Installed new laminate furniture on FX Maverick

[the_phew]

Hi; my first post here!

To preface, I'm a 'Fudd'; I like wood. My first FX airgun was a Crown Continuum in Black Pepper laminate, and it was gorgeous. But I quickly learned that 1. slugs are awesome 2. you want a long barrel when shooting slugs and 3. an air rifle with a 700mm barrel + moderator is ridiculously long/unwieldy. So bullpup it was; sold the Crown and got a Maverick Sniper in .25, which is much easier to carry/shoot (not to mention gobs more power to sling slugs). But all the black plastic didn't tickle my fancy. After considering various (expensive) custom furniture options for the Maverick, I saw that Huma listed Maverick furniture in FOUR different laminate finishes (grey, blue, red, green): Ureka! I ordered the grey, which somehow got from Germany to my house in like 3 business days:

The Good:

• It's purdy (man, I didn't realize how many silicone smudges I had on the metal bits until I looked at that picture above...whoops)
• The grip is very comfortable, despite being so odd-looking. It is NOT ambidextrous
• Mounting holes line up
• I don't think the cheek piece interferes with the mags, which is more than can be said for some OEM FX cheek pieces for the Maverick. I won't know for sure until I get the correct-length screws to mount it, though (see below)

The Bad:

• The gloss lacquer isn't applied uniformly (there are some small spots missing lacquer, presumably where the parts were held during spraying)
• They offer an oiled finish for the Impact furniture, but not the Maverick (I would have preferred oiled)
• Wood-to-metal fit isn't great (see the gaps where the grip meets the chassis)
• The M4x6mm screws that attach the cheek piece aren't long enough for the laminate part, so I'll have to grab some M4x10mm screws from work tomorrow 

I haven't shot it yet with these new laminate bits, but overall I'm happy with the look/fit. 

EDIT-Oh yeah, it came with a laminate cocking handle too, which looks like it would snap if you sneezed on it (Huma even warns that the laminate cocking handle is 'for entertainment purposes only', basically). So far, so good, though. 

 

[rangur1]

Looks pretty good, interested in seeing the final result. 

 

[the_phew]

View from right side:

It's weird, the grip looks angled from the left side, but vertical from the right side. I promise, the grip is comfy (and holds your hand nearly vertical), even if it looks like some kind of modern art sculpture. This pic also shows the wood/metal gap behind the trigger guard, which is frankly atrocious. Doesn't seem to affect the rigidity of the grip, though. I might shove a black shim in there, because it bugs me so much. 

 

[Airgunmann]

I like it and have the green on my impact compact 

 

[Jlowe]

Nice! I was thinking about ordering the Blue Laminate version for my Compact Maverick. 

 

[Airgunmann]

Adds a little something to it instead of just black

 

[Hobbyman2007]

I added the black pepper laminate to my impact about a year ago. As mentioned some of the wood to metal have a few gaps but it sure makes the gun pretty. 

 

[Goldwing]

Hi; my first post here!

To preface, I'm a 'Fudd'; I like wood. My first FX airgun was a Crown Continuum in Black Pepper laminate, and it was gorgeous. But I quickly learned that 1. slugs are awesome 2. you want a long barrel when shooting slugs and 3. an air rifle with a 700mm barrel + moderator is ridiculously long/unwieldy. So bullpup it was; sold the Crown and got a Maverick Sniper in .25, which is much easier to carry/shoot (not to mention gobs more power to sling slugs). But all the black plastic didn't tickle my fancy, since shooting for me is about interfacing with a gun that makes me smile (I don't compete, so I don't care what's the 'best'). After considering various (expensive) custom furniture options for the Maverick, I saw that Huma listed Maverick furniture in FOUR different laminate finishes (black, blue, red, green): Ureka! I ordered the black, which somehow got from the Netherlands to my house in like 3 business days:



The Good:

• It's purdy (man, I didn't realize how many silicone smudges I had on the metal bits until I looked at that picture above...whoops)
• The grip is very comfortable, despite being so odd-looking. It is NOT ambidextrous
• Mounting holes line up
• I don't think the cheek piece interferes with the mags, which is more than can be said for some OEM FX cheek pieces for the Maverick. I won't know for sure until I get the correct-length screws to mount it, though (see below)

The Bad:

• The gloss lacquer isn't applied uniformly (there are some small spots missing lacquer, presumably where the parts were held during spraying)
• They offer an oiled finish for the Impact furniture, but not the Maverick (I would have preferred oiled)
• Wood-to-metal fit isn't great (see the gaps where the grip meets the chassis)
• The M4x6mm screws that attach the cheek piece aren't long enough for the laminate part, so I'll have to grab some M4x10mm screws from work tomorrow 

I haven't shot it yet with these new laminate bits, but overall I'm happy with the look/fit. 

