First post here. Its going to be pretty long. Want to give my opinions on some things that I was searching for when I was looking into purchasing my first true high quality air rifle. I ended up choosing the fx crown. The following is my experience with it.
Little about me so you know where the info is coming from. Skip this part if you just want to trust that I know how to pull a trigger. ——. In a former life I was a sponsored shooter on the competition circuit (powder burner pistol). I served a tour of duty in Iraq with the Army, where one of my duties was a designated marksman in a blackhawk air assault unit. I was fortunate enough to make the cut and be on “Top Shot” on the history channel. Im primarily a long range deer hunter, and have harvested animals out to 860 yards with my 308. Further with a 300 RUM. I have shot steel out to a mile with the 308 and gotten some pretty good groups considering the range. I have also held the title of master in IDPA and won some competitions. None of this is stated to boast, but I feel like they should be said so that readers understand that I think I’m shooting this gun to its potential. Accuracy reviews are always at the mercy of the shooter, and that makes it hard sometimes to understand what the guns are capable of. For instance, you can watch matt dubber shoot lights out, but meathead marksman will happily state he doesnt shoot well in the wind. I enjoy his videos, but he wont claim to show you what the gun can actually do. Anyway onto the gun.
The gun: fx crown, .25 caliber, synthetic. Purchased in Feb 2019 from Utah air.
The scope: nightforce nxs 5.5-22. Second focal plane. Fx no limit rings
Bipod: harris 6-9 “. Swivel version.
Since my shooting partner and I purchased fx air rifles (he has an impact and a wildcat) a month and a half ago we have shot them a lot. My crown has over 2,700 shots through it alone.
To date we have harvested 1,094 pest birds/woodchucks at the surrounding dairy farms. Shots average around 100 yards, with 236 yards on a pigeon being the longest kill so far.
All statements pertain to shooting jsb heavies through them unless otherwise noted. My crown likes mk2s . His guns seem to prefer the original heavies but does shoot the mk2s well anyway.
The tune: shooting the mk2 heavies at 860 fps. Reg set at 142 bar according to the attached manometer.
Hammer is as set at the factory. I did not need to increase hammer tension as I increased the reg pressure. Mike from utah air says i “got a hot one” given my results. I’ll also note here that I have been very pleased with Utah air. My friend purchased his guns from Craig at Straight Shooters and he has had a great experience there as well.
My concerns going in:
I was worried that the gun would lose zero often given its long unsupported barrel, and shroud that i would constantly be pulling in and out. Mike assured me that it wouldnt and he was right. I have had to rezero it only twice. Once because it tipped over on its bipod and landed directly on the scope from wind blowing it over. I believe the rings shifted a touch because the nightforce in my experience is unshakable . The other time was because I torqued it hard removing the shroud for a deep cleaning. The shroud was insanely tight but I did get it off with some elbow grease. Now its easy to remove, but stays put. Ill also note that when extended the shroud stays put. It will not slide on its own.
I was also concerned the reg would creep as I have read in early reviews. It does not move at all. I have adjusted it up to 157 bar, and all the way down as well. Now it happily sits at 142 where it shoots the best. I did confirm that my gun had the new “amp” reg in it. You can find out if yours does (or will) via the serial number, by calling fx.
Pros:
This gun is quiet with the shroud extended. So quiet I can shoot it inside dairy barns without the cows getting nervous. It is however very loud with the shroud in on high power. Think 22 pb subsonics. You will know it if you forget to extend the shroud before a shot. So will the cows.
Moa five shot groups at 100 yards in calm conditions are easy to achieve with the heavies off of a bipod. At 150 yards a 2” group is expected. At 200 yards I have shot once at dawn when it was dead calm. That five shot group had a vertical spread of 2.5” and was 4” wide. The width was my fault because I adjusted my wind hold after the cold bore shot to get centered. I think given the other four shots it could have been a 3” wide group had i not adjusted for the breath of wind that was there.
The trigger is exceptional. I am used to a timney trigger and I am generally hard to please. I do trigger jobs on nearly every gun I own within the first week. I have not even touched the trigger on this gun though, its perfect.
