Feinwerkbau Under Hammer Pistol

[CKeshen]

I just ordered a Feinwerkbau History No. 1, .36 caliber pistol. I've been wanting an under hammer from quite some time and stumbled upon this offering from an airgun dealer in Maryland. Quite a bit more expensive than the Pedersoli, but looks like a much better gun.

I was very fortunate to find a dealer in the U.S. selling them.

The manual says it uses a .362 ball with a .012 patch = .386 total. Of course these size balls and patches don't seem to be available from any of the known sources.

I could use a .375 ball with a .005 patch = .385 total or a .358 ball with a .015 patch = .388 total.

Although this pistol is listed as .36 caliber the bore should measure .373" land to land and .383" groove to groove.

Any thoughts on which might be a better way to go?

 

[FishDFly]

The manual says it uses a .362 ball with a .012 patch = .386 total. Of course these size balls and patches don't seem to be available from any of the known sources.

Call Richard at Flintlocks Etc. he has a .362 mold.

 

[CKeshen]

I don't pour any lead, so a mold won't work for me. Need some combination of ball and patch I can purchase.

 

[Zonie]

Selecting a ball and patch combination isn't as simple as adding a suggested ball and patch together and then finding a different combination that equals the same size.

If your pistols bore is a true .360 diameter, the suggested .362 ball would only need to deform .002 to fit the bore without a patch.
Your suggested .375 diameter ball would have to deform .015 to fit the bore. That's about 1/64 of an inch and is quite a bit.
Of course both of these balls will have to deform more than that amount to make room for the patch.

I suspect just getting a .375 diameter ball with any patch on it will be very difficult.

I have no way of knowing what the rifling groove depth is on your pistol but I suspect it is deeper than .005.
The patch IMO should be thicker than the depth of the rifling grooves. That might explain why the gun maker suggested using a .012 thick patch.

 

[CKeshen]

Zonie - you bring up some good points.

Although this pistol is listed as .36 caliber the bore should measure .373" land to land and .383" groove to groove. .362 with .012 is recommended.

I think the .358 ball with .015 patch will be the way to go.

 

[Jumpshot]

Track of the Wolf sells a .360" ball. Is that close enough?

They have that pistol, too. A bit spendy. But their price is a little better than Cabela's.

 

[CKeshen]

The .360 ball would be fine, but I'll have to use either a .010 or .015 patch with it.

I think the .358 ball with a .015 patch gets me closer.

I did see the Feinwerkbau at TOW, which is what started me on my search for it. They have that gun at Cabela's?

 

[aross007]

Flintlocks Inc - (317) 933-3441 sells cast balls in lots of the rarer sizes. I use their .355, .360, and .400 for various pistols. No web site, but might be worth a call to see if .362 is one of their offerings.

Alan

 

[bpd303]

Actually Michael at Flintlocks Inc. has a web site now. Flintlocks LLC it's still in the works but should be up & running soon. Also on facebook. https://www.facebook.com/FlintlocksLLC
http://myflintlock.com/

 

[Patocazador]

According to their new website, they have nothing for sale. :haha:

 

[Jumpshot]

They have that gun at Cabela's?

They did when I saw it a couple of days ago, and the page said 'in stock'. But now I can't find it with a search. Maybe they only had one and it sold in the last couple of days. :idunno:

Their price was $50 more than Track's.

 

[CKeshen]

Well the gun arrived today and I must say it is a fine piece of engineering. Beautifully constructed excellent fit and finish and a terrific trigger. Also came in a really neat Negrini case.

Only one thing...the factory forgot to put the rear sight and rear sight adjustment screw on the gun. I contacted the dealer who said he was going to contact Feinwerkbau.

I'm sure it will be a cinch to install once I get the parts, but its kind of like getting a brand new car without a steering wheel. The balls and the patches arrive tomorrow. I guess I'll just need some patience on this one.

 

[Mike M.]

Try either a .350 round ball with a .020 patch, or 000 buckshot with a .015.

Use Swiss 4F (#1) powder. The FWBs are extremely accurate.

 

[CKeshen]

I took the gun out twice last week.

First time out - It shot great. At 15 yards 4 out of the first 5 shots were in the X ring, and the one that was not was definitely my fault. Using 12 grains of Swiss - shooting the gun is like shooting a .22. No recoil and highly accurate. I have the sight lowered as far as it will go in the gun and it is a perfect 6 o'clock hold at 15 yards on a B-8 NRA target. At 25 yards I need to aim just a tad lower. The trigger is probably the best trigger I have on any gun I own.

The cone on the nipple is perfectly straight (not tapered) so you need to squeeze a #11 cap a little so it will stay on upside down. I don't know if this is the way the gun was originally designed by Billinghurst or is just the nipple that FWB uses, but it is not the best design. I ordered some #10 Remington caps online - maybe they will be a little better, but it is really not a big issue.

Second time out - shot 3 B-8 NRA targets, 10 shots each @15, 25 and 50 yards.

15 yrd. 98-6x
25 yrd. 100-5x
50 yrd. 82-2x

I was very happy with the way the gun shot. It is definitely a keeper. It is probably the most accurate handgun (BP, rimfire or centerfire) I own.

Cleanup was easy too. Less than 1 hour. I could not knock the pin out that holds the barrel onto the handgrip, so I cleaned the barrel and nipple area with the barrel in place. I broke 2 oak dowels banging on that pin with a small gunsmith hammer, but could not get it to budge, and I did not want to use a brass center punch on it. So I have yet to remove the barrel as they suggest in the manual.

Q-tips were very useful for cleaning the breech area inside the barrel once the nipple was removed.

 

[bpd303]

hotoSmile:

 

[F.G. Ford]

Of the Q tip ??
Fred