My last 5 months dealing with PCP addiction (& .22 FX Impact first impressions)

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yenniedn

yenniedn

Member
Aug 9, 2015
2,673
1,232
Northern CA, United States
Hello AGN, 

I just took delivery of a black FX Impact .22 this morning and (honestly, no joke) I'm done for the year. I don't see anything else to buy out there at this time and there aren't enough squirrels within a 100yd radius of me to justify adding anymore fire rifles. As of this past July, I had a .22 Cricket Standard in walnut and a .25 Edgun R3 single shot - and that's all I ever needed; in fact the Edgun was the only rifle that I ever shot. Since completely revamping my "collection" these last few months, and up until picking up the Impact this morning, the Vulcan had easily won out as the go-to rifle over everything else. The Colibris are sweet but finicky; the silver one is pretty money - but it's silver. The black one has a slow leak and needs to be sent out for repair so it hasn't earned a place in the starting lineup. The AirWolf is a thing of beauty but too long compared to the rest and doesn't get much use. The once trusty Edgun was just upgraded to a newer R3M multi-shot but is now, sadly, the neglected stepchild and hasn't fired a pellet since early summer. 

The Impact, not necessarily due to the novelty of being the newest to the group, is actually the most interesting rifle of all. I kept telling myself that I wasn't going to get it until well into next year after the initial early adopters got theirs and reported and (hopefully) worked through any issues that are likely inevitable with a brand new platform. I (still) have a deposit for a .25 silver Impact w/ AofA and that was fine b/c I figured I wouldn't actually see it from them until next Spring. But hell, who am I kidding - the very first Impact that popped up on the Classifieds that wasn't marked up over MSRP, I snagged right away . . . and am pretty glad I did. I just assembled the rifle, scoped/zeroed it, and have the following first impressions: 

PROS:
  • very cool, innovative design, very well built. Feels solid in your hands; no flimsy parts.
  • really simple to assemble/take apart.
  • my .22 barrel aligns perfectly and doesn't have alignment issues as brought up by Ernest in his review.
  • very ergonomical for a bottle gun, super easy to adjust everything, and grip is very nice and comfy.
  • surprisingly light - fully loaded w/ full mag, Bushnell 6500 16x, and Atlas PSR it weighs in at 9lbs 10.6oz.
  • I was shocked at how much a difference extending the shroud made! The rifle is 30" with the shroud retracted and 32.5" with it fully extended so I didn't think sliding it out 2.5" was going to make much of a difference at all. I was wrong. This .22 is LOUD with the shroud retracted but very pleasantly quiet with it extended - well worth adding the extra 2.5" in length (and quickly retracted when not needed) . . .superb design and surprisingly effective!
  • it only took me about 5 shots to get this thing sighted in and accuracy seems very good in brief testing. Rifle seems to be shooting a little hot for my preference but haven't had time to break out the chrony yet.
  • the 18 shot .22 magazine is the largest capacity I've ever owned, which is pretty sweet. I haven't owned an FX rifle since selling off my multiple Royales, Monsoons, etc. several years ago - so I forget that loading their mags is a bit of a chore. Definitely not as easy as the Kalibrgun or Edgun mags but not annoying enough that I won't get re-accustomed to it in short order. 
CONS:
  • my main/only complaint initially is how stupid the foster fitting opening is at the fill nipple. If you use the FX supplied fitting, it fits fine - but mine was leaking when I tried to fill it so I used my normal one on my tank, which BARELY fits into the opening. The opening at the fill nipple is so small and deep that you cannot access the knurled quick release ring to disengage the fitting from the rifle. Even with needle nose pliers it was very hard to do so it took me several minutes just trying to wedge my fingernails in there to pry the thing out. Would it have been so hard for FX just to make that opening bigger and/or a little shallower to prevent this? Luckily, that piece is attached by four allen bolts and can potentially be easily replaced should FX or some modder make an improved part. 

BOTTOM LINE: very nicely done on the Impact, FX! I'm impressed so far.

Here is some PCP pic for those interested. This set should hold me over well into 2016. I'm not buying any other rifles. I'm not. Really! 





