FX Opinions On Possible PCP Build/Specs

[Dr. Fumbles]

Hey Everyone,

New member here. Looking forward to all the info and knowledge you can offer.

Farmer, California, ground squirrels in our almond and walnut orchards. Squirrels are super skittish and won’t come out at all if I’m any closer than 80-ish yards - no matter how quiet I am, how still I hold, or how long I wait. I currently use a Savage B17 Precision that I love. I’m making fingernail sized groups at 50 yards with it. But it’s super loud and I’m having to wait 20, 30, 40 minutes before another one comes out.

Been looking into PCP air rifles for a while. I need something that is very accurate and consistent at 80 to 100 yards (I understand that wind/weather conditions will be more of a factor). I need something that is super quiet. I need something that I’ll be happy with for a long time without wanting to upgrade to something else in a few years.

I called Utah Airguns and spoke with them. Very helpful and informative. They helped me narrow down my possible considerations to a single build. I wanted to get some opinions from others on the following:

Impact M4 “Sniper” variant (700mm)
.25 cal pellets, 34 grain
Element Theos
Impulse moderator
Backbone and Loki rail added to rife
Bag rider added to rifle

Assuming I do my part on good trigger control, follow through, and shooting posture (on a table or laying prone mostly), and assuming wind is at a minimum or no wind at all, what kind of groups would you expect from a build like that in the 80 to 100 yard range? Should I have it tuned for slugs instead? I’m seeing a lot of conflicting reviews on YouTube on if pellets, hybrids, or slugs are better. Should I do a different caliber or grain? I’m seeing some people say that .30 cal is the way to go.

I appreciate any feedback and insight you all might have for me. I feel like going to air rifles is A LOT to learn. I apologize for any autocorrect errors or mistakes - typing this all up on my phone.

 

[NorCal David]

I cannot answer your question, but there is a YouTube video of a guy using a coin, a quarter I think, and a Gatorade bottle lid to make sounds that bring the squirrels to him, a squirrel call. They also sell squirrel callers. Have not tried it myself since we do not have a squirrel problem here. But the closer they are, the better for you. Hope you like your Airgun.

 

[Stubbers]

The deeper the rabbit hole the steeper the learning curve, and pcp's certainly aren't a jump in, flap your arms and legs and wallah you're swimming/dog paddling.

You'll be better off without (most) youtube videos IMO, 'reviews' are just marketing.

You definitely seem to have been caught up in the YT algorithm!

You'll either grow to love pcp's or hate em, likely no in between. PCP's are very capable of 1-1.5 MOA at 100 yards and sub 1 moa at 80 with the right ammo. The thing about that is you have to shoot and test ammo with YOUR barrel and not assume x, y, or z will work best based on youtube or any opinion here. However JTS/AEA/JSB/H&N are the cream of the crop for pellets, slugs are a different game all together and require a lot of more work/testing, depending on how intense of a person you are, you may enjoy that or not...good luck.

-Matt

 

[Jman4183]

I personally love my Impact .35 cal. Best BC slugs and they buck the wind in any situation. 800mm barrel, I’ve got saber tactical upgrades but air marksman’s are just as good. I do have a 300 bar air tank myself. Those are great. When adding all that stuff on you’ll really want a tripod as well. Those are personal preference. In terms of stealth I have about a million silencers I’ve ordered from everywhere and still the best is the Donny fl Ronin with the expansion chamber. I’m around 93 decibels firing from inside an office upstairs in my house. My wife can’t hear when I shoot it any time of the day or night so it works well for us. With your much larger set up I would seriously consider going .30 or .35 with your impact. Either one has pretty good bc slugs.

 

[Jman4183]

Also, coming from a firearms background you may not know this. Keep your box that your gun came in. Fx has a great warranty but from someone who played paintball all their life I was sort of used to air guns leaking and or ruining your day somehow. This is no different with air rifles. Now it doesn’t stop me from loving to shoot. I just bought an fx drs to use while my impact is waiting on a new part from Fx at the Pellet Shop. To me this is to be expected. I guess one could almost say don’t blow all your money right away and think about a backup as well. I hope this doesn’t make you anxious about pulling the trigger so to speak . They are excellent tools that hold up well, but rubber O rings are rubber o rings. Have fun, I’d say go for that impact in a .30 cal personally. .35 cal stuff has been harder to come by in my experience.

