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Competition FWB P44 10-meter target pistol: Part 3

FWB P44 10-meter target pistol: Part 3

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

FWB P44
FWB P44 target pistol is Tom Gaylord’s dream airgun!

FWB P44 10-meter target pistol: Part 1
FWB P44 10-meter target pistol: Part 2
Morini 162MI Part 1
Morini 162MI Part 2
Morini 162MI Part 3

This report covers:

  • Adjustments
  • Trigger is first
  • Trigger length
  • Adjust the grip
  • Gun orientation
  • Over time changes may be needed

Part 2 was the velocity test of the FWB P44 10-meter target pistol. If you read it you know that I turned the velocity down from where it was when the gun came from the factory. Until I shoot the gun for accuracy we won’t know if the arbitrary velocity setting I chose was the best, or not. It was just a lot more conservative of the compressed air. The proof will be in the accuracy testing. First I need to find the best pellet, and after that I need to find the best velocity for that pellet. I tell you this so you understand that nothing is certain until it is tested.

Adjustments

Before I get to the accuracy test, though, I do want to adjust the pistol. I had planned to do this in Part 2, but the high velocity I discovered sidetracked me.

Trigger is first

The first thing I adjusted is the trigger. First I adjusted the overtravel stop, so the trigger stops exactly at the release point. FWB calls overtravel “…the creep after releasing the shot.” Obviously they don’t have a gun person writing the English portion of their manual. Overtravel has been a standard trigger term for over half a century. I’m not showing that adjustment here.

Once the overtravel was perfect I adjusted the trigger release point, which has to be greater than 500 grams. I set stage one at 440 grams and the release at 510 grams, though I must tell you that testing the release weight is something of an art. I can test it so it releases at anywhere from 460 grams, all the way to 510 grams — depending on how I conduct the test. This is another adjustment I’m not showing.

At a match the most common trigger test is to lift a 500-gram weight off a table, when the weight is suspended from the trigger by a thin wire. This has to be done carefully or the trigger will fire even though it is set correctly. You don’t jerk the pistol with the weight on the trigger in this test!

But there is even more to it than that! Leverage comes into play with the trigger and we are talking about very small amounts of weight, so it matters exactly where you pull on it for the test. Because of that, all world-class 10-meter pistol trigger blades have a deep groove that runs across their center. The wire that suspends the test weight must rest in this groove when the test is conducted, for the test to be official.

It was a mistake for me to adjust the trigger release at this time (before the trigger position was adjusted), and the FWB manual warned me against it, but I did it anyway. After two additional trigger position adjustments, the release weight changed, though it was still within limits and did not need to be reset.

FWB P44 trigger groove
The wire that holds the 500-gram trigger test weight must rest in the groove the runs across the center of the trigger blade, for the test to be official.

Trigger length

The next trigger adjustment is the length of the trigger blade. As the gun came from the factory the length seemed perfect to me, but my finger was contacting the blade on one side, only. There is an adjustment that allows the trigger blade to be pivoted to the right (I’m right-handed) and I have always adjusted my 10-meter pistols that way. So I did it to the P44 trigger blade, too. It now feels perfect!

FWB P44 trigger adjustment
Loosen the Allen screw under the trigger blade and it can be pivoted to either side.

Now that the blade was in the right place for me, it was too close to my hand and had to be pushed out farther. I slid the trigger forward until it felt perfect, then snugged the screw down.

After these two adjustments I retested the release weight and found it had lightened. Stage one now topped out at 414 grams and stage two releases at 504 grams. That is a razor edge that would be too close if I were in competition. I used to compete with my trigger set to 518 grams, just to be safe. I will continue to shoot the gun with the trigger adjusted like this, but if I ever go to a match I will have to increase the release weight a trifle. The worst thing that can happen before a match is to have to adjust your trigger. That can really unnerve a shooter!

Adjust the grip

With the trigger sorted, I turned to the grip next. The sliding shelf had already been adjusted. That was the first thing I did — even before dry-firing the gun the first time.

The owner’s manual fails when describing the grip adjustments. I hope it makes more sense in German, because in English, the descriptions are a little vague. But I will try to reword them for you.

Gun orientation

The first adjustment is one that not all 10-meter pistols have — the orientation of the gun. In other words, when you are holding the gun with a perfect shooting grip, is it aligned perfectly so the sights line up for you? There is only one way to tell. Grip the pistol like you would to shoot and raise the gun to a shooting position. Are the sights lining up for you? Does the front sight naturally align with the rear notch, or is the front sight off to one side, forcing you to twist your hand slightly to align it? When I checked, the front sight was slightly off to the left. It is so small that there is a natural tendency to just twist your hand to correct for it, but that puts the hand in a slightly unnatural position. Better to adjust the grip, and there is an adjustment for this.

There are two small screws that control the orientation of the gun. They only have 1.5 turns of adjustment in each and the total angular adjustment is only 3 degrees, but that should be all that you need. I read the directions carefully several times and adjusted the screws perfectly on the first try!

FWB P44 grip angle
FWB calls the silver piece the grip angle. It’s a loose part that sits between the grip and frame. I placed it askew to stand out.

FWB P44 trigger adjustment
These are the adjustment screws on the grip angle.

The grip can also be twisted to the left and right by 10 degrees. Fortunately it is exactly where I want it, so I’m leaving it alone. I have now adjusted the gun as much as I am going to.

