New to PCP, How often do FX guys tinker vs shoot?

[Reg Creep]

I'm new to PCP. I bought a Gauntlet 2 and got hooked. Now I'm looking at other rifles and FX have caught my eye. I like to tinker. And I like the idea of .25 and .35 as I have a farm with pests and game.

What I'm wondering is, how often are FX guys stuck fiddling with their guns instead of shooting them. I mean I get that the whole point is to fiddle with them, but after fiddling and taking good notes, can one return to previous settings or at least close enough?

And what's all this talk of constant POI shift?

I guess what I'm asking is can I grab the gun and shoot, or do I have to tinker first?

 

[Sp8ctre]

I took a few hours to get mine where I like it and now all I do is shoot it...

Someday I may get a higher caliber barrel and then I'll need to fiddle again.

If you want a gun you can just shoot and not tinker, get a Daystate Huntsman Revere.

My Revere is consistently more accurate than my FX Impact M3. They are both loads of fun though.

 

[7Green]

There are a lot of orings on the fx impacts. I had my gun dialed at one point, but due to my personal nature of loving to tinker, I tore it open again...and again...and again...and again.... I was craving for more and honestly for what I use it for (turkeys, squirrels, and yotes) I really didn't need to. However, it is fun to me and as long as I have time and don't need it right away, I can afford to mess with it. My next adventure may be the western rattler 357 though, due to the power, shot count, and ability to shoot longer slugs.

My Fx is a 357 and I like the caliber, but for accuracy, less slug shooting accuracy issues, and not waiting; the 30 cal may be a better option. The 357 is limited to 93 grain hp nsa's and possibly some 100 grain solids because of the mag depth. 200 fpe is possible, but currenty the barrel whips too much and the liner isn't designed around slugs.

It kind of just depends on your purpose for it. What size game? Target? Etc...

 

[7Green]

Also, if you hand pump and don't have a scba tank or compressor; forget the larger calibers.

 

[douger]

once your guns set up i dont mess with it. unless you caliber change or are playing the slug game i see no reason to mess with it, if its tuned nice accurate leave it

 

[Rodeo]

I bought a used .25 Wildcat mk1 3+ years ago. Never changed a thing on it, never has needed service, and it always shoots to point of aim.
Just got a .25 Maverick sniper and intend to "tinker" to my hearts content with it. When I finally settle on settings for it in .25, then I'm going to try setting it up in a different caliber.
BTW - the settings on my Maverick are pretty darn good right out of the box.

 

[Reg Creep]

I have a small compressor. I can shoot 100 yards off my back porch and have targets and traps set up which can make tuning practical.
As for live targets, I have everything from rats to coyotes. NY won't let me shoot bigger. Too bad, because I got deer coming out my ears (not sure if I get a farming pest exemption to shoot deer with an air rifle, but I'd bet not.



The Maverick looks like a great .25! I lean toward the Impact for the .35 option. I feel like .30 is too big, but not quite big enough.
.25 can be tuned down so I don't have to worry too much about the backstop. Not sure I can do that with a .30.
.35 I hope will allow humane coyote kills at @ 150 yards. Those suckers won't let me get close.

I don't think I mind the .35 being limited to those slug weights. If it shoots straight and true, then there should be more than enough energy at the target.
Is a harmonic balancer a useful tool on an 800mm barrel? Or is it just more weight in a bad place?

I think what I'd like is a light pellet tune and a heavy pellet/slug tune in .25 and just one ass kicking slug tune in .35 that I can put on when I want to.



How much is climate an issue with these guns? I get all four seasons where I live and a fair bit of moisture as well.


Why so much mention of O-rings (in various threads)? Do they wear out that frequently?


Appreciate the great perspectives, thanks!

 

[2L8]

I only "tinker" with my FX's because I want to, not because I have to. Set to the factory setting recommendations shooting the pellet weight it was tuned for should yield very close to the advertised shot count and be very accurate too. Adjust and tinker as you see the need for your pellet/slug shooting style, it should be no more/less work than any other airgun you would consider. Enjoy.

Patrick

 

[bigHUN]

I shoot during day, and usually tinker evening and overnight for next day actions

 

[Chukar60]

I have a Maverick in 25 for shooting pellets. I really like the 25 for pellets. I dialed it in with the first tune and I have never had to tune it again. POI shift? My Maverick rides around in the seat of my truck, out of the case and gets bounced around pretty good on the ranch roads. POI has never shifted after falling from the seat to the floor a half dozen times this year. The scope and the tune have been solid since they were set up.
My M3 600 mm in 22 is for shooting slugs and tinkering. Sort of. I found a tune for Zan 23 gr 218’s that is very accurate and another for H&N 25’s that is almost as accurate. Next I will try the NSA 24.8’s because I have always found NSA’s to shoot well from my FX guns. If the NSA can shoot with the Zans then that tune will stay because the NSA’s are easier to access for me and cheaper. If the Zans stay the best slug, then that tune sticks and I shoot it until some other curiosity tickles my tinker urge.
There is no need to play with an FX gun forever. I have seen people claim guns go out of tune, lose POI etc. I won’t say that others have not had those experiences, it is just that none of those issues have been my experience.

