power levels run from 12 to 22 fpe in 177 caliber and up to 40 fpe in 22. One would have to fi nd a very specialized niche ap- plication where its diminutive power would not be a problem still allowing humane and responsible use. Surely an example of “downsizing” and of a really “Minimalist” approach. In built-up areas the low power of such guns also would make them safer to use than high-power guns, turning their disad- vantage into an advantage. I then read about special aftermarket springs being
available for this rifl e, replacing the double original ones by a single more powerful one. I did not fi t this spring yet but many shooters report they did so with success. Original springs are dual counter winding coils meeting
halfway at a synthetic thrust bearing, in order to cancel out spring torque. Tuner Jim Maccari markets one that would increase the power of this gun from 6 to around 9 or 10 foot pounds of energy at some 700 fps, without any perceptible accuracy loss or recoil, turning the 300 into a creditable mid- range gun. The conversion may well extend one’s hunting ranges to some 40 yards. Some shooters have fi tted a shortened standard Weihrauch spring that gives about the same power. In fact, this power is more or less comparable to the power of the Beeman R 9, which is a very highly respected moderate power hunting rifl e from HW Weihrauch. In the USA, meanwhile, guns of such power have become more acceptable as urban hunter equipment. However, the R 9 is a break-barrel gun and notwithstand-
ing its good accuracy and durability, it is not quite comparable to a very high quality top accuracy FWB 300 match gun, being
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recoilless to boot. After all, that gun in the 1970s and begin- ning of the 1980s was good enough to bring home the gold in many international and Olympic 10 Meter contests and its longevity is legendary. How about combining these quali- ties into one rifl e of limited length and now with a side lever action? In my opinion, when fi tted with a nice high power scope, this combination would be a great 35-yard backyard varmint hunting rifl e. Many a story about 10 M match guns was written in
magazines and gun annuals dealing with air guns about hunt- ing small backyard pests, birds, and rodents like mice and rats from about 30 yards away with head shots, using high magnifi cation scopes. Even squirrels at 25 yards would be fair game and, according to some specialists, California ground squirrels can be taken with head shots up to 45 yards. But I have doubts about humane kills of such game at the limited energy levels that these guns produce, so keep ranges short. Anyway, the reports are very illustrative of the astound-
ing inherent accuracy and ease of use of these older match guns. Original 10 M match guns not exceeding a muzzle velocity of around 600 to 640 feet per second were used for this purpose and proved suffi ciently powerful. The few extra pounds of energy offered by, for instance, the special Maccari main spring are not really necessary but in practice do not hurt either. It has to be mentioned here that the recoilless sliding action of the 300 S is not substantially affected by the increased power offered by the stronger aftermarket spring. In practice, it is reported that the lack of the torque-free counter-wound dual spring does not result in noticeable spring torque. Shooters do not report any different shooting behavior and the rifl e still is fully free from recoil. Even cocking the gun with the heavier spring fi tted will remain effortless and very silent. I wonder about the possibility of further tuning and refi n-
ing this gun for increased twang-free life and even smoother and more silent operation. I don’t know if the same techniques that are applied to regular spring air guns are being used on it. By this I mean the use of a piston insulator closing the cocking slot, synthetic (Delrin) spring guides and top hats (the forward spring guide inside the piston), and synthetic bearing wash- ers at both ends of the spring to eliminate torque altogether. Fitting a tuner spec piston washer instead of the recoil buffer is another idea. Tuning firms like V-Mach (UK) I asked about this
told me they never have applied these techniques to spring match rifl es. Maybe no one ever asked them for such service or maybe the internal dimensions are jut too restrictive for such additions. Readers are welcome to comment on this issue. However, be aware that “tune-ability” for increase in power is limited in these kinds of match guns. Their actions are small and the swept volume of their small diameter and short stroke pistons is limited. They are designed fi rst and foremost for long time intensive use and to keep up fi ne ac- curacy for some 80,000 shots without any real maintenance. A velocity gain of some 100 fps after a tune therefore seems the maximum that is attainable. In case you have one of the other brands around, the RWS 75 cannot exceed 8 fp of energy after a power tune. Data for the Anschutz 380 are unknown to me. All types of pneumatic target guns are generally very diffi cult and expensive to tune for increased power, while the single stroke pneumatics usually have a lower muzzle velocity in
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