Did fx impact get any better during years ?

Hello everyone

Around a year ago I created a topic here asking for help to purchase my first pcp, in that time FX impact got my attention , however after searching for a while and watching some reviews in that time I noticed there are more than a few unhappy customers with the issues the gun had ( leaks, regulator problems, accuracy issues and etc ) so I just did my best to change my mind and ended up buying a bobcat mk II. Bobcat was really an amazing air rifle and I was pretty satisfied with it. It's accurate, light and so far problem free. But during all this time I was still thinking about an impact and after a year I decided to look into it again. So I was wondering about the changes the company may had made during these years. I know the issues were mostly just damaged O'rings and O'rings have a life expectancy and they won't last for ever but in many topics it was mentioned that the impact had a desire to change many of it O'rings' right out of the box and it was also mentioned that some of the original O'rings were not the correct size.

Personally I don't believe these things have gone unnoticed from FX company but there is also no official list of changes. ( if there were any changes at all ) The way I can support this theory is the fact that it seems there are less problems reported recently and it looks like many of the new impacts are problem free. I know the Crown is equal with the impact in terms of features and so far there are no issues reported with it but Crown is not just my type of thing and I don't want to purchase a Crown and still keep thinking about the impact.

So based on your exprience guys ( which is for sure more than me ) what do you think about it ? I would appreciate any help. 

Thank you in advance. Roger
 
Its much better than during its first inception. Apparently they beefed up the regulator, changed the trigger mechanism(still not as good as normal rifles and even not as good as the wildcat), added smooth twist x system, made the piccatiny rail a true piccatiny, and other stuff i may not know about. I got one about 8 months ago that had some problems like accuracy issues and exploding pellet probe issues. I returned that impact. However, im sure with the list of improvements i listed most if not all the problems will have subsided. It still is a lottery im sure though. Just not every new impact will shoot the same and like the same pellets. Some may shoot better than others and i dont think distributers have any sort of “guaranteed” groups at 50 yards. Then im sure many users may become frustrated due to the number of adjustments: hammer spring tesioner, regulator pressure, and valve stem adjuster. These variables can sometimes make the impact experience very frustrating. Really up to you how you digest my information given. There is a thread on here complaining about inconsistency. I would be scared to purchase a impact if it is a current gen impact with smooth twist x. However, i have heard nothing but good things about the crown. 

The good thing about the crown is that they off the valve stem adjuster variable. Instead you have hammer spring and pellet probe opening i think? it is more stable compared to a lightweight bullpup. I really understand not wanting the crown though. The fact that it is another extendable shroud just ruins the look in my opinion. Fx really is pushing us to like these extendable shrouds. 



Funny thing is i made the same post as you a while after it came out. I asked if everything was fixed and if it was a good time to purchase one. Well you know what happened when i purchased one :). If you do purchase one i would get the seller to shoot groups for you to ensure it is accurate(1 inch at 50 yds).
 
Thank you for your info FukoChan

So it seems there are still time to time issues with the impact and I'm sorry to hear that your's was one of them. 

I don't like the look of extending shrouds either and I like the ergonomics of bullpups way more that's why I don't want to purchase a crown .

And about those accuracy problems, is the problem with the barrel or it's just the adjustments ?
 
Dts327

I have about 6k shots through my impact x in .25 not a single issue and a tac driver at 50 yards

well it's good to hear about customers who have not exprienced any problems with their impacts. Because it seems ppl are more likely to come to forum and open topics complaining about the problems they had while happy customers are enjoying their impact out there :)
 
If you do purchase one i would get the seller to shoot groups for you to ensure it is accurate(1 inch at 50 yds).

I'd like to see distributors test at longer distances for high end rifles. AOA typically supplies their test firing results at 20 yards. A good group at that distance isn't much of a indication of accuracy. I'm a dreamer I suppose, but what about testing 10 shots each at 25 yards and then at 50 yards. Email the results to the customer for approval before shipping the gun?
 
Thank you for your info FukoChan

So it seems there are still time to time issues with the impact and I'm sorry to hear that your's was one of them. 

I don't like the look of extending shrouds either and I like the ergonomics of bullpups way more that's why I don't want to purchase a crown .

And about those accuracy problems, is the problem with the barrel or it's just the adjustments ?

