Here's my FX Maverick Compact .30 as it sits currently..
I'm running a 502mm TJ barrel (1:26" twist), chambered for smaller slugs and diabolo pellets. I was going to cut o-ring grooves to keep it a solid one-piece design, but I decided to cut the M12 x 1mm pitch with my lathe to run the brass Huma high-flow TP. Zero harmonic issues, CrMoly steel barrel is very stiff, so I don't see needing a shrouded protector for this length. Running a custom LDC that Neil Clague made for me (I highly recommend him for custom work!).
I also made a bottle cover from a repurposed neoprene fire extinguisher holder (with nylon reinforced Velcro straps). It works very well, the bottle gets ice cold this time of year, so it makes it less painful to handle (and puts my mind at ease in the field knowing that it has some form of protection).
Anyways, my initial feedback and feelings for this Maverick.. first, I got off to a bumpy start with this thing. There was ridiculous latency getting my order shipped, then I found the hard way that there were interference issues due to tolerance problems with the bipod rail + CF bottle (and defaced my bottle the first time that I went to remove it). Now, if I didn't like this rifle - I would be seriously pissed, but so far this thing has impressed me enough to merit my personal time!
So let me begin with what I like...
1. Size & weight - very manageable for me as a hunter. I have no interest in long, bulky, heavy guns. They don't appeal to me at all. I hunt in steep, slippery, unforgiving terrain, and carrying around a long cinder block in the mountains is not an enjoyable experience. The Maverick Compact is all good in this regard.
2. Adjustability - having adjustable external regulator(s) lends itself to being able to use different types of ammo efficiently. With my Taipans and EVOL, my tuning strategy is simple, but I sacrifice shots. I crank up the reg up as high as I need to for the heaviest projectile that I'm going to shoot with the rifle, and I manage the hammer energy for lighter. Accuracy isn't affected by this, but I definitely lose access to some shots after falling off the reg. External adjustment naturally solves that issue.
3. Shot count - it's pretty good. Having a decent "high-power" shot count is an important requirement for me, thus the platform should be efficient.
4. Accuracy - stellar with pellets (abysmal with slugs, but I'll get to that). The FX Superior Std 500mm in my rifle prefers 44.75gr JSBs. I bonded a carbon fiber sleeve to the liner, modified the pellet probe to unblock the airflow, and I'm running a Huma high flow transfer port on the barrel. This gives me 905fps at 150bar, but I run the 44gr closer to 890fps at just under 145bar for maximizing shot count. With this tune, it shoots sub-MOA @100y all day long!
5. Ergonomics - comfortable to shoot out of the box. The Impact was one of the most uncomfortable rifles that I have ever shot. To remedy that, I had to add almost 2lbs of aftermarket aluminum, and that kept the Impact in benchrest mode, and I'm not a benchrest shooter.
Dislikes
1. Tolerances are off - the rail / bottle thing is a problem that FX will need to resolve (they're already on top of this)
2. Magazines - I machined two TJ barrels for my rifle, the one that I had the most hope for was the short one. My plan was to chamber that barrel to run 47.5gr NSAs, and in terms of chamber reaming - I nailed it. Sadly, this ammo gets rotated sideways in the FX magazines - and this greatly disappoints me. The smallest Nielsen slug that I have found that does not rotate are the 49.5gr. They shoot decent when I crank up my regulator, but unfortunately that reduces my shot count to a mag and small change. I'm helping / sponsoring Orion Iguana Hunter to fix this for those of us shooting larger projectiles).
3. Accuracy (slugs) - as stated before, it's abysmal. 2.5-3" groups at 100. The new FX Hybrids DO fit in these newer "Wildcat/Maverick/Dreamline" mags without interference, but these FX Hybrid slugs shot not better than 2.5-3" at 100 with my rifle. Very disappointed in this, but I'm sure the faster twist liners will resolve the problem
4. Barrel attachment - single grub screw. Technically feasible, but it's a "min-bar" solution IMO. At least the screw is an M4 (or M5?) and not some tiny M2-M3.
5. Exposed linkage - I don't care for it, but the rods are made from a pretty beefy steel material, so this may not be a huge deal.
I have some other minor gripes and praises, but I'll leave it at that. With all of that said, I do like this Maverick (a lot). I wish the mag capacity was higher, but 13 shots isn't terrible. It's not as stout not as powerful as my EVOL, but I like it nonetheless.
My feedback to FX would be to:
I can answer any questions about this rifle, please ask in this thread.