 

[PumaCarl]

I would suggest to someone new to get an anti-double feed airgun like an AirMaks, or original Taipan Veteran. Simple, well built. If you are set on FX get a solid barreled Royal. RapidAirWorx would also be good choice. I wouldn't suggest to a non-swimmer to dive into the deep end of the pool. You can always swim over there later.

 

[Vetmx]

For your situation, there are way better options. I blows my mind why a reputable dealer would recommend that gun. But then it all makes sense. If they sell a new guy almost any other gun than an Impact, there will be no after the sale money to be made. Buy that Impact and you’re married to Utah Airguns. Like Stubbers said, you definitely got caught up in some kind of algorithm. Get a gun with a real barrel, built like a tank and no need for infinite adjustments.

 

[Dairyboy]

As a fellow farmer and one who pests with rifles I definitely wouldn't go a FX Impact for your first gun. Especially with all those add ons and going whole hog. You can get a really good gun for way less money and do just fine for your needs. They're trying to get money out of you. I priced it out and that's a $5800 setup. Outrageous. That's not including anything to fill the damn thing either.

 

[Jman4183]

Man, allot of FX hate going on in this thread. To me they are excellent, incredibly precise machines. The impact is a bit more of a Ferrari granted, it spends some time in the shop. However FX also consistently builds some of the best looking air rifles hands down. Who wants to fight me? Heh, I mean I need to find a gun **** to get full enjoyment out of it. I’m sure people will be different. I do agree I wish FX came out with an anti double feed. I did this which is why it’s in the shop. So easy to do… you’d think it would be an easy fix or aftermarket part. Maybe a ball detent?

 

[CrashKT]

Contact Martin at https://www.airguns-usa.com/ tell him what you need. Youll be better off and cheaper.

 

[Dr. Fumbles]

Oh man, lotta great info here. I really appreciate all the responses and suggestions.

Just a bit more background on how I got to where I’m at now. I didn’t want my first post to be an anthology series so I didn’t include all of this info in the first post.

My brother in law got a Panthera about 2-ish years ago. He’s been extremely happy with that. He recently moved to Idaho so I can’t really spend a lot of time with his rifle unless he brings it back over on his next visit. I do have a few friends with other brands of PCP’s though so I will plan to meet with them and check theirs out before purchasing anything.

I originally was considering the Skout Epoch, Panthera, DRS Pro, and Impact M4. I can absolutely agree with @Stubbers that the YT algorithm is working its magic on me. The person I spoke with at Utah Airguns was actually suggesting a Panthera over the Impact, and I am the one that’s leaning more toward Impact or DRS Pro. I still think I like the DRS Pro since it doesn’t seem like it’s got dozens of adjustments to deal with. I don’t want to make it seem like Utah Airguns was taking advantage of a noob like me, I feel like he was answering the questions I had but I personally was just looking at top shelf stuff. I think @PumaCarl said it best though, no need for a non-swimmer to jump into the deep end first thing.

We’re in the middle of harvest right now, so I’m months away from making a purchase. Between the farm and my other job right now, I’m just too dang busy and want to wait for things to settle down a bit before I make the jump. I got some time to cross shop and compare models and brands. Definitely don’t want to rush into anything.

But please keep the info coming! I really appreciate reading about what caliber and grain you all prefer and why.

 

[Dr. Fumbles]

Also, coming from a firearms background you may not know this. Keep your box that your gun came in. Fx has a great warranty but from someone who played paintball all their life I was sort of used to air guns leaking and or ruining your day somehow. This is no different with air rifles. Now it doesn’t stop me from loving to shoot. I just bought an fx drs to use while my impact is waiting on a new part from Fx at the Pellet Shop. To me this is to be expected. I guess one could almost say don’t blow all your money right away and think about a backup as well. I hope this doesn’t make you anxious about pulling the trigger so to speak . They are excellent tools that hold up well, but rubber O rings are rubber o rings. Have fun, I’d say go for that impact in a .30 cal personally. .35 cal stuff has been harder to come by in my experience.

This is VERY good to know haha. I wasn’t aware that it was that common or normal. I don’t think my brother in law ever mentioned issues with his Panthera but I’ll ask him about it some more. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Dr. Fumbles]

Contact Martin at https://www.airguns-usa.com/ tell him what you need. Youll be better off and cheaper.

I absolutely will reach out to him tomorrow. Thanks!

 

[Gerry52]

Been hunting ground squirrels in California for years now. I use my FX Boss (.30), Royale (.25) or Bobcat (.22). Any one of these will take them down at 100 yards but I prefer the Boss. These are pellet only barrels but that's NEVER been a problem. They're some of the best pellet barrels ever made. Very simple, accurate, low o-ring, low maintenance, high reliability, etc. Check out the Royale platform if you can.

