FX Opinions On Possible PCP Build/Specs

Contact Martin at https://www.airguns-usa.com/ tell him what you need. Youll be better off and cheaper.
That would be a great way to go. Maybe in 25 cal set up for 34 gr JSB in the 925-950 range. I'm not a 30 cal guy but that's an option too. The thing about Theoben Rapid/Raw platform is that you can fix it or make upgrades on your own. Simplest air gun with the least about of o-rings and parts. Martin will set it up and stick with one recipe.
 
i've heard that regulated guns sometimes have an issue with the first shot being off-center. I don't know how real that issue is. It seems to me in a situation where you're taking a shot at very skittish small animals from a fair distance (and then waiting some time for them to re-emerge), having that first shot be predictable would be critical. Since you're not shooting for groups on paper, the regulator may not be particularly important and going for a simple, accurate unregulated gun might serve you better. Could save a lot of $ and also end up with a simple, easy to service airgun. Seems like FX is kind of the Audi of the airgun world...

I am sharing what I have read here, not speaking for my own shooting experience.
 
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The whole nature of this thread kind of changed when you included the backround information. You have been using a top of the line FX, you really liked it, you called Utah airguns spcifically looking for a high end airgun. So, you are not worried about the money, you know that you really like airguns. You already have an Arken scope, so you know what decent turrets are and what FFP/SFP is.You are already in the rabbit hole. You eluded to the fact that you liked the DRS Pro better than the Impact because it doesn't have so many adjustments. Lastly you mentioned that you didn't want to buy something that you would feel the need to upgrade in a few years. I don't know you, but I know that everyone that I do know, that considers to buy top tier stuff, in any hobby they are involved in, is never content when the new better stuff arrives. The good thing about FX is that there will be an upgrade path, road, super highway. All the other brands, less so. There is a lot to consider with the brands and platforms that hinge more on your personality than anything else, and what you find important. If you just want a premium airgun that is simple and robust to the extreme, you should look at the American Air Arms Evol/Paradigm too.

Caliber, these days, with bespoke guns doesn't matter much unless limited by law. Same concerns, safety, economy, effeciency, precision, availability, legality, lethality. What people are doing with .177 slugs lately is pretty amazing.

The really hard advice to give, is whether to use slugs or pellets. To be clear, I don't own an FX, but I would, if I was going to be building a slug gun, today, with what is available right now. Simply because there are a lot of options to get it right, if it doesn't show up that way. You want a gun for ground squirrels, so shooting up isn't such a concern, and you will be shooting mostly further than 80y, so yeah slugs. A dedicated slug gun will most likely be a one trick pony, but if it is a good trick and you are fine with that you're aces. Slugs can be tough though, and problematic, with supply or design changes or barrel maintenance, but mostly just finding the right one. Pellets are pretty easy by comparison, and for all intents and purposes just as good or better to 100y if you get the wind right. Shooting pellets will give you a lot more choices on which gun to get for sure.
Finding and shooting a great slug is awesome because it is still rare, at least it seems to be from all the posts on this forum. For pure pleasure and best all around shootability my totally biased favorite projectile is the .25 33.95gr JSB. Opinions vary.

Happy hunting!
 
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Even though the OP seems to have vanished, I noticed a comment on FX hate. It’s not about hate, I have a bunch of FX guns. What it’s about is expectations and ease of consistency. This is mainly pointed at guys who haven’t been into airguns for many years, the firearm guy. When you are used to that kind of repeatability when you grab your trusty firearm, a FX Impact will kick you in the bean bag. Not if because I promise you it will. Now let’s say you buy an AAA, RAW or a Uragan. You set it or have a guy at certain dealers set it up for you for the projectile you want. You’re done. That gun is never or is very very unlikely to ever throw you a curveball. It will be as close to firearm like as you can get in this hobby.

It’s not about bad choices with top tier airguns. It’s about making better choices to save yourself aggravation. I’ve had a ton of FX Impacts because I embraced the aggravation of trying to make them more tank like. But I had plenty of other tank boringly accurate and consistent guns to shoot while the Impacts were under the knife.
 