The gun is not front heavy at all, offhand shooting with it is awesome. Cant say enough about the balance. The stock is solid but light. It is not hollow and accepted an atlas rail and sling swivel stud no problem. I do wish it came with those already installed but hey what do you expect for $1,600 lol.
Is it fussy?: the first 1500 shots were fired without a cleaning. It was still producing one hole groups at 50 yards. At longer range though, it demands a cleaning. The mk2s seem to destabilise in a dirty barrel past 130 yards. In a “clean” barrel
They shoot “well” out to 250 yards. I wish i had a group size that far but i was just making dust on a rock face. They did seem stable still though. I now clean between each new tin (300 shots), and foul the barrel with a full mag right after cleaning. This gun loves JSBs and absolutely hates all others I have tried ( about six brands including my previous favourite h&n).
Overall I am very impressed with the accuracy and feel of the gun. I do have some gripes though.
Cons:
The fill port area while significantly better than the impact (more finger room), is still tight for my fingers. Just a smidgeon more of a relief cut and it would be perfect. When it is cold out I sometimes must resort to using pliers to get the foster fitting off of the gun. This is annoying and my biggest gripe. Dont even get me started on my friends impact. Pliers almost every time. Nearly no finger room.
The other gripe also has to do with filling the gun. The delrin dust cap is very hard to remove when it is cold. So hard I sometimes also need pliers for this. It is not nearly as hard to remove on my friends impact even though his gun has almost no finger room, so I might have just gotten a tight one.
These issues are “small”, but kind of infuriating because otherwise I think the gun is perfect. I am a strong handed young man, I farm beef cattle and distill whiskey for a living, and was a soldier for nine years. My hands are strong enough I should not be struggling with a stupid dust cap or foster fitting. Please FX listen, and fix this issue. It is a fly in the ointment on an otherwise exceptional product. Rant over.
I have filled the crown with a hill mk4 hand pump many times but it is a workout, and takes about 40 minutes for a full fill from 150 bar up to 250. Luckily my friend has taken pity on me and gives me air bottles to fill off of all the time now. But understand this is doable if thats all your budget allows, and you weigh at least 170 lbs.
Shot count: shooting the 25 grain jsb at 890 fps, reg set at 125 bar: 88 shots
Mk2 heavies at 860 fps, reg at 140 bar, 48 shots.
On low power like we use in the barns with 25 grainers at 475 fps, no idea- way too many shots to keep track. Fyi this speed will kill birds cleanly out to about 50 yards with head and neck shots, and will not go through tin roofs. At 80 yards it will not drop a starling with a body shot. At 20 yards if you miss the bird, it will probably put a hole in the roof. If you hit the bird it will not.
The adjustments made via the power wheels are precise and repeatable. I switch between high and low many times a day as we enter and leave dairy barns. Its always right back where I left it. We much prefer the crowns port adjustment over the impact bc it has three repeatable settings vs hard to see lines that dont click into place on the impact. The impact is by nature a bit more adjustable here, but its not handy for hunting like the crown is.
Hunting power:
On high power with the heavies I have stoned pigeons past 200 yards. I killed a woodchuck out at 170 yards with a brain shot-this is the furthest i have shot a woodchuck so far with this gun so i cant comment on further shots yet. At ranges of 100 yards and in, almost everything drops instantly with a loud pop. These pellets are hitting very hard.
Realistic expectations for hunting:
100 yards and in I am confident taking shots on starlings up to 10 mph full value crosswinds as long as they are steady. Under 75 is a “sure thing” even on house sparrows.
100-150 yards: If the wind is 5mph or less, I am stunned when I miss with a good rest. Any stronger wind than that, or if its switchy - these ranges become quite difficult.
Past 150: This gun will do it if you can, and the winds are calm. If the wind is over 5mph, dont even try. But again this is the b.c. of the pellets fault, not the accuracy of the gun. With slugs I could see making shots at extended ranges regularly up to 10mph.
In summary, I am very pleased with this rifle. It is user friendly, adjustable, and repeatable. Don’t drop it on the scope or barrel and she will serve you well. I hope this helps someone as they contemplate what to buy one way or another.
