New FX Impact m3 bottle regulator

[AirSupply]

Been thinking about how fx did this. It’s quite an achievement when you think about it. 
It is able to do 3 things and yet just looks like a simple small coupling between the bottle and the gun. 
What does it do? First and foremost it is a regulator and controls the pressure from the bottle reducing it to the factory setting of 150bar.


Then it also must allow air through to the bottle from the filling.port for this it must have an open pathway through past the regulator. 


Then also on this open line from fill port to bottle they have a gauge for bottle pressure. 
Putting it basically in the neck of the bottle takes up no room and doesn’t require any changes to the way the gun looks. Really clever. 

If you went back 5 years to the first Impact could you imagine how it might have changed the guns evolution if this had been there first choice for regulator position! 

 

[bigHUN]

Wondering if this regulator is a bottle specific ...or I can retrofit my MK2?

I see a benefit simplifying a preload on the existing reg.

 

[AirSupply]

I’ve been asking the same question. I guess when filling the bottle air must get there on a dedicated pathway so I’m thinking there must be some changes to the internals of the m3 for this to happen. 
Otherwise you’d be pushing air into the plenum. But I’m just guessing. 
You can see a fill hole beside the regulator in this video. 
https://youtu.be/XikTv3RJa-Q

 

[B]

Wondering if this regulator is a bottle specific ...or I can retrofit my MK2?

I see a benefit simplifying a preload on the existing reg.

From what Jonathan said only a new PP can be retrofitted to MK2

B

 

[bigHUN]

I did a misstyping in my question, would this be a thread specific adapter? A different larger OD thread?

I have the MK2 PP btw and if the thread fits to existing I am definitely interested to upgrade.

 

[B]

You can install new regulator on MK2 bottle with additional o-ring but you want be able to attach to the gun. Looks like M3 block is female connection not male like MK2, or I’m mistaking. 
B

 

[Glem.Chally]

You can install new regulator on MK2 bottle with additional o-ring but you want be able to attach to the gun. Looks like M3 block is female connection not male like MK2, or I’m mistaking. 
B

The thread in all impacts is female from what I see. Theres a similar looking part that the bottle attaches to on mk1/2. Youd have to remove the mk1/2 one of course but would be female from what I see.

 

[B]

Looks like you are correct Glem, didn't have a gun in front of me so I wasn't sure, thanks for the clarification. Anyway, as for now, FX is saying that from all the upgrades we see on M3 only PP can be fitted to MK2

B

 

[Centercut]

Even if it did fit, how would you fill the gun (I think the bottle valve is different)? I agree with @airsupply The Engineering on that regulator is impressive. FX has come a long way since the Home Depot Engineering on guns like the Bobcat Mk1. 

 

[Glem.Chally]

Even if it did fit, how would you fill the gun (I think the bottle valve is different)? I agree with @airsupply The Engineering on that regulator is impressive. FX has come a long way since the Home Depot Engineering on guns like the Bobcat Mk1.

Yeah you'd need that special bottle as well I'd imagine. Nice step forward

 

[AirSupply]

Yes on the gun side of the regulator you now have “2” sealing orings. The fill airs dedicated path way would run between them. Then the regulator has its own oring to isolate its regulated air on its way to reg no 2. 
The m3 would have a new internal sealing surface for the regulated air.

You can see an inner and outer orings in the photo. 

 

[AirSupply]

I’ll bet you could make a small adapter with just a fill port on it to use this on older guns. It would move the bottle forward the width of the new fill port. You’d loose the bottle gauge as it would become first regulator pressure. 
Or you could buy an M3

Could also make a picatinny rail that incorporates the new fill port and put a blank in the old fill port spot. 

 

[bigHUN]

well, I must be careful with my Q these days not to be called weird...publicly

I don't know what is a male/female to you but me @61 still remember that this circled in the screen capture shall be a female thread in the block ...

soo we are coming back to my OQ: this thread may fit?

 

[AirSupply]

The tread may fit “but” there are now two seperate pathways (for air)within the part where before there was only one. 
So it’s not plug and play even if ithe new regulator part screws in and fits. 

 

[B]

Ernest confirmed in one of the posts that treads are different in size between MK2 and M3

B

 

[AirSupply]

Ernest confirmed in one of the posts that treads are different in size between MK2 and M3

B

Thanks

 

[Centercut]

I think this is innovative, and its good engineering. However, I'm not sure that TWO is always better than ONE, or even necessary.... Think of it this way, if you are shooting high power like the S Africans or 68 Whiskey and have your firing reg at 150 to 160 bar, and set your first reg to what, 200 bar? Or if you're shooting .30 caliber pellets at 900 FPS and your reg is set to 120 bar? So the differential between the first reg and the firing reg could be around 50 to 80 bar? How about if you fill your gun to 210 or 220 bar, wouldn't your SINGLE reg be doing about the same thing? Anyway, I think although an interesting idea, and very innovative, I'm not convinced its really necessary if your SINGLE reg works and functions properly. IMHO. Food for thought. My 25 Impact X w/PP will shoot the heavy NSA slugs at about 80 FPE, and shoot an entire magazine with a single digit ES. Plug in some numbers to your Strelok Pro and see the differential at 150 yards between a 4 FPS difference and an 6 FPS difference... Enough to make a difference?

 

[B]

Also looks like the first reg is not user friendly adjustable and preset to 150 BAR

B

 

[AirSupply]

That’s true if you want to shoot at those power levels. Don’t forget there is a huge percentage of shooters that have much lower secondary/plenum pressure. 
The plenum pressures for a lot of people have dropped a lot with the introduction of the Pp making the difference between the bottle and regulator greater than it ever was. Also shooting lighter projectiles with less power you will get greater SD with creep. 
It just depends on what your tuning for. I’ll bet the UK sub 12 /FT crew love it. 

 

[AirSupply]

Check out this tread and note the date. 
https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/has-anyone-ever-tried-running-to-regulators-together/