Airgun Person of the Year 2012

Fredrik Axelsson har av Yellow Forum utsetts till denna hedersbetygelse och den gode Terry Doe författade följande krönika runt detta:

Fredrik Axelsson a personal view, by Terry Doe
 
The label genius has become as commonplace, and as discredited, as that of hero. We all have our personal definitions, and to me a hero does extraordinary things, beyond achieving personal glory on the sports field, and a genius is not just a clever person; rather their cleverness is magnified and redefined by original thought and development. Thats why, in our world at least, Frederik Axelsson is a genuine genius. He may yet go on to be a hero, but for now Id like to give my personal view of the man, and the genius that is Fredrik Axelsson.  
 
Who is this young man?

It is entirely apt that Fredrik was introduced to me by another honest-to-goodness genius, John Ford. At the time, John was the genial driving force behind Sportsmatch, a company already established at the top of the scope mount manufacturers league, although much of his time was being diverted to the refinement of his groundbreaking pre-charged pneumatic rifle, the GC2.

A genius sees what we ordinary folk dont, and back when the rest of the airgun world was more than happy with spring-piston rifles costing £200, John Ford believed that the recoilless precision of a PCP would be worth four times that amount to us. My, how we laughed at the notion that airgunners would care so much about shooting efficiency that theyd lumber themselves with divers tanks, hoses, gauges, and many times the cost of their all-conquering spring guns. My, how completely wrong we were; but then, were not geniuses so forgiveness is available.

John Fords GC2 had been admired from afar by Fredrik and the friendship that endures to this day began through a simple exchange of information. Never the pioneer, I was one of the very last to migrate from spring power to pre-charged, and Id graduated to a custom stocked GC2, which brought me into regular contact with John at the Sportsmatch factory. It was here that I first heard about the budding genius of Fredrik Axelsson, described by John as, unbelievably talented even then. Theres something about that lad, John said one day, and I think hes going to change the way we shoot these guns. As I said, those with true genius see what the rest of us dont.

It was in 1990 that John Ford and Fredrik Axelsson attended a weekend charity shoot in the English Midlands, and I was formerly introduced to a tall, skinny, Swedish lad, with a perpetual smile and a mischievous spark in his eyes. From the moment I shook hands with Fred, it was as if Id known him for years and we discussed our love of airgun shooting as only the truly obsessed can. Freds English has always been excellent and presented no barrier to the communication of ideas, but a barrier developed all the same. Once the initial excitement of finding someone who was every bit as enthusiastic as I was had subsided slightly, it became obvious that Frederik was running at a far higher technical level than I was.
I have always been a shooter. Im interested in how the guns I use do what they do, but I concentrate on matching my ability to theirs, rather than delving into the macro-mechanics of the airguns I use. Fredrik on the other hand had a forensics level interest in such things, and this has intensified over the years to form a body of work from which he drew the inspiration to for FX Airguns.

Back when we first exchanged pleasantries, Fredrik and I also shared an enthusiasm for social events and here too our keenness verged on an obsession. We enjoyed a drink or two, or many, but once again I found myself on an entirely different level than this relentless positive young Swede. Fred could party into the wee-small hours and so could I, but the difference was, he could still explain the technicalities of his multi-stage air pump, while I struggled to remember my own name.  
 
The genius develops

Time brings wisdom and maturity in varying degrees, and these changes bring focus and direction. Within a very few years, Fredriks passion for partying had been sidelined and his talents found themselves channelled into the design and development of airguns. Hed designed a multi-pump pneumatic which incorporated a three-stage pump, and formed the nucleus of what would eventually become the FX Independence.

More importantly at the time, the pumping system of that rifle was mechanically morphed into a manual air-pump suitable for all PCP airguns. Fredrik would soon return to that rifle, swap its integral pump for a compressed air reservoir, and the world was introduced to the Axsor rifle.

Fuelled by his irrepressible need to do things his way, 1999 saw Fredrik launch his own company, and FX Airguns of Sweden was up and running. It was running at quite a rate, too, as Fredrik Axelssons ideas became reality. Here was the perfect outlet and framework for his genius, and it still is.
 
Fredrik today

Since the establishment of FX Airguns, the company has produced some of the finest and most innovative products in our sports history. These guns are used, appreciated and admired throughout the world, and names such as Gladiator, Cyclone, Verminator, Ranchero, Cutlas, Royale, Independence and the Boss, have become part of the conversation when high performance air rifles are discussed. Frederik has made his mark, and his company continues to make some extraordinary airguns, but what of the man himself? How have the years of successful, corporate airgun life left the boy-genius I met almost a quarter of a century ago?

Well, not much really. Yes, the days of excessive socialising are long gone and, while hes still a ton of fun and that smile flashes as readily as it ever did, the modern version of Fredrik Axelsson is a slightly calmer, more ordered individual. Hes something of a statesman these days, and perfectly at home as head of his company and very much in charge of everything and everyone there.

While maturity has been good to him, hes lost not a flicker of the inventive fire that burned so brightly, and so obviously, when I first shook his hand in 1990. This fire is itself occasionally enhanced by a creative spark that ignites a bit of left-field development, hence the creation of the FX Air Bow, and a high-capacity magazine for paintball markers, among other inventions.  

Whatever Fredrik does, he does completely. His lifelong love of hunting and fishing still drives his precious leisure time, and when Fred goes on a field trip its more likely to be a wilderness living, camping and canoeing expedition than a couple of hours worth of indulgence in the great outdoors.

This mans enthusiasm for his work and his life is truly infectious, and that makes him a pleasure to be around. Hes a gifted marksman, too, as shown when he won the 2012 Benchrest Extreme match in Quail Creek, Arizona. I was there to see Fred win that competition with the FX Boss, and I once more witnessed the seamless switch from genial shooting buddy, to steely-eyed, totally focused shooting machine. He really wanted to win in Arizona, and yet again he did what hed set out to do.
Fredrik Axelsson is a genius and a gentleman, and Im proud to call him a friend. Hes deservedly successful and Im sure hell continue to be so for as long as he wants to. Being any sort of genius is a notable feat in itself, but being the sort of genius that achieves what Fredrik Axelsson has, without losing any of his infectious enthusiasm for life, is perhaps the greatest talent of them

 

Johan

13 februari 2013 23:56

Riktigt kul att Fredrik lyckats så bra, och satt Sverige på luftvapenkartan!

http://www.luftjakt.se

 

Johan

14 februari 2013 20:49

Jag vill ha ett Boss. Synd att det inte går att få i 10j :)

Johnny Ottosson

15 februari 2013 19:32

Du kan få den som 10J - det är inga problem.

Däremot så kan du inte få köpa den licensfri.

:-P

 

Silwer

15 februari 2013 12:49

Är det här nåt som väljs varje år? eller är det så att säga en hyllning som liksom bereder honom plats bland de kanske mer (iaf för amerikaner) kända profilerna.

Abslult bra iaf om han ställer upp i BR EM, där kallades många som var styva i korken men plötsligt inte kunde nånting när det skulle skrivas på.

Johnny Ottosson

15 februari 2013 19:30

Jag tror nog att man ska se det som en achivement award..

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