Anybody have a new FAS 6004?

[Leon]

If so, I would be interested in opinions and reviews etc.

I have an older FAS 604 which I really like and am contemplating acquiring the new Chiappa made FAS 6004...

[45ACP223]

I believe Slofyr has some info. vs. the 604. Check with him.

[slofyr]

I believe Slofyr has some info. vs. the 604.....

I have a 6004 on order that is supposed to ship in a week. Will compare them then.

[Gwhite]

I'll be very curious to hear how the cocking force is. These would be a cheaper, lighter, and from the looks, better balanced alternative than the IZH for juniors. My club has a program to introduce kids to air pistol, and they are using Crosman 2300T's, which are absolutely atrocious. It was all they could afford, but I bet we could get grant money to replace them with these. We need something that can be easily operated by 10 year old girls.

[Rover]

OK, I guess I'm one of the few who has played with the FAS 604. I have not tried the 6004, but I understand they are the same gun. Doug Chandler (if he reads this) can give you a more comprehensive evaluation.

The guns available from Chiappa are available with two types of grips; an ambidextrous one size fits all, and adjustable match grips (M and L, no leftie). Grips are available separately.

Cocking ease seems to be the main concern, but is easily done by an adult or teen. Young girls may have difficulty, but should be able to cock them by merely putting the gun on the bench and pressing down with an open hand.

Triggers are excellent, sights are nice, the whole gun is similar (but much superior quality) to the GAMO. You should be able to get over 400fps with RWS Basic pellets.

I suggest you buy one or two for the girls to try before committing to a batch.

[Gwhite]

Getting $4K for a grant to get 10 pistols is actually easier than finding $400 to buy one to try. Especially because we can presumably get a price break on ten. We'll see.

[Rover]

Maybe if you explain the situation they'll advance you one, or even give you a freebie.

[poogi]

Can someone also compare with a beeman P17. I always like the P17 if only it had better sights and grip. If you can have them picture next to each other would be great.

[Rover]

Better sights and grip (you forgot trigger). Nothing good comes out of Beeman anymore.

This can be a real match gun.

[mparker]

I've been considering a 604/6004 for some months now. I posted a request for info on another air gun site and got a little less info than this thread has provided. I think the gun has a lot of potential and just needs better marketing. It might sell itself if it can get into the shooter's hands. I've decided to order one very soon. I have an Izzy 46M and a Beeman P1.

Here is a brief review I found elsewhere, stole, and gratefully post here. It compares a FAS 604 with a Baikal IZH 46M.

"I've owned the FAS 604 for years and recently acquired the Baikal. The FAS is functionally similar to the Weihrauch HW75/Beeman P11 and the Compact (as far as the Gamo is concerned, the similarities end here). The 604 sits low in the hand, much like a free pistol. It has a nice set of sights and (in my view) a crisper trigger than the 46M (although the Baikal appears capable of having the weight of the trigger set lighter). Cocking effort is probably around 16-20 pounds, when the seals are new. I managed to find a front sight extension built by Don Nygord, which extends the sight radius about an inch and a quarter, a nice feature on a pistol that is considerably shorter than the 46M, and therefore less forgiving in terms of a steady hold. I shoot JSB Match Diabolo pellets in the FAS, which chrony around 370 fps. It is no powerhouse, but the fit, finish, and quality of the gun is markedly higher than the 46M.

That said, I like the Baikal, too. It is much longer and feels considerably more like a 10m European match gun than the FAS. Cocking, again, is straightforward, and the trigger is quite good, with a fair number of adjustments. The grip is a pretty basic affair, that you will need to shape on your own, for best fit (note: FAS guns come with their own grips, copies of the Morini match grips, considerably nicer feel out of the box than the Baikal). The 46M shooting the same JSBs chronographs about 100 fps faster, which leaves nice neat holes in your target and gets the pellet out of the barrel sooner, which is a good thing. Decent set of sights, too (with front inserts supplied, when bought new).

Bottom line, both guns have good triggers, are fun to tinker with, and will, in all likelihood, outshoot you any time. The FAS comes from Italy and has a much steeper price tag; it also feels much different in the hand, as I pointed out. The Baikal is a lot of bang for not too much buck, and is solidly built, but suffers from cruder fit and finish, which is reflected in its price; it simply does not possess the refined characteristics of the FAS. Which one is right for you? My guess is either would please you to no end. Hope this helps."

[Spencer]

The question asked is 'Anybody have a new FAS 6004?'
Yes or no!

[deadeyedick]

Anybody have a new FAS 6004?
by Leon » Fri Aug 15, 2014 5:49 pm

If so, I would be interested in opinions and reviews etc.

