Unlike many airgun enthusiasts, once I have a gun working for me I tend to hang on to it. Which is why my first PCP, a Daystate Harrier, is almost 20 years old. After a bit of work it has served me well, needing only a couple of check valve seal replacements to keep it running. Although very accurate, I only get 20-25 shots per fill out of the Harrier, and wanted to find something that could provide at least 40 accurate shots per fill in a conventional stock configuration. In the end, I decided on the FX Streamline in .22 , primarily because it is equipped with a regulator. These are my findings following a couple months of use.
Shot Count: I mention this first since it was the major improvement I was hoping to get from a new rifle. On high power I get about 50 shots on a 220 Bar fill. On medium power this increases to about 90 shots, and on low power somewhere around 120 shots. Since the gun is still accurate out to 35 yards on medium power, I tend to use medium power for backyard practice and pesting, and only have to fill once or twice a week. Terrific!
Accuracy: My gun definitely prefers the JSB 15.9 gr pellets over the 18.1 gr pellets. After seasoning the barrel with about 250 shots I was able to get the 18.1 gr pellets to perform adequately, but the 15.9 gr pellets still performed better. Having found the magazine to negatively influence accuracy with the 18.1 gr pellets, I made a single load tray and now shoot lubed 15.9 gr JSBs exclusively. Here are my 4 group, 5 shot, 50 yard benchrest results from June and August using unsorted pellets:
6/22/17 0.41" 0.53" 0.73" 0.37"
6/22/17 0.36" 0.55" 0.84" 0.45"
6/23/17 0.47" 0.49" 0.92" 0.62"
8/13/17 0.63" 0.35" 0.82" 0.28"
I am very happy with these results, although it is odd that the third group is always the largest. On the June targets the third group was always opened up by a high or low flier, suggesting some kind of regulator anomaly. There was absolutely no change in zero from June to August. Best of all, I find the rifle extremely easy to shoot accurately from field positions due to almost no movement on firing. I attribute this to a very efficient hammer and valve system.
Power: Here are chrony results for muzzle velocity (fps)/energy(ft-lb):
High 900/29
Medium 720/18
Low 535/10
Since the gun is shooting accurately, I made no attempt to modify the factory settings. I like these power settings. Medium power is perfect for backyard shooting, and low gives lots of very quiet shots for indoors. The almost 30 FPE on high is a significant step up from my 21 FPE Daystate, and the difference is very noticeable on game. The higher velocity also lets me stretch the effective range a bit. The power settings seem to be extremely repeatable.
Trigger: This trigger does have a bit of travel (creep), but because it is so light, smooth and consistent still lends itself to very accurate shooting. I have no problem with it, and will probably never bother to change the adjustment.
Stock: I wanted a conventional stock that could readily accept a bipod, and this one fits the bill. Mine is the laminate version. Checkering is neat, and the butt pad provides enough friction to keep it in place on your shoulder.
Shroud: I live in the middle of farmland, so the supplied shroud makes the gun plenty quiet enough for my needs. About the only reason I would have to add a moderator would be to avoid spooking game when hunting flocking prey like pigeons. I'm not sure even a moderated gun would be quiet enough for that. As I mentioned before, the gun is very quiet on low power, making it suitable for shooting indoors. This gun is definitely quieter than my Harrier with its factory moderator.
Magazine: I can't say I am in love with the magazine. It is kind of a pain to load, can deform the pellet skirt since it is spring loaded, and is probably not compatible with lubed pellets. I doubt I will use it in the future. Having said that, any effect on accuracy with the 15.9 gr JSBs is likely very small.
Fit and finish: Fit and finish of stock and metalwork is pretty much flawless, at least by my standards. No complaints here.
Weight: At just over 8 lbs with scope it is heavy enough for accurate shooting, yet reasonably easy to carry when hunting. I consider this the ideal weight for a multi-purpose rifle.
Durability: It's too early to evaluate durability, but no indications of any problems so far. If it holds up as well as my Daystate, it will be a winner.
Smooth twist barrel: It would be difficult to fairly evaluate this barrel design without some kind of back-to-back comparison. My only comment is that it seems to be quite accurate once it has been thoroughly seasoned. I started out cleaning it every 50 shots or so, but didn't get best accuracy until I stopped cleaning it altogether. It now has about 750 pellets through it without cleaning, with no observed drop off in accuracy, or change of zero. I use lubed pellets just because they have always worked for me in PCPs.