I'm running a 502mm TJ barrel (1:26" twist), chambered for smaller slugs and diabolo pellets. I was going to cut o-ring grooves to keep it a solid one-piece design, but I decided to cut the M12 x 1mm pitch with my lathe to run the brass Huma high-flow TP. Zero harmonic issues, CrMoly steel barrel is very stiff, so I don't see needing a shrouded protector for this length. Running a custom LDC that Neil Clague made for me (I highly recommend him for custom work!).
I also made a bottle cover from a repurposed neoprene fire extinguisher holder (with nylon reinforced Velcro straps). It works very well, the bottle gets ice cold this time of year, so it makes it less painful to handle (and puts my mind at ease in the field knowing that it has some form of protection).
Anyways, my initial feedback and feelings for this Maverick.. first, I got off to a bumpy start with this thing. There was ridiculous latency getting my order shipped, then I found the hard way that there were interference issues due to tolerance problems with the bipod rail + CF bottle (and defaced my bottle the first time that I went to remove it). Now, if I didn't like this rifle - I would be seriously pissed, but so far this thing has impressed me enough to merit my personal time!
So let me begin with what I like...
1. Size & weight - very manageable for me as a hunter. I have no interest in long, bulky, heavy guns. They don't appeal to me at all. I hunt in steep, slippery, unforgiving terrain, and carrying around a long cinder block in the mountains is not an enjoyable experience. The Maverick Compact is all good in this regard.
2. Adjustability - having adjustable external regulator(s) lends itself to being able to use different types of ammo efficiently. With my Taipans and EVOL, my tuning strategy is simple, but I sacrifice shots. I crank up the reg up as high as I need to for the heaviest projectile that I'm going to shoot with the rifle, and I manage the hammer energy for lighter. Accuracy isn't affected by this, but I definitely lose access to some shots after falling off the reg. External adjustment naturally solves that issue.
3. Shot count - it's pretty good. Having a decent "high-power" shot count is an important requirement for me, thus the platform should be efficient.
4. Accuracy - stellar with pellets (abysmal with slugs, but I'll get to that). The FX Superior Std 500mm in my rifle prefers 44.75gr JSBs. I bonded a carbon fiber sleeve to the liner, modified the pellet probe to unblock the airflow, and I'm running a Huma high flow transfer port on the barrel. This gives me 905fps at 150bar, but I run the 44gr closer to 890fps at just under 145bar for maximizing shot count. With this tune, it shoots sub-MOA @100y all day long!
5. Ergonomics - comfortable to shoot out of the box. The Impact was one of the most uncomfortable rifles that I have ever shot. To remedy that, I had to add almost 2lbs of aftermarket aluminum, and that kept the Impact in benchrest mode, and I'm not a benchrest shooter.
Dislikes
1. Tolerances are off - the rail / bottle thing is a problem that FX will need to resolve (they're already on top of this)
2. Magazines - I machined two TJ barrels for my rifle, the one that I had the most hope for was the short one. My plan was to chamber that barrel to run 47.5gr NSAs, and in terms of chamber reaming - I nailed it. Sadly, this ammo gets rotated sideways in the FX magazines - and this greatly disappoints me. The smallest Nielsen slug that I have found that does not rotate are the 49.5gr. They shoot decent when I crank up my regulator, but unfortunately that reduces my shot count to a mag and small change. I'm helping / sponsoring Orion Iguana Hunter to fix this for those of us shooting larger projectiles).
3. Accuracy (slugs) - as stated before, it's abysmal. 2.5-3" groups at 100. The new FX Hybrids DO fit in these newer "Wildcat/Maverick/Dreamline" mags without interference, but these FX Hybrid slugs shot not better than 2.5-3" at 100 with my rifle. Very disappointed in this, but I'm sure the faster twist liners will resolve the problem
4. Barrel attachment - single grub screw. Technically feasible, but it's a "min-bar" solution IMO. At least the screw is an M4 (or M5?) and not some tiny M2-M3.
5. Exposed linkage - I don't care for it, but the rods are made from a pretty beefy steel material, so this may not be a huge deal.
I have some other minor gripes and praises, but I'll leave it at that. With all of that said, I do like this Maverick (a lot). I wish the mag capacity was higher, but 13 shots isn't terrible. It's not as stout not as powerful as my EVOL, but I like it nonetheless.
My feedback to FX would be to:
- Address the issues with the tolerances (I'm told this is already in the works)
- Figure out a re-design for the magazine insert so your rifles support more projectiles in .30 (and .25)
- Keep up the innovation!!!
I can answer any questions about this rifle, please ask in this thread.
