Received my Dreamline tac yesterday and tried to zero in at 50 yards but I maxed out my scope and still hitting almost a foot low. The barrel seems to wiggle around a lot and it keeps tapping the air cylinder. I thought of buying this https://ohioairgun.com/products/fx-dreamline-streamline-barrel-band-short Anyone know if this will solve my extreme droop? Kinda disappointed I spend $1300 on a new rifle and have this problem. I have adjustable scope mounts but shouldn’t have to use them at 50.
Dreamline tactical barrel droop
- Thread starter b121774
- Start date
Yes, spending additional coin to get it right is not cool. The droopy barrel has been mentioned and addressed with the purchase of an addition the gun should’ve come with. FXs’ business model with this line where you Lego away your savings, is attractive to many. I would just own multiple guns for different purposes. And I do. Good luck and congratulations on your new Dreamline Tac. I do confess to really, really liking the idea of the Dreamline Tact Compact... It seems just right for a lot of pesting situations. Post up a review once you’ve sorted her out.
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Contact FX, they have a solution and should send it to you for free under warranty. It slides over the barrel and snugs up next to the breech to provide support. It has helped on my Dream Classic. Another fix it to slide an o-ring over the cylinder and just leave it just past the fill port cover. It doesn't do anything for the side to side wiggle, but it will stop the barrel from tapping the cylinder. Also make sure your shroud is good and tight.
I also have this barrel bad: https://www.ebay.com/itm/FX-Dreamline-Barrel-Support-Band/174173680205?hash=item288d8f724d:g:bLYAAOSwIXldfBKa
I have the one from Ohio Airguns also, but prefer the eBay one because it's thinner and not as bulky looking.
Hope this helps...
I also have this barrel bad: https://www.ebay.com/itm/FX-Dreamline-Barrel-Support-Band/174173680205?hash=item288d8f724d:g:bLYAAOSwIXldfBKa
I have the one from Ohio Airguns also, but prefer the eBay one because it's thinner and not as bulky looking.
Hope this helps...
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I recently purchased the barrel band shown in your link for my Dreamline Classic, I didn't experience the extreme droop you describe, actually, I experienced very little if any droop, but I wanted the extra piece of mind stability between barrel and air tube while out woods-walking.
Back to the band,,, I'm not wanting to sound as though I'm trashing the quality of the band as some have, it does what it's meant to do, but if you want pretty / attractive, you probably shouldn't buy one.
I cosmetically altered mine, using a hacksaw - making top and bottom half inch wide - removing one of two screws, and a vice-held belt sander to clean up the hacksaw cut and the top block thingy? that must be part of the 3D print process, 'cause it serves no purpose. My finished "look" (and I may do more cosmetics) is much more like a barrel band that I envisioned should look like. I also opened / smoothed the top barrel hole slightly with sandpaper on a dowell which allows easier slip-on AND provides the same feeler gauge thickness between the shroud - tank measured at the rear as it measures at the band. That dowell sanding also allows the barrel shroud to move "ever-so-slightly" which as I would believe makes it still free-floating, yet provides the stability I was wanting.
The weather here has not been conducive to outside shooting for comparison of my un-banded results, but I feel pretty confident that I'll show little to no change.
In seeing the Ebay band in the previous post, had I known that was available, it would've saved some work for sure, it looks pretty nice for less money too.
Back to the band,,, I'm not wanting to sound as though I'm trashing the quality of the band as some have, it does what it's meant to do, but if you want pretty / attractive, you probably shouldn't buy one.
I cosmetically altered mine, using a hacksaw - making top and bottom half inch wide - removing one of two screws, and a vice-held belt sander to clean up the hacksaw cut and the top block thingy? that must be part of the 3D print process, 'cause it serves no purpose. My finished "look" (and I may do more cosmetics) is much more like a barrel band that I envisioned should look like. I also opened / smoothed the top barrel hole slightly with sandpaper on a dowell which allows easier slip-on AND provides the same feeler gauge thickness between the shroud - tank measured at the rear as it measures at the band. That dowell sanding also allows the barrel shroud to move "ever-so-slightly" which as I would believe makes it still free-floating, yet provides the stability I was wanting.The weather here has not been conducive to outside shooting for comparison of my un-banded results, but I feel pretty confident that I'll show little to no change.
