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Ammo A shrine built for a Feinwerkbau 124 – Part 12

A shrine built for a Feinwerkbau 124 – Part 12

by B.B. Pelletier

Part 11
Part 10
Part 9
Part 8
Part 7
Part 6
Part 5
Part 4
Part 3
Part 2
Part 1

Before I start today’s report, Joe B. in Marin and Duskwight were really impressed by that air bazooka I showed on the blog for Day 2 of the Roanoke airgun show , so today I included a picture of the ammo. Duskwight — all U.S. bills are the same size, so those projectiles are very large.


Two of the air bazooka projectiles from the Roanoke airgun show dwarf a dollar bill.

Well, this report has taken on a life of its own! I never intended for it to grow this huge, but things just kept popping up and I had to address them. Today was supposed to be my report about tuning my San Anselmo gun once again with the new Pyramyd AIR piston seal, but something strange happened at the Roanoke Airgun show to change that.


When Pyramyd AIR assumed responsibility for the high-end Beeman airguns, they had this piston seal made for the FWB 124. It’s a 70-durometer material with a good parachute channel. I’ll install it in a 124 and report my findings.

This seal is also available from Pyramyd AIR, although I don’t think it’s online yet. They’re using them so fast that they’ll soon make another run of seals.

Mark Taylor, a reporter for the Roanoke Times, wrote a nice piece on the show that Edith sent to me while I was on the road. Mark stopped by my table to introduce himself. As we chatted, he asked me if there were any airgun tuners who could tune his FWB 124 to shoot smooth. Of course, Paul Watts was at the show, but Mark knew that Paul has a long waiting period, and he wanted his gun back as soon as possible.

So, I thought, “Why don’t I tune his rifle?” Then, I won’t have to open up mine one more time. Mark’s rifle has a 38,000 serial number, so the tight compression chamber shouldn’t be quite the problem that it is on mine.

Mark went out to his car and got the rifle for Mac and me to examine. It’s a deluxe model in excellent condition. When we cocked it, we both knew something dreadful was wrong. It cocks much harder than a 124 should, and there’s a grinding feel to the mainspring as it’s compressed. Today, I’ll shoot the gun for a baseline, then in the next report I’ll pull it apart for a look-see and a smooth tune.

From the feel of the cocking effort, I believe someone has tuned this rifle for power and left smoothness to suffer. The chronograph will tell the story, of course. If I’d experienced this 124 as the first 124 I’d ever seen, I would have thought all the wonderful reports about it were lies. The cocking effort is a whopping 27 lbs., which is about right for a Beeman R9 but quite a bit too heavy for a 124.

Mark stressed that all he wanted from his rifle was smooth shooting. Well, the 124 can certainly deliver that in spades, and it doesn’t have to give up much in the way of power to do so! While Mark was at my table, Mac picked up a 124 from a table nearby and showed Mark what the gun should feel like. The difference was night and day.

The rifle test
This rifle cocks with a gritty, rubbing feel. Through the cocking slot, I can see what appears to be moly on the spring, so the gun has definitely been opened up at some time. I wonder what I’ll find inside?

Crosman Premier 7.9-grain pellets
The standard test pellet is a Crosman Premier 7.9-grain domed pellet, because it’s the one more shooters choose for their accurate airguns. Mark’s 124 was shooting this pellet at an average of 761 f.p.s. as it was tuned. The spread went from a low of 752 f.p.s. to a high of 770. That’s an 18 f.p.s. total spread, which isn’t too bad. The average muzzle energy is 10.16 foot-pounds

RWS Hobbys
The next pellet I tried was the RWS Hobby. At 7 grains, it’s among the lightest of the pure lead pellets. Hobbys averaged 808 f.p.s., with a spread from 798 to a high of 819 f.p.s. The average muzzle energy for this pellet is 10.15 foot-pounds

JSB Exact 8.4-grain pellets
For some reason, JSB Exact domes weighing 8.4 grains were the most powerful of all. They averaged 764 f.p.s. with a spread from 757 to 777 f.p.s. The average muzzle energy is 10.89 foot-pounds.

