Sorry about the clickbait title.
The only problems I have are of plenty.
I have seen numerous complaints about FX, and I had my worries before ordering it earlier this year. I got the MKII in .177 (and they immediately released the M3, but there is no buyer's remorse).
Out of the box, it was shooting hot - the reg was at 80 bar, and the pellets were over 1000 fps.
Learnt to tune and retune, and it's an easy thought process now.
There is no overthinking it, you know how the Impact will perform when you do this a few times.
If I only want to shoot pellets at a certain tune - I would keep that tune, loctite the HS screw, and leave it alone, but I haven't had the need to do so yet.
Leaks?
Nope. I realize there are multiple O rings and one or the other will give way eventually, so I've learned how to assemble and disassemble the FX. Use silicone oil when removing stuff and putting it together, and you'll be OK. Any PCP will have O ring failures, but I believe the expandability of the Impact leads it to be slightly more leak prone.
The only issue I had was losing 20 bar overnight, every time I refilled. After going through forums, I realized it was because of the hot air in a fill from the compressor, and 10-15 bar loss in a larger capacity bottle was actually the air cooling down. Have learned not to keep a PCP at full pressure over a period of time. Maybe just enough to put pressure against the O rings, and fill when necessary.
POI shifts? None. I would probably index my liner if required, but I'm getting pellet on pellet groups at 20-50 meters, and I've seen more than enough videos to know it is a capable long range platform.
I had a 3D print done for the barrel band from a design by Roelf Vorster - it is probably not required, but an additional 'secure' thing.
Fanboyism?
There is plenty of it. I am not an FX fanboy, but I realize there are camps in the sport/hobby and in these forums. Some root for Edgun, others for the Delta/Red wolfs, others for RTI and yet others for any other company.
For me, this is just a piece of high quality machinery/equipment that I like, and serves the purpose. My purpose is expandability, the ability to change tunes, and caliber change in the future (I know the Leshiy 2 does that too, and it is a fine piece of air arms tooling and research, just not my cup of tea at this given point in time).
I like the way FX tries to resolve customer queries, and helps them. There have been hiccups, and production woes, particularly with new releases, but I am pretty sure FX helps - this isn't a cheap airgun.
I sometimes wonder at why people get so agitated about what others are using, some members who even try to badmouth other people/promoters of FX and even end users. I don't think it serves any purpose. Shoot and let shoot, and learn. Above all, try and share knowledge and not put down others. If there is another well built gun, appreciate it for what it is, and we should also appreciate the fact that we're in an age of airgunning where we have so many fine options, that I never dreamed could happen just a couple of decades ago.
For example @Tor47 shared some great info on how an FX .177 would behave, and he was on the mark. Have seen many other super-helpful members who contribute to the forum, with their experience.
The FX impact is not for ...
Anything I don't like?
Yes!
I don't like the trigger.
I don't like the fact that the stock picatinny mount is too small in length and I couldn't mount my existing bipod with a Harris stud QD. Had to purchase another bipod with a smaller length attachment. Have a Saber Tactical arca-swiss on the way and it'll solve some of this.
Other Thoughts
From what I hear, there are thousands upon thousands of FXs being sold worldwide, and the US, while a large market, is still a part of the worldwide market. For the amount of FX's being sold, the complaints aren't very high, as a percentage, and most can be resolved (and some are user error too - I read about a used purchase, where the barrel was pulled apart, and the retaining pin was all hammered in because the person didn't bother to align the notch).
At the end of the day, a person puts their hard earned money after reading, researching, thinking and then putting this money in the hands of a company. There are a lot of impulse purchases that people regret as well. I used to frequent this forum and kept looking at Youtube reviews and usage experience - checked out FX, Edgun, Daystate videos and tried to make sense of the Impact, and after a time decided this platform was the way I wanted to go, because it checked all my requirements. I really liked the Leshiy 2 as well, I went through the entire Leshiy 2 thread, and many other information sources, but it wasn't for me (for now).
I enjoy tuning and tinkering with the Impact, and I realize that this is not for everyone. My experience has been great so far, and I see a lot of positives, compared to the negatives. It is certain of online forums and social media, that negative posts will gather more traction and views than positive ones.
What next?
Waiting for a .177 - 700mm liner.
Maybe an M4 or M5 a few years later.
The only problems I have are of plenty.
- I get plenty of shots in .177
- I have plenty of tunability in .177 - from 8.4 gr pellets, to 16 grain slugs
- I have plenty of options to change calibers if required.
- I have plenty of expandability options -
- Add a Saber Tactical arca rail? No problem.
- Add a sling QD on the side? No problem.
- Change this or that? Easy. Add a pin probe? Add a dual transfer port? No problem!
I have seen numerous complaints about FX, and I had my worries before ordering it earlier this year. I got the MKII in .177 (and they immediately released the M3, but there is no buyer's remorse).
Out of the box, it was shooting hot - the reg was at 80 bar, and the pellets were over 1000 fps.
Learnt to tune and retune, and it's an easy thought process now.
