Forgot to mention these pellets came with the FWB 124 I just bought, along with this manual.  Any significance to these pellets? Or should I just shoot them up?   Haven't shot any yet ..   Also manual print date is from 1973.  My gun is a 4 digit serial, so could it be original to the gun?

again thanks for any help here, and with my earlier posts on this rifle.  I admit I'm a PCP guy, but I am really enjoying this rifle.

Collectable. I’d save them

You would, in all likelihood, find that the modern domed pellets would be more accurate than those Silver Jets even if you were to shoot them.  Since they're no longer manufactured, I would personally be inclined to hang on to them just as a keepsake.

Ha--you bet.  They're somewhat of a piece of Beeman AND air gun history.  For a time they were sold as Beeman Silver Jets.  They're sort of famous among older/knowledgeable air gun fans.

The now-famous Beeman catalogs of yesteryear described them as something on the order of, "almost appear to be lathe turned", something like that.  (All of my old Beeman catalogs are gone so I can't duplicate the wording).  Of course, no one could really afford to buy pellets that were produced on a lathe, one at a time.  That said, the manufacturing process WAS reportedly somewhat of a secret that was kept by the Japanese company that made them.  Robert Beeman claimed that the main reason he could buy when others couldn't is because his wife, Toshiko, was of Japanese ethnicity.  The implication was that it gave him a foot in the door of a society that is fairly-well acknowledged for having what might be called a bit of 'societal faithfulness' for lack of a better word at the moment.

Due to the pointed shape, they were touted for their penetration.  I found penetration to be decent-enough.  Superb accuracy based on design and uniformity was also a claim, although I for one never had a rifle that shot them with excellent accuracy.  Fairly-good accuracy, yes, but other domed pellets usually out shot them by at least a little IME.  Next, the rings you see around the pellets were claimed to be be very-efficient at not wasting any air, and in that regard I found the claims to be true by a modest margin in the rifles in which I tested them.  That is, they usually produced FPE at the top of the ladder when it came to the also-rans.

Some people really have a sense of nostalgia about them, if not always so much for their performance as the almost magical aura surrounding them that I just described.  I was able to sell some of them in full Beeman boxes 4 or 5 years ago at collector-like, upscale prices.

My advice: keep them, for the reasons I and others have suggested.  They make for a good conversation starter among those who like to shoot, and you may never find any of them again (at least not at a price you'd want to pay--watch Ebay and you'll soon find out what I mean).

   Unfortunately, as your rifle does not say Beeman on it or "San R", it is obviously junk even though it was made in the same factory by the same workers. And of course, the pellets are obviously inferior as well. They may be identical, and made on the same machines by the same workers. But unless they have passed through the alimentary canal of the good doctor like so many Indonesian coffee beans, the end product is not the same. They don't pass the smell test.

I scanned a page from my old Beeman Precision Airgun Guide, Edition 15 from 1988-1989 that shows the Silver Jet Pellets... man did I ever love paging through these catalogs after I bought my first air rifle in 1989, which was a Beeman FX-2, that I still have.

I think I still have a couple boxes of the Silver Jets tucked away... they were the main pellets that I was buying back then.

Don't think the rifle is junk !!! Maybe the poster that stated that never heard of the 

Feinwerkbau 300 

I still have a couple of boxes of those somewhere. Later silver and blue box. They never shot worth a hoot in any of the guns I tried them in. Doc Beeman could tout them all he wanted but they were lack luster for me.

PS: Wish I still had those old Beeman catalogs. I wore those things out!

It is rather amusing reading about Beeman, including his rather ostentatious use of the grand Doctor in front of his name. He seems like a character out of an O. Henry short story: one of those snake oil salesmen-- or in this case magic pellet salesman-- in a distant frontier town who gets himself appointed sheriff. Rather unkind people might even go as far as to call him a bit of a charlatan! But if he did have such a central role in getting Weihrauch springers here, then all should be forgiven. 