While I shot the rifle over the chronograph, I felt the harshness of the powerplant. The vibration was quick and powerful, and the forward lunge of the rifle that’s a trademark of the 124 was quite noticeable. I won’t be able to cancel that out, but I should be able to get rid of all the vibration and the scraping feeling when cocking.

Now that I have a baseline of performance, I can pull this rifle apart and see what’s inside. It’ll be a pleasure to tune this rifle sweet for Mark so he can feel how a 124 is supposed to behave. That’ll be in the next report.

author avatar
Tom Gaylord (B.B. Pelletier)
Tom Gaylord, also known as B.B. Pelletier, provides expert insights to airgunners all over the world on behalf of Pyramyd AIR. He has earned the title The Godfather of Airguns™ for his contributions to the industry, spending many years with AirForce Airguns and starting magazines dedicated to the sport such as Airgun Illustrated.

109 thoughts on “A shrine built for a Feinwerkbau 124 – Part 12”

  1. Air rifle bazooka- guess that pellets for this one is not so easy to find (i am sure that tomato will do his purpose like big red paintball ammo:) ),is that a screw on that black projectile-thingy 🙂 !?Bizarre looking piston seals….

  2. BB,
    Other than possible cocking shoe damage or maybe a piston sleeve that was added (and has shifted) I’m wondering what’s causing that noise. I suppose that the mainspring could be so badly canted that it’s making shoe contact during cocking and it could help explain all the vibration.

      • B.B.,

        I’m concerned that it might be a cocking shoe problem as well. When you cock the FWB 124 does it sound/feel like it’s traveling across a washboard?

        Nice article about the show and you. I knew Fred Laidy was a collector but had no idea he had 750 guns at one time.

        kevin

        • Kevin,

          No, the feeling is not the washboard feel. I’m familiar with that feel on other guns. This feels like more of a scraping or metal-to-metal galling. But the spring is coated with what looks like moly, so I don’t understand it. Surely anyone smart enough to put moly on a spring would also know what to lubricate in the rest of the powerplant, wouldn’t they?

          Anyway, I am about to take the rifle apart and see. I will take pictures.

          B.B.

          • B.B.,

            Well then, I think you’re right. Broken or canted spring. Strange about the cocking effort though.

            I know folks that spread moly on the spring without taking the gun apart. Quick tune, $9.95. LOL!

            kevin

  3. B.B.

    So that means they are a sort of bazooka rocket imitations just to bump the target with? Well, that’s a bit less fun, compared to that paintball paper “shell” I’ve seen 🙂
    And what’s the purpose of such bazooka? My guess it is airsoft, but I cannot imagine how it feels to be hit with such a piece of plastic, if its operator mistakes you for tank…

    duskwight

    • Mr B.,

      Since his gun has obviously been opened up it’s hard to tell what spring is in there. It may have been smooth tuned and shooting to spec. With the cocking problem it’s unlikely.

      Velocity in the 800’s is common for the FWB 124 but smoother tunes for less velocity and less cocking effort is common. Faster tunes are also possible. The Paul Watts tuned FWB 124 that I sold to Frank B. was doing 900 ++ FPS.

      kevin

    • Bruce,

      Ten years ago I was tuning 124s to reach 840 to 880 f.p.s. with Premier Lites. Now, for some reason, I don’t seem to get them up to 800 very often. Part of that is the specific age of the gun being tuned and part is due to magic, I guess.

      Like Kevin says, the smooth shooting and light cocking are more desirable than velocity, since there are many breakbarrels that will shoot rings around the 124.

      Mark’s rifle is a more recent model that I am hoping will respond to a tune better than my old San Anselmo gun.

      B.B.

  4. Hello all,

    last night I secretly (wife doesn’t know about the third air rifle I bought at the Roanoke show) opened my Benjamin NPSS Nitro gas piston powered rifle. Mounting the scope I hurriedly set up my range and started shooting JSP Exacts – .22 – I forget the weight now. The rifle was shooting almost 6″ low at 29 feet. Well, with all the Blogs on scopes, we know this is way too much to make up with the scope adjustment and to prove the point, with the adjustment one turn from it’s stop for maximum elevation, I was still below the point of aim and the point of impact was moving all over the place.

