FX FX Impact M4 - Velocity consistency?

[Headshots]

i came across a thread when i was researching this subject last night and decided to re-tune my new M4.

Tuning - Frustration With the FX Impact M3

Just got my M3 back from getting its valve replaced. It started leaking through the transfer port after a shot and I figured the bad valve is why I had very inconsistent shot strings. Got it back from Utah Air (which they did a great job of quickly repairing for me) and go to shoot .25 mk1...

www.airgunnation.com

I've tested a few combination of settings, I ended up dropping the reg down to 70 bar, increased the Macro wheel to 6, opened up the valve to about 4.5 line , and able to maintain the same velocity as the default 100 bar reg, Macro 3, and Valve line 4. After leaving the gun overnight, the discrepancy from the first few shots seems to be so much better now.

This is the first magazine run of the day, much tighter spread and first 2 shots isn't too far off from where i had it tuned. Usually i would get 890 to 900fps in the first few shots after the gun sat overnight before it normalized back to around 950fps, the new tune seems to have mitigated the slow first shot symptom, i think it would get a bit better after a few more mags for the valve, HS, and reg to stabilize more. Here's the ProChrono DLX Chronograph reading:

View attachment 503648


Can't speak for the older M3 or someone else but at least in my case with this new M4, the slow first few shots seems to had been tuning related, the stock tune is no bueno. I would re-tune again if and when i need to up the power to propel much heavier slugs to find the balance again.

The CPHPs give me a higher SD than jsb , jts , AEAs ect . I would try some different pellets .

 

[Xcaliber]

That's funny when the SA boys like Matt Dubber is on FX payroll. They're paid to promote those guns. Of course they are going to be using them and heavily edited videos. UA is also heavily involved with FX being the importer and distributor. Those aren't good examples.

As a hunter myself numbers are not what matters, it's where that first cold shot hits after a few days of sitting compared to the rest. Alot of my cold shots are 80yds. It does matter to me.

HunterOne Productions, EDGE of the OUTBACK, Shooter1721,airriflehunter87 LEE, Iguana man Fishing &LIfestyle, and countless of other competent hunters who aren't on FX payroll made it work just fine.

Any and every hunter concerned with results and ethical hunting cares about the potential for an errant first shot of the day. They may have worked out a solution or workaround for it, but they most definitely care about it.

It's why pre-check is essential, no matter what guns they're using, be it rimfire or pcp.

The CPHPs give me a higher SD than jsb , jts , AEAs ect . I would try some different pellets .

CPHP is more for breaking in purposes, they are some of the dirtiest pellets i've ever used, lots of lead shavings at the bottom of the tin and always leave my fingers coated with lead dust after loading them, they are my least favorite pellets but get the job done.

​

 

[Headshots]

If a guy has no experience with with the airgun he's putting down I give little credit to their opinions. They can only repeat what someone else has said .

When the Notos came out the Prod was obsolete, underpowered and wasn't reliable. One popular guy had a leak and it got repeated over and over . It doesn't mater If my Prod has been trouble free for around 15 years . That didn’t fit with what non owners , zero experience guys wanted to believe. Their Notos was simply better in every way . So I trust my hands on experience and let the talkers talk .

 

[Xcaliber]

I love my M4, it's fun to shoot, don't give a rat ass how many people hates it. lol

 

[L.Leon]

If a guy has no experience with with the airgun he's putting down I give little credit to their opinions. They can only repeat what someone else has said .

When the Notos came out the Prod was obsolete, underpowered and wasn't reliable. One popular guy had a leak and it got repeated over and over . It doesn't mater If my Prod has been trouble free for around 15 years . That didn’t fit with what non owners , zero experience guys wanted to believe. Their Notos was simply better in every way . So I trust my hands on experience and let the talkers talk .

I have to agree in that I tend to give more weight to actual owners or users of an airgun. That said, I do value other’s opinions, as they contrast their needs or expectations… To most its but a hobby, so “put downs” are unnecessary or maybe attributed to misconstrued comments…

 

[L.Leon]

I love my M4, it's fun to shoot, don't give a rat ass how many people hates it. lol

Who could possibly hate on an M4 Impact… ? its all candy… I love my BRKs, but would absolutely welcome a chance to handle and shoot “any” FX airgun…

 

[nervoustrig]

It's why pre-check is essential, no matter what guns they're using, be it rimfire or pcp.

Agreed, and pre-check means firing a shot.

To a hunter using a powder burner, it typically means sometime within the few days prior to a hunt.

