Been a while. FX news?

[N8Mendoza]

i have been out of the Airgun game for a little while(couple of years) I was really into shooting and went through a couple of Hatsans before buying an FX Impact. Since then I have seen that they released a new barrel and now the MK2. Are there really any big differences? Or is it just FX’s way to sell new stuff? I know that with the Impact I am amazed by the accuracy and never had a problem with it. I have seen people have leaking issues, but often wonder if it was from tinkering with the settings too much?

 

[STO]

So I guess I'd say, as far as real improvements vs. just trying to sell stuff, it is probably a bit of both and a bit of neither. The personalities who drive FX genuinely seem relentless in their drive for, and pursuit of, performance improvement. I'm sure some of that feeds their sales, because there is always someone who has to have the "latest and greatest," but I think a lot of it is just because that is how they think and what they do. As far as manufacturing, support, inventory, dealer relationships, etc goes I'm sure it is an absolute nightmare. How many variations on every single part must they now have to inventory, stock, be able to identify, track, and support? Messy and very challenging, I sure don't envy them. Also development time is VERY expensive, so the fact that they're willing to make real changes I think speaks to them doing it because they genuinely feel it improves the product, not just trying to make money. 

As far as whether there is a "real improvement," I think that question really has to be countered with "to who exactly?" 



A lot of the changes for the MK II impact were done to improve its power ceiling. As slugs and larger calibers are in vogue, people demand more and more air to sling them at higher and higher velocities. So if that is your game, then it definitely is a substantial design improvement. However the thing I always say to people who are upset because they just bought a _____ gun and suddenly it is "obsolete" because some new tweak was rolled out, I'd point out that your gun is every big as accurate and good to shoot today as it was yesterday. If it was good enough for you then, it stands to reason it is still good enough for you now. 

The one big change, I suspect, between your impact and the newer ones are the X barrels. Most people love the new X barrels, a few people swear by the old ST barrels. If you don't have any accuracy issues I see no reason to change, however if you do want to try a new X barrel they have an exciting variety in different diameters, twist rates, etc available at very reasonable prices. (generally about 100$ per barrel) So it should be an easy swap if you'd like to give it a go. 

Just my 2c on the whole thing, as a guy who both really appreciates that FX is continually improving things and developing new technology, but who also is largely happy with his rifles as-is and doesn't feel the need to upgrade every time a new doodad rolls out. I hope that helps.  

 

[N8Mendoza]

Thanks for the insight man! What you are saying totally makes sense. I guess that was the big thing to me, is that the Impact I have works flawlessly. How could they improve it? I can see that people might want a more powerful one, but to me that seems like you would sacrifice accuracy. My brother always told me when I started out, because I didn’t understand why these bigger, and more expensive air rifles shoot at a lower FPS then a Gamo or break barrel, but that’s what explained is that FPS doesn’t mean better, but a tuned air rifle could shoot a gnat off a bulls ass if it was tuned right! Thanks for taking the time to explain what you have in detail! You are awesome!

 

[elh0102]

If you go on vacation and are away from your computer a week, then you will probably miss at least one new FX product. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but, their frenetic pace of putting new things out is (to me) a bit wearing. But I'm an old fart who likes traditional, simple rifles, and I have no interest in high power or slugs. So, as you may imagine, FX is not my favorite brand, although they make some very interesting products. My only FX rifle is a Royale 400, and I like it very much. I had a Crown with the new X liner system. It shot well enough, but I found its complexities outweighed the advantages, since I'm not one to play around much with tuning after initial setup, and I have no need to change calibers or use slugs. I found the old style ST barrel in my Royale to be as accurate as the X liner system, and much less prone to lead fouling. In fact, it's one of those barrels that virtually never needs cleaning. And without the additional parts needed in the sleeve and liner assembly, I find POI to be very consistent, and almost never need to adjust zero. So, if you like new stuff, and enjoy tinkering, FX is like Christmas every month. If you just like to shoot, I don't find such a heavily marketing-oriented company the best choice. I'm reminded of when I was active in sports car track events, and was attracted to adjustable suspensions. One of the older instructors said, the problem with adjustable suspensions is, people adjust them! His meaning, the average amateur driver is better off letting the factory set up the suspension, and the owner should concentrate on driving. Sometimes, simpler is better.

 

[biohazardman]

I think one of the main big differences is with the increased power and longer barrels you can shoot way out there now 150 and some 200+ yards shots have been made consistently. That is once you get a good tune which is sometimes difficult to do. The hunters love their slug barrels and the accuracy of the hollowpoint slugs they shoot from them. Other good stuff we can't forget is the bigger mags so we don't have to load as often a and larger tanks and even double tank adapters so we don't have to air up as often. So many good useful improvements have come our way in a very short amount of time.