FWB124 revisited

[Sundog]

After several years of being too busy, I got my ’78 FWB124 out of its case only to find a crack in the wrist of the stock.  I speculate that my son had to see what happens when the barrel is open and the trigger is pulled.  After getting over my initial depression, I set about to see if I could at least restore the functionality of my nice airgun.  So I pulled the action and began.



First I stripped off all the Tru-oil finish that I put on in the late 70’s.  I really like the ease of Tru-oil and the beautiful low-luster finish.  I even used it finishing a Stratocaster (guitar).



Then I glued the cracked stock with Titebond III and clamped it with straps for three days.



After that, I put the factory sights on temporarily just to see if it still cycled properly.  I fired three shots at a pizza box at about 40 feet.  I was shaking so bad on the first two that I barely hit the box and it was a large pizza.  It happens fast so I can’t be sure, but I believe the first two shots diesel-ed.   The third shot nailed Hungry Howie right in the head.  But it did cycle smoothly and seemed to shoot straight.


So I began sanding and staining, trying to repair as much of the damage as I could.






I also re-blued the trigger guard but I was not very successful and I am still not happy with it.  I may try a coat of spray paint in the future when the mood strikes me.  I followed all the recommended steps in the GTA library, but after soaking overnight in oil, it was still only light grey.


After ten coats of Tru-oil I put the white spacers, butt cap and rubber recoil pad back on and the AG started to look like herself again.  It is very difficult to capture in a pic just how nice the finish looks.






Added the action…


The scope…


…and as soon as I work up enough courage, I am definitely probably gonna try getting reacquainted.

 

[Motorhead]

Outstanding !!

To Own a FWB 124 is to LOVE ONE !!

Get back out there and shoot it already 

[cnjl3]

I have seen some stocks that split in the grip area repaired with a dowel or long wood screw for additional support. Some were inserted from the bottom of the grip and then concealed by the grip cap. Yours came out looking really nice. After so much work it should shoot even better. Is your FWB124 action stock or has it been repaired/modded?

[Sundog]

I have seen some stocks that split in the grip area repaired with a dowel or long wood screw for additional support. Some were inserted from the bottom of the grip and then concealed by the grip cap.

I considered those possibilities but decided the Titebond would do it.  Most wood guys rate the Titebond III as "stronger than the wood" if done correctly.

Yours came out looking really nice. After so much work it should shoot even better.

Thanks, but there are a couple of places where I am disappointed in my workmanship.  Cest la vie!  I can always do it again.

Is your FWB124 action stock or has it been repaired/modded?

Selected and tuned by Beeman's before it left in '78, and had the seal replaced and tuned again in the early '90s again by the guys at Beeman's.  The heavy tar is still visible.  Thinking about a SS trigger and wondering if it is worth the $75 upgrade.  I may get one "just in case..." I break the plastic one.  Opinions?   I put the action mounting screws away to save wear and tear and replaced them with SS socket caps.  Next on the list is a spring compression fixture.  Can anyone give me an idea of how much force is necessary?

Thanks for the comments and support.

 




Edit:  Fired about 25 shots today.  Cycled well enough, but I had difficulty getting the POI down.  Seems out of scope range and it never had that difficulty before, POI about an inch high when scope is adjusted max low at ten meters.  Could be variation in mounting, but it is the same scope and the same mounts as before.  Perhaps the barrel is tipped up a bit as a result of whatever caused the stock damage.  Seems to repeat the POI fairly well, hard to tell because my skills are so atrophied.  Feels good to get reacquainted.

[glassman98]

Job well done. Be proud of saving a very nice gun.  Craig

[cnjl3]

Plastic triggers seem to last forever but for my own FWB124 I decided that a metal trigger was the way to go. About your spring -- when I installed my JM Pro-Mac kit the OEM spring needed about 4" of compression released before I could remove it. The heavier JM Pro-Mac kit was a lot shorter but still requires a spring compressor to install it along with the safety latch. IMO you should not try it without a spring compressor. I have heard of folk pulling the trigger while the barrel is all the way down and then it swings up and bends the barrel plus sometimes it can split the stock at the wrist. I thought that FWB barrels would be too thick to bend but just look down the barrel to see if the bore is centered. Hopefully it is.

[Sundog]

@ Carlos

Thanks for the reply.  Did a metal trigger improve your rifle?  With parts for the 124/127 becoming ever scarcer and plastic becoming more brittle typically with age, a metal trigger may be a worthwhile investment.

I have the OEM shop manual and I would never try servicing without a spring compressor.  I am still looking for some input as to how much force is needed so I can decide on a design.

I have examined the barrel and I do not believe it is bent.  I have a precision straight edge that lays perfect along the barrel and yet I’m wondering if somehow the relationship to the dovetail grooves has changed.  I will shim the scope so as not to fire the rifle with the scope elevation pegged and see how she does in the coming days.  Gun show in Tampa tomorrow.

