Barrel and slug comparison STX VS Superior

They're both stx (liner system), is it a pellet or slug liner?

Send it. I've had some show up that looked rough, but every last one I have shoots like a laser (pellet a, slug a, superior)

Pretty sure my slug liner had rust on it, lol. Of course I cleaned it. But I've gotten accuracy from it that would make most people question me and my gun.

Hi,

What you are seeing is the newer crowning process, the old liners would form a pentagonal impression on the pellets while the newer one results in a rounder pellet, also choke dimensions are probably a little different. Generally, I have found the newer crown to result in better overall performance when using pellets.

Bio,

Shoot some test pellets out of each and show us the rifiling marks of the projectiles. Very curious as I am dealing with similar FX barrel issues with my WC MK3.

Good eye my friend 

Hi,

What you are seeing is the newer crowning process, the old liners would form a pentagonal impression on the pellets while the newer one results in a rounder pellet, also choke dimensions are probably a little different. Generally, I have found the newer crown to result in better overall performance when using pellets.

Click to expand...

Do you have manufacturing timelines for these changes? This is very interesting.

Are the inside diameter different?

Superior liners have decals on them, stx doesn’t 

Honestly looks fine to me. Looks like marks from their choking press. Must be a newer easier to work with design. 

I'll pull my shroud and look at mine later 

The one on the left looks pretty gnarly to me. Uneven engraving visible on the skirt. Smeared lead fins trailing behind the head. My guess is that will be no bueno.

You have to shoot it to know if it’s going be good or bad! Don’t fret until you try it. Judging from the pellets your old stx liner leaves a pellet scarred up way worse than the new one you’re showing  

For a second there I thought Al and I were disagreeing but I was simply crossed up on which pellet was from the new barrel. I agree, the new one looks better...which in turn agrees with your initial statement:

Superior looks very nice even with the mangled end on the barrel

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This change was made a long time ago, perhaps up to a year. The striations that are not parallel to the rifle pressing are done to provide a more consistently round choke. Lets not even get into what happens to planar vs round, rotating, subsonic projectiles...

From my experience, all I can say is that in my humble opinion "slug a" and later should carry this type of crown. This newer crown has been in "circulation" from about the end of 2019. I have a number of older STX liners in .22 with the old crown, I will gladly swap them with you if you are unhappy with the newer one!

Have a look at the crown itself, if you are lucky enough to be somewhere when a shipment arrives from FX, and have the opportunity to pick your liner, you will sometimes find some liners with some blue gaffer tape on them, they won't let you have those barrels but if you look at those crowns they are round and immaculate, amongst other things...

I don't want to infer anything, but my "slug a" was handpicked by the dealer, to best match those blue gaffer tape liners that they wouldn't sell me...