 
"Tominco"That is a really cool setup of rifles to choose from! 
Done for the year, eh? So... You promise not to buy any more PCP's in the next 16 days? LOL! ;) 
Thanks for sharing! 
Happy Shooting!
Tom
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LOL - thanks and that's not exactly what I meant but it's also likely a Freudian slip. I don't anticipate buying anything else until next summer, which is typically when the PCP itch surfaces. Although, the gen 2 Lelya looks really interesting! ;)

And btw, Tominco, a lot of my interest in the Impact was the result of your videos - so thanks for those, very nicely done. You should actually subsidize half the cost of this purchase because you're at least half responsible for it.
 
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You have to be impressed by FX for the innovation they bring to air guns. Out of all the manufacturers, they are the ones who a really seem to listen to their customers. 

To me the FX Impact looks like the air gun that many of us have been asking for. A short light-weight bullpup with the ability to change calibers easily. A side lever that is in a place you can actually reach. A tigger that isn't ruined by a traveling rod. A modular design that allows users to customize it just like the popular AR platform. I don't know if you would call this innovation or common sense but I like it. 

If it was priced liked the FX Wildcat, I would call it a home run. At $1900 without any additional calibers, I am slightly less excited by it (but still pretty excited). I am curious to see how it performs in 25 and 30 cal. I have lost all interest in 22 recently. 

I mostly like it's modern tactical look but the large exposed air bottle looks a little odd. They would benefit from a handguard to cover ithe bottle and the gap under the barrel. It would make it look more like an AR15 and less like a water pistol. 

FX's main weakness in the American market right now is their deal with Airguns of Arizona. It's time they found a reputable distributor and fixed their supply issues. The long waiting lists and vague answers on when they will be available is getting old. AOA are known for terrible customer service and as a supplier to avoid unless they are the exclusive supplier of something you want. 

Perhaps they should set up a manufacturing capability over here to supply the Americas. The price of FX guns in their native Sweden looks far more reasonable that here and the American market is large enough to justify it. I don't mind paying a fair price to FX but AOA's excessive markup is money wasted.


I kinda want a gun that looks like this to be semi-auto. It looks like it should be. FX already has the gas tube semi-auto design from the Revolution. I think a semi auto upgrade is appropriate! 
 
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Nice collection! I definitely like the black Impact more than the black & silver one. You think your supply issues are bad in the states...I'm in South Africa and I've been waiting for MONTHS for my Impact to arrive. Apparently, because there are so many orders from the US, the factory can't keep up and the first shipment to South Africa will only arrive in early Feb. I am growing very impatient!

I have had a Cricket, a Colibri and a Wildcat (on loan), but I'm looking forward to adding toe Impact to my "permanent" collection:)
 
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"1kshooter"WOW!!!....that is all I got haha ....amazing assortment of fine arms ...not going to lie I sat here like a kid and played the ok if you could have two what would they be lol
congrats Jonathan
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Thanks, Jonathan. If I were to reduce the group down to just two, as of right now, I'd keep the Vulcan in .25 and the Impact with a .22 and .25 barrel.
 
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"Matt_Dubber"Nice collection! I definitely like the black Impact more than the black & silver one. You think your supply issues are bad in the states...I'm in South Africa and I've been waiting for MONTHS for my Impact to arrive. Apparently, because there are so many orders from the US, the factory can't keep up and the first shipment to South Africa will only arrive in early Feb. I am growing very impatient!

I have had a Cricket, a Colibri and a Wildcat (on loan), but I'm looking forward to adding toe Impact to my "permanent" collection:)
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Thanks, Matt. I kind of feel your pain - my other hobbies include golf and computers and I've sold off many items to folks in places like Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa where you guys have to pay a premium price even for second-hand items because supply is low. On the flip side, it's the same thing for me when I try to buy many handguns here in CA since we have so many restrictions and any "off-roster" models can end up costing me 150% of what others pay in other states.
 