To a hunter using a PCP susceptible to regulator creep or valve O-ring stiction, it means firing a shot as he’s setting up on the day of the hunt, and then being mindful to maintain some regular shot intervals to ensure the aforementioned issues do not encroach upon his capacity to make a confident shot...which may or may not be feasible depending on the nature of the hunt.

If he’s knocking scads of pigeons and starlings off of barns and grain silos, no problem. But if he’s waiting in a hide for 3 hours, taking care to be quiet not to spook a hog or a deer, there is no opportunity to fire a wasting shot. It is in these sorts of hunting situations that he must know how the gun is going to respond and how to compensate for it.

 

[daddypaddy]

And why some of us simple won't own one. But we're haters if we say that lol

excessive O-rings turn me into a worrywart

Oh wow is me, wow is me!

I cannot properly and correctly tune or accurately shoot my M4 like Mr. Adam Migel.

I look in the mirror and see perfection created in the image of the God in which we trust ..... so it cannot be me.... it has to be that spawn of Satan M4.

If a guy has no experience with with the airgun he's putting down I give little credit to their opinions. They can only repeat what someone else has said .

When the Notos came out the Prod was obsolete, underpowered and wasn't reliable. One popular guy had a leak and it got repeated over and over . It doesn't mater If my Prod has been trouble free for around 15 years . That didn’t fit with what non owners , zero experience guys wanted to believe. Their Notos was simply better in every way . So I trust my hands on experience and let the talkers talk .

notos was my first pcp and i love it, but i’m also interested in the prod. the only thing holding me back from purchasing is the thought of having to itch the mod-bite that will come with it. the prod has too good of a track record to think its a bad gun.

 

[Xcaliber]

Who could possibly hate on an M4 Impact… ? its all candy… I love my BRKs, but would absolutely welcome a chance to handle and shoot “any” FX airgun…

Them dudes from Indonesia seems to really love and enjoy their M4, i highly doubt they are paid to market the impact, or being on FX payroll:

The overall shooting experience from the new M4 is simply fantastic for me personally, being aesthetically pleasing is also on top of my must-have list.

Agreed, and pre-check means firing a shot.

To a hunter using a powder burner, it typically means sometime within the few days prior to a hunt.

To a hunter using a PCP susceptible to regulator creep or valve O-ring stiction, it means firing a shot as he’s setting up on the day of the hunt, and then being mindful to maintain some regular shot intervals to ensure the aforementioned issues do not encroach upon his capacity to make a confident shot...which may or may not be feasible depending on the nature of the hunt.

If he’s knocking scads of pigeons and starlings off of barns and grain silos, no problem. But if he’s waiting in a hide for 3 hours, taking care to be quiet not to spook a hog or a deer, there is no opportunity to fire a wasting shot. It is in these sorts of hunting situations that he must know how the gun is going to respond and how to compensate for it.

did someone actually consistently missing their shots from their Impact after it was idle for extended period of time? lol

 

[Xcaliber]

@mubhaur sells a part that fixes the o ring stiction. I have it in my impact and it works flawless.

No need to turn up the hammer or count how long my last shot was. Even when my Impact is stored a week first shot is perfect.

you have a link to it?

i haven't need to turn up hammer for first shot, the symptom isn't there anymore after i adjusted the tuning, but certainly am curious to see what it is and the process to install one if needed.

 

[Vetmx]

Actually when I returned to the Impact in 2021, that’s how I tested it. After I got it dialed in, I would cold shot it every day at 40 yards for a week. Then the next week I would cold shot it every day at 60 yards. I continued to do this until I started missing my 1.5” freshly painted spinner. Eventually I was like Houston we have a problem. So I tuned the guns full throttle. But ran into the narrow pressure window problem. So then I fabricated a bottle reg to run two regs on my MKll’s. This is all with slugs, not pellets. So yes, I missed stuff with wonky first shots, I just didn’t want it to be a wounded animal.

If I didn’t have other guns that do deliver that cold shot where I want it and in the proper speed window, playing this game with my Impacts would be dumb. But I like them and my goal was to have it be a 50 oring Taipan.

 

[Dairyboy]

I can imagine it's not very convenient when the hunter couldn't (or simply didn't want to) run a pre-check prior, it can be irritating to some people for sure.

