Feinwerkbau

Feinwerkbau, commonly abbreviated FWB, is a German manufacturer whose name is associated particularly with precision firearms and air guns for competitive target shooting. Its principal products are designed for the rules and technical demands of International Shooting Sport Federation disciplines, including events represented at the Olympic Games. The company’s portfolio covers match air rifles, match air pistols, small-bore rifles and pistols, muzzleloading firearms, and accessories used by serious target shooters. The business was founded in 1949 by Karl Westinger and Ernst Altenburger, both of whom had previously worked for Mauser. Westinger had been involved in a significant design improvement for the Mauser C96 pistol. Germany’s post-war restrictions limited the immediate opportunities for the new company to develop conventional small arms. During its first decade, Feinwerkbau therefore concentrated on precision engineering and industrial production, including electro-mechanical calculators and other specialized components and machinery. The company returned to its original firearms-oriented ambitions in the late 1950s through work on recoilless target air rifles. Air-gun development offered a way to serve Germany’s established shooting culture while operating outside the restrictions affecting many other forms of weapons manufacture. Feinwerkbau’s LG150, introduced in 1963, became an important early product in the company’s competition-shooting history and helped establish its reputation for highly controlled, low-recoil target systems. The first Feinwerkbau air pistol followed in 1965. Over subsequent decades, FWB developed a broad succession of spring-powered, single-stroke pneumatic, carbon-dioxide, and pre-charged pneumatic platforms. Its rifle range progressed from classic sidelever and recoilless designs to modern PCP competition rifles, while its pistol range evolved from single-stroke match pistols and CO2 systems to electronically triggered and self-indexing multi-shot designs. The company also added .22 LR target products, black-powder muzzleloading firearms, and specialized accessories. Feinwerkbau’s business is centered on precision rather than mass-market sporting firearms. Its products are intended for repeatable accuracy, stable handling, fine trigger control, and compliance with formal competition requirements. The company also provides high-precision industrial machining and manufacturing services, along with an archery trigger release and other shooting-related accessories. Service personnel are available at various European shooting events, reinforcing the brand’s role as an equipment and support provider within organized target shooting. The German name Feinwerkbau is commonly translated as “precision technology works,” a description consistent with the company’s engineering-led identity. Public reference material identifies the company as an active manufacturer, but does not establish a current parent company, ownership structure, executive roster, financial profile, or exchange listing.

Feinwerkbau was established in 1949 by Karl Westinger and Ernst Altenburger, former Mauser employees with experience in firearms engineering. Westinger was associated with an important improvement to the Mauser C96 design. The company began under difficult post-war conditions, when restrictions on weapons development in Germany constrained the commercial possibilities for a newly founded firearms enterprise. Rather than immediately pursuing a conventional small-arms range, Feinwerkbau applied its engineering capabilities to precision industrial work. During the 1950s, its activities included the manufacture of precision parts and machines, notably electro-mechanical calculators. This industrial phase allowed the company to develop production expertise while Germany’s firearms environment remained restricted. In the late 1950s, Feinwerkbau began returning to firearms-related design through recoilless target air rifles. Air guns were particularly suitable for precision competition and were not subject to the same post-war limitations affecting many other weapons. The resulting development work led to the LG150, launched in 1963. The model became a significant step in the company’s emergence as a target-shooting specialist. Feinwerkbau entered the air-pistol field in 1965, extending its competition portfolio beyond rifles. The company’s subsequent product history reflects several major stages in air-gun technology. Its rifles included spring-powered sidelever models, recoilless systems, single-stroke pneumatic rifles, and later pre-charged pneumatic platforms. The 300-series represented the mature recoilless spring-rifle concept, while the 600-series advanced single-stroke pneumatic competition rifles. Later P70, P700, and P800X models represented the move toward PCP systems used in modern match shooting. Its pistol development followed a similarly broad path. Early 65, 80, and 90 models used recoilless single-stroke mechanisms, with the Model 90 incorporating an electronic trigger. The 100-series introduced single-stroke pneumatic operation, and later generations included CO2 and PCP competition pistols. The P30, P34, P40, P44, and P8X families represent the company’s modern single-shot match-pistol development, while the C5, C55, C55P, P55, P56, and P58 lines addressed five-shot, self-indexing competition formats. Beyond air guns, Feinwerkbau developed small-bore competition products, including the AW93 .22 LR target pistol, and maintained offerings in muzzleloading black-powder firearms. The company also expanded into accessories, an archery trigger release, and high-precision industrial machining and manufacturing. Its service staff attend selected European shooting events, providing technical support to users in competition settings. The available reference material does not document specific changes in ownership, a public listing, detailed financial performance, or a complete current executive structure. It does, however, describe an active business whose identity remains closely tied to German precision manufacture and international competitive target shooting.