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"jfrazier30"Please tell me, how does the Impact sound compare to the Vulcan ???
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Can't really make a fair comparison b/c the Vulcan is a .25 and the Impact (currently) is in .22. I do plan on adding a .25 barrel for the Impact down the line but not yet. As you know, the Vulcan's twang (even with grommet or other dampening mod applied) is what generates most of the noise the shooter hears. The Impact does not have any of that twang. With the shroud retracted, I'd compare it to an unmoderated AA S410 in .22, but fully slide out the shroud and I'd say that the sound compares very much to my .22 AirWolf MCT w/ Hugget. I have the MCT on the lower power setting and have only shot the Impact thus far on MAX power so I'd say the Impact (with shroud extended) is slightly louder on those specific settings but likely the same or quieter with power dialed down.
 
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"zebra"You have to be impressed by FX for the innovation they bring to air guns. Out of all the manufacturers, they are the ones who a really seem to listen to their customers. 

To me the FX Impact looks like the air gun that many of us have been asking for. A short light-weight bullpup with the ability to change calibers easily. A side lever that is in a place you can actually reach. A tigger that isn't ruined by a traveling rod. A modular design that allows users to customize it just like the popular AR platform. I don't know if you would call this innovation or common sense but I like it. 

If it was priced liked the FX Wildcat, I would call it a home run. At $1900 without any additional calibers, I am slightly less excited by it (but still pretty excited). I am curious to see how it performs in 25 and 30 cal. I have lost all interest in 22 recently. 

I mostly like it's modern tactical look but the large exposed air bottle looks a little odd. They would benefit from a handguard to cover ithe bottle and the gap under the barrel. It would make it look more like an AR15 and less like a water pistol. 

FX's main weakness in the American market right now is their deal with Airguns of Arizona. It's time they found a reputable distributor and fixed their supply issues. The long waiting lists and vague answers on when they will be available is getting old. AOA are known for terrible customer service and as a supplier to avoid unless they are the exclusive supplier of something you want. 

Perhaps they should set up a manufacturing capability over here to supply the Americas. The price of FX guns in their native Sweden looks far more reasonable that here and the American market is large enough to justify it. I don't mind paying a fair price to FX but AOA's excessive markup is money wasted.


I kinda want a gun that looks like this to be semi-auto. It looks like it should be. FX already has the gas tube semi-auto design from the Revolution. I think a semi auto upgrade is appropriate! 

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I agree with many of your points but not all...

Generally speaking, I prefer the .25 caliber over everything else but do want to have a .22 available b/c they're quieter, use less air, cheaper ammo, etc. But as of right now, I have only 2 x .25's (and one of them (the Edgun) gets NO use at all) but have 4 x .22's. That's the beauty of the Impact, I can quickly & easily add a .25 barrel without having to be a professional gunsmith. Now whether the $400-$500 (plus magazine) price for another barrel/probe set is justifying, that's another story. I think $200-$300 is reasonable, current MSRP seems high.

The side lever on the Impact is one of the best I've seen. I HATED the lever on my previous .22 Cricket - it felt so flimsy/crickety (not sure if I just made up that word or not) that it felt like I could potentially break it off if I was careless in cocking it. The FX side lever is very rugged and feels solid in use; even seems over-engineered to an extent.

Other points: I don't mind the bottle as I already have something similar in with the AirWolf. You can't argue with the shot count it provides - plus, be thankful that FX went with the CF bottle instead of the aluminum/steel one. I saved about 1lb upgrading the OEM bottle on the AirWolf to the CF one. And as far semi-auto, it's over-rated. I had several FX Monsoons and they were cool/novel at first but that quickly wore off as I don't shoot in such a way that needs a semi-auto rifle. People say that want it for those quick follow up shots - I call BS and just say aim better on the first one.

Edit: and the whole AofA topic, we might as well just discuss gun control, religion, and politics in general if we're going to talk about AofA b/c that seems to be a very polarizing topic on any airgun forum.
 
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I have no issue with a large carbon fiber air reservoir. I want that. I just think it would look better it is was covered with a hand guard. I think the same when I see a large bottle upfront on the Daystate too. In fact, it looks even worse on the Daystate because it contrasts badly with their traditional walnut stocks. Also, I prefer to hold a hand-guard grip instead of the air bottle. It's not a big deal. It wouldn't stop me buying an Impact. Just a preference for the aesthetics.