    Shimming the rings with two index cards produced minimal change. I suspected that the stock screws were loose and they were but while I had the action out, I inspected the trigger. The trigger on this particular model iss incredibly poor. As you went through stage 1 to stage 2 and continued to apply pressure, the trigger exhibited, to coin a phrase, the mother of all creeps. It just kept on moving and moving and moving until the piston released. Impossible to tell where the rifle would fire with this trigger. Apparently this was a return and not the rifle BB tested a year or so ago.

    I’ve tightened the stock screws but suspect that something has really given this rifle a major droop – could be the barrel, could be the stock. I’ll order some adjustable scope mounts if Weaver makes them as there is a Picatinny like rail on on this rifle. Charlie the Tuna has been put on notice for one of his CPR triggers. I’ll play a bit more with the trigger as the adjustment screw, as it came, seems to have been turned counterclockwise to the point it was about to disengage itself from the action. Salvino, are you reading this! 🙂

    In the meantime, I totally ignored my wife when she came home late last night and am now solidly in the doghouse or in my case, the birdcage with Spike, my killer cockatiel.

    Fred PRoNJ

    • Fred,

      I think I’d just bend the barrel instead of putting expensive mounts on the NPSS. Just me.

      Since there are two ? versions of the NPSS I stay confused but if this is the same model that B.B. tested he found the secret to adjusting that trigger in the last part of his series. Hope I’m remembering correctly. Is your NPSS the one that has the adjustable cheekpiece on the synthetic stock?

      If your wife is like mine then while you’re in the doghouse you get the silent treatment. Ignored. This will allow you more shooting time. My wife thinks giving me the silent treatment is punishment. LOL!

      kevin

    • Fred, Is it possible someone may have fired your Nitro while the barrel was in the open position causing it to slam shut? Anyone – Could this cause more droop? Also, did you only shim the back ring (which is what you should do)? I ask this because you used the plural “rings” and two index cards. If you had put two cards on the same ring it should have made a big difference.
      -CJr

      • CJr,

        With a typical slam fire the barrel bends upward. Good question about Fred’s shimming. I’m assuming for droop he put one thickness of shim under the scope in the back ring and one thickness of shim on top of the scope in the front ring?

        kevin

        • Shimming the top of the scope does nothing. Unless the ring caps were tightening all the way down against the lower half and not holding the scope securely. But still will not do anything about droop because the bottom of the rings is what sets up the scope angle.

          twotalon

      • Cjr.

        pardon my typing skills. Yes, the two strips of index card paper were only put on the back ring. That’s why I next looked at the stock screws since they made no difference in POI versus POA. Unfortunately, I didn’t re-try shooting the rifle after the screws were tightened as I spent time looking at the trigger for whatever might have looked out of place. As for a dry fire with the barrel open, this particular rifle will not let you do that. It will only fire with the barrel in the locked and fire ready position. I tried to uncock it and found this out and then verfied it by reading the manual. As I always tell my kids, when in doubt, read the manual. I should practice what I preach.

        Fred PRoNJ

    • Fred,

      I tested both a Crosman NPSS and a Benjamin Trail. I suspect that you have bought the Benjamin Trail, which I said had a lousy trigger. It was the Crosman NPSS that had the good trigger.

      As far as the barrel droop goes, consider the BKL drooper mounts. They cleared up the problem with my FWB 124, which is also a big drooper.

      B.B.

      • BB,

        the trigger on my rifle must be a three stage trigger. The first stage is a take-up mode. Then the “mushy” mode with a moderate amount of pressure needed to keep the trigger moving backwards and finally, stage 3, which I couldn’t feel, when the rifle fires. Describing this trigger as lousy is being kind. I’ll play with the adjustment some more but I think Charlie the Tuna’s trigger will solve my problem. We’ll see.

