FWB 300S        210105        12/76
FWB 300S        215428        03/77
FWB 300S        230303        10/77
FWB 300S        237542        01/78
FWB 300S        244585        05/78
FWB 300S        251939        08/78
FWB 300S        2533XX       09/78
FWB 300S        257144        10/78
FWB 300S        262092        12/78              (U-Schaft)
FWB 300S        2645XX       01/79
FWB 300S        270215        XX/79
FWB 300S        274206        07/79
FWB 300S        274882        07/79              (U-Schaft)
FWB 300S        277703        10/79
FWB 300S        281368        01/80
FWB 300S        296566        09/80
FWB 300S        312052        05/82  (?)       (U-Schaft)
FWB 300S        312253        04/81
FWB 300S        313567        XX/82 (?)
FWB 300S        316804        10/81
FWB 300S        3263XX       04/82
FWB 300S        328579        05/82
FWB 300S        331129        08/82
FWB 300S        334063        11/82
FWB 300S        3416XX       04/83
FWB 300S        348497        03/84
FWB 300S        354537        01/85
FWB 300S        361460        XX/86
FWB 300S        362953        09/86              (LS)
FWB 300S        363907        02/87
FWB 300S        364191        03/87
FWB 300S        3696XX       09/89
FWB 300S        370598        04/90
FWB 300S        373921        06/92

When was my FWB65 made?

When I bought my Model 65, I immediately emailed Feinwerkbau to find out when it was made. They replied that while they do have the records, they charge 60 euros to check. Understandable, I suppose; they are in the business of making hi-tech match guns, not running round the basement looking for serial numbers for something they made 40 years ago just to satisfy a collector.

It is however possible to get an approximate date for your Model 65. A thread on TargetTalk lists the following serial numbers/production dates:

#5,324 was made in October 1967
#7,453 was made in June 1968
#72,294 was made in June 1975
#107,945 was made in September 1980
#132,326 was made in October 1985
#141,456 was made in February 1989

The Model 65 was produced between 1965 and 1998, and around 145,000 pistols were made.
The Model 80 was produced between 1977 and 1986, and around 48,000 were made. The Model 80 is easily recognisable by its squarer trigger guard.
The Model 90 was produced between 1982 and 1992, and around 20,000 were made. The Model 90 featured an electronic trigger mechanism.

Pistols made before 1973 do not bear the "Freie Waffen" mark, a letter F in a pentagon.
Pistols made before about 1977-80 had a short spur at the rear of the frame; those made after had a longer spur. Later pistols also had a wider rear sight element.

There's a great discussion of the variations of the Model 65, including the US market short barrelled version, on American Vintage Airguns, here.

Manuals, parts and useful websites

User manuals for the Model 65 and Model 300 can be found on the Feinwerkbau website here.

Exploded diagrams can be found on the Feinwerkbau website here.

Some spare parts can be sourced from Feinwerkbau. Service kits can be found from various sellers on eBay. Tuning parts and spares for the Model 124/127 can be found at Jim Maccari's Air Rifle Headquarters. If you can't find what you need at these places, it might be worth looking on eBay Germany, eGun, or trying Jagd & Sportwaffencenter Gotha in Germany.

If you live in the UK and want your Model 65 or Model 300 serviced, I can recommend Steve at City Air Weapons in Solihull (note, not a shop of the same name in Lincoln).

For general chat about airguns, I like AirgunBBS. There are some real experts on there, particularly on the Collectable Airguns board.

The American Vintage Airguns site is a more dedicated collectors' forum, and is a mine of useful information.

For 10 metre match shooting, Target Talk is a great forum.

Stand by...

In time, I intend for this blog to become a resource for owners of classic Feinwerkbau spring air rifles and pistols. It will include reviews, photographs, information on different models and variations, and links to other useful websites.

Please bear in mind that I am not an expert on these guns, I am merely an enthusiast. My aim in creating this blog is simply to share any information I find that might be of use to other Feinwerkbau owners.