- I want to shoot 8-10 gr pellets? Simple, set the reg to 45-50, and adjust the HS tension to low. Set the valve to the first line. Within 10 test tune pellets, I have a working 870-930 range (and a shot count of well over 200, stopped counting and refilled when required). My earlier PCP gave me 40 shots before running out.
- I want to shoot JSB and Gamo 16 grain? Covered. Up the reg to 80-100, and I'm shooting this at 900 without a problem.
- Want to shoot my heavier 16.6 gr slugs? Easy enough. The reg goes to 135 - 140, and I need to adjust the HS to about more than midway (about 25 quarter turns from where I am at low) and increase the valve to 2.
There is no overthinking it, you know how the Impact will perform when you do this a few times.
If I only want to shoot pellets at a certain tune - I would keep that tune, loctite the HS screw, and leave it alone, but I haven't had the need to do so yet.
Leaks?
Nope. I realize there are multiple O rings and one or the other will give way eventually, so I've learned how to assemble and disassemble the FX. Use silicone oil when removing stuff and putting it together, and you'll be OK. Any PCP will have O ring failures, but I believe the expandability of the Impact leads it to be slightly more leak prone.
The only issue I had was losing 20 bar overnight, every time I refilled. After going through forums, I realized it was because of the hot air in a fill from the compressor, and 10-15 bar loss in a larger capacity bottle was actually the air cooling down. Have learned not to keep a PCP at full pressure over a period of time. Maybe just enough to put pressure against the O rings, and fill when necessary.
POI shifts? None. I would probably index my liner if required, but I'm getting pellet on pellet groups at 20-50 meters, and I've seen more than enough videos to know it is a capable long range platform.
I had a 3D print done for the barrel band from a design by Roelf Vorster - it is probably not required, but an additional 'secure' thing.
Fanboyism?
There is plenty of it. I am not an FX fanboy, but I realize there are camps in the sport/hobby and in these forums. Some root for Edgun, others for the Delta/Red wolfs, others for RTI and yet others for any other company.
For me, this is just a piece of high quality machinery/equipment that I like, and serves the purpose. My purpose is expandability, the ability to change tunes, and caliber change in the future (I know the Leshiy 2 does that too, and it is a fine piece of air arms tooling and research, just not my cup of tea at this given point in time).
I like the way FX tries to resolve customer queries, and helps them. There have been hiccups, and production woes, particularly with new releases, but I am pretty sure FX helps - this isn't a cheap airgun.
I sometimes wonder at why people get so agitated about what others are using, some members who even try to badmouth other people/promoters of FX and even end users. I don't think it serves any purpose. Shoot and let shoot, and learn. Above all, try and share knowledge and not put down others. If there is another well built gun, appreciate it for what it is, and we should also appreciate the fact that we're in an age of airgunning where we have so many fine options, that I never dreamed could happen just a couple of decades ago.
For example @Tor47 shared some great info on how an FX .177 would behave, and he was on the mark. Have seen many other super-helpful members who contribute to the forum, with their experience.
The FX impact is not for ...
- People who don't want a tunable PCP - they like their air rifles at a single tune, and can work with pellet weight increment and velocity reduction.
- People who don't like a large bunch of O rings (Airforce rifles are well made and have low numbers of O rings), and there are many other air rifles with more 'reliability'.
- People who don't like a PCP that is built like it'll never break. The FX Impact is aluminum, but it is sturdy enough to take some knocks. I doubt it'll survive a car over it, so that's there.
Anything I don't like?
Yes!
I don't like the trigger.
I don't like the fact that the stock picatinny mount is too small in length and I couldn't mount my existing bipod with a Harris stud QD. Had to purchase another bipod with a smaller length attachment. Have a Saber Tactical arca-swiss on the way and it'll solve some of this.
Other Thoughts
From what I hear, there are thousands upon thousands of FXs being sold worldwide, and the US, while a large market, is still a part of the worldwide market. For the amount of FX's being sold, the complaints aren't very high, as a percentage, and most can be resolved (and some are user error too - I read about a used purchase, where the barrel was pulled apart, and the retaining pin was all hammered in because the person didn't bother to align the notch).
At the end of the day, a person puts their hard earned money after reading, researching, thinking and then putting this money in the hands of a company. There are a lot of impulse purchases that people regret as well. I used to frequent this forum and kept looking at Youtube reviews and usage experience - checked out FX, Edgun, Daystate videos and tried to make sense of the Impact, and after a time decided this platform was the way I wanted to go, because it checked all my requirements. I really liked the Leshiy 2 as well, I went through the entire Leshiy 2 thread, and many other information sources, but it wasn't for me (for now).
I enjoy tuning and tinkering with the Impact, and I realize that this is not for everyone. My experience has been great so far, and I see a lot of positives, compared to the negatives. It is certain of online forums and social media, that negative posts will gather more traction and views than positive ones.
What next?
Waiting for a .177 - 700mm liner.
Maybe an M4 or M5 a few years later.
Haha! I'm never going to mistreat this gun, plus I cannot afford to showcase driving a car over this gun! I am sure it'll probably break beyond repair, never to shoot again. But perhaps that'd be an excuse to get a Leshiy instead. I like complication, and this is probably why this resonates with me. I know others don't, and they would have to find something that they find better suits their style of shooting and taste.