        Regarding the mount, the drooper mount is an 11mm dovetail mount and of course, this rifle has the Picatinny rail on it. I don’t know if you can use an 11mm dovetail mount on a Picatinny rail? Perhaps someone makes adjustable weaver mounts but if so, PA doesn’t carry it. I think I’ll remount the scope now that I’ve tightened up the stock screws and see if that makes a difference. Hey, I’m having fun and this will keep me away from the wifey. Also the girlfriends (I should be so lucky).

        Fred PRoNJ

        • I had a similar problem with my 124. Here’s what BB said to do. It worked.

          “According to the Beeman shop manual for the FWB 124 and 127, you turn the trigger adjustment screw (that’s the screw in the front of the trigger blade) to the left, or counter-clockwise, to lessen the sear engagement in stage two of the trigger pull. If you turn the screw too far you will over-adjust the trigger to the point of eliminating stage two and the trigger will break without warning while you are pulling it through stage one..

          So turn the trigger to the right to make the sear engagement greater. The manual advises that the pull should be about 2-3 lbs.”

          Mike

      • Now this is real interesting. I don’t have any weaver rings to mount the scope – I have low and this needs medium. But what I just did was put a BSA red dot site on the rail. The first pellet went into the wall (spackle compound at the ready). I turned the elevation two turns and the second pellet hit the x ring dead center! So either the rings are messed up that came with the scope (yes I did flow them front to back) or this scope is messed up.

        I’ll get new rings tomorrow – medium height Weavers – and see what happens next. But this trigger…….

        Crosman, what the Heck were you thinking when you designed it? Or is someone not keeping a close watch on the Chinese factory manufacturing this? You would have been better off putting the 392 trigger on this gun.

        Fred PRoNJ

  5. Kevin,

    kind of early for you to be up there in CO. Yes, my wife gives me the silent treatment and you’re right. When she told me she was po’d because I didn’t come up to greet up when she came home at 8:30PM, I just went back down to my Bat Cave and continued to try different things with the NPSS which is the wood stock w/o the adjustable cheek piece. I mistakenly thought it was an early Crosman but it’s badged as a Benjamin. Thanks for remembering that comment on BB’s review. I’ll go there and see what he says.

    Bending the barrel? I haven’t laid a straightedge against it so am not sure it’s the barrel that’s bent. Tonight.

    Fred PRoNJ

    • You need to determine just why it shoots so low.

      Is the barrel bored in the center? Check both ends.
      Is the bore straight or crooked? Look through it.
      Is the outside of the barrel crooked or straight?
      Looking down the side of the gun, does the barrel look straight inline with the compression tube?
      Look at how you mounted the rings. Did you get them down into position or did the front one hang up on something?

      See what you come up with.

      twotalon

  6. BB and duskwhite:
    Looked at the ‘workshop tour’ of ISP air guns.
    If they had a half drunk mug of tea and a Ham sandwich on the workbench,then without doubt the firm would be British.But they didn’t.
    So I checked out the 01922 area code,which means this outfit is based in Walsall or surrounding area,close to Birmingham.
    DaveUK

  7. WooHoo…just received word from my dealer here in Canada that the two Steel Storms I had ordered for the boys Christmas presents have arrived and should be here next week.
    Of course I’ll have to try them to make sure they work before I wrap them up for Christmas.
    I figure about 500 rounds each will be a good test 😉

  8. Frank B

    Stange, glowing green lights are being spotted all over Atlanta. Perhaps I should propose a richly-funded team, lead by me, to look into it. I don’t want any thanks, I see it as my duty as a citizen.

    Now that I know you will own an aircane, I will definitely stop mugging the elderly. It could be Frank B in disguise, looking for an excuse to check out his in-the-box aircane. Score one for the good guys.

    Enjoy your Ramen noodles.

      • FrankB. Doesn’t bad weather disperse the laser beam? That was the case in a Stephen Hunter novel where Delta Force was really cleaning up with its laser-mounted weapons in an underground complex until the sprinkler system went on, and that neutralized their lasers.

        Matt61

    • Matt,

      Just guessing the bazooka shoots a couple hundred feet. And the air cane is lethal. I have owned canes that would shoot a .43 caliber ball at over 600 f.p.s., and that was on CO2. On air they would reach 800 f.p.s. Very definitely lethal.