Over time changes may be needed

As I become familiar with the gun I may want to change these adjustments. I found that to be the case with my other pistol when I competed before. As I became more familiar with the gun I found it necessary to tweak the adjustments slightly. Fortunately, this P44 has all the adjustments I will need.

There is one final thing I may tweak after shooting for accuracy, and that is the recoil compensation device. But it will take some careful target work to know whether an adjustment is required. So stay tuned.

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.

19 thoughts on “FWB P44 10-meter target pistol: Part 3”

  1. BB
    On the testing of the trigger release weight I understand that the wire is placed in the groove in the trigger blade to lift the 500 gram weight but is the wire resting along side of the grips and frame of the gun so it can drag on them when lifting or is there a method so that the wire is pulling directly straight down at a perfect 90 degree angle to the travel of the triggers pull direction. t would seem difficult and not truly accurate if the wire is not being pulled at a straight direction in relation to the triggers travel and for it to do that there would have to be a hole or means in the frame and grip to run the sire thru so it is pulling in a perfectly straight 90 degree direction to trigger movement.

    I am I missing something here or is the wire dragging against the grip and frame taken into account when measuring the release weight measurements.

    Just curious since you stated they use a 500 gram weight to test the setting with am not sure how it could pull perfectly straight on the trigger blade.

    BD

  2. We need a picture of the trigger test. I am envisioning drag on grip as the wire goes down to the weight. The gun orientation setting is interesting. Makes me wonder if some regular pistol shooters have modified their grips to achieve the front – rear sight relationship . So much to learn and so little time.
    Thanks BB
    Harvey

  3. B.B.,

    I love all the adjustments! Also I liked your point on that if you change one thing, something else will often change with it. Even more, I liked how you stressed that things should feel “natural” without having to correct in even the slightest way.

    I am not sure who it was,.. Duskwight I am thinking,.. that mentioned way back on doing that with bench rest. With shooting the new M-rod, I remembered this,.. and tried to focus very heavily on that. So far, so good.

    It is amazing how much we can learn, and then forget, only to have to re-learn or re-discover it at some point again in the future.

    Chris

  4. BB,

    I had my Izzy out plinking with it this weekend for a bit. Kathy commented that I had not shot it for quite some time. I amazed myself by hitting the 3/4″ spinner shot after shot after shot. After reshaped the grip and getting the trigger where and how I want it a while back, every thing seems to just come together.

    It is such a pleasure to shoot a pistol knowing that if you miss, it is your fault. The only way this pistol is going anywhere is should I find something better and that is going to take some doing.

    I am so glad you got the P44.

  5. “Gun Orientation” – I like the term.

    I always referred to that as “fitting” the pistol/rifle/shotgun so that it “pointed right”.

    Rarely does it fit right out of the box – you usually have to make adjustments and that may include adding shims\spacers and rasping\sanding until it points on-target automatically without any wiggling around to get aligned. Worth the time and effort though, really makes a difference to the accuracy.

    Hank

    • Wow, what a treasure of information this blog has been for me. I am going to look over my Alecto again as I guess that is the closest thing I have to a target pistol . Thanks to all of you.
      Harvey

        • Hi BD
          My Alecto is the standard. I understand the main difference is the barrell length between the two. I have trouble shooting it one handed because of it’s weight. One pump is all you need for punching paper and for that, it pumps much easier then a Beeman P17 . My power adjustment valve was set too soft. On the 3rd pump, even with poor hearing I could hear air escaping. Basically with the chrony there was no difference between 2 and 3 pumps. Wish I would have kept the data I got but now there is a nice progression of pellet speeds between the difference of the pumps after I adjusted the valve. My Alecto is .177 calibre. They are a interesting pistol. I don’t know why Pyramyd AIR quit carrying them but believe it was the price point. Thanks for your interest.
          Harvey

          q

          • Harvey
            Thanks for the info and yes as far as I know the difference between the ultra and the Standard is barrel length and of course velocity due to increased barrel length.

            I have a P-17 that I have tuned up some by adding a shim inside the compression chamber so it is shooting JSB 8.44s at 435 fps and is a fun accurate pistol to shoot. I am not good with it shooting one handed either and as a rule shoot with it rested on the porch railing on the bottom of the grip area.

            I am glad you got yours figured out so it does work correctly and will increase velocity with each pump which it should and it my understanding that 4 pumps is the maximum it can be pumped but three gives the best overall performance. I don’t know either why they are no longer sold in the states or even if they are in fact still produced at all. I just like the fact that its a multi pump pistol so all you need is the gun and pellets to enjoy shooting it.

            BD

            • Hi BD , here is a link to what you maybe interested in.
              Legacy Sports HP01-22 Zoraki Pneumatic Air Pistol.
              Just look for a Zoraki HP01.
              Best wishes
              Harvey

                • Always nice to do my airgunner’s civic duty and show goodies to be bought.
                  Hope you enjoy it when you get it. A lot of stuff on the web about them. I wish Webley would have kept it, as Webley sounds cooler then Zoraki but who knows the in and outs of air gun manufactures.. I also have a Webley Tempest “made in Turkey by the same company I think. The build quality seems good and it has kept the original British made Tempest quirkiness !
                  Harvey

                  • Harvey
                    Yea Webley does sound cooler but at least they are still available to buy. The Tempest is another neat pistol as I am not really a pistol person except for pumpers or neat spring guns. Just not that capable of hitting what I aim at with them so only have a small number that interest me.

                    BD

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