Little about me so you know where the info is coming from. Skip this part if you just want to trust that I know how to pull a trigger. ——. In a former life I was a sponsored shooter on the competition circuit (powder burner pistol). I served a tour of duty in Iraq with the Army, where one of my duties was a designated marksman in a blackhawk air assault unit. I was fortunate enough to make the cut and be on “Top Shot” on the history channel. Im primarily a long range deer hunter, and have harvested animals out to 860 yards with my 308. Further with a 300 RUM. I have shot steel out to a mile with the 308 and gotten some pretty good groups considering the range. I have also held the title of master in IDPA and won some competitions. None of this is stated to boast, but I feel like they should be said so that readers understand that I think I’m shooting this gun to its potential. Accuracy reviews are always at the mercy of the shooter, and that makes it hard sometimes to understand what the guns are capable of. For instance, you can watch matt dubber shoot lights out, but meathead marksman will happily state he doesnt shoot well in the wind. I enjoy his videos, but he wont claim to show you what the gun can actually do. Anyway onto the gun.
The gun: fx crown, .25 caliber, synthetic. Purchased in Feb 2019 from Utah air.
The scope: nightforce nxs 5.5-22. Second focal plane. Fx no limit rings
Bipod: harris 6-9 “. Swivel version.
Since my shooting partner and I purchased fx air rifles (he has an impact and a wildcat) a month and a half ago we have shot them a lot. My crown has over 2,700 shots through it alone.
To date we have harvested 1,094 pest birds/woodchucks at the surrounding dairy farms. Shots average around 100 yards, with 236 yards on a pigeon being the longest kill so far.
All statements pertain to shooting jsb heavies through them unless otherwise noted. My crown likes mk2s . His guns seem to prefer the original heavies but does shoot the mk2s well anyway.
The tune: shooting the mk2 heavies at 860 fps. Reg set at 142 bar according to the attached manometer.
Hammer is as set at the factory. I did not need to increase hammer tension as I increased the reg pressure. Mike from utah air says i “got a hot one” given my results. I’ll also note here that I have been very pleased with Utah air. My friend purchased his guns from Craig at Straight Shooters and he has had a great experience there as well.
My concerns going in:
I was worried that the gun would lose zero often given its long unsupported barrel, and shroud that i would constantly be pulling in and out. Mike assured me that it wouldnt and he was right. I have had to rezero it only twice. Once because it tipped over on its bipod and landed directly on the scope from wind blowing it over. I believe the rings shifted a touch because the nightforce in my experience is unshakable . The other time was because I torqued it hard removing the shroud for a deep cleaning. The shroud was insanely tight but I did get it off with some elbow grease. Now its easy to remove, but stays put. Ill also note that when extended the shroud stays put. It will not slide on its own.
I was also concerned the reg would creep as I have read in early reviews. It does not move at all. I have adjusted it up to 157 bar, and all the way down as well. Now it happily sits at 142 where it shoots the best. I did confirm that my gun had the new “amp” reg in it. You can find out if yours does (or will) via the serial number, by calling fx.
Pros:
This gun is quiet with the shroud extended. So quiet I can shoot it inside dairy barns without the cows getting nervous. It is however very loud with the shroud in on high power. Think 22 pb subsonics. You will know it if you forget to extend the shroud before a shot. So will the cows.
Moa five shot groups at 100 yards in calm conditions are easy to achieve with the heavies off of a bipod. At 150 yards a 2” group is expected. At 200 yards I have shot once at dawn when it was dead calm. That five shot group had a vertical spread of 2.5” and was 4” wide. The width was my fault because I adjusted my wind hold after the cold bore shot to get centered. I think given the other four shots it could have been a 3” wide group had i not adjusted for the breath of wind that was there.
The trigger is exceptional. I am used to a timney trigger and I am generally hard to please. I do trigger jobs on nearly every gun I own within the first week. I have not even touched the trigger on this gun though, its perfect.