• 1997

  FWB 103 introduced

  [1]Feinwerkbauen.wikipedia.org

  The removable-single-lever FWB 103 replaced the FWB 102.

• 1992

  FWB 102 introduced

  [1]Feinwerkbauen.wikipedia.org

  The dual-lever FWB 102 replaced the FWB 100 in the company’s single-stroke pneumatic pistol range.

• 1988

  FWB 100 air pistol introduced

  [1]Feinwerkbauen.wikipedia.org

  Feinwerkbau introduced the FWB 100, a single-stroke pneumatic match pistol.

• 1965

  First air pistol introduced

  [1]Feinwerkbauen.wikipedia.org

  The company entered the competition air-pistol market with its first air-pistol model.

• 1963

  LG150 introduced

  [1]Feinwerkbauen.wikipedia.org

  Feinwerkbau launched the LG150, an early successful recoilless target air rifle and a major step in its return to firearms-related production.

• 1950

  Industrial precision-manufacturing period

  [1]Feinwerkbauen.wikipedia.org

  During the 1950s, post-war restrictions led the young company to focus on precision components and machinery, including electro-mechanical calculators.

• 1949

  Company founded

  [1]Feinwerkbauen.wikipedia.org

  Karl Westinger and Ernst Altenburger established Feinwerkbau after careers at Mauser.

A specialist German precision-engineering brand for high-level target shooting, emphasizing accuracy, mechanical refinement, competition compliance, and technical service rather than broad consumer firearms volume.

• Competition air rifle · 1963

  LG150

  Introduced in 1963, the LG150 was a recoilless target air rifle that helped establish Feinwerkbau as a specialist in precision competition equipment. Its development was especially important because air-gun manufacture offered the company a route back into firearms engineering during the restrictions of post-war Germany. The model is associated with the early expansion of modern recoilless target-rifle technology.

• Recoilless competition air rifle

  300 and 300 S

  The 300-series represents Feinwerkbau’s classic sidelever spring-powered target rifles. These .177-caliber rifles were designed around recoilless operation, a central requirement for stable precision shooting. The series became part of the company’s historic match-rifle family and remains relevant in discussions of high-quality vintage competition air rifles.

• Single-stroke pneumatic competition air rifle

  600, 601, 602, and 603

  The 600-series uses single-stroke pneumatic operation in a .177-caliber target-rifle format. These rifles followed Feinwerkbau’s earlier recoilless spring systems and provided a competition-oriented alternative with a different power-generation mechanism. The range is part of the company’s progression toward modern regulated and pre-charged pneumatic match rifles.

• Pre-charged pneumatic competition air rifle

  P700 and P800X

  The P700 and P800X are modern .177-caliber PCP target rifles. Pre-charged pneumatic operation supports consistent shot production for formal competition, while the platforms reflect Feinwerkbau’s continuing emphasis on precision, controllability, and match use. They sit within the company’s contemporary air-rifle offering alongside other P-series models.

• Competition air pistol

  P44 and P8X

  The P44 and P8X are .177-caliber PCP match pistols developed for precision target shooting. They represent the modern end of Feinwerkbau’s air-pistol evolution, following earlier spring, single-stroke pneumatic, and CO2 designs. Their intended role is formal competition, where trigger behavior, balance, repeatability, and ergonomic adjustment are critical.

• Small-bore target pistol

  AW93

  The AW93 is a .22 LR competition pistol for small-bore target shooting. It extends Feinwerkbau’s precision-shooting expertise beyond air guns into cartridge firearms and is designed for users seeking a specialized match pistol rather than a general-purpose defensive or sporting handgun.

• Recoilless match pistol

  65, 80, and 90

  These early Feinwerkbau .177-caliber match pistols used single-lever, single-stroke spring mechanisms and recoilless operation. The Model 90 is distinguished in the reference material by its electronic trigger. Together, the models show the company’s early effort to apply its precision-engineering approach to competition pistol design.

• Five-shot competition air pistol

  C5, C55, C55P, P55, P56, and P58

  This family consists of five-shot, self-indexing match pistols using either CO2 or PCP propulsion, depending on the model. The designs address rapid-fire or other competition formats in which reliable indexing and consistent shot behavior are important. They broadened Feinwerkbau’s pistol range beyond single-shot precision events.

• Black-powder small arms

  Muzzleloading firearms

  Feinwerkbau offers or has offered small muzzleloading black-powder firearms in .36 and .44 calibers. These products complement the company’s air-gun and small-bore competition lines with historically styled or specialized shooting arms, while remaining within its broader precision-manufacturing identity.

1. 1Feinwerkbauen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Feinwerkbau official websitefeinwerkbau.de