Anschutz and Feinwerkbau

[goodland]

Two brands I have limited knowledge on. I have shot an anschutz .22lr at a silhouette match.
Any info or personal experience with these ag's would be appreciated.
I saw Ronbeaux's Anshutz in the classifieds looks nice.
  Thanks Dave

[ac12]

They are both VERY FINE guns.
I am familiar with their air gun side not their powder burner side.
Accuracy wise there is really no difference between them.
So at that level of quality, it comes down to personal preference and fit. 

What kind of info are you interested in?

[wrecktangle]

I have an FWB 700 alu.... in blue...a birthday present to myself last year.



Probably one of the finest pieces of art ever made. It is everything everyone says... a true Olympic grade shooter.

Here it is with a leupold VX-II 3-9x33mm Ultralight EFR

[lizzie]

I've never had an Anscutz, but I do have the FW 124 and it's a fabulous shooter- a much better shooter than I am, lol.

[ac12]

@wrecktangle
Very nice birthday present.
Would you adopt me?

I have a P70-jr
It has an ambidextrous stock.  What that means is it is NEITHER right handed NOR left handed.  The pistol grip was compromised to be ambi.

[goodland]

Wrecktangle that is gorgeous!  very nice present
I don't see a lot of posts about guns from these manufacturers that is why I asked.
Thanks ac12 for the info. I will probably begin searching for one of these in a springer version next month.
Dependent on replacement parts since I will be buying used. I will want to rebuild it to new internal condition.
Any info on parts for these Jim Maccari probably has something just need to do some more research.
Lizzie sounds like you have a nice shooter. Where did you find it?

[Motorhead]

Not really anything out there from FWB except there VERY HIGH END match guns ( Unless fortunate enough to own a 124/127 series rifle ) .... That said, find one of these and you have one of the finest barrel break springers ever made !!

[rsterne]

I've shot an Anschutz .22 LR sporting rifle (7.5 lbs, peep sights) and it was a dream.... Always wish I had bought one when I was shooting .22 Indoor....

Bob

[ac12]

@Dave
If you are looking for the spring MATCH rifle, then you are probably looking for a FWB-300 or an Anschutz LG-380 or a Diana 75.  All 3 are top of the line spring match rifles. 
And all have been out of production for many YEARS.

Here are some of the primary differences and point to remember
FWB-300
- Barrel + upper receiver form a sledge that recoils when the rifle is fired.  This sledge slides on 3 steel pins, thus giving you the feeling that it is recoilless.
- The scope attaches to the upper receiver, so it recoils back about 1/4" with the upper receiver.
- If you intend to put a scope on the rifle, the length of the rear sight rail, where you would mount the scope, varied.  Some are quite short and will NOT fit a 1-piece mount, others are longer and will fit a 1-piece mount.  If you intend to scope the rifle, you must ask the seller for the length of the rear sight rail.
- Early model had a flared pistol grip cap.  The 10m competition rules has changed, this cap is no longer legal to use in matches.
- The barrel weight is epoxied on.  For all practical purposes it is NOT removable.

Anschutz LG-380
- The barrel + inner receiver form the sledge which works the same way as the FWB-300s sledge. 
  The difference is the sledge is inside the upper receiver. 
- The upper receiver does NOT move, so your scope does not move.

Diana 75
- Uses 2 geared opposed pistons to cancel out the recoil.
- There is no sledge, so scope does not move when mounted on the receiver.
- The opposed piston design is much more complex than the sledge design.  This is not a mechanism that a home tuner should touch.

Common items:
- The loading port is on the top of the receiver.  You have to use a short scope or the objective bell will bock access to the loading port.  I have  Bushnell 4-12x on my FWB-300, and the objective bell blocks half the loading port, making loading difficult.
- Match rifles are HEAVY.  They weigh just under 11 pounds, w/o a scope.
If you plant to shoot the rifle in the standing position, do yourself a favor and learn the proper stance.  The weight of the rifle + an improper stance can cause an injury to the lower back.
- ISSF rules do not specify a minimum trigger weight.  Thus these triggers can be adjusted quite light.  Because of the light trigger, you MUST be VERY VERY VERY careful when you first shoot one.  They are the proverbial "hair pin trigger." 
As a warning example, a US Olympic shooter had an accidental discharge during the Olympics, and lost his chance for a medal.  So even with all his training, he still made the mistake.
KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOU HAVE THE TARGET IN YOUR SIGHT.
- Each of these rifles has many variants; mini (shorter LoP and barrel), Running Boar/Target, universal (with an adjustable cheekpiece to scope the rifle), Left handed stock, and for some even a Left handed action.  The FWB was available in a Tyrolean stock.
- All of these rifles are so old that they most likely need servicing.  Seal and bumpers have probably deteriorated with age.  If the FWB piston bumper has deteriorated, do not shoot it, service it immediately.  The piston bumper protect the piston and compression chamber from damage.

My opinion...
If you rebuild the rifle, rebuild with FACTORY parts, or 3rd party parts that meet factory specs.  Forget the higher velocity springs. 
These rifles are designed to shoot a piece of paper 10 meters away with extreme accuracy.  These rifles were not designed for the extra power many people seem to want them to put out. 
Whenever you push beyond the designed specs you stress the parts beyond what the designer designed it for.  Will it take the stress?  Maybe, maybe not.  Maybe you will find out quickly, maybe you won't find out for a few years or many years.  The real problem is, if you break a part like a cocking arm, you can't just order a replacement from the factory.  The rifle has been out of production for so long that factory repair parts may not exist for many parts.  You may have to buy another used rifle to scavenge the cocking arm from it.

Most if not all of the major 10m competition gunsmiths should still be able to service and repair these rifles.  But contact them first to find out, as I mentioned, some repair parts may not be available from the factory.  Pilkingtons (www.pilkguns.com) comes to my mind, but there are others also.

[Motorhead]

Ah yes .. the Diana 75, another one of the Wholly grail of air rifles too own 
They do take a bit getting accustomed too that trigger, and WOW what a trigger !!

[K_sqrd]

Here is a link to an article comparing the FWB to the LG...

http://www.pilkguns.com/comparing_the_fwb_300s_and_walth.htm