AEAC - FX Impact M3 Tuning Guide (interesting pre-video learning shared here)

[AEAC]

Yep, but those two shots that guys refuse to record for their forum or YouTube graphs are what a lot of guys find disturbing when they actually buy the gun. They think why didn’t YouTube Willy or forum Franks gun shoot a couple slow shots. Guys that actually hunt with the gun must insure those first two “let the regs settle” shots are dead on for an animals sake. I’m not pointing a finger directly at you because you try to put out good stuff to help the masses. But you have to admit that your graphs would be ruined if you truly showed a string of how the gun performs after it has sat idle for a while. Before I addressed the actual problem, I knew how long I could let each of my Impacts sit before the first shot fell outside a normal acceptable ES. This is very critical with a slug tune. A little more leeway with pellet tunes.

Nah, I don't feel like any shared data of mine would be "ruined" as you put it, if I included PCP clearing shots in the runs. I just think it would be another point of information shared... and one I'm not sure matters much. In my experience, most owners know to clear their PCPs with a shot or two after a few days or week in the locker. This general sense comes from over 22 million YT views on AEAC, and never having a viewer mention it as a concern. Yeah... I still read every comment, lol.

I plot charts to see what the gun is doing under normal use, what change I'm able to effect on its performance, and how weather & load affects the whole thing. That's what's important to me personally and seemingly to my audience, so that's the learning I share.

That all being said, I do like the idea of studying this phenomenon closer and reporting on it to encourage manufacturers to do better. But the best reg manufacturers are already doing the best they can and it's still a thing. So maybe that's just the deal right now.

My advice? Clear your PCPs with a few dry fires before the work day and try not to worry about it too much.

Best,
Steve

 

[Vetmx]

The phenomenon has nothing to do with the reg. The AMP reg is a very good reg. These type of issues are what advanced owners start to focus on. Doesn’t matter what manufacturer makes the gun. But you are correct. 22 million viewers aren’t watching to figure out how to work the kinks out of a gun, they are watching to convince themselves to buy a gun, get pointed in the right direction or just be entertained. They show up on forums to iron out the details that there’s just not enough time to go into with a video. But it could be mentioned. Maybe you do mention that you dry fire some shots before filming. If you do, that’s great info for the viewers because you truly aren’t hiding anything. I’m still anxious to see what you find when you dive into the MRD with a 500mm barrel.

 

[morespeeder]

Hi Steve, see on Instagram your last post but i asked myself a question.. are you sure that you have a barrel tensioner on this M3?

I saw a shroud on yours.. and in all other videos where i saw a barrel tensioner, there is no shroud but just a carbon exterior thin tube with a special nut at the end to screw all in one strong, rigid thing.

Wouldn’t be just a new barrel clamp to hold the barrel a bit better than the old one?

Thanks for your infos!

 

[TDK]

The phenomenon has nothing to do with the reg. The AMP reg is a very good reg.

Two M3s here and can confirm. I have digital reg gauges and no creep on either. Thousands of shots with no maintenance and both regs are extremely consistent. The 'slow first shots' issue is due to the plenum sealing arrangement that is unique to the Impact, and the resulting oring extrusion that causes friction. It can take anywhere from 3-10 shots for velocity to recover 100% after sitting 6-12 hours, depending on various factors. It's usually not a deal breaker, but is worse than other PCPs (even other FXs), and something you have to take into account. Usually dry firing a few shots before an outing is sufficient, but users who want a gun they can pull out of a closet, or sit idle in a hunting spot for half a day, may run into trouble.

I agree that maybe mentioning something even if you don't show it would be nice. Extra credit if you let it sit for 4-6 hours simulating a long hunting wait, and then shoot the first shot on target (and over chrono) to see how far off it is.

The only minor shortcoming of the AMP reg was the plastic piston that would contract in cold temperatures and raise the set point. A lot of people would confuse this as some sort of problem with the reg, creep, etc. when it was predictable material physics. The new brass piston should hopefully retire that issue.

 

[Vetmx]

Two M3s here and can confirm. I have digital reg gauges and no creep on either. Thousands of shots with no maintenance and both regs are extremely consistent. The 'slow first shots' issue is due to the plenum sealing arrangement that is unique to the Impact, and the resulting oring extrusion that causes friction. It can take anywhere from 3-10 shots for velocity to recover 100% after sitting 6-12 hours, depending on various factors. It's usually not a deal breaker, but is worse than other PCPs (even other FXs), and something you have to take into account. Usually dry firing a few shots before an outing is sufficient, but users who want a gun they can pull out of a closet, or sit idle in a hunting spot for half a day, may run into trouble.

I agree that maybe mentioning something even if you don't show it would be nice. Extra credit if you let it sit for 4-6 hours simulating a long hunting wait, and then shoot the first shot on target (and over chrono) to see how far off it is.

The only minor shortcoming of the AMP reg was the plastic piston that would contract in cold temperatures and raise the set point. A lot of people would confuse this as some sort of problem with the reg, creep, etc. when it was predictable material physics. The new brass piston should hopefully retire that issue.

