Feinwerkbau P44 review

[97nick]

FWB P44!

Ooooo, so, I bought myself a new pistol.
With a wee one on the way this represents the last personal out lay for the next 2o years… don’t laugh, its not funny.

I started off with a 15 year old pistol, sold it and bought a 20 year old one. Never got along with it though, so it was time for a new one. This was no small decision, representing a massive outlay for me and I would have to stick with the gun for the foreseeable future, if my marriage was to survive.

What choice? Well, I could choose between:
Styer LP10.
Morini 162
Walther LP400
Pardini K12
Matchguns MGH1
FWB P44

I have an LP10, and never got on with it, the trigger never fitted me and the handle was to straight to the bore.
The Morini has the handle up over part of the rear sight, which I didn’t like, but very nearly got one!
The walther was on the short list with the FWB, as the rear sight is so good, but again I felt the grip was in to much of an alignment with the barrel.
The pardini looked to much like the Styer for the outlay to be worth it.
The matchguns was very interesting and I liked the idea of the faster lock time but again the rear sight is to small for me.

That left the FWB, I choose this gun because of the angle of the grip to the trigger and bore, and because the rear sight is quite simply fantastic. As I have large hands, but short fingers I often struggle to get a pistol to fit my hand and trigger finger at the same time, and the FWB looked to suite this best.
I don’t have much experience with other guns so I will not compare the FWB with them, I will just discuss it on its own merits.

It comes in a very nice case with two flip catches and a combination lock in the middle, with three wheels so you can set it to codes like 123, 007 etc. the case houses a screwdriver, adapter for the tank and three Alan keys. Note the adapter is only for 200 bar tanks so if you have a 300 bar one you will need a 300 bar one or an extension. If in the UK a company called Best Fittings sells two to choose from.
A point to note is don’t use the supplied screwdriver for undoing the trigger length adjustment screw, it is too small and will chew up the screw head. The supplied driver is for the sight width adjustment, trigger pull adjustment and the absorber adjustment only.

The gun comes with a very well written manual, with the best shot group sample on the cover I have seen to date! Better even that the TAU 7 one I had.
The manual gives good instructions for the adjustments, IE trigger, grip, absorber, sights etc.

the trigger is a small half circle on a post that can be moved about a ball joint in the trigger bar, which itself can be moved back and forwards on a large rail, marked with engineers markings so it can be put back to its original place once moved. It does not have a height adjustment but adjusting the angle can compensate for this. The trigger controls lock very solidly with Alan keys or screws, so once set there will be no movement.
The trigger is extremely good out of the box, easily the best I have ever used, and the only adjustment I have made is to shorten the first stage. The first stage weight is adjustable without removing the grip which is good if the gun fails the weight test, a simple turn to increase first stage weight can get it to pass.
I have heard this trigger rivals some electric models.

The grip is a work of art, with a deep palm swell, good finger grooves and a deep gape, which is perfect for my hands. A good thumb groove and large palm shelf compliment the top of the grip under the sight which curves down over the web of the hand. My gun has a lovely dark grain in the walnut, and deep, sharp stippling. The grip adjustment works with screws bearing agents a plate in the grip, like the Styer, and will remain the same if the grip is removed. It will rotate, cant and angle to the bore.

The front sight is interchangeable but there is only one with the gun, others are available if you order them. There are two slots which will increase/decrease the sight line. The rear sight is the main reason I bought the gun. It is superb, with a massive rear plate in mat black, with the rear blade above that. It is adjustable for width, which is done by a screw on one side, this opens or closes the blades on each side simultaneously. The sight can be moved back for a longer sight line, and it also has a cant adjustment which I have refused to use yet but may do so in the future as I sometimes will cant the gun, especially when I get tired.
The sight picture sits high above the hand which after some other guns takes a bit of getting used to, but the ergonomics of the pistol make it extremely steady on aim. The size of the rear site plate also gives confidence in the hold, and for me at least makes it easier to concentrate on the sights and not jump to looking at the bull.

