As a new owner of a Feinwerkbau Sport, I thought it worthwhile to add to the body of knowledge about this air rifle.
As others have already mentioned, the rifle is very finely made and fairly reeks of quality. When the rifle first made its debut in America, it's $900 price tag was positively frightful. I think it's a very nice rifle, but I'd never pay the better part of a thousand bucks for one. Enter Champion's Choice - they've been selling the Sport for a very reasonable $500, so, of course, I bought one, and I'm glad I did.
Upon viewing the FWB Sport for the first time, it is easy to be taken aback by the bold Teutonic styling. But, as one might expect from Feinwerkbau, the lines soon begin to take on an appeal that seems unlikely at first. I found the rifle to be remarkably well designed in terms of its ergonomics. The rifle shoulders well and sight alignment comes quickly and naturally. The finish on the stock appears to be some sort of polyurethane with a satin sheen. It is nicely applied, though I find it to be just a bit soft. After using the rifle and setting it down on my relatively clean workbenches, I noticed several small indentations. They're not huge, but considering how careful I am with my airguns, I did not expect this.
The bluing is very good, but does not rival that found on an Air Arms TX200 or an old English made Webley. And though I have a personal preference for nicely done rollmarks, the Sport is identified through the use of laser etching which seems, at least in my mind, to confer an air of cheapness. A small criticism, but one nonetheless. Despite my aversion to laser etching, the metal components of the rifle indicate an attention to detail not often seen in our made in China world.
The Sport's sights mirror this attention to detail. They are precise and robust.
From what I've read before, there was some uncertainty as to what the angular trigger guard was made of. It appears to me that it is constructed of a strong synthetic material. Some people are bothered by it's geometric shape, but I find it rather pleasing and in tune with the rest of the rifle.
Cocking the rifle is is definitely not reminiscent of its iconic forebearer, the FWB 124. I would suggest that it is more in line with the effort required to cock the much more robust R1/HW80. It is kind of noisy and one can hear the spring compressing as it tries to follow its path along the spring guide (more on that later), but it is not difficult.
Shooting the rifle is a little bit of a shock at first. There's quite a bit of mechanical noise and it recoils almost harshly. It seems almost too powerful for a .177 pellet and it really makes me wonder why they didn't offer the rifle in a .22 caliber version. As other reviewers have pointed out, the rifle tends to buzz upon firing. It's not terrible, but it seems out of place in such an elegant airgun. Despite the noise and buzz, the rifle shoots very well.
As yet, I have not installed a scope because I have been enjoying the open sights which, as I have previously mentioned, are a cut above most. Even hobbled by the use of iron sights, I have been able to flesh out a level of accuracy that would appeal to even the most discerning airgunner.
I found that every pellet I tried fit snugly into the chamber and that upon closing, the barrel nestled back into position smoothly and precisely. The pellets that worked the best for me were RWS Superdomes, H&N Sports, JSB Hades, and JSB 8.4 exacts... with the nod for greatest accuracy going to the Superdomes.
The trigger is very nice. If you like crisp triggers with just a hint of a first stage, you'll love this trigger.
One thing that I found really irritating was that on my rifle the safety would oftentimes be engaged through inertia. It doesn't sound like such a big deal until you've been shooting for an extended period and you end up having to cock the gun twice for every shot until you remember to disengage the safety and pull the trigger before cocking the rifle. What happens is that upon firing, the safety sometimes self engages, and then when you attempt to cock the rifle you end up having to stop midway through your stroke to disengage the safety, release the trigger, then continue and finish the cocking sequence. It was annoying, and apparently it happens often enough that there is a section in the instruction manual that tells owners what to do when their gun fails to cock. More on this later.
I'd like to address the rather epic buzz the rifle produces at the end of each shot cycle. Even though the rifle works well despite the irritating hornet's nest within the compression tube, I couldn't help myself and began to dive into the power plant. Using a spring compressor, the rifle is very easy to disassemble and I soon had the rifle separated into basic components. Once apart, it's easy to see why the rifle vibrates so much. The spring guide has an O.D. of about .550", and the spring has an I.D. of about .625". Needless to say, that allows for a lot of rattling around.