You stated this earlier in the thread. Some of us just prefer guns where you don't need to pre-check. I would have to do that all the time riding around in my truck. It's a huge inconvenience. One can make a gun work is true but one can also just buy a gun that works. I prefer the latter for my shooting. I might go 3 days without taking a shot, take 2 shots, another day then 10 shots then maybe not take a shot for a week. I pest on opportunity not based on sessions where I can shoot for hours. Most times I get under 5 min to shoot. If I had to pre-check everytime yeah I would never shoot.

If you have hours to go pesting, target shooting, plinking I think who cares then I'm with you can be made to work and a few shots to check here and there is no big deal. I just simply don't have the time and dont want to waste the little I get checking stuff constantly. I've owned many many airguns and there are only a handful I would trust to perform in the way that I need them too. I'm on the extreme end though.

I'm really happy you love your M4. Would suck if you spent that money and didnt. They are nice looking guns and clearly can shoot well. People love them. Just giving you an idea why someone like me wouldn't like that. Not hate, just preferences. Not sure why it always goes to that anymore lol. If there's a different in opinions anymore it's just hate now instead of having a different opinion.

 

[Xcaliber]

You stated this earlier in the thread. Some of us just prefer guns where you don't need to pre-check. I would have to do that all the time riding around in my truck. It's a huge inconvenience. One can make a gun work is true but one can also just buy a gun that works. I prefer the latter for my shooting. I might go 3 days without taking a shot, take 2 shots, another day then 10 shots then maybe not take a shot for a week. I pest on opportunity not based on sessions where I can shoot for hours. Most times I get under 5 min to shoot. If I had to pre-check everytime yeah I would never shoot.

If you have hours to go pesting, target shooting, plinking I think who cares then I'm with you can be made to work and a few shots to check here and there is no big deal. I just simply don't have the time and dont want to waste the little I get checking stuff constantly. I've owned many many airguns and there are only a handful I would trust to perform in the way that I need them too. I'm on the extreme end though.

I'm really happy you love your M4. Would suck if you spent that money and didnt. They are nice looking guns and clearly can shoot well. People love them. Just giving you an idea why someone like me wouldn't like that. Not hate, just preferences. Not sure why it always goes to that anymore lol. If there's a different in opinions anymore it's just hate now instead of having a different opinion.

It's understandable when something doesn't suit everyone.

To be fair, before i bought the M4, every single one of those top dollar premium guns have one "issue" or another as well, whatever it is that i may or may not want to put it with, be it low capacity mag or simply aesthetically ugly as sin, it's just depending on what you can live with and what you can't.

 

[Vetmx]

You stated this earlier in the thread. Some of us just prefer guns where you don't need to pre-check. I would have to do that all the time riding around in my truck. It's a huge inconvenience. One can make a gun work is true but one can also just buy a gun that works. I prefer the latter for my shooting. I might go 3 days without taking a shot, take 2 shots, another day then 10 shots then maybe not take a shot for a week. I pest on opportunity not based on sessions where I can shoot for hours. Most times I get under 5 min to shoot. If I had to pre-check everytime yeah I would never shoot.

If you have hours to go pesting, target shooting, plinking I think who cares then I'm with you can be made to work and a few shots to check here and there is no big deal. I just simply don't have the time and dont want to waste the little I get checking stuff constantly. I've owned many many airguns and there are only a handful I would trust to perform in the way that I need them too. I'm on the extreme end though.

I'm really happy you love your M4. Would suck if you spent that money and didnt. They are nice looking guns and clearly can shoot well. People love them. Just giving you an idea why someone like me wouldn't like that. Not hate, just preferences. Not sure why it always goes to that anymore lol. If there's a different in opinions anymore it's just hate now instead of having a different opinion.

It goes to hate now because people want you to shut up if you don’t agree with them. That’s all. No biggie. We’re all or most of us are just chatting. This is not a debate for me. Its learning or teaching.

 

[Dairyboy]

It's understandable when something doesn't suit everyone.

To be fair, before i bought the M4, every single one of those top dollar premium guns have one "issue" or another as well, whatever it is that i may or may not want to put it with, be it low capacity mag or simply aesthetically ugly as sin, it's just depending on what you can live with and what you can't.

100% brother no perfect gun out there. Just gotta decided what you can live with and what you can't and go from there.

 

[Xcaliber]

Actually when I returned to the Impact in 2021, that’s how I tested it. After I got it dialed in, I would cold shot it every day at 40 yards for a week. Then the next week I would cold shot it every day at 60 yards. I continued to do this until I started missing my 1.5” freshly painted spinner. Eventually I was like Houston we have a problem. So I tuned the guns full throttle. But ran into the narrow pressure window problem. So then I fabricated a bottle reg to run two regs on my MKll’s. This is all with slugs, not pellets. So yes, I missed stuff with wonky first shots, I just didn’t want it to be a wounded animal.

