I have long been a fan of FX guns, and have had good success with at least 10 of them. I was looking for a backup Field Target gun, and since I prefer a lighter, shorter gun, I figured I'd give the Streamline a go. My initial impression was split. The metal, fit and finish was fine. Typical nice FX work. I was interested to note that both the air tube and barrel sported what appears to be a carbon fiber covering. No bare metal was seen. So, less rust potential on visible parts. The stock was another matter. I'm no wood worker, but I could tell it was a low quality walnut that was used to make this stock. The wood's pores were readily visible and the grain was not in the least impressive. Additionally, there were 2 very small flaws in the wood where they had cut through a knot. I'm sure some finish was applied to the wood, but it was done very lightly. I opted to make the stock a project rather than returning it. More on this later.
After cleaning the barrel and giving it a good rub with JB Bore Paste I was ready to move on to the trigger. FX claims this gun has a totally new match grade trigger. It sure looks very similar to other FX triggers, perhaps the ball that the trigger lever rocks on is a bit further forward, but the shooting characteristics are identical to my 400 and Bobcat. Having owned and shot RAW, Steyr and USFT triggers my expectations are high in this area. A crisp 2-3 ounce break is another animal compared to the FX guns. In my opinion this is an area where personal opinion rules. I currently shoot a Bobcat 177 in FT, regulated, and the trigger breaks at 6 oz. Its break is predictable, not quite crisp,but I've grown to like it a lot. It has a short 1st and a light "wall". The Streamline is virtually identical except it breaks at 7 oz. This what I expected, so I was good in this area. Others, especially serious target shooters, might not be satisfied.
Back to the stock. I originally used high rings for the big Sightron 10-50. Well, no firm cheek weld was possible, (comb was too low). I switched to a UTG 4-16 with medium rings. This was much better and the cheek weld was acceptable. I changed gears at this point figuring the gun as a plinker or HFT gun. I sanded the stock and started applying Tru-Oil after each light sanding with fine steel wool. Well this wood was thirsty! It took 10 coats to get the stock to a decent sheen, and I was not at all trying to overdo it.
Chrono testing was next. I had shot some strings before so kind of knew what to expect. I was not disappointed. I've never shot real long strings, as for my purposes 5 shots will generally tell me what I need to know. So, after 2 shots to prep the reg. (I always do this) here are the results; 892,889,897,897,900. Just an 11 fps variation in those 5 shots (out of the tin). I'm sure if I shot 25 or more that would open up slightly, but this was enough to tell me the reg was doing its job. This gun is listed by AoA as an 18 fpe gun. Mine was set to shoot 19.5 fpe with the JSB 10.3 pellets. I found that the groups at 925 fps were not what I consider acceptable, so I lowered the hammer spring so I was shooting about 890, as shown with the above string. The picture shows the results with the 5 shot group that was just over ¼ inch center to center. This group was not cherry picked. I zeroed the scope at 40 yards then did the group. I was very pleased to say the least.
Other things worth mentioning are that the magazine fed pellets very smoothly. I usually shoot with a single shot tray, but at this point I don't see a reason to use one. Also, the information on this gun claims 100 shots per fill to 230 bar. I did not keep an actual count but, would estimate that that claim is at least very close (at 18 fpe).
In conclusion I think for the price point and considering dollar value that the Streamline is well worth it. If I had to do it again I don't know if the walnut stock is worth the extra money. But, for a light weight accurate shooter it lives up to the FX reputation.
After cleaning the barrel and giving it a good rub with JB Bore Paste I was ready to move on to the trigger. FX claims this gun has a totally new match grade trigger. It sure looks very similar to other FX triggers, perhaps the ball that the trigger lever rocks on is a bit further forward, but the shooting characteristics are identical to my 400 and Bobcat. Having owned and shot RAW, Steyr and USFT triggers my expectations are high in this area. A crisp 2-3 ounce break is another animal compared to the FX guns. In my opinion this is an area where personal opinion rules. I currently shoot a Bobcat 177 in FT, regulated, and the trigger breaks at 6 oz. Its break is predictable, not quite crisp,but I've grown to like it a lot. It has a short 1st and a light "wall". The Streamline is virtually identical except it breaks at 7 oz. This what I expected, so I was good in this area. Others, especially serious target shooters, might not be satisfied.
Back to the stock. I originally used high rings for the big Sightron 10-50. Well, no firm cheek weld was possible, (comb was too low). I switched to a UTG 4-16 with medium rings. This was much better and the cheek weld was acceptable. I changed gears at this point figuring the gun as a plinker or HFT gun. I sanded the stock and started applying Tru-Oil after each light sanding with fine steel wool. Well this wood was thirsty! It took 10 coats to get the stock to a decent sheen, and I was not at all trying to overdo it.
Chrono testing was next. I had shot some strings before so kind of knew what to expect. I was not disappointed. I've never shot real long strings, as for my purposes 5 shots will generally tell me what I need to know. So, after 2 shots to prep the reg. (I always do this) here are the results; 892,889,897,897,900. Just an 11 fps variation in those 5 shots (out of the tin). I'm sure if I shot 25 or more that would open up slightly, but this was enough to tell me the reg was doing its job. This gun is listed by AoA as an 18 fpe gun. Mine was set to shoot 19.5 fpe with the JSB 10.3 pellets. I found that the groups at 925 fps were not what I consider acceptable, so I lowered the hammer spring so I was shooting about 890, as shown with the above string. The picture shows the results with the 5 shot group that was just over ¼ inch center to center. This group was not cherry picked. I zeroed the scope at 40 yards then did the group. I was very pleased to say the least.
Other things worth mentioning are that the magazine fed pellets very smoothly. I usually shoot with a single shot tray, but at this point I don't see a reason to use one. Also, the information on this gun claims 100 shots per fill to 230 bar. I did not keep an actual count but, would estimate that that claim is at least very close (at 18 fpe).
In conclusion I think for the price point and considering dollar value that the Streamline is well worth it. If I had to do it again I don't know if the walnut stock is worth the extra money. But, for a light weight accurate shooter it lives up to the FX reputation.