An aftermarket handguard could easily be added (with some weaver rails). I like to mount accesories there which is hard if you just have an exposed bottle to work with. If you take a look at the Parker Hale Pheonix, you'll see an example of how a bottle can be incorporated without spoiling the aesthetics of the gun. I could easily make a handguard myself out of fiberglass if I bought an Impact.

I like the look of everything else on the Impact. I particularly like minimalist stock design. I have often wondered why other airgun stocks are so bulky given that there is no recoil. The Pulsar, for example, has so much unnecessary bulk and weight that they completely missed the point of a bullpup. FX obviously gets what bullpups are about. 

I know that semi-auto isn't strictly necessary but it is definitely useful. Obviously the best thing is to take out your game with one shot so you don't need a follow--up but, things happen that are beyond your control. A bad pellet can cause a flyer. The animal can move as you take your shot. Maybe you want to shoot two squirrels and you don't want the other one to escape while you cock the side-lever....

I am probably in the minority on this but I am not a fan of side-levers in general and I think they are wrong for bullpups. If done right, under-lever or pump actions have obvious advantages. They are much faster and they are ambidextrous for starters. With the way FX make semi-auto actions, there is no real down-side to them. I wouldn't want an electric action like the Evanix Max. I would see charging a battery as a downside but if I pay $1900 for an Airgun, I want it to cock itself or I want something to justify the price tag and it has to be more than "it's cool". i could tell the wife that we needed a semi-auto .30 for home defence, for example. 

It is known that FX use the same barrel for all models so it probably won't be more accurate than any of it's other regulated guns. The Impact is made of mostly synthetic materials so you're not paying for hand-crafted walnut etc. Additional calibers cost extra so that's not in the $1900. I wonder how much they cost in Sweden vs what AOA is marking them up by.

I also own both 22 and 25 caliber guns. The reason I am phasing out my 22's is that my .25 Cricket is quiet enough to use in my back yard. I have tested it and the noise doesn't seem to cause any concern to people walking past my house or my neighbors. I go through a lot of pellets and I find it easier to buy one caliber in bulk to use for all my guns. 90% of my use is for hunting and I find 25 caliber to be noticeably more effective and forgiving. The only gun I ever touch other than the Cricket is my Career 707 .25 these days (for when I am in Wild West kind of mood).

How easy is it to change caliber on the Impact? I am trying to decide if I would ever use that feature or if it is too much hassle to change regularly. I really liked the idea of buying a .25 Impact with a .30 as an option but I want to wait to see some reviews and find out if it's worth it. The MK1 Bobcat had a bunch of problems and I don't have the patience to deal with AOA while trying to fix early issues. 

I hope to see a YouTube review of all calibers. I am interested in a comparative sound test using the same sound meter to tell us how much the noise increases as you go up in caliber. It would be great if that same reviewer did a direct comparison to the Wildcat too. 
 
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"zebra"I have no issue with a large carbon fiber air reservoir. I want that. I just think it would look better it is was covered with a hand guard. I think the same when I see a large bottle upfront on the Daystate too. In fact, it looks even worse on the Daystate because it contrasts badly with their traditional walnut stocks. Also, I prefer to hold a hand-guard grip instead of the air bottle. It's not a big deal. It wouldn't stop me buying an Impact. Just a preference for the aesthetics.

An aftermarket handguard could easily be added (with some weaver rails). I like to mount accesories there which is hard if you just have an exposed bottle to work with. If you take a look at the Parker Hale Pheonix, you'll see an example of how a bottle can be incorporated without spoiling the aesthetics of the gun. I could easily make a handguard myself out of fiberglass if I bought an Impact.

I like the look of everything else on the Impact. I particularly like minimalist stock design. I have often wondered why other airgun stocks are so bulky given that there is no recoil. The Pulsar, for example, has so much unnecessary bulk and weight that they completely missed the point of a bullpup. FX obviously gets what bullpups are about. 

I know that semi-auto isn't strictly necessary but it is definitely useful. Obviously the best thing is to take out your game with one shot so you don't need a follow--up but, things happen that are beyond your control. A bad pellet can cause a flyer. The animal can move as you take your shot. Maybe you want to shoot two squirrels and you don't want the other one to escape while you cock the side-lever....

