FWB 124 & Church Pigeons

[ohiochuck]

In the early 1980's (give or take a few years) I saw an article in Guns and Ammo magazine showing the accuracy of the FWB 124 in .177 caliber.

It was then easy to convince my wife we really needed this rifle since a local church was having a major problem with pigeons roosting on the roof and window ledges.

I ordered a new FWB 124 with a Beeman 2 X 7 scope. Rifle arrived and scope sighted in. Next a visit to the said church early one evening just before dark. The pastor held the flash light and garbage bag. One by one most pigeons fell off the window ledges and I simple pushed my body against the outside wall and allowed the condemned to fall to the sidewalk just missing my body. A few flew a short distance and crashed. Some glided to the street. Once when I looked there were a gang of staggering pigeons wondering down the street, as if drunk. Many were being hit by passing cars. After shooting around 45 we decided to find a quiet exit just before the local police force arrived after receiving a complain that "pretty pigeons were being persecuted by someone".

The church was not bothered again by the pigeons.


I then kept it in my gun safe but sold it in the early 2000’s. My mistake.

Recently found another FWB 124 and having it tuned.

Ready to use it again.

Jim

 

[JamesD.]

Great post of a classic springer to the rescue.

Thanks for sharing & glad you're able to enjoy another again.

 

[randy_68]

Awesome story! Back in the "70s my dad worked for our local power plant. They built a newer plant and the old brick one became a haven for pigeons but since it was in the middle of town they couldn't shoot them with rifles or shotguns. So dad bought a Sheridan pump and would go down there in the evenings after work and shoot them. At first it was easy pickins but after a few trips they would hide and just peek out with one eye over the ledge. Dad got pretty good at head shooting them. And nobody knew what was going on but the pigeons just seemed to disappear.



I never warmed up to the Sheridans but I do have a 124 and have owned a few more. Might take it out hunting this winter yet.

 

[bdzjlz]

Really cool stories and I am sure great memories 

 

[PumaCarl]

I had read the article by Jim Carmichael called, The Great Jonesboro Pigeon Shoot," in Outdoor Life, when I was a kid. That was about a FWB124 too. Later, in the Army in Germany, first chance I got, I acquired one. I also got a SS-1 scope with it. A few years later and back home a local convent and private school that my family had ties with found out about my airgun and called me about clearing out their Pigeon problem. That was around '87, what a hoot! I had to hug the building so I wouldn't hit the glass when I shot them. I would coo, and they would look over the edge and I would shoot them through their head. One day the chief of police, who I knew, (my brother was his Lt) had stopped at the school on business and he saw me standing on the giant front steps cooing up at the building and he was laughing and telling me that I was never going to hit that Pigeon way up there. Then I laughed at him and said, really, and then shot the pigeon through the head and he fell off the ledge and hit the next step up from where he was standing. A truly great moment in the annals of airgunning! I can really relate to all these stores and never get tired of reading people's stories. Especially, when most people that I knew back then, really considered Airguns (BB Guns) as a joke. Which was actually kind of handy because I would walk around the school with the barrel cocked down and nobody would raise an eyebrow. Well almost, one woman asked me what I was doing and I told her a job for Mother Superior, take it up with her, and that's it. Today, unfortunately, that would never fly, kinda like how I left those pigeons. The school's cat would follow me around too. I loved that. That cat ate well.

 

[hkshooter]

Love these stories. Love shooting pigeons. 

The story with the cat the followed the shooter, that one reminded me of an experience I had a couple of summers ago.

I had been "removing" grackles and starlings from the property in the spring for a few years. Behind the property was a dilapidated rail road track that never saw use and that is where the unfortunate customers of my service usually ended up. I'd shoot a half dozen or so, go collect them up and deposit them on the RR tracks, then take up my position for the next customers. Being in the country this practice was not unusual. By the next day the remains of the critters was usually gone, nothing but a few feathers left here and there and that was it. I figure the coyotes and cats got them and called it good. 

This day I was doing my normal toll taking out back when I took out a grackle in a tall pine tree along the back fence row. Just as the bird began to fall I catch a glimpse of movement out the corner of my right eye. Coming from the right a streak flew across the property inches off the ground and met the falling grackle just as it hit the ground! I was shocked to see a tall, proud, red tailed hawk look left, right, left, then lift off the ground hauling the most recent customer with it. As it was I suppose the cats and coyotes had a little competition from the hawk, something I'd never considered before.