Impact vs Impact-X for slugs?

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13brv3

13brv3

Member
Feb 1, 2017
342
9
TN, United States
Greetings,

I have an Impact that's just over a year old, and it's been excellent. I have the .22 and .30 barrels for it, and it shoots both pretty darn well. I've been interested in shooting slugs, which of course you can't (by most accounts) do with the original smooth twist barrels. Now of course there are smooth twist x barrels available as an upgrade, and there are slug liners becoming available.

My primary question is about the difference between the original Impact, and the newer Impact-X rifles. Aside from the barrels, I've read that there are changes to the regulator, and trigger. The question is whether the new regulator actually increases power, or is it maybe just more reliable, or consistent? For slugs, I've read that higher speeds are desirable, so more power is also desirable. If you had an earlier Impact, and a new Impact-X, and they were both shooting the same barrel/liner/slugs, would the new version of the rifle shoot them faster?

I understand that you can upgrade the older Impact to the new regulator and trigger assembly, though it's not cheap. If that's actually a necessary upgrade for slugs, I might have to consider just selling the current rifle and buying a new one depending on how the cost and difficulty works out. 

Thanks,

Rusty
 
I’m realitivly new to air rifles. I have one of the latest version of the Impact (pre X). Sounds to me the the X regulator is more adjustable, wider pressure range than the standard Impact. Wether it’s more reliable, I have no idea.

So if I remember right, Weatherby, posted a different way of stacking the Belleville washers in the regulator that would allow higher working pressures with the older impact regulator. More power...? Maybe you could search for that thread. Once mine is out of warranty, I’ll be looking to do that mod myself.

I, too am curious about slugs. Sounds to me like .22 cal will be best for longer ranges due to magazine depth and available power from the platform. .25 cal with the 700mm barrel should still preform welll.


 
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I've read everything Google can find this morning, and I almost end up with more questions than answers. I did see the post about restacking the washers BTW.

On one hand, I read that nothing changed on the X version other than the barrel, but I've also read about changes to the regulator and trigger. The only explanation I found was that FX had already made the regulator and trigger changes before the X model was released, so the barrel was really the only thing changed when they changed the name. Unfortunately, I haven't found anything that really documents when the changes were made, and how to know if you have them. 

The one thing I found was a video from Esting Rowe (many thanks for all he's done!) from around Aug 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayAKAY4ttZg He was showing a change that was made for the trigger, where the pin supports have bushings milled into the body of the rifle for support. My Impact was received around June 2017, and I do have the changes that were shown. I'm hoping I also have the regulator change, but without taking it apart, I don't know any way to know for sure.

Best I've been able to tell, FX doesn't recommend any higher regulator pressure now than they used to, so I'm still not sure the new regulator changes anything significant.

Cheers,

Rusty




 
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I got my Impact 1Feb 2018. Just had a reg failure. Dint take it apart, but measured a few things.. from what I understand the new reg is 10mm diameter. Mine is only 9mm if I measured correctly. Therefore I believe that the X is the only version with the new reg so far.

So, the way I understand it, spring pack(Belleville washers)rate and piston travel are the main limits to the reg adjustment range. There are other limiting factors, like o-rings holding the pressure. Piston travel is mostly limited by length of its sealing surfaces, and adjustment screw sealing areas. So, if you can increase spring tension and still maintain piston travel in the proper areas, you should be able to increase operating pressure. I wouldn’t push it to far due to known regulator reliability issues.. Maybe 160 bar max.

That said, if you want more power for bigger slugs, a different gun would be a better choice. This is the way I’m looking. A purpose built slug gun. I haven’t seen the right one yet. I’m still waiting for the slug liners and reports of performance.



John
 
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This was the only thread I could find about regulator pistons, and they mention 14mm and 17mm, but that's the length I believe. They don't mention the diameter. 

https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/fx-impact-regulator-piston-sizes-17mm-vs-14mm/

I did find one post online that showed results with slugs and pellets using 150 and 175 bar pressures. I didn't save the link, and they didn't mention how they got the higher pressure. 

Rusty


 
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Yeah, clear as mud. Maybe every gun comes with a different regulator :) 

I will say that mine has been outstanding, with no leaking, creeping, or any other bad behavior. I'd be very reluctant to take it apart without a really good reason. I'm only running the recommended max 143 bar now (measured with a digital test gauge), but I'd try 150 without hesitation if I thought I needed it.

Of course I still haven't found an answer to whether the latest version of the X model has more power than the pre-X model. I don't really think the specs have changed, and I'm thinking they aren't really planning to make the Impact any more powerful, though there are mods that can be done I suppose. The power limitation will probably limit the Impact to smaller lighter slugs, as John mentioned earlier. Wouldn't it be great if one of the airgun dealers would do some velocity testing with the various length barrels? Other than FX, they're likely to be the only ones with access to all the different lengths anytime soon. 