In seeing the Ebay band in the previous post, had I known that was available, it would've saved some work for sure, it looks pretty nice for less money too.
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Thanks guys. I will order up a barrel band and see if that helps. I went and threw some levels on it to see how much droop it has and here’s what I found
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New member here (today actually). I've been reading all I can about PCP airguns and was prepared to order a new Dreamline Classic yesterday. After reading about the barrel droop on this gun I could clearly see that there was an issue there related to manufacturing quality. It's apparent that FX marketing and engineering aren't on the same page. It sounded fantastic up until I started reading about what the end user was actually finding, and what FX is doing about it. This morning I ordered my first air rifle, a Daystate Huntsman Regal XL. All the reviews on this gun seemed pretty near spot on as to what the manufacturer was claiming. If I get more involved in target/competition shooting I'll spend a bit more time learning all I can about which model/make to get. This is a great place to learn.
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Yup, the afterthought barrel band looks cobbled on... not cool on such a pricey item. Daystate and Brocock may not be as rapidly innovative. But their guns reflect solid values with no additional bits to make them work as they should. Good choice on the Regal XL. Couldn’t the FX engineers see all this barrel movement before approving this gun for mass manufacturing?
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I don't believe I would be as hasty to conclude there's an issue with ALL FX Dreamlines based on one fellows experience brought to our attention here. I also don't believe that FX engineers designed these rifles with suppressors causing droop in mind.
In viewing the OP recent pics with the level, it appears... unless the magnification distorts actual size, that the DonnyFL shown in his pic is one of the larger models available, if so, it will definitely add to the barrel droop being mentioned. In other past threads on this issue, users have posted that the droop could be fixed with an o-ring of proper size stretched over the air tube if you don't care to use a barrel band. It works, tried it, keeps the space equal for the length between shroud and tank.... doesn't provide stability though.
I'm not defending a problem with FX engineering but I would also add that if the rifles are being offered sold with suppressor options then the barrels / shrouds should be able to support that extra weight. The option of calling FX and receiving the slip-on rear barrel support seems to be a band-aid of sorts that doesn't answer the stability reason for myself adding a band, and I can't say if it does or doesn't entirely correct any droop.
In viewing the OP recent pics with the level, it appears... unless the magnification distorts actual size, that the DonnyFL shown in his pic is one of the larger models available, if so, it will definitely add to the barrel droop being mentioned. In other past threads on this issue, users have posted that the droop could be fixed with an o-ring of proper size stretched over the air tube if you don't care to use a barrel band. It works, tried it, keeps the space equal for the length between shroud and tank.... doesn't provide stability though.
I'm not defending a problem with FX engineering but I would also add that if the rifles are being offered sold with suppressor options then the barrels / shrouds should be able to support that extra weight. The option of calling FX and receiving the slip-on rear barrel support seems to be a band-aid of sorts that doesn't answer the stability reason for myself adding a band, and I can't say if it does or doesn't entirely correct any droop.
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Look at the Air Arms rifles. They come from the factory with a barrel band and it works very well. Why would FX overlook this?
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@ Lleon- the reason FX didn’t catch this, is they probably didn’t put on a bulky Ronin on the end of that thing. Every time I see or hear of barrel drop problems, it never fails, it’s a combo of no air tube to barrel shroud connection and a big honkin’ Ronin on the end. Why folks pick that big a$$ can for a moderator I don’t understand, cause there are sleeker, lighter, better choices that do just as good a job. Heck, the FX empty tube with the long middle and the end caps work pretty dang good, and if you couple it with two center sections it even muffles the rapport more.
I recently tried a sniper sniper Hugget on my wildcat 25 cal, and it not only does the job, but it looks dang good on there. Low profile and light. Not mouse fart quiet(I hate those words anyway, and I truly believe there is no such a thing as a mouse fart quiet moderator), but it reduces the rapport well enough that it does not wake my in house German shepherds when I take a shot at 3am in the morning. They don’t even budge.
