Feinwerkbau 65 or Air Arms Alpha Proj PCP?

lxvnrsw · Post by **lxvnrsw** » Fri Sep 16, 2011 9:37 pm

Looking for an entry level 10m air pistol so I can practice on a reduced target at a reduced distance in my apartment. I want something a bit nicer than the IZH 46m (although I have heard good things about the IZH), but as affordable as possible (I am a college student after all). Any suggestions on comparing the Feinwerkbau 65 or the Air Arms Alpha Proj PCP? Any other air pistols you might suggest?

Sc0 · Post by **Sc0** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 8:17 am

A fellow on American Airgun Classified forum has two FWB100's for sale...

william · Post by **william** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 8:41 am

Please define "nicer than the IZH 46m."
-Nicer finish? Almost anything
-Nicer grip? Ditto, but the Izh grip can be turned into whatever you want it to be.
-Nicer trigger? Be prepared to spend at least a couple of hundred more than the Izh.
-Nicer sights? Except for the occasional Izh with the front sight not quite vertical, I don't think there are any really better.
-Nicer barrel/accuracy? How much over 570 is your average? If not it's academic.

The only consistent criticism of the Izh that really holds up is that it's too muzzle-heavy for some shooters. If you want something to punch holes exactly where you place them, the Izh is hard to beat especially for the money. If you're looking for something to impress the girls, ....

lxvnrsw · Post by **lxvnrsw** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 3:04 pm

Message sent to the guy selling the 3 FWB100s. Any ideas what would be a good price to pay for one of those pistols? How much they cost originally?

Rover · Post by **Rover** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 3:37 pm

Since you don't know what you want, buy the cheapest of the FWB100s. His prices are all fair. Then you can say you have the best SSP out there.

You won't have to buy any accessories. The cheap one is only about 1/3 more than an IZH46M.

The FWB 65 can be had for less and would be my choice over an IZH. Beeman was selling them for around $1200 a few years back.

All will outshoot you by such a margin that you'll water your beer with your tears.

yana · Post by **yana** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 5:46 am

Wouldnt suggest the Alpha. The reservoir is FAR to small. Even with a reg.
Also, its VERY light, it'll need barrelweight.
Shotcount is mediocre, ample enough for a match(max 80/90?). IF its 100% leakfree..The grips are very small. And you must pay extra for an adjustable, non-universal 1..
I had the CO2 version of the Alpha. Its FAR better value for money than the pcp version.
And even FAR better value than thát is the Tau 7, but thats CO2.
If I had 2 choose between the Alpha and the 65? The 65..
Other choices: the IZH, other SSP's..

lxvnrsw · Post by **lxvnrsw** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 12:10 pm

Good to hear about the Alpha Proj PCP's reservoir being a bit too small and the grips being too small and non adjustable.

I spoke with the guy selling the FWB100's, and while they're beautiful pistols at a good price, they all have medium grips and I take an extra larger. Add $300 for grips to the price of the pistol and suddenly the whole package is out of my price range. Shucks. Now if anyone has a FWB100 with XL grips that they're willing to part with for a great price.....

Also, what about grips for the IZH 46m? I hear they tend to run on the small side.

pauln · Post by **pauln** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 1:24 pm

IZH grips are BIG to allow custom fitting

william · Post by **william** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 1:34 pm

Also, what about grips for the IZH 46m? I hear they tend to run on the small side.

It seems you are looking for any excuse not to go the Izh route. Any reason you can elaborate? It has achieved almost cult status for its price-performance ratio.

lxvnrsw · Post by **lxvnrsw** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 1:51 pm

william wrote:
Also, what about grips for the IZH 46m? I hear they tend to run on the small side.
It seems you are looking for any excuse not to go the Izh route. Any reason you can elaborate? It has achieved almost cult status for its price-performance ratio.

Yeah William that's a good point. I guess in terms of assumed resale value as well as loyalty to FWB (I've got a 300s in mint condition that I still fawn over) I am biased away from IZH 46m and towards the FWB 65 or the FWB 100. But you guys are clearly making a pretty undeniable case for the 46m that I really shouldn't ignore. So with that said,

Anyone have an IZH 46m or a FWB 100 with XL grips (for the FWB 100) that they'd be willing to part with?

Rover · Post by **Rover** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 3:16 pm

RE: the grips....that's why they make putty.

PS You might try Marschal at around $65 (?).

jipe · Post by **jipe** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 3:29 pm

You seem to like FWB, why not a FWB C20 or C25 ?