      B.B.

        • derekb,

          No, air canes are unregister-able because they are airguns. They are also mostly pre-1898, so even if they were firearms they would be off the books.

          Don’t forget that there are both back powder canes and cartrdige canes that are also unregister-able.

          Thank God for some laws being reasonable!

          B.B.

                • rikib,

                  Before your start packing a sword cane be sure and check the laws in your state, city, county, etc. cause in a lot of places they’re considered a concealed deadly weapon which can get you some jail time or a very expensive bill from the lawyer you kept you out of same.

                  That being said, there are some very nice ones for sale ranging in price from $25.00 plus shipping (maybe good for a letter opener) up to are you kidding me, it’s how much? Atlantic Cutlery sells a neat folding umbrella that has a 10 or 12 inch poker in its handle for around $50.00.

                  Bruce

  9. Since we’re still talking about Roanoke related stories I’ll share one more of mine.

    Being a modest, christian man, when I checked into the hotel at Roanoke, I said to the lady at the registration desk, “I hope the porn channel in my room is disabled.”

    To which she replied, “No, it’s regular porn you sicko.”

    kevin

  10. B.B. I just now finished checking my FWB 124 (mid 80’s model) on the chrony. I installed the Macari old school kit & seal last month sometime. My readings today are cpl 7.9 gr av.741 fps jsb 8.4 gr. av 761A/A 7.33 Falcons 825 fps. I’m realy pleased with this rifle and J. M’s tune kit. Also I installed his stainless steel trigger which was a lot easy er then I thought it would be. All you have to do is put a little molly on sear surfaces and its all most as good as one of those Weihrauch whatchyoucallits.

  11. FWB 124 – One of the reasons the 124 was the first tuned rifle I sold off was the somewhat anemic performance along with a so so trigger. Without digging out the records for exact numbers, the only pellets that broke the 800 fps mark were the Beaman Silver Bears. Rich in Mich had installed a JM old school arctic kit in it for me along with a full tune. Very accurate, but that was it. I could see how the R1 killed it off…

  12. Volvo, I agree with you the R1 probably did kill the 124 but I believe the velocity figures for the Beeman’s was mostly hype because all though I love my R1 & R7 neither one comes close to the advertized fps and with the maccari trigger I prefer the FWB.

  13. Ok people i am back 🙂 i had a small problem with my Diana 34 ,i culd not cock it ,so i strip all out just to figure out but then i had a really hard time to put all back in the gun manualy …..o well after several tryouts finally i have succeed ….oh …finally – …….how i love my Slavia 634 simple strong and all metal

      • twotalon -it works just fine now…i did it more than several times before no big deal cocking can be tricky ,so yesterday i strip it all and and put togather several times (to the point of pannic) off course with a little help one pair off arms cant do it all ,problem was with trigger machanism so i strip that and corrected then put this all back togather and it hold one inch group

  14. I gotta question -does spring rifle produce less fps, or better yet is spring gun with synthetic seal WEAKER on cold weather (cold mornings has begun down here ),i suppose that it is weaker but i need second opinion 🙂 !?

    • It might help if you told us some temperatures that you want to use for examples.
      It might make a difference in how tight the seal is and what the gun is lubricated with too.

      Most plastics tend to get harder at lower temperatures, and lubricants tend to get thicker. I would think that there would be some change, but it would probably vary from gun to gun.
      I had my 97K out to test it on a cold morning . It was cold enough that there was frost. It shot in the same place as it did in comfortable weather , so could not have been much velocity difference.