EDIT-Oh yeah, it came with a laminate cocking handle too, but I know better than to put that flimsy thing anywhere in the action's load path.

"After considering various (expensive) custom furniture options for the Maverick,"

What's the links to the other custom furniture?



Wonder if someone should inform Huma of the short "M4's and Wood-to-metal fit where the grip meets the chassis"

 

[the_phew]

What's the links to the other custom furniture?

This guy on Ebay was selling 'custom' Maverick furniture, but the price was outrageous, lead time was months, and when I inquired he said he couldn't guarantee the grip wouldn't break if I picked up the gun by the grip....so I passed on that. He's no longer offering this product on Ebay, so it seems like I made the right decision. 

Ebay Maverick furniture

 

[Goldwing]

Is the gap in the grip a deal breaker for you, can it be cleaned up to fit better?

Thanks

 

[Goldwing]

What's the links to the other custom furniture?

This guy on Ebay was selling 'custom' Maverick furniture, but the price was outrageous, lead time was months, and when I inquired he said he couldn't guarantee the grip wouldn't break if I picked up the gun by the grip....so I passed on that. He's no longer offering this product on Ebay, so it seems like I made the right decision. 

Ebay Maverick furniture

Weeee $450 for custom wood emmm no thanks, $450 of pellets would be better

 

[Airgunmann]

Wow didn't pay that for mine was thinking it was right around 200 from huma air or is that what the guy from ebay wanted for it 

 

[Airgunmann]

I see you said the guy from ebay wanted that when I read the posts again sorry

 

[Airgunmann]

May be able to inlet it more to get a better fit depending on how thick it is in the grip area 

 

[Goldwing]

May be able to inlet it more to get a better fit depending on how thick it is inundated the grip areea

That’s encouraging that the fit can be fixed

thanks

 

[Goldwing]

The picture they use for the Maverick is not accurate, showing some other model and grip

 

[the_phew]

May be able to inlet it more to get a better fit depending on how thick it is inundated the grip areea

It looks like it, but to keep that surface flat enough, the inletting probably needs to be done on a mill. So I'll probably just shove a black shim in that gap and try to forget about it. 

The picture they use for the Maverick is not accurate, showing some other model and grip

That's an Impact in the pictures; I guess these are so new they don't have Maverick pics up yet. I was under no illusion that the Maverick grip would have a beavertail, since there is no space for a beavertail on the Maverick anyway. The way the chassis extends under the plenum on the Maverick (combined with saving $500 and preferring the smaller mags) is the main reason I picked the Maverick over the Impact. The only thing I don't love about the Maverick is that dorky safety position. 

 

[dan_house]

Looks good... 



A good ergonomic grip will help you be more accurate and comfortabel shooting the gun. and that grip looks like both. Way cool

 

[the_phew]

@Goldwing I can't reply to your PM until I post for the 5th time (i.e. this post, ha)

-It's a UTG 'Recon' bipod, which is fine for the $60 I paid for it, but I have my eye on an 'MDT CKYE-POD GEN2' bipod for the obscene sum of $600 if I ever want to set my money on fire.

-Yes, Saber Tactical bottle clamp adapter. It's good for the bench, but if I was hunting in the woods I don't think I'd want to be slamming my bipod on the ground supported only by the bottle. They don't seem to be very popular, maybe for this reason? I like the minimalist look/weight compared to a rail extension, though. 

 

[Goldwing]

@Goldwing I can't reply to your PM until I post for the 5th time (i.e. this post, ha)

-It's a UTG 'Recon' bipod, which is fine for the $60 I paid for it, but I have my eye on an 'MDT CKYE-POD GEN2' bipod for the obscene sum of $600 if I ever want to set my money on fire.

-Yes, Saber Tactical bottle clamp adapter. It's good for the bench, but if I was hunting in the woods I don't think I'd want to be slamming my bipod on the ground supported only by the bottle. They don't seem to be very popular, maybe for this reason? I like the minimalist look/weight compared to a rail extension, though.

For a new member like myself, you already know what your doing

Welcome and thank you for the info on your Maverick