These are excellent pistols very reliable and can be found for a low price. It is a CO2 but CO2 is as good as PCP.

Note that the grip of these FWB (also the 65 and 100, not the lastest 103 with the one piece grip) are old fashion and small/thin compared to more modern grips, if you need a more modern size XL grip, a size M grip for these pistols will be much too small/thin, you would need a lot of putty !

lxvnrsw · Post by **lxvnrsw** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 4:19 pm

Good point jipe on the c20 or 25. 12g CO2 cartridges are cheap for someone who isn't shooting a ridiculous amount (compared to a scuba tank for other PCPs).

I kinda am looking for an SSP just out of ease and convenience (so scratch the Alpha Proj then) hence why the FWB 65 or 100 or IZH 46m catch my eye.

Still anyone have one of those they're looking to sell?...

j-team · Post by **j-team** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 4:55 pm

lxvnrsw wrote:Good point jipe on the c20 or 25. 12g CO2 cartridges are cheap...

FWB Model 2, C10, C20 and C25 are bulk fill CO2, not 12g powerlets. Any of these are excellent pistol though.

lxvnrsw · Post by **lxvnrsw** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 7:19 pm

j-team wrote:
lxvnrsw wrote:Good point jipe on the c20 or 25. 12g CO2 cartridges are cheap...
FWB Model 2, C10, C20 and C25 are bulk fill CO2, not 12g powerlets. Any of these are excellent pistol though.

Thank you for the correction

Scrench · Post by **Scrench** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 9:28 pm

I absolutely recommend the Alfa Proj. Just as the Izzy 46M is considered the best bang for the buck in a SSP, I think the Alfa is the same in the PCP world. I've had several Izzy 46M's and the Alfa, but I sold it for financial reasons. As soon as I get the money back up, I will be all over an Alfa again, as I am reminded every day how much better it was than the Izzy in every way.

I am one of the very few people who didn't hold some kind of preconceived notion about the Alfa. There is very little info about them on the internet. But I kept mine long enough to do a very detailed test on it, and I highly encourage you to read it as I posted it as a review on Pyramyd Air's site under that gun. If 80 shots set to factory isn't enough for you, you can adjust the fps down a little (something you can't do with the Izzy) and get 120 or so. The gun is totally adjustable. I had a Tau 7 also, and Co2 is a hassle. Please read my review.

Hope This Helps,
Richard

Rover · Post by **Rover** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 9:33 pm

This guy has two FWB100 and a FWB65, all at reasonable prices.

http://www.airguns.net/classifieds/show ... rOfPages=5

lxvnrsw · Post by **lxvnrsw** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 9:43 pm

Rover wrote:This guy has two FWB100 and a FWB65, all at reasonable prices.

http://www.airguns.net/classifieds/show ... rOfPages=5

Spoke with him and his prices are really good, but unfortunately he only has medium grips on the FWB 100s and I take an XL. I'll have to ask him about the FWB 65 though.

JoeG · Post by **JoeG** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 9:46 pm

To agree with what was stated above, most of the IZH46M versions that I have seen in the last few years had an extra meaty and thick grip in order to allow for customizing the fit. The original IZH46 in comparison did have much thinner less hand filling grips and were a bit of a weak link on an otherwise great gun for the money. My hand is a somewhat chunky medium size and I found the M series grip too fat for me until I took my dremel and file to it. I have attached a photo of the results. These are still one of your best values for good performance and reliability and certainly are well able to produce top scores if you are doing your part.

Joe G.

JoeG · Post by **JoeG** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 10:02 pm

I have had an Alfa Proj pcp with adjustable palm shelf grips for about 8 months now, got it in a trade/sale of one of my match pistols. It is a nice gun and a fairly good value but for me I would prefer an IZH46M for ten meter shooting. Out of the box without the supplied weight that can attach to the barrel shroud the Alfa seems too light overall, again a personal judgement. The weight supplied seems a bit too heavy in my opinion, and I do prefer my match pistols with some forward weight bias (another reason I like the IZH's). Perhaps I haven't tweaked around with the Alfa's trigger enough but I have the triggers on both my IZH46M and original 46 much closer in feel to my high end ten meter pistols' triggers. I also find the Alfa's grip to be a tad too upright. That said the Alfa is still worth checking out if you can get your hands on one and decide how you like it. I have relegated mine to be a metallic silhouette shooter where I think it will perform admirably.

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