Finally my FX Royale 500 has arrived but...

[Strikey]

Have FX dropped off on their quality? I finally got my .25cal FX today ( long process in Oz to acquire a firearm but that's another story ) and I have to admit I am a little underwhelmed at the quality of this rifle when compared side by side with my 2yr old Royale 400. The blueing on the barrel is nowhere near as deep and lustrous, I think the finish on my $165 Hatsan might be better, the finish on the synthetic stock has a different texture and feels cheap after holding the 400 but the part of this rifle that really smacks of cheap and nasty is the way FX have gone about fixing the action to the synthetic stock. My 400 has a caphead screw that takes a 4mm Allen key to tighten or loosen and the head of this bolt sits nicely into a machined brass insert in the stock but this new 500 just has a countersunk head screw through the stock with a matching countersink in the synthetic material of the stock, no brass or steel insert for the screw to tighten against, also when I do tighten this screw ( not overly tight as it only takes a 3mm Allen key ) the power adjust wheel comes into contact with its recess in the stock and it presses hard against the front of the bottle. Now these might all be minor issues but when you pay a lot of hard earned for a so- called top shelf air rifle I would not expect there to be any issues, my dealer who did the transfer also commented that it does not look like a $2k investment.
I won't have a chance to shoot it until next week as the scope rings have not arrived as yet but this FX500 will need to be a tack driver to redeem FX's reputation with me, anyway I will be taking up these issues with the importers but would be interested in other Royale500 owners views of their rifles, perhaps FX have put all their effort into the Impact?

MOD EDIT: Moved to Manufacturer Feedback Section.

 

[Strikey]

After sending an email with a few photos and explaining my disappointment in the rifle the Royale 500 is being returned, a bit annoying as I was looking forward to shooting it, will see what happens.

 

[Longbrownbox]

If I could only have one FX Airgun it would be the FX 500 .25 in walnut. I think they are bullet proof!

 

[Paulcat]

Sorry to hear you're not happy Strikey. After my initial woes I got mine back a couple of days ago and all is good.It is something different to shoot.A real joy.
I was curious and just got mine out to look at and compare to the only other synthetic stock I own,a Gamo CFR.I know I'm comparing chalk and cheese but I see your point about the stock screw being small,but mine fits quite neatly and there is no pinching of bottle or power wheel.The blueing is as good as any of my other guns but time will tell after some use.
When I first picked it up I had a look at another customers Walnut 400.Definitely much nicer to look at but I'm a sucker for nice timber.Unfortunately the premium we pay for Walnut over synthetic here in OZ is crazy and would have seen me seeking marriage counselling.
Hope the importer does for you what they did for me and make you happy.You will enjoy it when you get it back.

 

[prfleetsvs]

Very happy with my FXs.
The only problem present in the 3 I have is what was mentioned above........the bottle contacting the stock forend.
The more the stock holdown screw was tightend, the more pressure on the bottle......not right, at all as it puts pressure on both bottle & stock.
On the Boss it was so bad the space between the rear moderator body and bottle was almost nil at the front.
Well, fixed the problem with a few sheets of poly-ply material (fiber reinforced plastic-used in R/C aircraft buiding) cut & fitted
between the lower receiver and stock. The total of the 3-4 sheets may measure about 1/8 inch. Then a bit longer holdown screw is needed.
Heck, if my three FXs (Elite, Royale 500 & Boss) have the same problem with the stock, walnut & synthetic, assume it's widespread.
Easy mod, if you want pics let me know.
Pedro in PR 

 

[Strikey]

Its all good, Pedro, Hermanns Sporting Guns, ( Australian FX importers ) have replaced the rifle with another fitted with an older model 400 synthetic stock ( I actually prefer this stock to the newer models ) with the brass insert for the stock screw which I think is more secure. The countersunk screw into the synthetic stock was causing problems before I had a chance to put a pellet through it so I was not confident what would happen to the stock in the long term, possibly cracking from the pressure applied through the countersink? I wasn't waiting to find out as Murphy's Law would dictate and then if the stock had a failure it would happen outside of warranty.
My 400 had a few contact points that needed relieving also but the 500 was bad, perhaps it is widespread, maybe some people either don't care or are not aware, anyway I am very happy with both my FX's and the service I received from Hermanns.
Thanks for your interest and sorry for the late reply.