My advice to the OP, get a shroud to air tube support, and lighten up on the moderator. You can also get by with O rings on the air tube that are thick enough to take up the width between the two pipes if you want a true DIY that works.
I recently tried a sniper sniper Hugget on my wildcat 25 cal, and it not only does the job, but it looks dang good on there. Low profile and light. Not mouse fart quiet(I hate those words anyway, and I truly believe there is no such a thing as a mouse fart quiet moderator), but it reduces the rapport well enough that it does not wake my in house German shepherds when I take a shot at 3am in the morning. They don’t even budge.
My advice to the OP, get a shroud to air tube support, and lighten up on the moderator. You can also get by with O rings on the air tube that are thick enough to take up the width between the two pipes if you want a true DIY that works.
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@bigragu, that makes sense about the bulky can up front. Maybe FX should list suggested LDCs and or max weights thereof to avoid the droop? If it’s quiet without an LDC just using the shroud, that works too. Hopefully it becomes a non issue to those who own the Dreamline.
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I have the fx Donnyfl moderator that was an option when I bought it. I have 5 acres but have a really bitchy neighbor so need to keep it quiet. I will try it without the moderator to see if it’s better.
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To loud without a moderator so that’s staying. I designed a quick barrel band and printed it. Actually looks pretty good. Still a little loose around the barrel and need to decrease the ID a bit
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You don’t want it tight around the barrel as it needs to float a tiny bit. If your 3D printing this incorporate an inner groove inside the barrel shroud portion to accept an o ring and if you get it so it’s a light snug fit to the inner o ring then that would be perfect
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I ended up just wrapping a little scope ring tape around the barrel shroud to take up the slack. Worked perfectly. I’m going to try it out tomorrow and see how it performs. I might try making it out of tpu as it’s more flexible. If I get it perfected and it works good, I will give the stl file to anyone that wants it.
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To loud without a moderator so that’s staying. I designed a quick barrel band and printed it. Actually looks pretty good. Still a little loose around the barrel and need to decrease the ID a bit
I think it looks real good for the time you did it,dont get it too tight around the barrel...
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I have recently got a Dream pup, and I chose that because I perceived that too much free floating could drop with any extra weight, and the pup, to me offered the best looking way to remedy this with the support off the scope rail. I would have thought the scope rail and barrel would be parallel, but weren't. My barrel is definitely angling down as the gap between the air tank is uneven too.
Anyway, the barrel support works and this means I have more options for a moderator. But one can't expect to put a big weight on the end of a free floating barrel and expect no droop.
Anyway, the barrel support works and this means I have more options for a moderator. But one can't expect to put a big weight on the end of a free floating barrel and expect no droop.
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I do have to say, as this is my first fx airgun, that the side lever cocking is SO smooth and effortless and the magazine feeding is smooth as well. other than the barrel droop I am very pleased with everything else. I have had an impact mk2 with PP on order from SPAW since early January. It didn't meet Ken Hicks quality inspection and now we are waiting for a replacement barrel. This gun was just a filler until the impact gets here.
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I have to praise FX on the way they design their side cocking latches. It is so very smooth. I thought my Hercules Bully was smooth, till I owned a wildcat. So very smooth that it
Check out the UK vendor, SMW engineering. He makes some awesome mounts for the wildcat, along with the Dreamliner and streamline models. Hear is his version with the pic rails for flashlight or laser mounts, while still maintaining the lock to avoid barrel droop.
He makes a figure 8 version w/o pic rails, if you so choose.
If you you want to go local and have yours more custom contact Pappy_Yosh by pm on this forum. He may already have files in place, or just have you pull a few measurements. He already has the files for the Wildcat to do a figure 8 with and without pic rails.
Check out the UK vendor, SMW engineering. He makes some awesome mounts for the wildcat, along with the Dreamliner and streamline models. Hear is his version with the pic rails for flashlight or laser mounts, while still maintaining the lock to avoid barrel droop.
He makes a figure 8 version w/o pic rails, if you so choose.
If you you want to go local and have yours more custom contact Pappy_Yosh by pm on this forum. He may already have files in place, or just have you pull a few measurements. He already has the files for the Wildcat to do a figure 8 with and without pic rails.
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