The first thing I did was to follow Tom Gaylord's advice about the lube tune. And if you read his review of the FWB Sport, you'll find that he was told by someone to dump a bunch of gear oil into the works. That's the last thing I'd ever do. Instead, I loaded up the spring and guide with the recommended greases and put everything back together again. It worked fine - for a while - and then grease found its way into the compression chamber and I felt like some gunslinger of yore blowing smoke out of the muzzle after every shot. Time to try something else.
The next thing I did was to machine a sleeve to fit around the outside diameter of the original spring guide. That worked pretty well, but I began to wonder at the long term effectiveness of this modification. I mention this because the FWB spring guide is a two piece affair that is held together with a spring circlip. That is, the guide itself is a tube that is inserted into a flat washer which is in turn held in place by the previously mentioned circlip. With the much tighter spring/guide fit after the installation of the sleeve, I just couldn't help but wonder how long it would last before that little clip gave out.
I finally realized that the best thing for me to do was to fabricate a completely new spring guide using the combined dimensions of the original and modified parts.
So off I went to the local scrap yard to scrounge up some steel stock. I measured the dimensions of the original assembly and replicated those areas not in need of a change, and then I increased the diameter of the guide accordingly.
The rifle now shoots without that horrendous buzz. The Murder Hornets have been eradicated.
The next thing I did was to put a little of Maccari's tar on the bearing surfaces of the safety where it rides in the trigger block. That little extra bit of stickiness, in conjunction with the slight increase in mass of the new spring guide, seems to be just enough to have cured that irritating problem of the safety engaging on it's own.
The FWB Sport is an heirloom quality rifle that will bring joy to those who enjoy spring powered airguns. It exudes quality and will offer a lifetime of enjoyment. My brief list of shortcomings is not intended to dissuade one from acquiring an example of this rifle, as I would have been perfectly happy to shoot mine in its original configuration had I not been in possession of the appropriate machine tools.
Buy one. They won't be around forever, and when they do dry up, you'll regret not getting one when they were available.
As others have already mentioned, the rifle is very finely made and fairly reeks of quality. When the rifle first made its debut in America, it's $900 price tag was positively frightful. I think it's a very nice rifle, but I'd never pay the better part of a thousand bucks for one. Enter Champion's Choice - they've been selling the Sport for a very reasonable $500, so, of course, I bought one, and I'm glad I did.
Upon viewing the FWB Sport for the first time, it is easy to be taken aback by the bold Teutonic styling. But, as one might expect from Feinwerkbau, the lines soon begin to take on an appeal that seems unlikely at first. I found the rifle to be remarkably well designed in terms of its ergonomics. The rifle shoulders well and sight alignment comes quickly and naturally. The finish on the stock appears to be some sort of polyurethane with a satin sheen. It is nicely applied, though I find it to be just a bit soft. After using the rifle and setting it down on my relatively clean workbenches, I noticed several small indentations. They're not huge, but considering how careful I am with my airguns, I did not expect this.
The bluing is very good, but does not rival that found on an Air Arms TX200 or an old English made Webley. And though I have a personal preference for nicely done rollmarks, the Sport is identified through the use of laser etching which seems, at least in my mind, to confer an air of cheapness. A small criticism, but one nonetheless. Despite my aversion to laser etching, the metal components of the rifle indicate an attention to detail not often seen in our made in China world.
The Sport's sights mirror this attention to detail. They are precise and robust.
From what I've read before, there was some uncertainty as to what the angular trigger guard was made of. It appears to me that it is constructed of a strong synthetic material. Some people are bothered by it's geometric shape, but I find it rather pleasing and in tune with the rest of the rifle.
Cocking the rifle is is definitely not reminiscent of its iconic forebearer, the FWB 124. I would suggest that it is more in line with the effort required to cock the much more robust R1/HW80. It is kind of noisy and one can hear the spring compressing as it tries to follow its path along the spring guide (more on that later), but it is not difficult.
