New to airguns questions, FX M3

[Azhunter81]

Hey everyone, I just purchased my first PCP. I got the FX Impact M3 .22 700mm and a heavy slug liner and a bunch of the JSB .216 25.4gr slugs. So far I’m having a blast messing around with this airgun but I’ve got a few questions hopefully you guys can help a new guy out with.

I’ve noticed a lot of matches don’t allow slugs in some divisions so my first question is can I shoot pellets through a FX Heavy liner or should I switch it back to the factory one when I want to shoot pellets?

It seems that in every video I’ve watched about tuning they only ever talk about fps and not really group size. Coming from a PRS and center fire background these airguns are new to me but are you tuning for speed or accuracy? Or are those one in the same?

I am having a hard time finding out what distance to tune the slugs at? I’ve got a range in the backyard that’s 35 yards but have access to a 150 yard range about a hour away. Does a tune that shoots great at 35 tend to shoot good at 100? Should I expect my tuning work at 35 to correlate to 100?

Favorite slug/pellet in .22? I’ve decided I’ll just go wild and buy a bunch of different slugs and pellets to see what my gun likes the best.

When tuning when is enough, enough? How accurate are these? I’ve got PRS rifles that shoot under quarter inch groups at 100yards not that I’m expecting that but is a 1” group good or bad at 100? What is a average and great group at 35yd 50yd and 100yd?

I’ve got the rifle shooting pretty good right now but the tinkering is never done. I’ve noticed I’ll have a few shots in a row that are stacking holes (35yards) but then I’ll have a flyer 1” away then a few more solid groups. I’ll then take a break for a little and when I come back to shoot some more the groups are opening up big time compared to what they were 20 mins ago. Is that saying the tuning isn’t right yet or any ideas? I’m assuming it’s not human error just because pulling a shot 1” away at 35 yards when I feel perfect seems odd.

Thank you for any help you guys can offer, if anyone is in Arizona and would be willing to take a new guy under their wing and teach me the in’s and outs of airguns I’d be grateful.

 

[LDP]

Try pellets thru the slug liner and see if they shoot good. The slug liner is the same as the pellet liner except for twist rate. The slug liner has a faster twist rate for stabilizing slugs.

When I buy a new airrifle or retune one of my rifles I have a window of fpe that I want the rifle to shoot. I adjust the tune for the best accuracy in that window. If I cant get a tune that gives me the best accuracy then I keep tuning to see where the rifle will shoot best. I have never had an issue getting top accuracy at the fpe I wanted/needed.

Just like your centerfire rifles that load may shoot good at 100 yds but fall apart at farther distances. So always test accuracy at the furthest distance you plan on shooting.

I have experienced the same thing with slugs that you have mentioned. I might get 2 or 3 all in a hole or a very small group and one or two that gets tossed 1" or so away. I ran the fx hybrid slugs thru a stability calculator using the twist rate of the superior pellet/ light slug liners twist and it shows them to not be stabilized. I believe thats why I get flyers no matter the velocity or tune I use even tho the liners suppose to work with light slugs. The faster twist of the slug liner showed the hybrid slugs as being stabilized and the jsb knock outs. I might get a slug liner at some point for my m3 but I dont think they have the slug game completely figured out yet if you want consistent 3/4 moa or better. I think the best setup is with the tensioned kit with the heavy slug liner. Watching videos of people shooting slugs even with that setup shows flyers still present when they show more than just cherry picked groups or shots.

 

[douger]

slug liner shoots pellets well also

 

[hawkeye69]

Welcome to the site, I live in AZ. too. I've been shooting air rifles for years and I just added an M3 to my collection. Tuning can be a time consuming process; with the Impact it's a balancing act as well. But when you get it right, it's very rewarding.
I can't offer any advice on slugs, I don't shoot them at this point, but maybe some day.

 

[The Codger]

I don't have the experience to tell you what you should and should not do.

Watching South African Matt Dubber videos on YT with his target rich surroundings is where the hook was really set deep on getting an Impact M3
He could use calibers other than the 22 but he mentioned in one video that anything over 22 would require some paper work so it's the 22 for him.
Slugs appear to be his favorite tool based on reliable and ethical stopping power.
His YT Channel >>>HERE<<<. I think could provide a few gems of info for you. His Hyrax (Dassie) hunts are some of my favorites

The FX Air Rifles appealed to my eye and holding one sealed the deal it just required a few hours on the road because I have zero dealers near me. I picked up a .30 the same day I made my drive and recently purchased a .25 barrel kit for this fall.

Good luck
TC