FWB 300 or 601, 602, 603

[Dr.J#13@AZ]

I’ve decided on either a FWB 300S or 602.  Now the challenge is finding one from my reputable seller.  Any suggestions?  Thanks, Tom

[T-Higgs]

There is a 601 on American Airguns classified now being sold by Jim E

http://www.airguns.net/classifieds/show_ad.php?adNum=180692&adSort=&StartingAd=0&NumberOfPages=4

[young_skywalker]

I’ve decided on either a FWB 300S or 602.  Now the challenge is finding one from my reputable seller.  Any suggestions?  Thanks, Tom

Start hunting the classifieds or, hit an airgun show (my preference).

[WHITEFANG]

I've had the Fwb300s and still have it. Great accuate shooter. Had the FWB601 another 600 series great shooter but do not expect the power of the FWB300S. Hard parts for the 300are getting hard to find.
FWB 601 very well fitted gun to the hand. Just the gate shutting gets to be a pain. I had no problems mounting a scope on that gun. I did make bushings to just the butt pad back later own. I did on the scope mounting have to cut the gate .
D75, Another wild Giss gun. I've had 3 of them and another lower powered 10m gun but accuate.
Walther LGR, 2 of them. Another fine shooter.

Too many great old warbirds out there. I have build all the above. The D75 is another hard to find hard parts for. I have had no problems on all the many I have built but 1. It came to me in a non working gun. It had really never been torn down but had have a part fall off. Someone had tried to put the part back in but jacked up some other settings.
Again with hard parts to find one can easily make a parts gun out of a good D75 if you do not know what your doing. Really one that knows the insides of that gun can still damage a main part.

All the above guns will at some time need rebuilt. The SSP guns are as PCP guns with seals and o rings. Not fun to rebuild.

A good built FWB300/300S should last a long time. You have many choices of the most accurate old warbirds 10m guns to choose from.  As mentioned they will all out shoot you. Many under estimate a 6 fpe gun. Shot placement is no different that any gun on prey. JMHO and JME💀

[justinp61]

I have two 300S's and a 601. I much prefer to shoot the 300's but the 601 is worth 3-5 points on average in a benchrest match for me. BTW 300's are easy to work on and if taken care of will last generations.

I too bought a rifle from Jim E that had a broken spring. He told me that if I took it apart it was mine, but if I wanted I could send it back for a refund. My thoughts were that springs were cheaper than return shipping would cost more than springs, plus the gun was in a LH stock. So I kept it and put new springs in it. He did send me $20.

My 601 Came from Carel, great guy to deal with, ships fast and is usually cheaper on better quality rifles. I will do business with him again.

[justinp61]

I’d be interested and would appreciate hearings from others regarding theirs experiences purchasing from Jim E. and Carel.  Send me a personal message, if you would prefer.  Thanks very much, Tom

PM sent.

[WHITEFANG]

Both great guys. You can blame JE on u taking it apart. I have no ideal what your dealing with him really was. But nothing but good out of him. The $20 refund was fair but I would have thought the return would have been in him till he saw the issue. But that's nine of my business.
Now Carel, Great guy‼️ I have dealt with Carel for years. Spoken over the telephone many times and emails.
I have bought guns from him and yes he is straight up.
He also has guns shipped to me for repair in a situation as yours for me to fix or damaged in shipping.  He pays me the labor and shipping. And I'm sure the buyer gets his shipping back but that I'm not for sure.  He and I have even swapped my labor for gun projects he has. All ended up great.

Bottom line there are many great people selling and working guns in this hobby.
If the truth is to be known there is little profit in repairs when one takes great efforts to do a clean true repair.
I allow the owner to supply the parts. Direct shipped to me. I make no money off parts unless I have them on the shelf. Even custom made items end up with more material cost and time than the selling price at times. Tooling cost money. Yes your tooling may last a long time but some times they do not.  Then the replacement cost of the replacement us on the rebuilder.
I've not got a bucket of tar and snake oils I use. Nor a brake hone. Lol 💀

Like I said both guys are straight in the FANGS book. 💀 There's more to a rebuild than parts and lubes done right.

I'd buy from either one with confidence 👍JMO

[Bob H.]

I bought my 601 from Carel, I would not hesitate to order again from him.  Have bought a small item from Jim E. it too, was pleasant transaction.

BobH.

[Hoosier Daddy]

I will toss Joe Rhea's name into the hat.
 He knows his 300's and many others.

[mafatone]

Jim E buys guns from halfway around the world that he knows nothing about and flips them here for a profit.  If you ask him in detail about the gun, he can't answer it. He's not the original owner. What does he own them for, 3-5 days? It's not like you're buying a gun from someone who has owned it for years and can tell you what was done to it. If you think he rips down each gun he gets to inspect it, I got a bridge for sale. Everything here I said is true. Not one gun is from a private collection.

[mafatone]

I have two 300S's and a 601. I much prefer to shoot the 300's but the 601 is worth 3-5 points on average in a benchrest match for me. BTW 300's are easy to work on and if taken care of will last generations.

I too bought a rifle from Jim E that had a broken spring. He told me that if I took it apart it was mine, but if I wanted I could send it back for a refund. My thoughts were that springs were cheaper than return shipping would cost more than springs, plus the gun was in a LH stock. So I kept it and put new springs in it. He did send me $20.