Rusty


 
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I have a two month old impact x and the regulator can be set from nothing to over 200 bar. The OEM manometer read around 20 bar too high so I replaced it with an EDgun EDMU.

I get 900 fps with 50.15g JSB and the regulator set to 140 bar. It shoots Nielsen 47g hollowpoint slugs to the same point of impact but at 890 fps on 130 bar. Anything over 130 bar gives less velocity with the 47g Nielsen. I don't know why... maybe it's the very soft lead and the hollow base. The pressure reading in other posts I made were with the inaccurate OEM manometer. I hope to have some 50yd groups this weekend from the slugs and pellets if all goes well.
 
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Yeah, clear as mud. Maybe every gun comes with a different regulator :) 

I will say that mine has been outstanding, with no leaking, creeping, or any other bad behavior. I'd be very reluctant to take it apart without a really good reason. I'm only running the recommended max 143 bar now (measured with a digital test gauge), but I'd try 150 without hesitation if I thought I needed it.

Of course I still haven't found an answer to whether the latest version of the X model has more power than the pre-X model. I don't really think the specs have changed, and I'm thinking they aren't really planning to make the Impact any more powerful, though there are mods that can be done I suppose. The power limitation will probably limit the Impact to smaller lighter slugs, as John mentioned earlier. Wouldn't it be great if one of the airgun dealers would do some velocity testing with the various length barrels? Other than FX, they're likely to be the only ones with access to all the different lengths anytime soon. 

Rusty

Click to expand...

The potential power hasn’t changed. Matt Dubber who has done a lot of the testing with the slugs did it with his original Impact. The size of the plenum and valve is the same.

If you want to increase the regulator pressure(more power) past FX’s recommend max of 150bar you need a stronger spring stack on the regulator. Weatherby’s mod strengthens the stack and allows more pressure without flattering the washers and causing possible damage to the regulator. 

Matts Impact also has some weight added to the hammer. I’m not sure at what pressure more hammer weight is necessarily but he did have reg pressure’s up to 175bar. The other modification you may also need is to increase the size of the transfer port. 

Check out some of Matt’s results with different slug weights and settings here. 

https://www.facebook.com/400701990004136/posts/2014826508591668/

Another modification to increase power is Ernest Rowe’s larger valve seat. It is made from titanium and improves airflow. It does make the gun slightly louder. 


 
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Air Supply,

Thanks for the info and links. Much appreciated.

JU,

that’s some pretty impressive numbers. Assuming your using a choked barrel.



So, what’s the goal? For me, 200 yard 3” groups with less than 12” drop from a 50 yard zero. Using an effective hunting (hollow point?) projectile. Is my goal realistic? 50+ FPE on target would be nice as well.


 
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Air Supply,

Thanks for the info and links. Much appreciated.

JU,

that’s some pretty impressive numbers. Assuming your using a choked barrel.



So, what’s the goal? For me, 200 yard 3” groups with less than 12” drop from a 50 yard zero. Using an effective hunting (hollow point?) projectile. Is my goal realistic? 50+ FPE on target would be nice as well.

Click to expand...


Most of my shots are under 50 yards and my goal is to kill feral goats or pigs in one shot without any tracking. Everything else is play. When I received my new impact the regulator was set above 200 bar and velocity was low and erratic. The owner of the store I purchased from said "One thing I did want to clear up. The guns typically do not come from Sweden tuned".  Johan from FX Sweden relied to this " No every single gun is tested and tuned at the factory. Please do let me know where you bought the gun." I guess the hammer couldn't open the valve consistently at that pressure. Less that 20 minutes of tuning had the gun shooting perfect for my use and I am 100% happy with it. I'm looking into a few mods though. I'd like to shoot slugs faster if possible.
 
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Thanks for all the great information! I had replied to this last night, but the reply seems to have been lost in the technical difficulties the forum has been having. 

I'm not sure how I missed that video from Matt, but combined with JU's observations, I guess I have to believe a new Impact-X would offer some advantage. That being said, I'm also fairly comfortable with the idea of upgrading my year old Impact to the .22 X barrel, and giving the slugs a try. I have absolutely no need to shoot slugs, so my goal is just for fun, and fulfilling an interest to experiment. I only shoot paper, and steel, and certainly not in any competition. 

That leaves me with the next decision, which is whether to buy the "upgrade", which is only a barrel and liner, or buy the full barrel kit. The upgrade version in .22 is the 500mm barrel, which Nielson says shoots the lighter slugs better, though they don't say why. That's the cheapest and easiest option, and I'd be able to do back to back testing with my original barrel, the X barrel, and the X slug barrel all in the same length. I do think heavier slugs might benefit from the 600mm barrel though, so I also have the option to just sell my current barrel, and buy the 600mm version with a fixed shroud. Decisions, decisions...

Thanks,

Rusty


 
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