 

[Dr. Fumbles]

Been hunting ground squirrels in California for years now. I use my FX Boss (.30), Royale (.25) or Bobcat (.22). Any one of these will take them down at 100 yards but I prefer the Boss. These are pellet only barrels but that's NEVER been a problem. They're some of the best pellet barrels ever made. Very simple, accurate, low o-ring, low maintenance, high reliability, etc. Check out the Royale platform if you can.

In your experience, which caliber has the flattest trajectory? And how problematic is low wind (say between 2 to 9 mph) with each caliber? Or I guess do you prefer the Boss because it’s a .30 cal, or do you think any other caliber is better?

I’ll definitely check that one out. I appreciate the recommendation.

 

[MongooseV8]

I have a fully built Impact MK2 700mm 25Cal that I use for ground squirrels when they are too far for my smaller pcps. Mine likes Nielsen slugs in the mid 30s grain weights with the Heavy Liner FX sells. It might like heavier slugs too but I havent needed to try any yet. I dont understand why Utah would suggest getting a backbone for the M4 version of the Impact since that is the big thing FX upgraded? The Loki bottom rail is good if you have an ARCA Swiss tripod or something. I think an Impact is a good choice for your intended use. It has plenty of power, not all the other options will perform to that level. It can be wicked accurate, and has the most aftermarket support. That being said they can be finicky and do need some help out of the box. Particularly with the barrel assembly. I had to stiffen up all of our Impacts to prevent/limit poi shifting while hunting. Most Impact owners dont have a lot of leak issues, but any pcp will leak eventually needing diagnosing and repair. If you have several thousand clams laying around to spend on a pcp setup the Impact will do some work for you. Keep in mind you will also need a decent compressor which is another $900+. There is a huge learning curve when going from powder burners to a pcp. Most of this industry wont make sense to you at first, and some of it will never make sense. A lot of the designs and strategies are still in the stone ages and they get 10x more money, so prepare yourself for that lol.

To answer your accuracy question, 2-4moa is what you can expect for slugs in almost any pcp. 1moa is what you can expect a superb pcp to shoot, and less than 1moa is an exceptional pcp. When I say that I mean you have to know what you are doing, and get a good barrel. They seem to be very rare, and most people never see 1moa. I go after ground squirrels mainly, and I have found that wearing clothes that blend in with your environment, and painting your equipment to match makes a big difference. It seems dumb to camo up to hunt ground squirrels but it works. They do get smart to hunters though and are good at communicating to their buddies. We have had the same problem on multiple properties. The more you hunt them the smarter they get, and the further your equipment needs to perform. Right now my 25Cal Impact is good out to about 200yds with a good nut behind the trigger. Mine shoots just under 1moa, and I have a lot of experience. I think most hunters or people starting out could expect to have a 100yd max with my setup. Point being your skill will matter a lot with a pcp, Id say a lot more than when compared to a rimfire.

For the scope I would suggest you pass on the Theos. Its not a bad scope but you can get the same or more scope for a lot less. Id say the Element Helix 4-16x is their best value scope, but I wouldnt suggest that either. Take a look at Arken before you make your final decision. We have several SH4 Gen2 and a few EPL 4 that we use and really like them. The SH4 and EP5 series in particular are great because the turrets are the best in the industry. That becomes really important when dialing a lot, like in longer range pcp hunting. The glass is pretty good too, and the reticle options are perfect for California ground squirrels. I like the 4-16x scopes for the lower tier glass, but the Japanese lenses are even better and will wake up the higher zoom scopes. If money isnt a concern there are other great options like the high end Vortex or Night Force scopes etc.

 

[Dr. Fumbles]

I have a fully built Impact MK2 700mm 25Cal that I use for ground squirrels when they are too far for my smaller pcps. Mine likes Nielsen slugs in the mid 30s grain weights with the Heavy Liner FX sells. It might like heavier slugs too but I havent needed to try any yet. I dont understand why Utah would suggest getting a backbone for the M4 version of the Impact since that is the big thing FX upgraded? The Loki bottom rail is good if you have an ARCA Swiss tripod or something. I think an Impact is a good choice for your intended use. It has plenty of power, not all the other options will perform to that level. It can be wicked accurate, and has the most aftermarket support. That being said they can be finicky and do need some help out of the box. Particularly with the barrel assembly. I had to stiffen up all of our Impacts to prevent/limit poi shifting while hunting. Most Impact owners dont have a lot of leak issues, but any pcp will leak eventually needing diagnosing and repair. If you have several thousand clams laying around to spend on a pcp setup the Impact will do some work for you. Keep in mind you will also need a decent compressor which is another $900+. There is a huge learning curve when going from powder burners to a pcp. Most of this industry wont make sense to you at first, and some of it will never make sense. A lot of the designs and strategies are still in the stone ages and they get 10x more money, so prepare yourself for that lol.