Absolutely, but you’re preaching to the choir here. I was part of the topic that fixed this issue. Two of my M3’s wear MKl style plenum valve tube ends and my third M3 pellet shooter has a peek disc and a Viton. Thanks for you input. I was starting to think Steve believes I’m delusional.

 

[AEAC]

Absolutely, but you’re preaching to the choir here. I was part of the topic that fixed this issue. Two of my M3’s wear MKl style plenum valve tube ends and my third M3 pellet shooter has a peek disc and a Viton. Thanks for you input. I was starting to think Steve believes I’m delusional.

What?!

I don't think you're delusional at all buddy. I made it a point to say to you, "I don't wanna discredit your experience," in my response to your question of me. I believe you are sharing your experience truthfully just as I am mine.

Mine just isn't running how you described yours is and others do... "giant ES's" I believe is how you put it?

I even tested mine this morning as I promised I would. Very first shot after a several days without use was 865... right where I would have expected it to be at 65* outside. ES was tracking right at 5 too, as I sighted in at 50 yds and seasoned my barrel for filming today.

Bear in mind, my gun didn't arrive this way (as I shared earlier in this thread). I put in the hours to get my tune where I wanted it .

Hope that helps clarify

Steve

 

[AEAC]

Hi Steve, see on Instagram your last post but i asked myself a question.. are you sure that you have a barrel tensioner on this M3?

I saw a shroud on yours.. and in all other videos where i saw a barrel tensioner, there is no shroud but just a carbon exterior thin tube with a special nut at the end to screw all in one strong, rigid thing.

Wouldn’t be just a new barrel clamp to hold the barrel a bit better than the old one?

Thanks for your infos!

You're 100% right buddy. I misspoke. What I was referencing was the new "barrel fastener." Here's a pic of it from my M3's owners manual. I corrected the IG post. Thanks for letting me know .

 

[2L8]

Thank you Steve. Looking forward to your next segment.

Patrick

 

[Vetmx]

Ok. A lightbulb just went on and it could mean something. I just went back and looked at your graphs. Your reg is set at 70b. You are getting far less oring extrusion than the Impact crowd that is hitting that PUR oring with 140+ bar. So things are starting to make sense now because my pellet shooting M3 Compact is set at 120b. The first shot blues were not as severe as my slug guns were before I addressed it. Since you will be moving your reg up into the big boy settings as you jump to MRD’s and slugs, I am very curious at what bar you cross the threshold of getting the noticeably slower first shots after the gun sits. This will be valuable info for perspective Impact owners. Especially the crowd that’s taking advantage of the guns power potential and larger calibers.

 

[AEAC]

18gr Diabolo

The tune tested out well at 50 yards. The 8 mph wind wasn't helping things, but it didn't seem to hurt either... and that may be the whole story. The 18gr flew stable from 865 to 880 no problem, outta the 500mm STX Superior 1:24. Interesting to note - it took about 50 shots for it to season post clean. Before then, I saw some light random corkscrew.

I created the tune at 86* and tested it out at 78*. It worked great.

Here's the tune again.

Steve

Next Up - the 25.39gr Redesign (Psst - that tune is done and will be up on my Instagram in a few minutes) "hookedonair"

Here's some pics from the day.

 

[AEAC]

Update - 25.39gr Redesign

Out of the 500mm M3 Compact, the JSB Redesign wanted 960 fps, no less... and I really fought that for a lotta weeks. Why? The 300cc bottle. That little bottle and the smallness of this gun are what make it great, so to preserve their combined merit, I squeezed relentlessly on speed versus consumption.

I started with the included 1:24 and worked through every velocity from 850 to 960 and in every imaginable tune & trim. The best spots along the way were 850 fps and 915 fps. At those speeds, 50 yard groups were less than dime-sized, however random pellet hook & wobble were fierce. No matter the tune, and no matter the velocity, the 25gr Redesign kicked & screamed all the way to the target... and any wind (which I had lots of) seriously aggravated things. This pellet was unreliably wobbling itself into good groups. Not ideal.

Giving up on the 1:24 (which had been so excellent for the 16 & 18gr) I ordered the 1:16 "Superior Heavy" liner or "slug liner" as some call it. Again, I put in the big hours ruthlessly tuning & testing my way from 850 to 960, and at 950 fps something amazing happened. The hook & wobble nearly disappeared. I pushed to 960, and it vanished completely. I spent the next few minutes ringing the 150 yard gong and observing flight to confirm. It was smooth sailing all the way. I was more than very happy, lol.

I QTS-ed a quick tune, busted out the cameras, filmed my 50 yd group (of which they all fell wobble-free into the same hole), then went home to build a solid tune around 960. Below is that tune. Two of them actually, made back-to-back days.


47 shots at 52 fpe in the flat

47 shots at 52 fpe in the flat - ran it again the next day trying to find some more shots with the VA

Side Note;

Yesterday, after building out these two tunes, I got curious about their random dips & pops. I suspected my pellets so got out the scale. The below is what I discovered. Not sure what it means (if anything) but it's what I got, so thought I'd share. I'm left wondering if the 8 fps ES's this M3 is generating could be pushed to just 5 with some pellet sorting

... on to slugs

Steve

 

[Boogie]

I’m trying to decide between the FX M3 500 or 600 barrel and stumbled on this thread. Thanks for all the work you did here!