My 601 Came from Carel, great guy to deal with, ships fast and is usually cheaper on better quality rifles. I will do business with him again.

  Right! That's my point! You sell FWB's on a daily basis for $500-$600 a clip and don't pass them over a $68 Chrony? He buys guns halfway around the world that he knows nothing about and flips them here to us.

[DonC]

Higgs,
I also love my 603 Feinverkbaugh. My previous 10 meter was PCP Anshutz 2002. I prefer the SSP 603. I like the mechanics on single stroke over PCP. It just feels like a close relationship to the incredible mechanics of the product. When I test it at 10 meters sand bagges, I average 10.6 groups with H and N Final match. This equals the accuracy of my previous Anshutz.

[lrskibo]

Still new to this and trying to figure the site out.  Just purchased a FWB 602, shoots great. However I seem to have a slight issue with the charging handle, it will rise up about an inch and won't release to be cocked. If I put it back to the starting position a couple of times I am able to cock it then. Anyone ever experience tthe or is it an easy fix. I appreciate any input.

Thanks in advance

Len.........

FWB 300S
FWB 602
FWB 90S
HW 95

[Gwelo]

Check your pm's!

[Yogi]

I bought my 601 from Carel, I would not hesitate to order again from him.  Have bought a small item from Jim E. it too, was pleasant transaction.

BobH.

Both those guys seem to be the go to guys for those type of airguns.  I suggest contacting both.
Also, keep you eye open and continue to look at various classified adds.  Figure out exactly what you want and how much you want to spend, then wait it it is available.

-Y

[Dennis22]

There is a FWB 300s looks new in the box on American airgun classifieds

Not cheap but I bet it sells

Dennis

[Pneumatic-Addict]

There's a 300S Universal on AA right now, too; and it's a bit less expensive.  Type 1 stock, both cheek risers, flared and straight grip caps, sights.  Nice looking rifle. 

[Frank in Fairfield]

All of the rifles you mention are perfect for 10m shooting of course.
They are all Olympic champions.
They are also suited for short-range, pistol distance, silhouette shooting.
At air rifle distances the ram is at 45 yards.
Your intended rifles, unless modified with higher power springs will run out of gas before reaching the target.
There are exceptions but most silly wet shooters shoot around 20fpe for the rifle ranges. 
I bought mine from JimE.
I had to clean it up bit but, it shoots fine:

[F/V Icy Swan]

I have the FWB 300S, Beeman 400 [Diana 75], and the FWB 602.  I initially scoped the FWB 300S and the Beeman 400; I did not scope the FWB 602, mainly because of  difficulty in getting a new loading gate to modify.  So I shoot the FWB 602 with the OEM sights and decided I liked that so much I put the OEM sights back on the other 2.  I currently have a Gehman adjustable aperture with a 1.5X diopter and 6 colors on order that I will use on each rifle.  I am almost 70.  I like the FWB 300S the best, but find it and and the Beeman to be a bit heavy, for me,  for true 10M shooting.  The FWB 602 is a tad lighter and I tend to pick it up and use it more simply because of that.  All were competition rifles.  I had a custom soft adjustable comb made for the FWB 300S by my trap stock guy. 

As noted by everyone, all of these rifles will shoot very, very well at 10M.  I wouldn't sell any of them, but if I could only keep one it would be the FWB 300S hands down, every day.

Have fun.  I do suggest an adjustable aperture if not shooting a scope. 

Mike

[MDriskill]

Well late to the party here, but that never stopped me from spouting off before, LOL.

I've never owned one of the FWB SSPs, so can't comment very much on those. Their chief advantage is not greater physical accuracy, but being easier to shoot well. They have reduced "shot time," superior ergonomics, and a greater degree of adjustability than older spring-piston designs.

I did have a Diana 75 for a while (AKA "Beeman 400"). The double-piston recoilless system in those is quite amazing, but to me the downside was it made for a very long and heavy action, with the weight bias toward the rear. I found other guns easier to shoot well offhand.

I own four of the FWB 300/300S series, and they are fantastic guns. The physical design is under-stressed and over-engineered to say the least, LOL. The only perishable parts are the breech seal and piston bumper, and - after a LOT of shooting - the springs. If you have one with new-ish springs and seals, you probably won't have to mess with it for years. And as mentioned, they usually do shoot harder than the SSP guns, a healthy 300S will move light pellets over 650 fps.

Most 300S's have a full-length barrel with an epoxied-on weight sleeve, and they are quite heavy (note - the fat part at the end of the barrel is NOT a separate weight; it's part of the sleeve). As noted above, a gun without the sleeve, or a "Mini" (shorter barrel with no sleeve), can be a much more pleasant vehicle for less formal shooting.

Here is my current baby - a Mini action in a full-size 300SL stock (the "L" was a limited-production model; the stock is similar to the later Universals, but without the changeable comb height). I usually shoot with aperture sights, but currently have a cheap 2.5x Tasco Bantam shotgun scope on it as a lark. Yesterday I shot some 20-yard groups with JSB Exact 7.9's you can cover with a dime...not too shabby for a half-blind old guy, LOL.