If I didn’t have other guns that do deliver that cold shot where I want it and in the proper speed window, playing this game with my Impacts would be dumb. But I like them and my goal was to have it be a 50 oring Taipan.

I wonder if the symptom mostly occurred at certain reg pressure range, like when it's close to 150 bar?

At least in my situation, the symptoms is gone after i re-tuned it with reg at 70 bar at the power range i'm using it for pellets.

 

[nervoustrig]

did someone actually consistently missing their shots from their Impact after it was idle for extended period of time? lol

LOL?

Yes, people having trouble with a reliable first shot is a myth. The plethora of topics on the subject, and the intense study and experimentation by dedicated tuners and enthusiasts...it is the work of nefarious industry plants seeking to influence people to avoid purchasing regulated PCPs and those with balanced valves.

 

[Vetmx]

I wonder if the symptom mostly occurred at certain reg pressure range, like when it's close to 150 bar?

At least in my situation, the symptoms is gone after i re-tuned it with reg at 70 bar at the power range i'm using it for pellets.

Yes but look what happens to your velocity as you approach 100b in the bottle. You start off after a fill shooting around 960fps. Then your gun becomes a 940fps gun. Not a fix. It’s a work around. At some point as your bottle pressure drops, you have to stop or wind up with a massive ES if you shoot down to your reg set point. My two reg Impacts don’t do that.

 

[Xcaliber]

It goes to hate now because people want you to shut up if you don’t agree with them. That’s all. No biggie. We’re all or most of us are just chatting. This is not a debate for me. Its learning or teaching.

Not sure about hate, but i think it seems like some people trying to paint a grime picture of the impact and made it seems like it's a very unreliable and simply unusable for hunting.

This dude (from Australia i think) seems to be able to use his M3 very effectively for hunting all day and all night long:

Yes but look what happens to your velocity as you approach 100b in the bottle. You start off after a fill shooting around 960fps. Then your gun becomes a 940fps gun. Not a fix. It’s a work around. At some point as your bottle pressure drops, you have to stop or wind up with a massive ES if you shoot down to your reg set point. My two reg Impacts don’t do that.

No, i had to dial down the micro wheel a few clicks to drop it down from the initial 960s to 940s. Today i dialed it down even further! closer to 900, the beginning when the bottle is full at 250 bar is giving me very similar velocity as when i ran it down to 70 bar, closer to 900fps the whole way through for the CPHP.

I'm also playing with the NSA slugs as we speak, switching the transfer port on the barrel from P to S for slugs, the versatility of these Impact never seize to amaze me, can easily go from 14gr pellet shooting even at super low power (i was playing with 750fps at 18ft-lb earlier) or crank up the reg to 120~130 bar, tweak both Macro/Micro wheel and the valve to shoot 23gr NSA slugs at 1000+ fps with 51ft-lb of energy, the transition in power can be done rather quickly within minutes, with the standard STX barrel, no power slug kit, or heavy slug liner and tungsten hammer necessary, but i probably should do some research on those upgrade for slugs above 33gr.

Speaking of slugs, i did find a "problem" of sort, was testing the NSA 38gr slug and it has a very long profile , it doesn't index properly with the aluminum eagle vision mag, it won't cycle to the next round.

 

[Troy Bakel]

LOL?

Yes, people having trouble with a reliable first shot is a myth. The plethora of topics on the subject, and the intense study and experimentation by dedicated tuners and enthusiasts...it is the work of nefarious industry plants seeking to influence people to avoid purchasing regulated PCPs and those with balanced valves.

My M3 .177 I purchased 3rd hand for 1/3 the price of the accessories and scope alone.

It was known to shoot like crap but I knew it had a YouLoser'sTube/AGN tune when I saw the plenum pressure was set to that of a .30, the Macro was at 16, the Micro at 4 and the air valve at 4+.

Now that it has been properly and correctly tuned, it shoots a 5 round group of less than 0.209" EtoE at 20 yards indoors. 3 cards. No sighters.

I shoot from the bench, with a bipod and no rear rest other than my shoulder and left hand.

The only only PCP I own that that groups consistently smaller at 20 yards is my < 12FPE .177 Thomas Benchrest rifle using a PQP 1 piece rest.