      I do not think I would want to try when the weather is -20F or lower. I used to work in -20 down to -30, and tools became brittle and broke at those temperatures.

      twotalon

      • Twotalon nothing so major if i am wright and i had to consult my self with thermometer : ) (we use celssius as measure unit) -30 F would be WOW -35 C or am i wrong ,we have in the middle of the winter here sometimes -15F . I was talking about you know frosty weather …

        • I have only tried right around the freezing point so far and only as high as the lower 70’s F. I got the 97K pretty late this year.
          Where I am now I have seen the temperature get down to -10F a few times, but is pretty rare. Usually will be a little above and below +20F in winter. Warms up enough to start melting snow, then gets cold again and snows some more.
          That is probably not bad enough to cause any significant problems other than scope zero changes caused by scope components changing temperatures. Every scope is different and will change poi at least a little with temperature changes.

          twotalon

        • Milan,

          It seems winter comes to northern hemisphere 🙂
          The basic rule for a steel spring springer as I remember it is mostly like that – every 5 degrees Celsius below +10 steal some 4% power, it was proven experimentally. For a gas springer dependency is a bit sharper – some 6-8%, as cold gas spring also loses some power in addition to seal hardening.
          I shot my 20J CFX gas springer @ 18 C in -22C. Speed dropped from 245 to 218 mps. However, after 40 or so shots, seal heated enough to become elastic again, and gas spring also regained some power, so it was around 222.
          I don’t think shooting steel springers in frost is a good idea, as steel becomes fragile, the colder the more. Weapon-grade steel may hold, but springers are made from less resistant alloys.
          Maybe you should swap your Diana for some AK for the winter? 😉
          And just remember – below -25 steel can give your bare hands a cryoburn, and always keep your rifle when coming back home in some colder place for an hour or two, just to let it warm gradually and not to catch condensate water and rust. Some thorough cleaning and a tad of oil can do the job.
          Hope I helped you.

          duskwight

  15. Hello,

    Great report! I am interested in restoring my FWB. Is that piston seal available by phone from PyramydAir? Can I ask if you think it’s better than the one supplied by Maccari? What does PA sell it for?

    Thx!

    • ST,

      The seal I show should be available from Pyramyd AIR, but they don’t have it listed on their site yet.

      Call the tech manager, Gene Salvino and ask about it. I don’t think the cost is too great.

      I can’t say yet how it compares to any Maccari seal (he has made and sold several), but it seems to be pretty rugged on its own merits.

      B.B.

  16. It’s too bad that bill’s a bit curled, otherwise it’d be possible from the photo to get a pretty exact measurement of the projectile’s size.

    The “all the same size” comment may sound funny to residents of the USA, but for instance Australian money is different sizes (and has clear windows in it!)

    I’ve always wanted to build a potato cannon that would shoot potatoes that were sized down, and use some kind of cutter or die to make a uniform nose, shaped like a .45 ball bullet for instance, and another cutter to hollow out the tail, the idea being to make a big, starchy, Minie’ ball. Then the cannon could use pumped-up air, or the usual propellents. Something like that could be a lot of fun to experiment with.

  17. OK everyone,

    you can all go out and have a drink on me – sorry, beer and wine only. None of that premium whiskey, I know how you hosers are. I solved my problem with the Nitro. First I put a 1 meter straightedge on the scope mount and observed no angle between the ruler’s edge and the barrel. Next I switched mounts and observed no difference. But then, I switched scopes and proved the scope that came with the Benjamin Nitro shoots WAY low. To eliminate any doubt, I put the scope, a Centerpoint, onto my RWS with the UTG compensating base. I could just reach my POA with the elevation adjuster screwed all the way up. So, this time I used two shims cut from the box that my checkbooks come in – a fairly heavy weight of paper. Readjusting the adjustment screws to the center of their adjustment range and less than one turn of elevation and windage and I was in the x ring! In fact, I’m going to go out and have a beer.

    Just goes to show you – it’s true what they say – either use a bigger hammer or in this case, a bigger shim.

    Now to tackle that trigger. Come on, UPS and Charlie.

    Fred PRoNJ

    • Fred,
      Now that you know what is going on, you can try the method that Kevin gave a while back — shimming the rings w/2-part epoxy putty. I don’t understand how the triggers of two supposedly almost identical rifles can be so different, but the Charlie trigger is probably the lowest hassle option. Regarding UPS, as Lou Reed says, “the first thing you learn is that you always have to wait” ; its as true for this type of thing :).

      • TT,

        I might give them a call tomorrow and see if that’s possible. Actually, I hesitate to epoxy the scope rings as then I could only use the rings for that scope. However, I was really having some fun with that BSA Red Dot sight. This is from Frank B’s IZH46 that I bought from him and took off the 46, preferring to use the iron sights.

