FAS Air Pistol Discussion

[mparker]

Unless I am not conducting searches correctly, there appears to be and has never been any discussion of FAS air pistols, especially the AP604 and the new 6004.

Am I mistaken or is there little interest in FAS hardware?

[silent_airman]

Well, considering I have never heard of FAS, I wouldn't be discussing it. Do you have any info about them to share?

[K_sqrd]

Probably not much interest outside of the 10M competitive crowd. AoA sells the 609 and you may find
discussions over here...

http://www.targettalk.org/

under the Olympic Pistol heading.

[mparker]

Well, considering I have never heard of FAS, I wouldn't be discussing it. Do you have any info about them to share?

It's probably apparent I don't know much either 

What I think I know.
FAS began making air pistols in 1972. They are now owned or marketed by the Italian firm Chiappa. The two air pistols currently available are the single stroke 604 and the PCP 609. I do not know how many different pistols have been produced over the years but there is discussion about them on TargetTalk from time to time. Pretty sure the 604 is designed to play with the big boys and is priced above the Baikal IZH 46M and below the others ... I think.

The replacement for the AP604 is the 6004 (chiappafirearms.com). It does not seem to be available yet. At least I can't find it. The 604 is available from Larry's Guns ($869) and nowhere else I know about. 

Here is a brief review I found elsewhere, stole, and gratefully post here. It compares a FAS 604 with a Baikal IZH 46M.

"I've owned the FAS 604 for years and recently acquired the Baikal. The FAS is functionally similar to the Weihrauch HW75/Beeman P11 and the Compact (as far as the Gamo is concerned, the similarities end here). The 604 sits low in the hand, much like a free pistol. It has a nice set of sights and (in my view) a crisper trigger than the 46M (although the Baikal appears capable of having the weight of the trigger set lighter). Cocking effort is probably around 16-20 pounds, when the seals are new. I managed to find a front sight extension built by Don Nygord, which extends the sight radius about an inch and a quarter, a nice feature on a pistol that is considerably shorter than the 46M, and therefore less forgiving in terms of a steady hold. I shoot JSB Match Diabolo pellets in the FAS, which chrony around 370 fps. It is no powerhouse, but the fit, finish, and quality of the gun is markedly higher than the 46M.

 That said, I like the Baikal, too. It is much longer and feels considerably more like a 10m European match gun than the FAS. Cocking, again, is straightforward, and the trigger is quite good, with a fair number of adjustments. The grip is a pretty basic affair, that you will need to shape on your own, for best fit (note: FAS guns come with their own grips, copies of the Morini match grips, considerably nicer feel out of the box than the Baikal). The 46M shooting the same JSBs chronographs about 100 fps faster, which leaves nice neat holes in your target and gets the pellet out of the barrel sooner, which is a good thing. Decent set of sights, too (with front inserts supplied, when bought new).

 Bottom line, both guns have good triggers, are fun to tinker with, and will, in all likelihood, outshoot you any time. The FAS comes from Italy and has a much steeper price tag; it also feels much different in the hand, as I pointed out. The Baikal is a lot of bang for not too much buck, and is solidly built, but suffers from cruder fit and finish, which is reflected in its price; it simply does not possess the refined characteristics of the FAS. Which one is right for you? My guess is either would please you to no end. Hope this helps." 

[silent_airman]

Yet another gun well beyond my means. Oh well.

[MDriskill]

A friend of mine has a 604 and it is one exquisite airgun, beautifully made and finished, gorgeous sights, very accurate, and a trigger to die for.

I am NOT a competitive shooter of any stripe, but I believe I'm correct in saying the 604 is not much used in top-level matches these days.  It is actually a pretty old design, having first been made in the late '80's or early '90's--and its high cocking effort, low velocity, and short sight radius are hardly competitive with more modern designs.  But its sheer quality, and similarity in handling to .22 lr match pistols made by FAS and others, has kept it alive in the market as a practice gun, and lower-level competitor.

[gonzav]

http://store.chiappafirearms.com/products/air-guns.html
Chiappa Store has the FAS 6004 Standard PP listed for $388. They have the Match version listed for $535.
Before I bought my Alfa Proj air pistol, I was seriously looking at the FAS 604. With the list price of $859, I decided against purchasing it.
With the newer model and reduced price for the standard pistol with ambidextrous grip, I am again seriously looking at adding it to my collection as a practice pistol.
Trigger is suppose to be adjustable from 8 - 17 oz.

[MDriskill]

Very interesting, thanks for posting that link! 

What a gorgeous gun.  I'd be very interested in hearing from anyone who has one!  General impressions, velocity, comparison to the older 604, etc...

[baranjhn]

That's a nice looking pistol. I've been thinking of getting a 10m gun, maybe this will be the one.

[K.O.]

Yet another gun well beyond my means. Oh well.