No problem. When i had it repaired the first time they said it was the barrel(which was normal smooth twist at the time). I don't want to get in to what happened after but for me at least, no amount of adjusting could make it shoot any decent groups. Found i purchased it in 9/2017 so much has changed during that time. I would be much more comfortable purchasing it now especially with the new barrel system. 
 
Yes. The Impact X is, as Michael put it, a much more refined system than the original Impact. It's not just the barrel, there have been refinements made to the guts as well. You are correct that the first few batches left a lot of people unhappy and chasing issues. These issues could not be ignored by FX and they put the time in to address them.

The one feature the Impact has that the Crown does not is the valve return level adjustment just above the bottle. This is a key step to a theoretical "perfect" tune. The one thing the Crown has that the Impact doesn't is the mechanical transfer port adjustment. This is a very reliable system to make large adjustments to how fast a rifle shoots.

Tom
 
Keyman62421

It's like any High Performance Machine there can and will be some glitches along the way and it's always a constant tune up going that's just the nature of a high-performance machine. But the joy of this rifle and its performance outweighs all the tribulations

that's exactly how I'd like to think. I wish fx had just released a list of adjustments and changes they've made during years.
 
I’ve had my Impact for over 2 years and still enjoy shooting it as much as the day I bought it. It’s actually not a complicated gun once you take a little time to understand how it works. It’s unlike many pcp’s where all the working parts are contained in one block like the Crown. It’s shape has been determined by the way the working parts of the gun fit together Every piece has a purpose No bling!

The way it’s designed means it can be easy updated As FX introduced new pieces I have been able to keep my gun up to the latest specification So Yes the changes that have been made have improved the Impact and made it more reliable and if they continue to make improvements I’ll keep updating

It’s all metal construction makes it robust and workmen like to use. No beautiful wooden stock to get dinged and it’s so easy to handle and carry in the field. I own a Crown but when I hunt I rarely consider taking it instead of the Impact

2 years after I bought my Impact and I’m now eagerly awaiting the arrival of my 700mm .30cal barrel. Of course you could say Fx with there clever marketing are getting me to spend more but I’ve had a ball with this gun and judging by the results at the Rocky Mountain Airgun Challenge there’s a lot more fun to come.

Michael
 
Here’s a list of what I’ve noticed change. 

1 Cocking block has more support around the pin to prevent it bending. 
2 Valve housing is milled to increase the size of the plenum slightly. 
3 Regulator changed to the same longer regulator that is in the Crown. 
4 The new trigger block for the longer regulator also has extra support bushes for 2 of the pins of the trigger.
5 1 piece cheek rest
6 larger xring around valve rod. 
7 stronger screw holding pellet probe
8 grub screw instead of thumb screw to hold the barrel 
9 better access to fill nipple
10 Some cosmetic machined lines in the trigger block and guard. 
There are probably some others. They may have increased the diameter of the valve seat judging by the velocities the new guns seem to get but that’s a guess. 
Michael
 
Dts327

I have about 6k shots through my impact x in .25 not a single issue and a tac driver at 50 yards

well it's good to hear about customers who have not exprienced any problems with their impacts. Because it seems ppl are more likely to come to forum and open topics complaining about the problems they had while happy customers are enjoying their impact out there :)

Hi Roger 

I have had my Impact X in .25 with about the same amount of shots since around April . I too was also really hesitant to purchase, after reading all the reports of issues on the Impacts. Right from day one it has been a absolute tack driver and flawless. Right out of the box I couldn't believe how smooth and accurate it was without any adjustments. Now I don't know if I was just lucky or what lol, but it has been great since day one. After a few days of shooting I did start playing with the adjustments to see how it would react and shot it over my Chrony so I could get some data . With a 250 bar fill I got 86 shots with a spread of 23 fps. That was shooting the JSB MK2 33.95 gr at a avg 822fps. The JSB 25 gr also shot great but it loved the 33 gr JSB better. I also right away went with the Side shot magazine kit, that makes it able to hold 26 shots with their magazine. I can not tell you enough how Bad*%$ that magazine makes the impact. You have 26 shots of .25 cal and with the impact having such a high shot count it makes it a perfect combo. I sit down for what I think is going to be a few shots after I get out of work and it ends up being a whole tin because of the magazine capacity and shot count. The magazine loads wayyyyyyy easier than the stock FX mag. Any ways, thought I'd share and give another happy owner report since I admit you do read allot of bad on them and honestly like they say very few come on these forums to say how happy they are and more tend to ask about issues they're having. I am hoping that won't be me haha . I guess time will tell

Bob