        Fred PRoNJ

    • Fred,
      You might want to seriously look into the epoxy thing. Since your scope is so dramatically shimmed the angle of the scope in the rings might cause the sharp edges of the rings to be digging into the scope tube. Be very careful not to over tighten the ring screws or else you may dent the scope tube.
      -CJr

      • Thanks, Cjr. I know that this much shimming might result in a slightly tweaked scope if I tighten things up too much. Let’s see if Crosman has anything to say tomorrow.

        Fred PRoNJ

  18. BB, are you sure you don’t have a secret warehouse full of FWB 124’s that you are trying to sell; its gone from relatively obscure historical air rifle to hot classic :). How much of the forward movement on firing could be reduced by monkeying around with the piston weight? I.e., is the 124’s piston exceptionally heavy or light?

    • BG_Farmer,

      The 124’s piston is on the heavy side. It’s made of steel and definitely contributes to the forward lunge. But as you will learn tomorrow, it can be eliminated (the lunge, not the weight).

      Monkeying with a piston’s weight changes the rifle’s acceptance of pellets. Heavy pistons like heavier pellets and vice-versa. I have added weight to the 124 piston by means of a heavy top hat, but it would take a new or machined piston to take it away.

      B.B.

  19. BG_Farmer,
    I don’t think you have to worry about any mods. on the FWB 124 because with the Maccari spring kit installed it’s as smooth and friendly as any rifle made just use his lube kit with just a tiny bit of his black tar on the spring. I know from experience that it’s real easy on scopes my Bushnell Banner has lasted for years on it

    • Loren,
      Thanks, I was just going by what BB said and wondering why it was remarkable on the 124. It seems to me that piston weight is a big, but largely ignored factor in “shootability” and performance — i.e., its my pet hobby horse :).

  20. BG_Farmer
    Well you might be right, come to think of it that piston is kind of hefty. Have you looked at Maccari’s web site, it’s airrifleheadquarters.com very interesting stuff.Well I can’t wait to see B.B.’s results Monday or whenever he gets to that project 124.

  21. Anyone,

    Help! I need high adjustable two piece mounts for 1″ tubes and 30 mm tubes.

    B-Square used to make them and Gamo used to make windage adjustable 1 piece mounts but to same my soul I can not fine ANY two piece adjustable rings! Not even an 1 piece windage and elevation adjustable model in high rings.

    Any one know where I can find such a thing?

    If any one here has one they would sell I would be glad to buy it.

    Or if you know where they can be found please shoot me the URL!

    Thanks!

    • What about Burris Signature rings? They use an offset gimbal style insert that can be adjusted for both windage and elevation.

      They might not make one that meets your mounting requirements, but 420556 is a 1″, airgun/rimfire-rated, 3/8″ dovetail, high mount. I don’t think they have 30mm rings that are airgun rated, but 420587 is a 30mm, weaver, high mount that might still be good for a non-springer. If you need 30mm rings with dovetail mounts or airgun-rated 1″ rings with weaver mounts, you’d probably have to use adapters.

      Burris makes additional 1″ inserts for more adjustment, up to .020″ per ring (a total of max .040″ compensation). I have never seen additional 30mm inserts, but the 30mm rings come with both 0 and .010″ inserts, for a max offset of .020″.

      I don’t own any of these, so I cannot attest to their performance, but I’ve heard/read really good things about them. They aren’t exactly cheap at $50/set.

      – Orin

  22. Does anyone have a 10-meter match type stock for a QB78/79 lying around? The stock is the for the AR2078A. It can be unfinished, partially finished…missing the mounting bolt…just not cracked or badly chipped. I know where to get a new one, just wondering if anyone here needs to clean out the basement before I make that order.
    dwk164@sbcglobal.net

    Thanks!