The whole nature of this thread kind of changed when you included the backround information. You have been using a top of the line FX, you really liked it, you called Utah airguns spcifically looking for a high end airgun. So, you are not worried about the money, you know that you really like airguns. You already have an Arken scope, so you know what decent turrets are and what FFP/SFP is.You are already in the rabbit hole. You eluded to the fact that you liked the DRS Pro better than the Impact because it doesn't have so many adjustments. Lastly you mentioned that you didn't want to buy something that you would feel the need to upgrade in a few years. I don't know you, but I know that everyone that I do know, that considers to buy top tier stuff, in any hobby they are involved in, is never content when the new better stuff arrives. The good thing about FX is that there will be an upgrade path, road, super highway. All the other brands, less so. There is a lot to consider with the brands and platforms that hinge more on your personality than anything else, and what you find important. If you just want a premium airgun that is simple and robust to the extreme, you should look at the American Air Arms Evol/Paradigm too.

Caliber, these days, with bespoke guns doesn't matter much unless limited by law. Same concerns, safety, economy, effeciency, precision, availability, legality, lethality. What people are doing with .177 slugs lately is pretty amazing.

The really hard advice to give, is whether to use slugs or pellets. To be clear, I don't own an FX, but I would, if I was going to be building a slug gun, today, with what is available right now. Simply because there are a lot of options to get it right, if it doesn't show up that way. You want a gun for ground squirrels, so shooting up isn't such a concern, and you will be shooting mostly further than 80y, so yeah slugs. A dedicated slug gun will most likely be a one trick pony, but if it is a good trick and you are fine with that you're aces. Slugs can be tough though, and problematic, with supply or design changes or barrel maintenance, but mostly just finding the right one. Pellets are pretty easy by comparison, and for all intents and purposes just as good or better to 100y if you get the wind right. Shooting pellets will give you a lot more choices on which gun to get for sure.
Finding and shooting a great slug is awesome because it is still rare, at least it seems to be from all the posts on this forum. For pure pleasure and best all around shootability my totally biased favorite projectile is the .25 33.95gr JSB. Opinions vary.

Happy hunting!
Ahh, my bad, I wasn’t trying to add any confusion. Re-read my second post if you have a moment. My brother in law got the Panthera, not me. I’ve never gone hunting with a PCP before (I use a pellet gun when my dogs chase or spot a red squirrel up in a tree, but not a PCP). He moved to Idaho now so I don’t think I’ll get a chance with his for a long while. However I do have some friends with PCP’s and am planning to meet with them once harvest calms down a bit so I can try theirs out. They have also spoken highly of FX so that’s why I was looking at them the most.

I like what I’ve seen about the DRS Pro from online vids, but I have yet to shoot any FX. I will definitely check out those other brands that you mentioned! And just to your point about many people never being content, I totally get what you mean. I would say that I pride myself in being different in that regard. But I don’t want to bore everyone with a long explanation of how or why.

Thanks for the additional recommendations! I’ll look them up today.
 
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Dr. F,
Hi, new guy here, and enjoying the guys and info. on this forum.
I'm new to this stuff and bought an Impact M3 Sniper version in .22 a few months ago. I have it set up for slugs with lots of additions to maximize my CA ground squirrel hunts. I chose the M3 because I have almost always tinkered and modified every machine or gun that I have, I knew there could be a lot of adjusting on the Impact and still I am trying different slugs and tunes. Still a lot to learn and know it will take time, but it is shooting OK.
If you are near Monterey County area you are welcome to try the Impact and maybe even go out to one of the locations with me. Not sure how to receive PMs yet, I'm new to this site and not too good at this tech stuff.
 
Even though the OP seems to have vanished, I noticed a comment on FX hate. It’s not about hate, I have a bunch of FX guns. What it’s about is expectations and ease of consistency. This is mainly pointed at guys who haven’t been into airguns for many years, the firearm guy. When you are used to that kind of repeatability when you grab your trusty firearm, a FX Impact will kick you in the bean bag. Not if because I promise you it will. Now let’s say you buy an AAA, RAW or a Uragan. You set it or have a guy at certain dealers set it up for you for the projectile you want. You’re done. That gun is never or is very very unlikely to ever throw you a curveball. It will be as close to firearm like as you can get in this hobby.