To answer your accuracy question, 2-4moa is what you can expect for slugs in almost any pcp. 1moa is what you can expect a superb pcp to shoot, and less than 1moa is an exceptional pcp. When I say that I mean you have to know what you are doing, and get a good barrel. They seem to be very rare, and most people never see 1moa. I go after ground squirrels mainly, and I have found that wearing clothes that blend in with your environment, and painting your equipment to match makes a big difference. It seems dumb to camo up to hunt ground squirrels but it works. They do get smart to hunters though and are good at communicating to their buddies. We have had the same problem on multiple properties. The more you hunt them the smarter they get, and the further your equipment needs to perform. Right now my 25Cal Impact is good out to about 200yds with a good nut behind the trigger. Mine shoots just under 1moa, and I have a lot of experience. I think most hunters or people starting out could expect to have a 100yd max with my setup. Point being your skill will matter a lot with a pcp, Id say a lot more than when compared to a rimfire.

For the scope I would suggest you pass on the Theos. Its not a bad scope but you can get the same or more scope for a lot less. Id say the Element Helix 4-16x is their best value scope, but I wouldnt suggest that either. Take a look at Arken before you make your final decision. We have several SH4 Gen2 and a few EPL 4 that we use and really like them. The SH4 and EP5 series in particular are great because the turrets are the best in the industry. That becomes really important when dialing a lot, like in longer range pcp hunting. The glass is pretty good too, and the reticle options are perfect for California ground squirrels. I like the 4-16x scopes for the lower tier glass, but the Japanese lenses are even better and will wake up the higher zoom scopes. If money isnt a concern there are other great options like the high end Vortex or Night Force scopes etc.

This is great info. Thank you!

I have an Arken EPL 4 on my .17 HMR right now. I do like that one a lot.

 

[Gerry52]

In your experience, which caliber has the flattest trajectory? And how problematic is low wind (say between 2 to 9 mph) with each caliber? Or I guess do you prefer the Boss because it’s a .30 cal, or do you think any other caliber is better?

I’ll definitely check that one out. I appreciate the recommendation.

I like the .30 for cutting through wind & brush & for hard hitting terminal power. However, I'm not sure if FX is still producing the Boss. That's their .30 of the Royale platform. IF you can find one used grab it! The Royale 500 (.25) is perfectly capable too.

 

[MongooseV8]

In your experience, which caliber has the flattest trajectory? And how problematic is low wind (say between 2 to 9 mph) with each caliber? Or I guess do you prefer the Boss because it’s a .30 cal, or do you think any other caliber is better?

I’ll definitely check that one out. I appreciate the recommendation.

Since you will always be limited by a max useable velocity of about 900-1050fps, this will be directly BC determined. If you pick a pcp that can make enough fpe to max out slugs, the caliber becomes less of an issue since there is a wide variety of BC options. Most modern pcps wont be able to push a slug fast enough to really make a difference in trajectory. All air rifles will have a poor trajectory compared to a rimfire. Keep in mind the bigger you go the more fpe is required, and the more costly ammo is and the more limited options you will have. The sweet spot for most applications is going to be 22 or 25 Cals, but 30 is pretty close. The 35 Cal has the best BC available for most manufacturers.

 

[Friction]

Man, allot of FX hate going on in this thread. To me they are excellent, incredibly precise machines. The impact is a bit more of a Ferrari granted, it spends some time in the shop. However FX also consistently builds some of the best looking air rifles hands down. Who wants to fight me? Heh, I mean I need to find a gun **** to get full enjoyment out of it. I’m sure people will be different. I do agree I wish FX came out with an anti double feed. I did this which is why it’s in the shop. So easy to do… you’d think it would be an easy fix or aftermarket part. Maybe a ball detent?

I will have to say owning both Skout Epoch and FX Impact M3 i think the finish on the Epoch to be a little better but the Barrels on the FX far superior.