Overall: I couldn't be happier. I now have an airgun that is accurate, gives me lots of shots, is quiet, and has a stock that is easily adaptable to a wide variety of shooting positions. And I get far more use out of the variable power settings than I ever thought I would. Beside the magazine design, the only thing I would change would be to provide some kind of support for the front of the shroud. I worry that a bump could affect zero, or maybe even damage the barrel or its connection point to the receiver.
Chuck
Shot Count: I mention this first since it was the major improvement I was hoping to get from a new rifle. On high power I get about 50 shots on a 220 Bar fill. On medium power this increases to about 90 shots, and on low power somewhere around 120 shots. Since the gun is still accurate out to 35 yards on medium power, I tend to use medium power for backyard practice and pesting, and only have to fill once or twice a week. Terrific!
Accuracy: My gun definitely prefers the JSB 15.9 gr pellets over the 18.1 gr pellets. After seasoning the barrel with about 250 shots I was able to get the 18.1 gr pellets to perform adequately, but the 15.9 gr pellets still performed better. Having found the magazine to negatively influence accuracy with the 18.1 gr pellets, I made a single load tray and now shoot lubed 15.9 gr JSBs exclusively. Here are my 4 group, 5 shot, 50 yard benchrest results from June and August using unsorted pellets:
6/22/17 0.41" 0.53" 0.73" 0.37"
6/22/17 0.36" 0.55" 0.84" 0.45"
6/23/17 0.47" 0.49" 0.92" 0.62"
8/13/17 0.63" 0.35" 0.82" 0.28"
I am very happy with these results, although it is odd that the third group is always the largest. On the June targets the third group was always opened up by a high or low flier, suggesting some kind of regulator anomaly. There was absolutely no change in zero from June to August. Best of all, I find the rifle extremely easy to shoot accurately from field positions due to almost no movement on firing. I attribute this to a very efficient hammer and valve system.
Power: Here are chrony results for muzzle velocity (fps)/energy(ft-lb):
High 900/29
Medium 720/18
Low 535/10
Since the gun is shooting accurately, I made no attempt to modify the factory settings. I like these power settings. Medium power is perfect for backyard shooting, and low gives lots of very quiet shots for indoors. The almost 30 FPE on high is a significant step up from my 21 FPE Daystate, and the difference is very noticeable on game. The higher velocity also lets me stretch the effective range a bit. The power settings seem to be extremely repeatable.
Trigger: This trigger does have a bit of travel (creep), but because it is so light, smooth and consistent still lends itself to very accurate shooting. I have no problem with it, and will probably never bother to change the adjustment.
Stock: I wanted a conventional stock that could readily accept a bipod, and this one fits the bill. Mine is the laminate version. Checkering is neat, and the butt pad provides enough friction to keep it in place on your shoulder.
Shroud: I live in the middle of farmland, so the supplied shroud makes the gun plenty quiet enough for my needs. About the only reason I would have to add a moderator would be to avoid spooking game when hunting flocking prey like pigeons. I'm not sure even a moderated gun would be quiet enough for that. As I mentioned before, the gun is very quiet on low power, making it suitable for shooting indoors. This gun is definitely quieter than my Harrier with its factory moderator.
Magazine: I can't say I am in love with the magazine. It is kind of a pain to load, can deform the pellet skirt since it is spring loaded, and is probably not compatible with lubed pellets. I doubt I will use it in the future. Having said that, any effect on accuracy with the 15.9 gr JSBs is likely very small.
Fit and finish: Fit and finish of stock and metalwork is pretty much flawless, at least by my standards. No complaints here.
Weight: At just over 8 lbs with scope it is heavy enough for accurate shooting, yet reasonably easy to carry when hunting. I consider this the ideal weight for a multi-purpose rifle.
Durability: It's too early to evaluate durability, but no indications of any problems so far. If it holds up as well as my Daystate, it will be a winner.
Smooth twist barrel: It would be difficult to fairly evaluate this barrel design without some kind of back-to-back comparison. My only comment is that it seems to be quite accurate once it has been thoroughly seasoned. I started out cleaning it every 50 shots or so, but didn't get best accuracy until I stopped cleaning it altogether. It now has about 750 pellets through it without cleaning, with no observed drop off in accuracy, or change of zero. I use lubed pellets just because they have always worked for me in PCPs.
Overall: I couldn't be happier. I now have an airgun that is accurate, gives me lots of shots, is quiet, and has a stock that is easily adaptable to a wide variety of shooting positions. And I get far more use out of the variable power settings than I ever thought I would. Beside the magazine design, the only thing I would change would be to provide some kind of support for the front of the shroud. I worry that a bump could affect zero, or maybe even damage the barrel or its connection point to the receiver.
Chuck
