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FAS and Domino are family businesses owned and operated by the Italian family Mencarelli. Fabbrica Armi Sportive (Sporting Guns Factory), known worldwide as FAS was conceived in the early 1970s (probably 1972) by Massimo Mencarelli, who established a small manufacturing laboratory in the city of Milan, the goal being to provide the market with shooting tools that would be dead-on accurate and dependable for the most demanding competitions. For about forty years, FAS has been successful with a line of competition airguns and pistols that have won international and Olympic medals and set world records that they claim remain unbeaten and unmatched so far. DOMINO - DOMINO Guns Import & Export, an import, export, distribution company has products like Feinwerkbau, Air Arms, and many others in addition to FAS. Massimo Mencarelli passed away in December 2013, after a long progressive illness. His son, Raffaele, owner and manager of Domino took over the family business but had been involved with FAS since 1992. The Domino proved to be an excellent design and won the gold medal at the 1980 Olympics. From the book Pistols of the World by Ian Hog and, John Walter p114: Qoute �Fabbica Armi Sportive (�FAS�) Milanese, Italy. (Formerly Italguns International �IGI�) The FAS target pistols were extremely popular in the 1970 � 1990 period and were imported into the USA by companies such as Beeman Precision Arms of Santa Rosa, California, Mandall Shooting Supplies of Scottsdale, Arizona. How-ever their chronology remains unclear. The first prototypes appeared in the early �70s and the guns were still being distributed in 2000. Some sources suggest that the OP 601, SP 602 and CF 603 were all discontinued in 1987-8, but new guns were still being offered in catalogs such as Guns Digest a decade later. OP 601 (Originally known as the �Domino� or �IGI Dommino�) Introduced in .22 Short Rimfire in 1973, specifically for rapid fire competition shooting, this was a slab-sided weapon with anatomical grips. The bolt moved in the receiver and was cocked by grips mounted on two arms that ran forward from the bolt, alongside the barrel section. The barrel was set low, almost an extension of the shooter hand, and the sights were merely 0.6 inches above the bore. The trigger and lock-work, adjustable for let-off and over-travel, were contained in a detachable module. The five-round magazine was removed upward, allowing the grip to be adapted to suit any individual marksman. Most guns had ported barrels to allow for escaping gas to reduce the tendency of muzzle climb in rapid fire. The standard barrel had six ports, the High-Speed version had four, and the pentathlon gun was restricted to two. Barrel weights can also be fitted. The Domino proved to be an excellent design and won the gold medal at the 1980 Olympics. It also provided the basis for a series of similar guns. SP 602 This was a �Sports Pistol� version of the Domino, intended for slow fire and similar competition shooting. It chambered the .22 LR rimfire round, lacked the barrel ports and had a trigger that could be adjusted from 3.5 oz to 36.5 oz. The front sight was a prominent blade instead of a small stud, and the retraction grips were greatly enlarged. Barrel weights could be fitted when required. CF 603 This was essentially the same as the SP 602, but was destined for centrefire competitions and chambered the .32 S&W Wadcutter ammunition. The trigger pull was restricted to about 28 oz to comply with ISU rules, and the grips were usually adjustable Palm-shelf patterns. SP 607 A modernized version of the .22 LR rimfire SP 602, dating from 1994, This had improvements in the trigger mechanism and the takedown system. The sight were not only fully adjustable but set merely 0.35 inches above the barrel, and the five-round magazine was removed upward. The standard grips came in four sizes, from small to large. An adjustable version was also made with a palm shelf, and blanks could be obtained to allow for �custom grips� to be made to suit an individual hand. The SP 607 was about 11 inches long, with 5.6 inch barrel, and weight 37 oz.� Unqoute. (Ref. �Pistols of the World� by Ian Hogg and John Walter)
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