 

[Vetmx]

Great job finding the fly in the ointment with this pellet. There is absolutely nothing wrong with your shot count when you have your reg set at 150b. You will always wind up in the 45-52 shot area once the gun is dialed in. How do those first few unrecorded shots look now with your reg set at 149b?

 

[EliteAirCustoms]

Thanks so much for all the valuable info. I watch you on YouTube all the time. Yours are one of my favorites in tuning and reviews. Awesome, thanks for all the time you spend

 

[dens228]

Your last tunes for the 25 grains tells me I need to turn my barrel to the slug port. I'm using the 600 mm barrel, getting 837 but at 134 bar on the second reg.
PW at 16, micro at 4. I'm thinking I can be more efficient with a lower bar at the slug port. I did the same with my Maverick.

 

[AEAC]

Great job finding the fly in the ointment with this pellet. There is absolutely nothing wrong with your shot count when you have your reg set at 150b. You will always wind up in the 45-52 shot area once the gun is dialed in. How do those first few unrecorded shots look now with your reg set at 149b?

Thanks!

I actually tested for this on Saturday when I did some scope came filming to test my 26gr's tune-stability in a 7-9 wind (at 120 yards)

Here's what I got;

Shot #1 and #2 were 940 fps in a 78* ambient. I had tuned to 960 at 90* ambient. When I tuned at 90*, the gun and ammo were also at 90*. When I took my first 2 shots Saturday, the gun and pellets were at 75* from being in my AC'd garage overnight. This all seems normal to me.

Getting back on 960 at 78* and a cold gun was super easy. I bumped R2 1 bar and advanced the QTS 2 positions. It jumped right to 960 and stayed there for me for the rest of the morning.

Hope that helps,
Steve

Here's some pics from Saturday;

 

[Revoman]

Steve!
Thanks for the information on the M3 Compact.
However, I have an M3 .22, Sniper with a 700mm liner....not a Compact. I searched for one of your videos with my configuration to no avail.
What might be your thoughts on how this tune might work using 25.39 JSB's in a Superior Liner (non-slug liner) please?
Mike

 

[Vetmx]

Steve!
Thanks for the information on the M3 Compact.
However, I have an M3 .22, Sniper with a 700mm liner....not a Compact. I searched for one of your videos with my configuration to no avail.
What might be your thoughts on how this tune might work using 25.39 JSB's in a Superior Liner (non-slug liner) please?
Mike

Your 700mm barrel is a whole different animal compared to a 500mm barrel. No settings between the two correlate. Your reg setting will be much lower to achieve the speeds this pellet likes. But if you commit to this pellet, you may have to play the liner game. Only one way to find out. Go test.

 

[AEAC]

Steve!
Thanks for the information on the M3 Compact.
However, I have an M3 .22, Sniper with a 700mm liner....not a Compact. I searched for one of your videos with my configuration to no avail.
What might be your thoughts on how this tune might work using 25.39 JSB's in a Superior Liner (non-slug liner) please?
Mike

Hi Mike,

Based on what I'm seeing, you'll probably want to spin that 25.39 up to 960-970 outta that 700. Some do have sucess with the 1:24 and that pellet at that speed, so you might too. If it were me, I'd start at a 120 bar reg1 and a 90 bar reg2, work from low to high on the QTS, and see where things tighten up. If they tighten up below 960-970, start over and do it all over again (low to high on the QTS) with a 100 bar R2 and a 130 bar reg1... and so on until things flatten out at your desired speed. Watch for wobble along the way. It'll be obvious when it disappears .

After you've found your best speed & tune, try using the VA to trim away any waste air. I do so by watching for Group tightening, listening, and by watching the chronograph.

Also, it's important to experiment with speed on your own. You very well may find different. Over the years, I've seen guys win events with that pellet at 850, 860, 920, 940, and at 970.

P..S. I do also have an M3 Sniper here and all the barels so after I get a few gun reviews in with a few other brands, I'll circle back later in the year and make a tuning guide on it too

Steve

 

[AEAC]

Update - MAX Power, FX Impact M3 Compact .22

Yesterday, I pushed the M3 Compact's reg 2 as hard as it'll safely go (according to FX). I did see more speed (1017) when R2 was at 171 bar for a sec, hehe)

I built out 2 shot charts, one for MAX Power, and the other as a refined version of the first (more shots and tighter consistency). FPE realized out of the .22/500mm was 57 fpe with a 25gr pellet. A 25gr slug may go even faster.

My current thinking is that these tunes could be useful if one wanted to push heavy slugs far & fast. If one wanted to shoot the lighter Hybrid, more shots might be realized.

Below are the 2 tunes and some pics of the day. It's not likely that I'll get out to field test them w/slugs before I leave for NAC. Winds here in Tampa this week are 15-25 gusting to 30 mph with lots of rain forecast. But I'll look for gaps in the weather to try.

Steve