I read the original request to also include being interested in "opinions and reviews". I think the review provided by mparker is an excellent example of the two combined.

[slofyr]

Anybody have a new FAS 6004?
by Leon » Fri Aug 15, 2014 5:49 pm

If so, I would be interested in opinions and reviews etc.

I read the original request to also include being interested in "opinions and reviews". I think the review provided by mparker is an excellent response.

I would have to disagree with these statements in the review posted by "mparker":

"The FAS is functionally similar to the Weihrauch HW75/Beeman P11"

It is functionally similar [vaguely] to the HW40/Beeman P3. Comparing the HW75 to the FAS604 is like comparing a dump truck to a sports car.


"The 604 sits low in the hand, much like a free pistol."

Not at all. It sits in the hand like a Euro standard pistol. It is ergonomically the AP equivalent of the FAS602, Pardini SP, AW93, etc., etc.

[Leon]

Sigh.... let's start again.

I already have a FAS 604 and would be very interested in hearing impressions on a FAS 6004 ( newly made by Chiappa ) from someone who actually owns one.

What I, and I'm sure many others, would like to know how the 6004 compares to the 604 in quality of manufacture, fit & finish etc...

[45ACP223]

I have a 6004 on order that is supposed to ship in a week. Will compare them then.

[mparker]

Sigh.... let's start again.

I already have a FAS 604 and would be very interested in hearing impressions on a FAS 6004 ( newly made by Chiappa ) from someone who actually owns one.

What I, and I'm sure many others, would like to know how the 6004 compares to the 604 in quality of manufacture, fit & finish etc...

We have drifted a bit from the original question haven't we?

Here is a review of the FAS 6004 from Airguns Of Arizona. It doesn't refer to the 604 but they did also review it some time back. Since you have a 604 you may be able to infer the differences and similarities. I haven't located any direct comparisons. I did contact Chiappa and asked the same question your asking here except that I don't have either model but would like to get one. No response yet.

http://www.airgunsofarizona.com/blog/20 ... rgain.html

[Leon]

I did it ! I did it !

Currently have a FAS 6004 Match winging it's way to me in Australia from Airguns of Arizona.

I guess I'll be the one posting the 604 vs 6004 review then...:)

Great people to deal with, emails answered very promptly and super slick service....

Will follow up this purchase with a FAS 609 from them as well in a couple of months.I'm a long time FAS aficionado and determined to have every model they made ...Still looking for a 606 and 608...

[mparker]

I did it ! I did it !

Currently have a FAS 6004 Match winging it's way to me in Australia from Airguns of Arizona.

I guess I'll be the one posting the 604 vs 6004 review then...:)

Great people to deal with, emails answered very promptly and super slick service....

Will follow up this purchase with a FAS 609 from them as well in a couple of months.I'm a long time FAS aficionado and determined to have every model they made ...Still looking for a 606 and 608...

Looking forward to the report. Were the earlier models made by Domino? The info in kind of thin and I don't have a good feel for the relationship between Domino, FAS, and Chiappa.

[deadeyedick]

Were the earlier models made by Domino?

In a word....yes. Domino guns were taken over by FAS many years ago continuing to produce the same models, eventually evolving some models such as the 602 into the 607 for example. Now FAS has been resurrected by Chiappa.

[slofyr]

.... Were the earlier models made by Domino? The info in kind of thin and I don't have a good feel for the relationship between Domino, FAS, and Chiappa.

FAS:

"..... conceived in the early 1970s by Massimo Mencarelli, who established a small manufacturing laboratory called FAS - Fabbrica Armi Sportive ("Sporting Guns Factory") in the city of Milan..... Sadly, Massimo Mencarelli passed away on December 7th, 2013, after fighting progressively deteriorating health conditions for years. His son Raffaele Mencarell, owner and manager of the DOMINO Guns Import & Export S.r.l. company, was thus left to take over the family business.

With the FAS 6004, the early design of the "Domino AP 604" evolves from a mostly hand-made tool to a full-fledged, mass-produced gun..... In order to do so, Mr. Mencarelli had to choose a reliable industry partner... his choice... the Chiappa Firearms company. Headquartered in the northern Italian town of Azzano Mella, and operating a north-American subsidiary in Dayton (Ohio, USA) for international sales.... After about one year of talks and R&D, Chiappa Firearms and DOMINO S.r.l. announced that the distribution of the FAS-6004 is ready to roll. The DOMINO company will retain full distribution rights for the Italian market − where it will still be known as the FAS AP-6004 − while Chiappa will handle international distribution."

[The full article here http://tinyurl.com/nklwgfb ]