[cnjl3]

I'm pretty sure that my trigger pull is a lot nicer. I have seen threads where the plastic triggers break and then there is a wild search for a metal one. I know that ARH has a Stainless Steel trigger and Airgun Spares also carries one. I just feel better knowing that it would be highly unlikely that I will have trigger problems.
On the spring compressor I went the route of using a 8" C-clamp. It just seemed like the easiest style to build.
It's good that your barrel is not bent. Maybe a scope shim is all that you need. I know about scope shimming but I plan on getting me the BKL mounts that are adjustable.
Geez, always something extra to buy.

[Dick Tracey]

@ Carlos

Thanks for the reply.  Did a metal trigger improve your rifle?  With parts for the 124/127 becoming ever scarcer and plastic becoming more brittle typically with age, a metal trigger may be a worthwhile investment.

I have the OEM shop manual and I would never try servicing without a spring compressor.  I am still looking for some input as to how much force is needed so I can decide on a design.

I have examined the barrel and I do not believe it is bent.  I have a precision straight edge that lays perfect along the barrel and yet I’m wondering if somehow the relationship to the dovetail grooves has changed.  I will shim the scope so as not to fire the rifle with the scope elevation pegged and see how she does in the coming days.  Gun show in Tampa tomorrow.

I have an old BSF Media that the barrel was bent when trigger was pulled while open (totally my fault).  if you sight down the back of the compression tube you can see the barrel is pointing up.  I understood your statement as running a straight edge on the barrel.  You need to lay the straight edge on the compression tube and see if barrel is straight or pointing up.

DT

[Sundog]

@ DT

Thanks for the reply and the suggestion, I will do that.  The receiver and the barrel are on different planes, but I should be able to to check.  If in fact they are not parallel, where would the deviation have occured?  The breech shows no sign of damage, bent pivot bolts perhaps?

 

[Dick Tracey]

If the barrel is straight then the problem has to be where the barrel fits into the breech block.  Air gun barrels tend to be made with softer metals, therefore, even if it is thick it will still bend.  I took these photos of my BSF Media. It is hard to show without better lighting but my bend is extreme enough that it does show up.

I think you can actually see the bend without a straight edge.



Here it is with a straight edge next to it.



I tried to reposition things to give a clearer view.



I had to raise the front sight up about 1/2" in order to hit the POA at about 30'.

DT

[Sundog]

@DT

Thank you for the reply and the pics.  I will check for parallelism like you show and see if I can figure it out.  I would rather fix the problem than compensate for it.

 

[Sundog]

The bad news…  while the tube appears to be straight enough…


It would appear that the tube is cocked upward from the breech block.




And while the pivot screw came out hard, there is no noticeable bend when rolling it on a glass plate.


The next question becomes…  what can be done to repair the damage, if anything.  Are there people that will make such a repair or will I need to try something myself, or should I just modify some scope rings  to correct the POI and live with it?



TIA for replies.

 

[Dick Tracey]

Somebody posted about straightening a rifle with this same problem but I don't who and if it was on this forum.  Basically he made a jig and used a clamp to bend barrel back.

DT

[Sundog]

The continuing saga of Bungalow Bill…   I found the article on how to straighten barrels (https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2008/07/straightening-barrels/) so onward I went.

I managed to lower the barrel roughly .23 inches (6mm) at the tip, but as the photos show, not yet parallel to the reference surface when the breech is clamped flat.  Previously the barrel tip touched the reference surface when clamped the same way.  If true, that should have moved the POI about 5-1/2 inches at ten meters.




So I reassembled the rifle and proceeded to test shoot it.  It seemed to shoot decently (I’m certain it is shooting better than I can at the moment), but the POI is still high.  With the scope dialed down 2 full turns from center, it still shoots 2 inches high and the scope only has about a half turn left in its adjustment.   Scope is a Beeman’s 2.5x32 pre Blue Ring with Boswell Bear screened on it.  It’s a great scope and I don’t want to damage it.
I guess I have more work to do on the barrel.  I am taking it slow and I maybe I’m being overcautious, but it is already such a tragedy that I would feel terrible if I caused any further damage.



Stay tuned...   

[Dick Tracey]

Sure and steady is the way to go.  The post I read said that the barrel will spring back some after bending.  Might help to apply pressure to bend and let it set with pressure on it for a little while.

DT

[Sundog]

Epilog

After another barrel bending session, set up on the barrel this time, I think the rifle may be back to its old self.  The barrel is parallel with the breech block again and the scope settings are within a few clicks of dead center.  Myself on the other hand obviously needs to work on my cheek pressure, at both ends.

My new mantra is going to be “Aim small…  miss small.” (Ya, I know, Benjamin Martin, great movie). 

I could not see the holes in the black area, so I put up a thumbtack.  Just missed it with the first shot, nailed it with the second (too much fun).   Then I put a red dot onto the paper and that too disappeared, so I added crosshairs.  I may need to upgrade the 2.5X scope however, my eyes are fading.

Thanks to all for the help and support.

5 shots each at 10 meters rested with H-N Match Rifle 4.50 mm heads 8.18gr.