Balance is slightly forward with out the weights supplied, and the gun is delightfully light in the hold. I haven’t put any of the weights on yet, and this is my first criticism of the gun; the weights are two steel rods that go ether side of the barrel, and they are quite heavy. (you can simply put one on at a time) I would have preferred a series of smaller weights that could be built up.

With both rods fitted, the feel of the gun is excellent and very steady; if I liked the weight I would fit them, and will experiment with them in any case. They are very well made blued steel, and are not stuck on like an after thought. You can also buy a weight that goes over both rods and the barrel as an extra, and also an interesting add on stand that goes on the base of the grip, which is used for supported shooting.

The large tank has a very clear manometer at the end and has a large screw connector to the body of the gun. I found mine had some swarf in the threads so it is best to clean it before connecting it for the first time. For filling the massive brass connector screws on this, and then directly to the tank, but as I said before it will not fit a 300 bar DIN connector.
There is only one tank with the gun which is my second criticism, I haven’t yet found a pump attachment for the big filling adapter. Looks like I will be saving for another tank! there is enough air for two 60 shot matches and a shoot of however so one tank can be used all day without a refill.

The gun is beautifully finished and looks very sexy in its new black action and longer trigger guard, contrasting with the lovely walnut grip and silver tank.

I will discuss shooting the gun and the absorber soon, Cheers!

[spektr]

If the gun is heavy or noseheavy, you can remove 1 of the 2 ballast rods.... There is no technical reason to require placement of both...... I use both and like it..... I am going to spin up a couple in aluminum so I can use the sliding 30 gm weight and see if I like it better that way...... Enjoy the gun, I do......

[97nick]

If the gun is heavy or noseheavy, you can remove 1 of the 2 ballast rods.... There is no technical reason to require placement of both...... I use both and like it..... I am going to spin up a couple in aluminum so I can use the sliding 30 gm weight and see if I like it better that way...... Enjoy the gun, I do......

I'm loving it! the alu rods sound just right. I was going to experiment with just the one rod, buts seems wrong to just have one some how, good to know you can just use one.
please post pic if you make up the alu ones, I would be interested in buying some! I was thinking of mounting one rod on the angled front of the trigger guard, I would have to cut the rod at an angle and tap it, but might work

[kevinweiho]

Ooooo, so, I bought myself a new pistol. With a wee one on the way this represents the last personal out lay for the next 2o years… don’t laugh, its not funny. This was no small decision, representing a massive outlay for me and I would have to stick with the gun for the foreseeable future, if my marriage was to survive.

I was a FWB fanboy and almost took the plunge with the P44 years ago, but decided to go with the LP10. I still have and enjoy shooting my P34 short, don't know if FWB upgraded internally their mechanical trigger and if they have switched to a more durable anodized finish.

Nick, the trick to is to tell a white lie about the cost of the pistol...Some of my friends get caught red handed with their "new toys" and the way they got off the hook was to buy their wives a pair of new shoes, that'll ease off some of the nagging.

[little_doodie]

Well I am new to the P44 also for similar reasons.
Big hands with short fingers.
The lighter weight makes shot 60 as easy as shot 10.
My former guns are FWB P40 and Walther LP300.
Both are top guns but the stabilizer in the FWB is better than the Walther as is the trigger.
Although the P40 was really a top gun and its possible i could have made the grip fit well enough to enable proper trigger pull but i also wanted a lighter gun. P44 was it.
I have read several reviews on how the P44 fits hands with shorter fingers and its true.
I'm not looking back and with Olympic trials in about 6 weeks I am ready.

[Dan Ide]

I started with a FWB MDle 2, then a C-20 and now a P44. It is a very good pistol for 10 meter work and does very well at our Wednesday morning air pistol silhouette matches. I could put a red dot on it, my son-in-law made a mount for it, but I keep using iron sights as the sight picture is very much the same between 10 meter and the steel critters. Just have to learn the hold points.

[97nick]

Ooooo, so, I bought myself a new pistol. With a wee one on the way this represents the last personal out lay for the next 2o years… don’t laugh, its not funny. This was no small decision, representing a massive outlay for me and I would have to stick with the gun for the foreseeable future, if my marriage was to survive.