Also the idea one needed to have a Japanese spouse to buy Japanese product, when Japan was selling masses of cheap electronics and cars to just about anyone in the world who wanted to buy them, is a bit laughable as well. 

that rifle came from A ir rifle head quarters,Robert Law the God father of airguns"I think you have the 124 deluxe? I no Beeman suppose to be the man? but do your history? no that gun is not junk,any guy that like's wood and metal  will give$350 FOR IT AND THEN SOME"

Posted by: JW652

   Unfortunately, as your rifle does not say Beeman on it or "San R", it is obviously junk even though it was made in the same factory by the same workers. And of course, the pellets are obviously inferior as well. They may be identical, and made on the same machines by the same workers. But unless they have passed through the alimentary canal of the good doctor like so many Indonesian coffee beans, the end product is not the same. They don't pass the smell test. ?  ?  ?  ?  ?  ?  ?  ?  ? 

I know you can't be serious... but a few smiley faces in your post would help ! ? 

   Thank you Ken. I was stunned by the responses that the post generated. It is disheartening to know that folks actually believe that the good doctor created the constellation of airguns in six days and then rested (to count his money) on the seventh. The self proclaimed notion that a rifle that does not carry a Beeman label is somehow worth less than exactly the same rifle from another vendor is morally and factually incorrect. These myths have been perpetuated by allowing Beeman to co-author the Blue Book and further assert the superiority and value of products bearing his name.

   To 218Bee: Please excuse any confusion that my post may have caused. You actually have a very fine rifle and valuable collection.

   Robert Law was true gentleman who introduced the US to European airguns through his company, ARH. The literature (dated 1973) and quality, period appropriate pellets reflect his philosophy of educating the public as to the existence of airguns that are not toys, and providing them to the common man. No hyperbole (such as "lathe turned") was necessary. If you carefully read the manual, you will find a wealth of factual information relating to the 120-124 series of rifles.

   He was also a generous man. He would actually send you a rifle in exchange for a deposit and a promise to make timely payments toward the purchase price. As the cost of a 124 in the early 70s was greater than many .22 rimfire rifles, this policy enabled folks, such as myself, to own a high quality airgun and spread the news of their existence. He was truly the "Godfather" of airguns in America.

   FWIW, I still have a few copies of a 124 manual from ARH, published in 1976, which is quite thorough.  If you would like a copy for your collection, you may send me a PM with your address and a it will follow by USPS Priority Mail for no charge.

   But most of all - enjoy your 124!   ? 

I wish I was into airguns when Robert Law was around... but I was too busy working, paying for college, and keeping my car running !

But I did find some time for archery, thanks to my father !

i still have a few of the old silver jets around in 20 caliber. i found them to be not as accurate as i would like them to be.

IMO, the pointed nose causes it to veer off if not PERFECTLY stabilized in flight.

the H&N silver arrow is a offshoot of the silver jet.

Ammo update...Thanks for the tip, Ed...It really does love the H&N 8.6's.  I have JSB 8.4's inbound, but I dont know how I can improve on this?

5 shots at 28 yards.  Shooting these slow, around 625 fps.

Very nice 218,

Yep, that's the very reason I suggested you order FTT's. I have a few fwb's and every one prefers them. I believe your results will remain the same after tune when you squeeze a few more fps out of her. 124's are a great rifle.

Enjoy

Well, not that you’re gonna retire off selling neat vintage pellets or anything, but those are definitely collectible!

Those are pre-Beeman boxes, obviously, and I’d bet that they - like the manual - came from Robert Law’s Air Rifle Headquarters in WV in the 70’s or early 80’s.

A noted above, Beeman hyped the pointed Silver Jets like crazy in his famous/infamous catalogs. I don’t recall whether or not he sold the round-head Mount Stars.

Beeman did retail a domed head Silver jet type called the Silver Ace. Never bothered trying any of them.

Bee

Funny coincidence.  I just received 2 boxes of those pellets.  They came with a documented Robert Law FWB 124D.  

I have some of the Beeman Silver Jets too.  They appear identical except for the packaging.   Good ole Doc Beeman sure knew about marketing!!!!

Hang on to that rifle and those pellets.  You have a wonderful and uncommon rifle.  

As for those old Silver Jets.....the only rifle that really loved them was my Super-tuned .177 R1 Magnum! LOL.  GOTTA LOVE THE DOC!!

