TX200 issues fully resolved - thanks to Pyramid Air and Hawke Optics

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bdzjlz

Member
Jul 11, 2016
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Terre Haute, Indiana
Many of you that regular review the posts on this forum likely remember a couple of posts where I was having issues getting the performance I expected from a new .177 TX200 equipped with a Hawke Endurance 6-18 scope. It would not group well, regardless of the pellet choice, and the POI would shift after only a few shots.

I am very pleased to say that after tremendous customer service from Val and Gene at Pyramid Air, and Jess at Hawke Optics, the rifle and scope package are now achieving my expectations. It turns out that there were some issues with the rifle that Gene at Pyramid Air took care of eagerly and professionally, and the scope had some issues verified by Jess at Hawke. As the scope I had purchased is no longer available, for a very modest and more than fair fee, Hawke exchanged the scope with one of the Airmax sidewinder scopes. I replaced the two piece FX mounts with a one piece Hawke mount, hand weighed the utilized JSB Exact Match 8.44 grain pellets, and loosened up my shooting hold, resulting in the 10 shot group achieved this morning and as shown below, on my 18 yard indoor range. The rifle produce 791 fps and just over 11 foot lbs of energy.

After shooting the featured indoor range group, I moved to my outdoor range, and with a 12 mph quartering cross wind, fired single shots at 2" air gun spinners at 26, 30, 34, 36, 42, and 48 yards, all without a single miss.

Pyramid Air and Hawke Optics were fantastic to work with throughout this process and I can't thank them enough. I highly recommend patronizing these firms as they truly do back up their sales efforts with excellent customer service.

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I don’t think the FX rings were an issue but I just wanted to be certain that all of the variables were eliminated, figuring that if was using a Hawke scope and their engineered one piece mount that there was no room for error on my part. I am using the FX fixed two piece high mounts on my multiple pcp rifles with great success, but as you probably know, they have no measurable recoil.

Dan
 
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Suffice it to say that there were a number of minor issues that when combined just did not let the rifle perform. In fairness, after sending the rifle back once without achieving much improvement, I started working on it myself and contributed to the issues by not properly seating a replacement seal,onto the piston, causing air loss.

In the end, it was PA's expertise and a sub 12 lb Vortek spring kit that made the difference and I really don't know all that they did to it. At this point, I'm just pleased for the help. Consistent 3/8" or less groups with hand weighed JSB 8.44 or 10.34 pellets at 18 yards are now the rule rather than the exception. 2" spinners out to 50 yards are not a challenge.

I'm sorry to not be able to really answer your question with more specifics. I can tell you that I have been told that I can be rather demanding and sometimes my expectations push what may be realistic. In this case, PA was able to help me get there in the end.



 
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This is somewhat consistent with my experience. Out of the box, my TX200HC was not accurate. I was also not seeing expected velocity (~580 w/ 14g). I never sent it back to Pyramid Air, but I did add a Vortek SHO kit and replace the barrel seals. My rifle is now night and day better. Much smoother shot cycle. Accuracy now is now one small hole at 15 yards and consistently under an inch at 30 yards. I still have the issue where the safety does not reset on every cycle unless I consciously cock it with a final push. I hope to figure that out shortly.

While I still think the TX200 to be one of the prettiest air rifles on the market, I am coming to the conclusion that the accuracy potential is seen with tuning. I'm also starting to believe the well known accuracy of these rifles is based on the sub 12ft/lb configuration.

Thanks!
 
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I believe your assessment is spot on. Having been a serious pcp shooter for over a decade, in addition to confirmed gun and optics issues, important to my continued improvement was to learn to let the rifle be free in my arms and not rigid as I take the shot. This was difficult for me to learn but once accomplished made a huge difference in its performance. 

I have reconciled myself that my TX is a blast to shoot and out to 50 yards is loads of fun on paper and spinners, but I will pick up my pcps to hunt with because at less than 12 lbs at the muzzle there is simply not enough energy remaining for me at plus 30 yards to hunt with.

Another thing I will share is that my rifle is really pellet sensitive and the effort to hand weigh pellets, after shooting many different pellets to find the best combination, has contributed greatly to its performance. My rifle shows a real preference for JSB 8.44s in .177.

I have enjoyed all of the exchanges on this topic. Thanks 

 
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I have likely shot far more than 1,000 shots through my TX using (2) Chrony Pros - one at each end of the spectrum to get the most consistent comparisons possible, measuring up range and down range velocities on the same pellets, etc.

To quote ballistics pre-corrective work would not mean anything as they were all over the place, very inconsistent, and very frustrating.

I have attached the ballistics recently observed, under the same testing conditions, now that the rifle performing in terms of grouping and consistency, to my expectations. I hope this helps. BTW - all pellets utilized were weighed to within +/- .005 gr. I have not measured head diameter for consistency.

5a7d9b4761b462d5455da86479441587.jpg


 
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