I was a FWB fanboy and almost took the plunge with the P44 years ago, but decided to go with the LP10. I still have and enjoy shooting my P34 short, don't know if FWB upgraded internally their mechanical trigger and if they have switched to a more durable anodized finish.

Nick, the trick to is to tell a white lie about the cost of the pistol...Some of my friends get caught red handed with their "new toys" and the way they got off the hook was to buy their wives a pair of new shoes, that'll ease off some of the nagging.

Lol, I have a good pair of ear plugs.....

[97nick]

Well I am new to the P44 also for similar reasons.
Big hands with short fingers.
The lighter weight makes shot 60 as easy as shot 10.
My former guns are FWB P40 and Walther LP300.
Both are top guns but the stabilizer in the FWB is better than the Walther as is the trigger.
Although the P40 was really a top gun and its possible i could have made the grip fit well enough to enable proper trigger pull but i also wanted a lighter gun. P44 was it.
I have read several reviews on how the P44 fits hands with shorter fingers and its true.
I'm not looking back and with Olympic trials in about 6 weeks I am ready.

good luck in the trials! let us know how you get on :)

[django]

this is good pistol . But i had trouble when setting 2nd weight trigger. Its not clear on manual book. as you know there is one screw if we touch it will ruin the trigger unit (red dot one on steyr as example) .

[97nick]

Shooting.
I have had the gun now for about a month, and have shot two matches with it.
I have managed to restrain myself not to adjust every thing all at once, and up to now have adjusted the reach to the trigger, the trigger blade angle and lightened the first and second stage a tiny bit.
I have not yet attached the weight and have just shot the gun as is.

The first 12 card competition was interesting, it was just a postal, but I am still not used to the pistol. It started with fairly lose groups, but no flyers, and as the shoot progressed, after the 7th card I started to pull the groups in. final score was I think 545, or near that anyway!
I was very pleased because it is easy to just chuck the competition after starting badly, but it was good to pull the groups back after the start. What made it easer to do so was the light weight and handling of the gun.

The sights worked as expected and the picture is superb, easily the best I have seen on any pistol. The single screw to adjust the width is as a sight should be and I adjusted it during the shoot to match the light levels.

The gun was easy to load and the light working of the lever is very pleasant to use through the shooting time. There is a catch as the pellet is pushed into the breech which is not a smooth feeling but if you double load or load backwards it is easily felt and the pellet can be pushed back out.

The next shoot was a proper venue competition with correct electronic targets, range officer etc. the first 12 carder I was nervous! I started well and slacked off slightly in the middle of the set, but finished with a 553, which is the best I had shot for a while. It was here I could possibly have done with the weight fitted as I was a bit shaky at the start before I settled down.
I mad sure I had plenty to eat and water to drink, and on the next set I started off pretty well, slacking off a bit, then coming back to finish with a 556.
Enough to get into the shoot off, in which I came second, to a guy who shoots 570 regularly, so second is fine with me! This is the best I have shot for a while and I give the gun and its handling and fit much of the credit. The light weight allowed me to shoot consistently through the day without getting tired.
I refilled the cylinder twice during the day, so I will get a spare as soon as I can.
Again I adjusted the width of the rear sight as the lighting in the range was very bright at the targets but dull on the firing point, so glair was a problem. In this conditions the sights need to be of the best quality.

I have been working on the Absorber adjustment since I had the pistol; the manual says it has been adjusted at the factory but I found mine to be a bit “jumpy” so started adjusting it. The Absorber works by getting blown back at the same time as the pellet is fired, and does not use a spring. It is simple and should be consistent. I have had bad experiences with absorbers going out of adjustment and it will take some time before I feel comfortable with them, but I do like this one.
It is easy to adjust by pulling the cocking leaver back and this exposes the adjustment screw on the side of the action. I have found that if the gun starts a muzzle flip it will result in the pellet going low, so if this starts to happen the absorber should be adjusted. A tiny amount of a turn is all that is required, less than an 8th of a turn. Ante clockwise if it flips, and clockwise if the gun recoils back. Having this easy adjustment gives me confidence in the absorber although I would possibly still rather do with out one!