I am there with you, but it does not bother me to much I am keeping my eye out for a used Daisy almost scored a  717 for $40. and even

before trigger mods I am pretty sure it is more accurate than I am...

[mparker]

Thanks for the comments and insights folks.

Since the FAS is an Italian design it shouldn't surprise anyone that the similarity to the Benelli MP-90 (FAS 6004 Standard) and MP-95 (FAS 6004 Match PP) is likely more than coincidental. If they shoot like the Benellis (I have an MP-90E) they must be one of the best kept secrets in air pistol sports. I think I'm gonna bite and order one very soon.

[mparker]

FAS – DOMINO – CHIAPPA
For those of you who may be interested in high end low cost air pistols here is some info I've assembled over the last few days. Finding good detailed info on the company and its production over the years is like researching Hammerli. There is some history. Information on the various models produced over the years is a bit thin; a mix of fact and fiction.

Here is what I know and think I know about FAS pistols.

FAS and Domino are family businesses owned and operated by the Italian family Mencarelli. Fabbrica Armi Sportive (Sporting Guns Factory), known worldwide as

FAS was conceived in the early 1970s (probably 1972) by Massimo Mencarelli, who established a small manufacturing laboratory in the city of Milan, the goal being to provide the market with shooting tools that would be dead-on accurate and dependable for the most demanding competitions. For about forty years, FAS has been successful with a line of competition airguns and pistols that have won international and Olympic medals and set world records that they claim remain unbeaten and unmatched so far.

DOMINO - DOMINO Guns Import & Export, an import, export, distribution company has products like Feinwerkbau, Air Arms, and many others in addition to FAS. Massimo Mencarelli passed away in December 2013, after a long progressive illness. His son, Raffaele, owner and manager of Domino took over the family business but had been involved with FAS since 1992. With the death of Massimo, a manufacturer needed to be found.
Well aware of the high standards and demands of the global shooting community, Raffaele Mencarelli decided to take the FAS AP-604 airgun from the partial or total hand-manufacturing processes that his father's company had been famous for and evolving the design into a fully mass-produced shooting instrument that would retain the same high levels of care and quality, then make it available, at a budget price, to shooters worldwide.

CHIAPPA – To produce the AP 604, Mencarelli chose the Chiappa Firearms company, headquartered in the northern Italian town of Azzano Mella, and operating a north-American subsidiary in Dayton, Ohio for international sales.

This year after months of talks and R&D, Chiappa and Domino announced that the distribution of the FAS-6004 is ready to roll. DOMINO will retain full distribution rights for the Italian market, where it will still be known as the FAS AP-6004. Chiappa will handle international distribution. I am still a bit confused regarding actual production. Is Chiappa actually building these guns (in their own plant or in the old FAS facility?) or, are they only responsible for marketing and distribution?

Here is a little bit of info I’ve been able to gather on FAS pistols produced in the past and continuing under Chiappa.

FAS OP 601 - .22 Short
Rapid fire competition pistol made by Domino beginning in 1973.
Often called “the Domino”.
Champions choice in the 1980 Olympics. Supplied with a Morini “knuckle envelope” grip.

FAS SP 602 – 22LR
Bore the name DOMINO SP 602.
Standard pistol in the international style of Pardini, Feinwerkbau, Hammerli, etc.
Production began in 1972.
Intended for slow fire and was the “sports” version of the OP601

FAS CF 603 – .32 Center Fire
Center-fire wadcutter competition pistol
48oz trigger

FAS AP 604 – Air Pistol
A .177 air pistol formerly made and distributed by Domino, now by Chiappa.
Early ones were primarily handmade.

FAS 605 - ?? Probably not produced or used as a model number.

FAS AP 606 – Air Pistol
177 “free pistol”.
Very low barrel line (a good thing).
Two triggers provided.
Outlived by the AP 604.
Possibly the forerunner to the AP 609.

FAS SP 607 – 22LR
Made beginning 1994
An updated SP 602 with improved trigger and takedown.

FAS SP 608 - 22LR
5-shot competition pistol.

FAS AP 609 – Air Pistol
1992
A “free pistol” international style .177 air pistol.
The first FAS PCP air pistol and still in production.

FAS AR 611 – Air Rifle
2011
First (and only?) FAS PCP air rifle.

FAS 6004 – Air Pistol
The replacement for the AP 604. Distributed in Italy by Domino and by Chiappa to the rest of us.
Standard FAS-6004 comes with a baseline, ambidextrous grip.
Match version comes with an adjustable grip, available in three variants: small, medium and large.
The single-action trigger is the same as originally conceived for the “Domino SP 602”; Four adjustment screws − weight, length of pull, over-travel, stages.

[gard72977]

I am seriously considering the Fas 6004. Im wanting a high grade gun that I can shoot postal matches and practice some weak hand shooting. Need to sell a few things and get one of these bad boys coming my way!