 

[abqjoe]

I shoot way more than I tinker. Once I tune one and throw the goodies on it that I want that's it, I leave it alone and just shoot.

 

[Bigragu]

I'm new to PCP. I bought a Gauntlet 2 and got hooked. Now I'm looking at other rifles and FX have caught my eye. I like to tinker. And I like the idea of .25 and .35 as I have a farm with pests and game.

What I'm wondering is, how often are FX guys stuck fiddling with their guns instead of shooting them. I mean I get that the whole point is to fiddle with them, but after fiddling and taking good notes, can one return to previous settings or at least close enough?

And what's all this talk of constant POI shift?

I guess what I'm asking is can I grab the gun and shoot, or do I have to tinker first?

I wouldn’t say that “ they’re stuck fiddling with it”. Guys that buy FX’s today and keep them typically knew what they were getting into right from the get go. They are probably the same type that get a brand new pickup or mustang and within a year start either modding it or adding bling parts. It’s in their nature, the way they were wired. Trying to get the square peg in the round hole for sure type of folks. Tinkering can be pure enjoyment, but at the same time frustrating, just as trying to break free a hard to reach rusted bolt when swapping in a high performance power steering pump can be. But when it’s done and all is good, it’s a great feeling.

If you’d like to get your first FX but want nothing but to shoot out of the box and not add anything to it, consider buying used, and buy an fx royale, an MK2 wildcat or even a Crown. Great platforms.

If you want a brand new FX without messing with it, that’s ok too, if you stick with the factory tune. But if you have any doubt that you’re just going to leave it alone, and fear for one day it’ll leak(which they will), then maybe try and seek a less complicated platform.

The ones that didn’t seek another platform, and didn’t want to tinker or deal with maintenance, but just had to have an FX, have already long sold off their M3’s, Mavericks, and Wildcat MK3’s. It came on like a big wave, all these platforms bought in the last two years, and we started seeing them being sold off in the last few months to a year.

 

[Keyman62421]

If you want to be happy for the rest of your life, make an ugly woman your wife!
Gauntlet vs impact.
The tinkering is NEVER over!

 

[BackStop]

I'm new to PCP. I bought a Gauntlet 2 and got hooked. Now I'm looking at other rifles and FX have caught my eye. I like to tinker. And I like the idea of .25 and .35 as I have a farm with pests and game.

What I'm wondering is, how often are FX guys stuck fiddling with their guns instead of shooting them. I mean I get that the whole point is to fiddle with them, but after fiddling and taking good notes, can one return to previous settings or at least close enough?

And what's all this talk of constant POI shift?

I guess what I'm asking is can I grab the gun and shoot, or do I have to tinker first?

Well, if you read AGN, GTA and just about any other airgun forum (are there any others?), all you see is FX owners "tinkering" with their guns.

For me? I just want airgun(s) that work much like a hammer. (smile)

Simple, low maintenance, direct and accurate/precise, if I do my part. (grin)

 

[beerthief]

I thought the reason you bought an FX was to tinker more than shoot ? just kidding

 

[BackStop]

I thought the reason you bought an FX was to tinker more than shoot ? just kidding

There is more truth in that statement than you really want to admit... (chuckle)

 

[7Green]

A 30 or 35 can kill a yote at 150 yards. The 30 will be easier to tune for slugs as there are heavy liners and tensioners available and plenty of people with accurate tunes already. I enjoy my 35, but you will put in far more effort trying to get it to shoot slugs good vs. the 30. Accuracy and where you hit the yote is more important than the power in these examples.

 

[ChRiSiS]

If you want to be happy for the rest of your life, make an ugly woman your wife!
Gauntlet vs impact.
The tinkering is NEVER over!

I guess any man who says this publicly either has an absolutely stunningly beautiful wife or you make sure your wife never goes on these forums…

 

[Airgunmann]

That's the way it's supposed to be I tinker with my impact when I want to get were I like it shoot it for awhile and change it if I get the urge it was the same way with my marauder that got me into pcps that's all part of the fun I think I have a raw all set up the way I like it finally also so I can shoot one if one is down while tinkering it's a deep rabbit hole

 

[ChRiSiS]

I own 7 FX rifles. Every single one, without exception, shot great out of the box. Have I tinkered with them? Sure. That’s the beauty of these guns. You can play to your hearts content. But when I change calibers, for example, I dial them in and leave them alone.

I sometimes wonder who all these people are that can’t find an FX rifle that shoots straight out of the box. Amazing that they could be this bad and yet still sell tens of thousands of the guns every year, win competitions, and go out of stock despite ramping up production every year.

Pick the gun you want, buy it and shoot it. Shoot it often. You’ll be happy unless you are extremely unlucky or are one of these guys who are have difficulty being happy.