Aussie airgun hunt with vintage FWB127

Just a quick report on a bit of a bunny hunt I did the other night.

A nice warm night last night with next to no wind so I decided to take my 1984 vintage Feinwerkbau Sport .22 out and shoot some bunnies. This property is owned by a gentleman in his 80's who still farms sheep and is always out and about working. I was chatting to him the other day as he replaced a gatepost he installed in the 60's. His neighbour is similarly aged and I called on him one day to find him replacing the starter motor on his tractor, again, purchased in the 60's... "I've never had to touch it before."


https://i.imgur.com/TJoCX4e.jpg

True to form upon arriving at the LZ about an hour before dark I spotted a large fox doing the Pepe La Pew hop up the nearby hill through the long grass, he hung around a while but didn't come into range. I had my Savage .17 somewhat uncomfortably slung over my back but in the end didn't worry about him.


A few minutes later I lined up this milky doe at about 35m.

https://i.imgur.com/jFaM1df.jpg

Crosman Premier Ultra Mags were the loadout of the day.


https://i.imgur.com/9My1ieG.jpg


I shot a few more bunnies then waited for night to fall before attaching a red torch and setting off again. Happily, the Premier has a shiny backside on it meaning I got this tracer effect so could see where my shots landed.

https://i.imgur.com/BXKSE4z.jpg


Bloody wind sprang up as darkness fell....


It has dried out real quick and the capeweed that was ankle high a few weeks ago is now largely gone. The corkscrew burrs were out in force and real crunchy underfoot.


I kept a couple, one for my dog Ben (who hasn't eaten it and is content to just throw it around the yard....) and another for a chick at work who makes me cakes and slices in trade.

https://i.imgur.com/g0PWD7k.jpg

I called one fox in to about 25m and to my utter disgust and for reasons still not evident to me, I clean missed the shot I aimed between his eyes. The gun is doing 13.5-14ft/lbs and I have no doubt with a clean brain shot at that range it would humanely kill a fox.

Shot about ten bunnies for the night so it wasn't a bad airgun hunt. Clearly springers are no good for hunting...

Great story , looks like you had a very good time
to me , excellent pictures also thanks for posting .

That's a fine looking springer you have there. Great write up and pics and some fine shooting as well!
That's cool to be able to track your shots with the light like that.

Thanks guys.

Always wanted a FWB124/127 Problem was back in the mid 70's they were not that common, so when another similar gun showed up I bought it instead. It was a Weihrauch HW35 and I still have it. I have probably 4-5000 rounds thru that gun and it is still my Favorite.

People don't realize how effective these guns are on small game and whereas the largest animal I have shot with mine was 2lb Rat, I have shot literally hundreds of annoying Mocking Birds and even a few Crows.

Inside 50 yards with the right pellets these guns are very effective.

Randy

Geez, I wish I could find a chick to trade kills (crows/pigeons with a FWB 124) for treats.

M 59

Brings back lots of memories there hunting with an air rifle. Did some ground squirrel and brush bunny shooting with a FWB 127 .22 cal many years back. It was on loan as back then I could not afford one. When I could I couldn't find one so I got a .20 cal R9 which is my light weight walk about rifle. Most of my hunting is with the RWS M54 .22 cal though. At just under 20 ft/lbs with the Crosman Premier if is deadly on small game and vermin. Got a couple .117s but I mostly just pot paper and small targets with them. Thanks for the write up, well done.

I had a fwb 127 Deluxe quite a few years ago. Over here in the USA they are that common .I got talked out of it at a price much more than I paid. It was wonderfully accurate, equally on par with my Diana 54 at 50 yards. It just didn't quite have the power of the 54. It was just so much more classy

Thanks guys. I went out a week or so later with my Diana 350 .22 but didn't have such good luck and only bagged a couple.

How does the shot cycle and accuracy of your 350 compare to your 127?

BTW, do you run into many snakes there night hunting in your area?