Edit: Sorry about the pics not posting. I think it had something to do with being signed into Google.. Hopefully they'll show now.
My latest airgun rabbit hole is the FWB 300 series. I've bought two in the last two weeks! I shot one of these guns for the first time last summer. A buddy brought one to a FT match with a beautiful Tyrolean stock. It was scoped and I was amazed at being able to watch the pellet go into the same hole, over and over-with a springer! I knew I wanted one right then. Well I tried to buy one from a different club member at the next match but he'd already promised it to another guy. So I started working on the other guy. He finally gave in and sold it to me two weeks ago. It is a FWB 300 (no S). Someone at some point refinished the stock and it has incredible curly maple patterning. Came to me shooting an honest 6 fpe.
Serial number for the 300 puts it in 1972
Here is that gun with diopter:
Same gun with scope:
Before I bought the 300 in the above pics I placed a WTB and got a few responses. One of them intrigued me to the point that I couldn't let it alone. So I bought it too. It is a lefty 300s from about 1980 per the serial number.
Lefty 300s pics from seller:
Even though the 300s from 1980 is 8 years younger, it had a much rougher life and was only putting out about 5 fpe (I think mostly because somebody packed that thing with grease like it was a wheel bearing). Maccari Arctic spring and seals got it up to the 6.5fpe range. I also spent the day stripping the bluing/rust/patina because of this:
I spoke with Joe Rhea on the phone today and we discussed how there are some purists who are appalled when somebody strips down 40 year old patina. This gun was bought to shoot and I couldn't stand it as it was. So, string me up and call me the great defiler of old 300s. I personally think it looks better, maybe a little gaudy but it didnt have anywhere to go but improve.
You'll see that I swapped stocks. I haven't decided what to do with the stock situation. On the one hand it would be kind of neat to put the 300 stock back on the 300 action but I think I prefer the more sporter-like lines of the 300 stock. If I end up buying or trading for a right hand stock then the 300 stock will probably go back on the 300 action and live with diopters for 10m shooting. If I end up keeping the lefty 300s stock it will go on the 300 and be used as the great equalizer for a fun challenge of shooting 10m left-handed just for the heck of it. Of course that lefty 300s stock will need refinished if I keep it.
A couple things I learned in this fun process so far:
My latest airgun rabbit hole is the FWB 300 series. I've bought two in the last two weeks! I shot one of these guns for the first time last summer. A buddy brought one to a FT match with a beautiful Tyrolean stock. It was scoped and I was amazed at being able to watch the pellet go into the same hole, over and over-with a springer! I knew I wanted one right then. Well I tried to buy one from a different club member at the next match but he'd already promised it to another guy. So I started working on the other guy. He finally gave in and sold it to me two weeks ago. It is a FWB 300 (no S). Someone at some point refinished the stock and it has incredible curly maple patterning. Came to me shooting an honest 6 fpe.
Serial number for the 300 puts it in 1972
Here is that gun with diopter:
Same gun with scope:
Before I bought the 300 in the above pics I placed a WTB and got a few responses. One of them intrigued me to the point that I couldn't let it alone. So I bought it too. It is a lefty 300s from about 1980 per the serial number.
Lefty 300s pics from seller:
Even though the 300s from 1980 is 8 years younger, it had a much rougher life and was only putting out about 5 fpe (I think mostly because somebody packed that thing with grease like it was a wheel bearing). Maccari Arctic spring and seals got it up to the 6.5fpe range. I also spent the day stripping the bluing/rust/patina because of this:
I spoke with Joe Rhea on the phone today and we discussed how there are some purists who are appalled when somebody strips down 40 year old patina. This gun was bought to shoot and I couldn't stand it as it was. So, string me up and call me the great defiler of old 300s. I personally think it looks better, maybe a little gaudy but it didnt have anywhere to go but improve.
You'll see that I swapped stocks. I haven't decided what to do with the stock situation. On the one hand it would be kind of neat to put the 300 stock back on the 300 action but I think I prefer the more sporter-like lines of the 300 stock. If I end up buying or trading for a right hand stock then the 300 stock will probably go back on the 300 action and live with diopters for 10m shooting. If I end up keeping the lefty 300s stock it will go on the 300 and be used as the great equalizer for a fun challenge of shooting 10m left-handed just for the heck of it. Of course that lefty 300s stock will need refinished if I keep it.
A couple things I learned in this fun process so far:
- Joe Wayne Rhea is the man! That guy is awesome and way more willing to help than he should be. Poor guy gets calls all the time I bet from people like me who have seen his videos and just want to pick his brain. He's a better guy than me cuz he not only puts up with it, but is all kinds of helpful. He saved me from trying to remove the shroud and accidentally removing the barrel too!
- 300 has much shorter dovetails than the 300s-probably close to 2 inches shorter. That limits your scope options
- This specimen of the 300s is less sensitive to wind than my 300, and that was even before I upped the power on the 300s. I'm guessing it has something to do with the way the barrel cuts the rifling into the pellet. Both are accurate but my 300s wins in the wind.
- These guns are incredibly easy to work on. So easy, a cave man could do it (no offense Joe).
- While lower power, with no wind, or the proper dope, both of these guns are CAPABLE of the same kind of accuracy at 55 yards as my $2400 field target gun. (Before I get flamed here, yes, it is EASIER to be accurate with the 19,7 fpe, LW Poly barrel, but the 300 series is CAPABLE of shooting long-range groups just as tight.)
- I know all the experts say they need no lube, but could not get the fps up with a dry gun. Even with brand new seals and an Arctic spring all i was getting was about 5.25fpe. I tried a couple different things (moly on the spring ends only, no moly anywhere, no nothing anywhere, spray and wipe down like joe does in his video, etc.). After about 5 tear-downs I got pissed and sprayed a quick shot of Slick 50 between the inner and outer compression chamber-basically behind the metal piston ring. Next shot was right up there in the 6.5 fpe area and it has stayed there after about 150 shots.
- I live in a place with lots of wind so that extra fpe really helps. I am also considering shooting this in a FT match the next time one happens to fall on a non-windy day, so my goal was > 6 fpe for wind resistance and target knock-down ability.
- Caveat-like Joe says, fps variance was very small with no lube, all shots within 4-8 fps of each other. FPS variance went to 15-20 with my Slick-50 desperation spray but was giving me about 1.25 fpe extra. I don't believe it was dieseling either since all shots were in the 15-20 fps window and there was none of the tell-tale dieseling smell.
- It will be interesting to see if the fpe stays at 6.5 as time goes on or if it settles back down to the non-lubed 5.25fpe as the Slick-50 dissipates/burns off/etc.