It’s not about bad choices with top tier airguns. It’s about making better choices to save yourself aggravation. I’ve had a ton of FX Impacts because I embraced the aggravation of trying to make them more tank like. But I had plenty of other tank boringly accurate and consistent guns to shoot while the Impacts were under the knife.
Nope, I’m still here 👋 I’m liking all the posts I read as I get to them. Just busy with harvest and my other job at the moment so it’s not as much activity on here as I would like.

Yes, that is exactly my main concern. If I’ve been a firearm guy for years and years, are high end precision PCP’s something that will meet my needs for squirrel control or is it just unreasonable for me to expect that?
 
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@Dr. Fumbles, don’t hesitate to PM members here… You will be saved a lot of coin and headaches… Like the Farmer that you are, performing your duties daily. There are PCP brands out there, that get it done on a daily, on demand basis… Am lucky to be in farm country, the farmers I have met have all been practical people. Don’t let your head be spun around by the new to you PCP world. That said am off to take a nap. Will be ratting tonight with my PCP. Good luck in your endeavor…🙏
 
Nope, I’m still here 👋 I’m liking all the posts I read as I get to them. Just busy with harvest and my other job at the moment so it’s not as much activity on here as I would like.

Yes, that is exactly my main concern. If I’ve been a firearm guy for years and years, are high end precision PCP’s something that will meet my needs for squirrel control or is it just unreasonable for me to expect that?
With the gun they are trying to sell you, yes. Unless you get a .25 and shoot 33.95gr pellets or a .30 and shoot pellets. Then you’ll have a gun that’s pretty stable and almost always accurate. But it’s still more complicated than a pellet gun needs to be. The issues with that gun aren’t found on a YouTube channel or from a dealers mouth. They are discussed on forums. You need to look at guns that there aren’t 5-10 page topics about how to fix it. Jman4183 in this topic is still on his honeymoon. Even bought a backup wife for when his is in the hospital. Do you want to live that PCP life? Or just get a lets say Cricket .30 or Uragan and be done. Taipan guys don’t need backup guns and there are zero topics about POI or slow first shot issues. You can treat an Eastern European gun like a firearm. You can probably treat a DRS or Panthera like one too. Not advisable with an Impact.
 
No FX hate I just think when they come out of the box the Epoch seemed to be better outfitted and the finish and adjustments better and easier to use on the Epoch the FX is an excellent gun and I hate to say it but holds a better group which I believe is due to the barrels, hence the reason Epoch is coming out with new barrels. I may just see the bar a little higher because I shoot with the leaders in benchrest right now and look at their accomplishments using the Pantera and RP.
 
No Epoch hate here either. But it’s an electronic Impact. Way more complicated than a guy needs to pick off squirrels or gophers. Most guys who are used to zapping stuff with a sleek firearm aren’t going to be thrilled about the handling of a bloated PCP. That’s the crazy thing about some PCP’s and shooting slugs. Buy the time you get everything on the gun that lets you shoot it well, you have a porker. That’s why it pays to do your homework. Try to find something that fits your needs, no everyone else’s.
 
I have been simply spoiled by my Atomic XR, super light and handy for walking about. And while I do really like my Ghost Carbine, she is a heavy beast in comparison. I am fit, but refused to make a job out of carry my gun… Overwatch positions only with my Ghost… I agree with @Vetmx, some of these PCPs have way too many bolted on doodads. They become as heavy as a crew served gun or a pintle… Just got back from smacking some sparrows with the Ghost. Am going back but with my Pathfinder, lighter and righter for this endeavor…
 
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For the distance you are wanting to shoot, I would concentrate on slugs. That being said, I would stick with Vetmx's advice. Look at the solid barrel Eastern European guns: Airgun Technology, Taipan, AiraMaks Arms, Epic Airguns, Edgun, RTI, Kalibrgun etc...
I have an AGT Vulcan .30 that shoots slugs stupid accurate and is not picky either. It was however designed to be a slug gun from the factory with an unchocked barrel and 135cc plenun.
In your case, I think .25 cal would be perfect for what you are wanting to do. The Epic Airguns and AGT Vulcan 3 are pushing .25 cal into the low 100 fpe range. That is plenty of power with slugs and will save on air over shooting .30 cal. Anything over .30 and you will start to spend more time pumping air than you do shooting.