  23. Well, I finally got fed up with the buzzing, noisy, screw loosening vibration with the 97K.
    Maccari kit is on order.
    I do dread the installation process.
    Hope I don’t have to get another gallon of loctite.

    twotalon

  24. B.B.,

    I was shooting in your old stamping grounds yesterday. GengisJan, invited me over for a day of plinking and shooting each others air rifles at Damascus. Jan was a very gracious host and I enjoyed being shown around the range and hearing about the Nationals and getting some first hand info on what a great bunch of guys the national competitors are. Jan was wishing that Wacky Wayne had competed in this years Nationals so he could have met him.

    Jan has a .177 Marauder set up by Tim to shoot at 12 ft lbs for FT. It was a windy day. The leaves would be blowing from left to right at 25 yards, but the pellets would drift to the right to left at 50 yards, that’s correct the opposite of the leaves at 25 yards. Guess the wind hit the side of the berm and got turned back. I had to really time my shots to be holding off on the correct side of the target–lots of fun.

    Jan enjoyed the laser on my Talon SS and is sending his Discovery to TKO for a prep job after enjoying Mike’s trigger and LDC on mine. All in all it was a very enjoyable day.

    Bruce

    • Bruce,

      I can picture the range with the pole-built overhang that I helped erect and the trees downrange that we couldn’t cut down (we are a conservation league, for gosh sakes!). Does the club still have Long Tom, the life-sized turkey target I sold them?

      B.B.

    • Hi, Bruce. Had a great time yesterday. Thanks!

      Folks, Mr. B.’s talon sports the brightest laser I’ve ever seen. I think it must be Death Star surplus or something. It’s dead on at 18 or 20 yards, and it’s mounted so close to the bore that you can see the pellet flash through the beam for a yard or two of its flight, even in the afternoon sun. It’s a great effect to blast a dangling tin can at 20 yd: first you see the pellet streaking bright green through the laser, then the impact right on the laser spot, and then a brief moment of green light on the ground behind the can just before the can begins to twirl. Hehehe.

      Bruce, you have permanently ruined my disco for me. Now I must Mike-T and/or Mac-1 it up, post haste. I’ve never had a problem switching back and forth betseen the disco and the marauder with their night-and-day trigger differences, but now that I’ve shot a disco with a proper trigger, I can’t squeeze mine without thinking I left the safety on.

      B.B., did I hear you correctly? Does DIFTA still have Long Tom?!? Well of course they do! And Tom is still in great shape, because of course nobody ever hits him! He is almost always parked on lane three at some absurd distance, mocking everybody. Even when you do manage to hit him, he still manages to tease, as I’m sure you’ll recall he goes down in slow motion, like a California Redwood. Tom was in his usual spot on lane three for the Nationals, and we also used him for all the rifle shoot-offs as is the local custom.

      Bruce, let’s do it again soon!

      Thanks,
      Jan

  25. To SlingingLead,Matt61,and all……I’m not so sure FrankB really NEEDS an air cane this nice in his collection.The cost would be equal to 4 or 5 Quackenbush big bores….or a nice used car.I’m great at rationalizing(humble too),but this is not my first overindulgence so I have a lot to think over.Just to keep you guys informed….

    • Frank B,

      Wow to the cost, but how many are known to be in existence and at what frequency do they change hands? See we’re all here to help you….down the prim-rose path.

      Bruce

      • Bruce,

        Yes, there are many air canes around, but not like this one. This is an original cased cane from a well-known London maker and it still has all its original tools and pump. The case is original to the gun. Canes of this quality are not common.

        I have paid as little at $435 for a complete air cane, and $600 for a working one about 15 years ago. But those were just bare-bones budget models without the embellishments of this one. This is a tap loader, which is very rare among canes, because that makes it a breech loader. The air pump is made from real Damascus steel, in the manner of the old shotguns. The piston is hand-lapped so it needs no seals.

        Yes, the asking price is very high, and I would certainly try to negotiate it down somewhat. But it would be difficult to find a better cane.

        Well, actually, that’s not correct. About ten years ago a cased cane was sold for $35,000 that was beautifully blued and engraved with gold mounts. The case was French, not English, so each piece was fitted exactly to its resting hole. That cane was better than this one by an order of magnitude. But it was also the finest cane anyone had ever seen, and I don’t think it has been topped.

        B.B.

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