Shooting the rifle is a little bit of a shock at first. There's quite a bit of mechanical noise and it recoils almost harshly. It seems almost too powerful for a .177 pellet and it really makes me wonder why they didn't offer the rifle in a .22 caliber version. As other reviewers have pointed out, the rifle tends to buzz upon firing. It's not terrible, but it seems out of place in such an elegant airgun. Despite the noise and buzz, the rifle shoots very well.
As yet, I have not installed a scope because I have been enjoying the open sights which, as I have previously mentioned, are a cut above most. Even hobbled by the use of iron sights, I have been able to flesh out a level of accuracy that would appeal to even the most discerning airgunner.
I found that every pellet I tried fit snugly into the chamber and that upon closing, the barrel nestled back into position smoothly and precisely. The pellets that worked the best for me were RWS Superdomes, H&N Sports, JSB Hades, and JSB 8.4 exacts... with the nod for greatest accuracy going to the Superdomes.
The trigger is very nice. If you like crisp triggers with just a hint of a first stage, you'll love this trigger.
One thing that I found really irritating was that on my rifle the safety would oftentimes be engaged through inertia. It doesn't sound like such a big deal until you've been shooting for an extended period and you end up having to cock the gun twice for every shot until you remember to disengage the safety and pull the trigger before cocking the rifle. What happens is that upon firing, the safety sometimes self engages, and then when you attempt to cock the rifle you end up having to stop midway through your stroke to disengage the safety, release the trigger, then continue and finish the cocking sequence. It was annoying, and apparently it happens often enough that there is a section in the instruction manual that tells owners what to do when their gun fails to cock. More on this later.
I'd like to address the rather epic buzz the rifle produces at the end of each shot cycle. Even though the rifle works well despite the irritating hornet's nest within the compression tube, I couldn't help myself and began to dive into the power plant. Using a spring compressor, the rifle is very easy to disassemble and I soon had the rifle separated into basic components. Once apart, it's easy to see why the rifle vibrates so much. The spring guide has an O.D. of about .550", and the spring has an I.D. of about .625". Needless to say, that allows for a lot of rattling around.
The first thing I did was to follow Tom Gaylord's advice about the lube tune. And if you read his review of the FWB Sport, you'll find that he was told by someone to dump a bunch of gear oil into the works. That's the last thing I'd ever do. Instead, I loaded up the spring and guide with the recommended greases and put everything back together again. It worked fine - for a while - and then grease found its way into the compression chamber and I felt like some gunslinger of yore blowing smoke out of the muzzle after every shot. Time to try something else.
The next thing I did was to machine a sleeve to fit around the outside diameter of the original spring guide. That worked pretty well, but I began to wonder at the long term effectiveness of this modification. I mention this because the FWB spring guide is a two piece affair that is held together with a spring circlip. That is, the guide itself is a tube that is inserted into a flat washer which is in turn held in place by the previously mentioned circlip. With the much tighter spring/guide fit after the installation of the sleeve, I just couldn't help but wonder how long it would last before that little clip gave out.
I finally realized that the best thing for me to do was to fabricate a completely new spring guide using the combined dimensions of the original and modified parts.
So off I went to the local scrap yard to scrounge up some steel stock. I measured the dimensions of the original assembly and replicated those areas not in need of a change, and then I increased the diameter of the guide accordingly.
The rifle now shoots without that horrendous buzz. The Murder Hornets have been eradicated.
The next thing I did was to put a little of Maccari's tar on the bearing surfaces of the safety where it rides in the trigger block. That little extra bit of stickiness, in conjunction with the slight increase in mass of the new spring guide, seems to be just enough to have cured that irritating problem of the safety engaging on it's own.
The FWB Sport is an heirloom quality rifle that will bring joy to those who enjoy spring powered airguns. It exudes quality and will offer a lifetime of enjoyment. My brief list of shortcomings is not intended to dissuade one from acquiring an example of this rifle, as I would have been perfectly happy to shoot mine in its original configuration had I not been in possession of the appropriate machine tools.
Buy one. They won't be around forever, and when they do dry up, you'll regret not getting one when they were available.