The gun is not front heavy at all, offhand shooting with it is awesome. Cant say enough about the balance. The stock is solid but light. It is not hollow and accepted an atlas rail and sling swivel stud no problem. I do wish it came with those already installed but hey what do you expect for $1,600 lol.
Is it fussy?: the first 1500 shots were fired without a cleaning. It was still producing one hole groups at 50 yards. At longer range though, it demands a cleaning. The mk2s seem to destabilise in a dirty barrel past 130 yards. In a “clean” barrel
They shoot “well” out to 250 yards. I wish i had a group size that far but i was just making dust on a rock face. They did seem stable still though. I now clean between each new tin (300 shots), and foul the barrel with a full mag right after cleaning. This gun loves JSBs and absolutely hates all others I have tried ( about six brands including my previous favourite h&n).
Overall I am very impressed with the accuracy and feel of the gun. I do have some gripes though.
Cons:
The fill port area while significantly better than the impact (more finger room), is still tight for my fingers. Just a smidgeon more of a relief cut and it would be perfect. When it is cold out I sometimes must resort to using pliers to get the foster fitting off of the gun. This is annoying and my biggest gripe. Dont even get me started on my friends impact. Pliers almost every time. Nearly no finger room.
The other gripe also has to do with filling the gun. The delrin dust cap is very hard to remove when it is cold. So hard I sometimes also need pliers for this. It is not nearly as hard to remove on my friends impact even though his gun has almost no finger room, so I might have just gotten a tight one.
These issues are “small”, but kind of infuriating because otherwise I think the gun is perfect. I am a strong handed young man, I farm beef cattle and distill whiskey for a living, and was a soldier for nine years. My hands are strong enough I should not be struggling with a stupid dust cap or foster fitting. Please FX listen, and fix this issue. It is a fly in the ointment on an otherwise exceptional product. Rant over.
I have filled the crown with a hill mk4 hand pump many times but it is a workout, and takes about 40 minutes for a full fill from 150 bar up to 250. Luckily my friend has taken pity on me and gives me air bottles to fill off of all the time now. But understand this is doable if thats all your budget allows, and you weigh at least 170 lbs.
Shot count: shooting the 25 grain jsb at 890 fps, reg set at 125 bar: 88 shots
Mk2 heavies at 860 fps, reg at 140 bar, 48 shots.
On low power like we use in the barns with 25 grainers at 475 fps, no idea- way too many shots to keep track. Fyi this speed will kill birds cleanly out to about 50 yards with head and neck shots, and will not go through tin roofs. At 80 yards it will not drop a starling with a body shot. At 20 yards if you miss the bird, it will probably put a hole in the roof. If you hit the bird it will not.
The adjustments made via the power wheels are precise and repeatable. I switch between high and low many times a day as we enter and leave dairy barns. Its always right back where I left it. We much prefer the crowns port adjustment over the impact bc it has three repeatable settings vs hard to see lines that dont click into place on the impact. The impact is by nature a bit more adjustable here, but its not handy for hunting like the crown is.
Hunting power:
On high power with the heavies I have stoned pigeons past 200 yards. I killed a woodchuck out at 170 yards with a brain shot-this is the furthest i have shot a woodchuck so far with this gun so i cant comment on further shots yet. At ranges of 100 yards and in, almost everything drops instantly with a loud pop. These pellets are hitting very hard.
Realistic expectations for hunting:
100 yards and in I am confident taking shots on starlings up to 10 mph full value crosswinds as long as they are steady. Under 75 is a “sure thing” even on house sparrows.
100-150 yards: If the wind is 5mph or less, I am stunned when I miss with a good rest. Any stronger wind than that, or if its switchy - these ranges become quite difficult.
Past 150: This gun will do it if you can, and the winds are calm. If the wind is over 5mph, dont even try. But again this is the b.c. of the pellets fault, not the accuracy of the gun. With slugs I could see making shots at extended ranges regularly up to 10mph.
In summary, I am very pleased with this rifle. It is user friendly, adjustable, and repeatable. Don’t drop it on the scope or barrel and she will serve you well. I hope this helps someone as they contemplate what to buy one way or another.