I am probably in the minority on this but I am not a fan of side-levers in general and I think they are wrong for bullpups. If done right, under-lever or pump actions have obvious advantages. They are much faster and they are ambidextrous for starters. With the way FX make semi-auto actions, there is no real down-side to them. I wouldn't want an electric action like the Evanix Max. I would see charging a battery as a downside but if I pay $1900 for an Airgun, I want it to cock itself or I want something to justify the price tag and it has to be more than "it's cool". i could tell the wife that we needed a semi-auto .30 for home defence, for example. 

It is known that FX use the same barrel for all models so it probably won't be more accurate than any of it's other regulated guns. The Impact is made of mostly synthetic materials so you're not paying for hand-crafted walnut etc. Additional calibers cost extra so that's not in the $1900. I wonder how much they cost in Sweden vs what AOA is marking them up by.

I also own both 22 and 25 caliber guns. The reason I am phasing out my 22's is that my .25 Cricket is quiet enough to use in my back yard. I have tested it and the noise doesn't seem to cause any concern to people walking past my house or my neighbors. I go through a lot of pellets and I find it easier to buy one caliber in bulk to use for all my guns. 90% of my use is for hunting and I find 25 caliber to be noticeably more effective and forgiving. The only gun I ever touch other than the Cricket is my Career 707 .25 these days (for when I am in Wild West kind of mood).

How easy is it to change caliber on the Impact? I am trying to decide if I would ever use that feature or if it is too much hassle to change regularly. I really liked the idea of buying a .25 Impact with a .30 as an option but I want to wait to see some reviews and find out if it's worth it. The MK1 Bobcat had a bunch of problems and I don't have the patience to deal with AOA while trying to fix early issues. 

I hope to see a YouTube review of all calibers. I am interested in a comparative sound test using the same sound meter to tell us how much the noise increases as you go up in caliber. It would be great if that same reviewer did a direct comparison to the Wildcat too.
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The CF bottle isn't pretty any way you look at it so perhaps a longer cylindrical tube with a smaller diameter would help the aesthetics some - but maybe it was just easier to use the CF bottle since those already exist and no new part had to be developed and made? As is, I prefer the futuristic look of the Impact versus trying to maintain a more traditional look like that Phoenix.

The other nagging concern I had with the semi-auto on the Monsoon (or any semi-auto) was that there were more parts for things to eventually go wrong. That added to my reasons to move on from that platform. Also notice that I have the two Colibri Hummingbirds - which were originally intended to be semi-auto and look how that turned out for them (and me). It's not something that airgun manufacturers can seem to get right and/or there just isn't enough interest to make it viable (otherwise the Monsoon and Revolution models would be more popular).

I haven't fully changed calibers on this Impact because I only have the .22 barrel and probe. I did assemble the rifle upon delivery, which is most of the same work as would be needed to change the caliber (only other thing needed would be swapping out the probe). Inserting the barrel and locking it down was a piece a cake so even adding in the time/effort to change the probe, I'd say changing the caliber is a very simple task - there are several videos already on YouTube showing exactly what is involved.
 
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Hello, my name is Joe and i'm an airgun addict, i've only been using about 24 months now. I started off with the easy stuff at first like most, air soft, then moved to a .177 springer but just wasn't enough, so went dark with a s510 which eased that itch for sometime, but the dark side is alway there calling for more. So went deeper and got a .22 Cricket and I thought I was in heaven, poop i probably was for some time. Now the yearning is growing again and i feel like a .25 wildcat or impact is the only thing that will satisfy that thirst. So again, I say to you guys, "hello my name is Joe and i'm an airgun addict". LOL
 
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"Ginuwine1969"Hello, my name is Joe and i'm an airgun addict, i've only been using about 24 months now. I started off with the easy stuff at first like most, air soft, then moved to a .177 springer but just wasn't enough, so went dark with a s510 which eased that itch for sometime, but the dark side is alway there calling for more. So went deeper and got a .22 Cricket and I thought I was in heaven, poop i probably was for some time. Now the yearning is growing again and i feel like a .25 wildcat or impact is the only thing that will satisfy that thirst. So again, I say to you guys, "hello my name is Joe and i'm an airgun addict". LOL
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I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have a problem. I can stop anytime I want. No, really!
 
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