Fas 602 Vs Fas 607.

[LukeP]

I'm undecided between two used fas.
The first is Fas 602, for 700 $, made in 1983 virtually never used, no wear signs, no signs at all.
Second one is Fas 607 for 1100 $ made in 1998 good looking but extensively fired by last owner; correct maintenance, normal wear from shooting.

Searching around the forum i found the following advice:
-Fas 602: better roll trigger, separated hammer and trigger assembly; good pointability with heavy barrel shroud.
-Fas 607: not so good trigger as previous version, with hammer and trigger made in single units; less nose heavy (add bolt-on weights).

So which one?
I must admitt that i tried some time ago an old igi-domino (quite similar to 602 i think), and it goes quite well in my hand, nice roll trigger setting.
I tried also the Fas 607, but had (by owners) a crisp trigger, that i don't like for sustained firing like 20's and 10's.
In my hand seems to perform better with roll setting, just squeeze don't stop during pull action.

Can you give me an advice to put me in a direction or in another?
Actually the two pistol had a different trigger setting, so comparing trigger quality for me is quite difficult.
Thank you,
best regards,
LukeP.

[Dante'65]

Hey Luke,
I don't know anything about these FAS models, but I found a site with some interesting info. that you might want to read. Hope this helps you in some way.

http://bullshooter.blogspot.com/2006/06 ... autos.html

Dante'

[Fortitudo Dei]

My preference would be for the 602 because of the trigger and weight (and in this case, lack of use and lower price). There is nothing wrong with the 607, but that heavy 602 shroud really makes it for me (though I do know that women prefer the lighter 607).
Even if the pistol has hardly been touched, I suggest getting a new buffer and recoil spring for it. I'm not sure where you are but in this part of the world I have been very fortunate in that Rob Potter (http://www.potfire.com.au) has been able to provide all the FAS parts I have needed.

[Shooting Kiwi]

I have a 607, but don't know the 602, so can't help you decide between the two. However, it sounds like you will probably end up with one, so my experience with the 607 may be of relevance - I'd guess much would apply to the 602.

These guns have a reputation for being fussy about ammunition. I'm not sure which parameter is most important, but my 607 wouldn't feed reliably with several ammo. types. Finally, I realised that the overall length of the round was critical - long ones jammed in the magazine, because they lie obliquely and wedge in tightly when the rim of the round being stripped is pushed along the upper surface of the lower round, trying to push the bullet nose down in the mag. The shortest ammo. I could find was Fiocchi, which is now 100% reliable, provided the gun and mag are not allowed to get too filthy. I also relieved the top of the inside of the rear wall of the mag, which hung up the top of the cartridge rim, again preventing the round easily moving downwards.

The wax lubricant on the Fiocchi ammo. can build up on the front of the mag. and cause the nose of the round to stick. Keeping it clean, and a spot of oil cures this.

I had a lot of trouble adjusting the trigger. The manual stresses SMALL adjustments. Believe it! Actually, the trigger is very adjustable, but one can easily believe that it's impossible, unless you go very carefully, from one extreme to the other. You can go from nearly single-pressure to three pressures - rather strange at first, but just go carefully, and you will surely find an adjustment that suits you. The screws should be locked by using a low-strength Loctite screwlock. It means applying the Loctite having removed the trigger mechanism for ease of access. Of course, it sets before you have a chance to reassemble everything and adjust the trigger, but, even after you break the bond, residual friction seems to keep the adjustment, which drifted hopelessly without Loctite. When the gun came to me, the screws had been fixed with high-strength threadlocker. I had to release them by heating them up with a small soldering iron!

You'll love the ease of strip-down and accessibility of adjustment screws. Why can't all guns be like this?

[LukeP]

Two pics of 602 i'm evaluating: magazines, trigger blade and hold open button no wear, also screws head untouched .

For the spares, no problem: i'm qualified for Italian Championship (owr final round) in September, i think Fas there will be for assistance, i'll put the gun in their hand (either 602 or 607) for inspection and spares replacement.
The grip don't fit me at all either on 602 and 607: my hand had extremely long palm, requiring rink grip thick version, the local importer is on the match also at September, so will buy a custom grip any way. (add bucks... ;()

Thank you for ammunition lenght tip.
For the trigger assembly screw, i found an old topic (maybe Warren?) describing the way to solve it: changing the screw with a different head.


Keeping evaluating new advice,
best regards,
LukeP.

[David Levene]

For the trigger assembly screw, i found an old topic (maybe Warren?) describing the way to solve it: changing the screw with a different head.

That was probably me. The problem with the domed head socket screw is that it takes a smaller key than the standard head. It can therefore be difficult to tighten it sufficiently without rounding the corners. The problem with the standard head is that it is slightly too high and can rub against the underside of the slide. A few strokes with a good file across the screw head solves that. You then have to be careful because the larger key size can let you over-tighten the screw; use common sense.

Those pictures do look like the 602 is in fantastic condition. The first signs of wear would probably be on the slide just at the back of the magazine/ejection port. Even better IMO, the gun has the heavy barrel weight. If they were suddenly to change the law in the UK and let us have cartridge pistols again I would be fighting you for it.

If you do take it to the Italian Championships then it is a good idea to get FAS to check it. If you ever run into a problem getting spares then although it is a bit further away, Viktor Odermatt near Zurich has a fantastic FAS spares stock. He's also pretty good at working on them.

[LukeP]

Those pictures do look like the 602 is in fantastic condition. The first signs of wear would probably be on the slide just at the back of the magazine/ejection port. Even better IMO, the gun has the heavy barrel weight. If they were suddenly to change the law in the UK and let us have cartridge pistols again I would be fighting you for it.

Other pics for evaluation.

If you do take it to the Italian Championships then it is a good idea to get FAS to check it. If you ever run into a problem getting spares then although it is a bit further away, Viktor Odermatt near Zurich has a fantastic FAS spares stock. He's also pretty good at working on them.

I'm Italian, so just a call directly to Fas and they send you whatever you need in small letter; the local shop is able to work on it in case of major fitting problem and you can go directly to Fas base in Milan, all year long, and receive full assistance; definitively not a problem at all at least in Italy. ;)

[David Levene]

Other pics for evaluation.

If the internal condition is anywhere like the external condition then it's a fine gun.

Get FAS to re-spring it, especially the sear pressure spring in the hammer box. It's a bit fiddly as it involves opening the hammer box. OK if you know what you are doing but a bit worrying the first time you do it.

Out of interest, there used to be an engineer at FAS named Rolando. Short and round, and a genius when it came to fixing pistols. Is he still around. He taught me how to set up FAS triggers properly.

[JamesH]

Are FAS still in business?

Here in Aus we here all sorts of stories.

[Shooting Kiwi]

Try www.fasdomino.com

Spares prices (if current!) seem much cheaper than via Aus. distributor. Wish I'd known earlier!