Disaster. Snappy snap crack :(

[Sparks]

Craptacular:

May 23, 2008
Snappy disaster.

Was moving the rifles from the safe at home to the safe in DURC so that I could train there during lunchtime. As I’m walking, the strap on the Anschutz rucksack bag undid itself and the bag fell off my shoulder and dropped the three feet to the ground. It’s happened once or twice before (though on grass) so I didn’t panic, I just picked it up and walked into the range. Then when I was taking the rifle out of the bag to put it in the safe I noticed the bag was bending where it shouldn’t be bending.







Disaster. The sintered stock has had several complaints over the years on the net about people having exactly this happen to them - the pistol grip is apparently a weak point in the design. I’d been planning on buying a Peli17xx case next month for just this reason as well.

:( *sigh*

And I liked that stock, it was damn easy to adjust and I’d set it up properly for myself. At least all the adjustments can be carried over to a new stock fairly easily, even the customisation of the pistol grip (by just taking off the pistol grip and moving it to the new stock).

Well, I keep hearing about the fabulous after-care you get from Anschutz and it’s why I bought from them in the first place, so it’s time to fire up the email client and send them a “Help!” email. They don’t make the 2002CA anymore though, so I don’t know if they still have stocks. Fingers crossed…

[WarWagon]

A competent weldor can repair that fairly easily. However, the anodizing will never be able to match exactly, so it will have a permanent cosmetic flaw.

[pwh]

OUCH!! Damn, that has to hurt! Several weeks ago I had my FWB 700 AL on a bench rest while testing a different brand pellet. When I walked to the target I heard a loud crash and knew instantly what had happened. I did not have one of the screws tightened up on the rest and the rifle slid off and slammed to the floor. It landed on the butt plate which was a new MEC170. A slight bend to it which I was able to fix and a very small hairline crack to the aluminum stock where the adjustment to the cheek piece is made. Very minor and hardly noticeable. I was lucky and now I trust nothing to chance when it comes to keeping my rifle safe and secure. That does indeed look like a very week point as to its design. Best of luck in getting it fixed.

~Phil

[Guest]

Neal Stepp at ISS has one for 750.00
http://www.iss-internationalshootersser ... cials.html

I would look into a good welder. Good luck.
Ter

[pwh]

Neal Stepp at ISS has one for 750.00
http://www.iss-internationalshootersser ... cials.html

I would look into a good welder. Good luck.
Ter

Hmm....pretty poor set up site as for gathering any business. Half of the things you "click" onto it simply says; "Call Neal"! Whats that all about? Just a first time observation but, first impressions can mean a lot as for gaining sales!

~Phil

[RobStubbs]

Sparks,
As has been mentioned elsewhere, call your insurers ! This is precisely what you pays your money for.

Rob.

[1813benny]

Neal Stepp at ISS has one for 750.00
http://www.iss-internationalshootersser ... cials.html

I would look into a good welder. Good luck.
Ter

Hmm....pretty poor set up site as for gathering any business. Half of the things you "click" onto it simply says; "Call Neal"! Whats that all about? Just a first time observation but, first impressions can mean a lot as for gaining sales!

~Phil

He has been slowly developing his site, but his service has been first rate and he is very helpful. A flashy web site is nice, but service is what counts.

[MGT]

Neal is a good guy to deal with. To the point, easy going.

His website is terrible, but his service is first rate.

[pwh]

Well that's always good to know and I'm sure he is just as you say.
I was only going by his site. If one who happened to be "shopping" or looking for a certain rifle, pistol or other related item and ran across his site and saw that there was hardly anything posted or listed for sale they would more than likely just move on. No, a site does not have to be flashy and have a lot of bells and whistles but some semblance of functionality would certainly help for business. Clicking on an item or a category of items and seeing nothing but "Call Me" doesn't seem too conducive to gaining sales. Or....so it would seem to me.

~Phil

[peepsight]

There has been some critisism of Anschutz Alu stocks in Europe by one or two people mainly because they are a cast alu mix which is brittle.
FWB use solid Alu [Aircraft quality] that is then machined to shape rather than cast.
Robb is right claim on your insurance.

[anschutz]

FWB stocks are extruded to shape not machined, still its better than the brittle Anschutz one

[methosb]

Youchies that has got to hurt

[pwh]

Well, as far as claiming it on insurance to won't mean a tinkers damn unless of course the gun was insured in the first place. Of course owning a home I have my home insured but that will not cover items in the home unless one documents the items with receipts and they are damaged within the home by some unforeseen disaster. I'd be interested to know just how many have their guns insured? Very few I would imagine.

~Phil

[anschutz]

in the uk, if your a member of the NSRA the governing body for Air/Small bore shooting you get equipment insurance as part of the package. Thats why must uk posts keep saying claim on the insurance. Colin

[peepsight]

anschutz
Your right in your description of the FWB manufacturing methods, it is superior in strength. From what i read in a magazine gun test review of the Anschutz 2002 and later 2008 air rifles, it was remarked that the Anschutz alu stock was not pure alu but a mxture of other metals that made the process of casting easier and it kept weight and costs down. It also by unlucky chance made the stock more brittle, resinant and liable to harmonic vibration which Anschutz had to address with the soft de coupling mounting washers.
This is not to say that Anschutz are no good, They are one of the best air rifles on the market. My personal opinion is they should have made a better metal quality stock in the first place.
A lot of British shooting clubs including mine have an insurance scheme incorperated into their annual membership fees which covers your weapon for damage and breakage.

[pwh]

Interesting as I did not know about the insurance issue in regards to shooting clubs over the pond as it were. Admittedly I also never paid attention as to Sparks location. If that is indeed the case then yes, he should by all means take advantage of it if at all possible.

As for the cast versus machined parts the machined parts will always win as far as strength and upholding to stress. Just a shame that Anshutz did not take this into consideration when the gun was designed/produced. Seems odd that they did not do so considering their great reputation and fine craftsmanship. Casting a part is obviously a cost saving measure as opposed to machining a part but in the end it will often come back and bite one in the ass! I have no doubt whatsoever that if the particular part of my FWB was a cast part when I had dropped it that it would have snapped like a dried bone instead of simply ending up with a very small hairline crack which I know will go no further.

~Phil

[peepsight]

Phil
Don't drop it again as that hairline crack could open up or you may end up wth a 2 piece gun.

[pwh]

Phil
Don't drop it again as that hairline crack could open up or you may end up wth a 2 piece gun.

I've learned my lesson well and it was shear stupidity on my part. I'm sure if by some odd freak accident it landed on the floor exactly the same way that very small hairline crack would certainly do it in! Its not at any stress point and is only about 8mm long.

~Phil

[WarWagon]

Unfortunately, its going to give way regardless, especially when it sees some temperature change. Coming from a welding engineering field, if there's a crack somewhere in one of our joints, its coming out, because its going to propagate.