I have now moved the front and rear sights back as far as they will go, to the maximum 420mm. I will now shoot like this and see if my scores improve or not, if not I will move them back! The next step is to fit one of the weights, as It is too heavy for me with the two. The gun feels better with the weight fitted but I’m not sure how I will like it after two set of 12 cards!

After that I will have formed ideas for the grip, it fits great and will not need adjustment but I will possibly take some wood off of the thumb muscle scoop. I will look at the thumb channel and also the little finger channel. I cant bring myself to putty it up yet though as its such a nice piece of walnut!

[django]

can you give us picture which screw must turn for make 2nd stage trigger lighter ?

Ty

[therider]

Why does the pellet go low when it flips? Should it not go low if too much air is wasted, i.e. when it recoils?

sounds as if this absorber is worst than that of LP10 if it requires to be adjusted so often!

[TB]

I have a P44 short and I am really happy about it. My main objection though is the absorber. Mine does not need to be adjusted often, but it is a little inconsistent. All other P44's I have tried is the same. I like the P44 much better than the lp10 but the absorber of the lp10 is clearly better. As 97nick writes, I would rather do without an absorber but AFAIK it can't be disabled.

[therider]

I know that with Pardini k12 one can disable the adsorbed..... But it seems that it is so god that there is no need to.

[northpaw]

My main objection though is the absorber. Mine does not need to be adjusted often, but it is a little inconsistent. All other P44's I have tried is the same. I like the P44 much better than the lp10 but the absorber of the lp10 is clearly better. As 97nick writes, I would rather do without an absorber but AFAIK it can't be disabled.

Same experiences, the absorber of my then new P44 a few years back was inconsistent from the very beginning, and did not get any better after several thousand shots of "break in". Got rid of that gun after a couple of years.
My former FWB, a P34 developed considerably inconsistency too, - after many years of use though. Have a LP 10 now, the absorber show some variability, but not much. The absorber of the LP 10 can be disabled (by each shot), depressing the lever at front top of the bolt.

The absorber of the FWB P 44 can`t be disabled easily.

[therider]

Can somebody quantify the effect of absorber malfunction on pellet position? Possibly with clamped pistol?

[TB]

Can somebody quantify the effect of absorber malfunction on pellet position? Possibly with clamped pistol?

When I have tested pellets it groups very well. I am pretty sure the inconsistent absorber has no effect on the pellet position it is just a little annoying the the recoil is not the same every time. Not a big deal for me though, still love the pistol.

[Rover]

Got a hacksaw?

[Cricman]

I've wanted to get my hands on one to try. Thank for the review.


cricman

[97nick]

My LP10 absorber was the same, a bit inconsistant, but with the LP it is not easy to adjust.
I dont know yet how much the absorber affects the shot or not. my problem with absorbers in general is that a chunk of metal is flying backwards while the pellet is still in the barrel. if it is not matched perfectly every time that is bound to throw the pellet off some what.
felt recoil on a gun with no absorber is probably mostly from the jet effect of compressed air, which would happen after the pellet has left the barrel anyway.

on my LP10 I ended up taking the absorber out of the gun completely.

the long site line seemed to work at the club on Friday, so I will keep it that way for now. I am going out just now to fire the gun a lot, and I will just concentrate on how the shot feels. if it does feel any different from shot to shot I will check to make sure it is not a grip issue. the other check to make is to remove the grip and fire a number of rounds to see if the absorber is recoiling back the same amount.
when I go to the club to shoot on friday I will scope each shot, and write down what each shot feels like, and if the shot is off why I think it did go off group. IE I may feel the gun has flipped, but if the pellet is not a flyer that means the absorber is not effecting the group. if I feel I had a bad grip, trigger pull or went off alignment/target as I pulled the trigger I should have a good indication of where the shots go and why.