Posted by: 218bee

Ammo update...Thanks for the tip, Ed...It really does love the H&N 8.6's.  I have JSB 8.4's inbound, but I dont know how I can improve on this?

5 shots at 28 yards.  Shooting these slow, around 625 fps.

No improvement is possible in my experience.  Nice shooting!

Posted by: hkshooter

Beeman did retail a domed head Silver jet type called the Silver Ace. Never bothered trying any of them.

I was able to obtain some of the Silver Ace pellets some decades ago, and they were indeed advertised as having a round/domed head.  When I got them and examined them, they were flat-enough that they would actually stand on the head end of the pellet on a flat surface, which is to say they weren't domed or round--they were as flat as a pancake.  I called one of the marketing guys at Beeman 'to register a complaint'.  He said they looked round-enough to him, and the fact that they would stand upright on the front end didn't mean anything.  Um, well, OK then.  LOL.

I think the bad rap that Robert Beeman gets sometimes is perhaps a little too critical for someone who was responsible for improving the US adult air gun market in some nice ways.  He did some good things with the Weihrauch and UK Webley brands to name two.  I know he must have made some fairly-serious profit in doing so, but I don't see how I can hold that against him.  Maybe that's just me.

Just my two cents: I don’t think many folks begrudged the good Doc B making a buck, but in my personal experience the attitude that you just described was pretty typical of their front office and service folks. I particularly remember a call I made to ask about some items on one of their famous “Used Gun Lists”...holy cow, this old Tennessee boy was made to feel like Grade A hillbilly trailer trash for wasting their time discussing discounted items like that.

Beeman did indeed give airgunning great exposure in the US, brought in some great stuff, and helped develop some nifty new things. But high pricing, advertising baloney that was just a little too transparent, and poor service wore down the company’s glossy reputation over time.

Posted by: ekmeister

I think the bad rap that Robert Beeman gets sometimes is perhaps a little too critical for someone who was responsible for improving the US adult air gun market in some nice ways.  He did some good things with the Weihrauch and UK Webley brands to name two.  I know he must have made some fairly-serious profit in doing so, but I don't see how I can hold that against him.  Maybe that's just me.

I agree, Ed. 

I was a mere kid when Beeman was doing his business. Still, I consider what he did for modern airgunning in the US without precedent and most valuable. It's easy to sit at a keyboard in hind site and call all the plays of a long since over game. I for one am grateful Beeman was so dedicated to the hobby as to promote quality items and introduce this youngster to a love that even now nearly forty years later, I still have a warm place in my heart for. I still see the Beeman models of HW products as superior and prefer them over the HW models wholly as I much more prefer the beauty and lines of the Beeman stocks over the mundane and quite utilitarian HW stocks. And this is a small example of my opinion.

What ever Robert Beeman was in the end of the glory days of his company, he'll always be the guy who started it all for me.

I get confused by the melting pot of opinions concerning the airgun contributors and those who need to be chastised for their own accomplishments. I'll throw myself into this here pot too lol:

How long was Robert Law visible in the market and how many quality adult airguns made it into the U.S. during his tenure? Surely someone here has the numbers. Same question concerning Robert Beeman?

I'm also confused on the title of "Godfather of Airguns". More recently I believe I either heard it in a video or read it somewhere, that Tom Gaylord shares that title with Robert Law. No?

The time period could also be credited to the Germans and British. No?

Who is responsible for our history as a country? Pilgrims? Lewis and Clark? 1st Transcontinental railroad?

Gentlemen, the dots behind us have been connected already. Anyone who is responsible for getting high quality airguns into our hands gets a big THANK YOU from me. They are all part of the wonderful ride! Everyone and everything has shortcomings and strong points. Whenever I read on this forum that this one or that one is an inferred, or outright piece of crap, I don't know if I should laugh or hurl on my keyboard.

Oh, I almost forgot. Hang on to the pellets brother.

Bo

I've read a few references to this Robert Law. Never heard of him. 

Tom Gaylord, heard of him, but not Mr. Law. Maybe I should do some research and catch up.