Which is a better target gun?
Stock
The stock of the FX Crown is much better than the Veteran’s. The Walnut finish of the Crown is far superior to the bland beech stock of the Veteran. I appreciate the ambidextrous nature of the Crown’s stock. The adjustable buttpad on the Crown is a nice feature missing from the Veteran. The Walnut cheek rest is much more comfortable than the cold aluminum on the veteran. The grip on both rifles is good but the Crown has cut aways that allow for a thumb up shooting position for those who like to be able to apply forward pressure with their thumb while shooting. The only change I’d make on the Crown’s stock is that I’d like more stippling on the grip. Fortunately, grip tape is inexpensive and easy to apply.
Winner: FX Crown 10-8
Magazines
This round is dominated by the Taipan. Virtually everything is better with the Taipan. Loading the magazines is much more straightforward. The magazines are more robust, and they just fall into place making the experience feel far more refined. The Crown requires a plastic cover to be removed before the pellets can be dropped in.
Indexing the magazine is much more fluid on the Taipan. Cocking the Taipan is easy and smooth. The Crown has a slight hitch in the cocking mechanism that is not jarring, but nonetheless makes the gun feel less high end than the near perfect Taipan.
Winner: Taipan Veteran 10-8
Trigger
Trigger pull is also a slam dunk for the Veteran. Imagine your perfect trigger. The Veteran can be made to pull exactly as you imagine. The Crown trigger is a little clunky in comparison.
Winner: Taipan Veteran 10-8
Sound
Out of box, the Veteran is the quieter gun. It doesn't require any modification to be backyard friendly. The Crown is also backyard friendly but slightly louder than the Veteran. Shooting side by side, the Veteran recorded an average decibel reading of 86 db to the Crowns 88 db. Adding a DonnyFL Tanto to the Veteran drops the sound to 84 db.
Winner: Taipan Veteran 10-9
Adjustability
Both guns can be adjusted externally. The Crown is easier to do. Simply turn a knob and either the hammer spring tension or the valve port size can be changed. The regulator pressure can also be adjusted externally which is a good thing because taking the stock of the gun is an irritating chore that requires the gun to practically be totally disassembled first. The Veteran can only have the hammer spring adjusted externally and requires an Allen wrench and two pins as tools to accomplish.
Winner: FX Crown 10-8
Unique Features
The Crown offers the ability to change caliber, barrel length and twist rate. This can be useful if trying to find one gun that can do it all. I don’t look for a gun that can do it all. I look for a gun that can do its purpose better than any other gun. The Veteran has a 20 MOA rail built in that is invaluable when shooting past 100 yards. The loopy trajectory of air rifles makes the added 20 MOA of adjustment a huge benefit. The Veteran also has an anti-double load feature that prevents the magazine from rotating if there is already a pellet in the barrel. It works like magic.
Winner: Taipan Veteran 10-9
Barrel
You hear a lot of talk about how great the FX Smooth Twist barrels are. You hear almost as much praise for the CZ barreIs used in the .22 cal Taipan Veterans. I was expecting this category to be a wash but was surprised to find the Taipan Veteran was clearly the most accurate. I tested accuracy shooting half a dozen 25m targets with each gun. The Veteran consistently shot a better score than the Crown despite the Crown having an advantage of a larger pellet making a bigger hole in the target. I also found that the Veteran kept the same zero between shooting days whereas the free floating barrel of the Crown would shift slightly. This caused me to need to re zero the Crown before each shooting day, a process that became irritating.
Winner: Taipan Veteran Knockout!
Final Result:
The Veteran went into the final round with a 58-56 lead and ended the fight with a knockout to remain the Champion.
Stock
The stock of the FX Crown is much better than the Veteran’s. The Walnut finish of the Crown is far superior to the bland beech stock of the Veteran. I appreciate the ambidextrous nature of the Crown’s stock. The adjustable buttpad on the Crown is a nice feature missing from the Veteran. The Walnut cheek rest is much more comfortable than the cold aluminum on the veteran. The grip on both rifles is good but the Crown has cut aways that allow for a thumb up shooting position for those who like to be able to apply forward pressure with their thumb while shooting. The only change I’d make on the Crown’s stock is that I’d like more stippling on the grip. Fortunately, grip tape is inexpensive and easy to apply.
Winner: FX Crown 10-8
Magazines
This round is dominated by the Taipan. Virtually everything is better with the Taipan. Loading the magazines is much more straightforward. The magazines are more robust, and they just fall into place making the experience feel far more refined. The Crown requires a plastic cover to be removed before the pellets can be dropped in.
Indexing the magazine is much more fluid on the Taipan. Cocking the Taipan is easy and smooth. The Crown has a slight hitch in the cocking mechanism that is not jarring, but nonetheless makes the gun feel less high end than the near perfect Taipan.
Winner: Taipan Veteran 10-8
Trigger
Trigger pull is also a slam dunk for the Veteran. Imagine your perfect trigger. The Veteran can be made to pull exactly as you imagine. The Crown trigger is a little clunky in comparison.
Winner: Taipan Veteran 10-8
Sound
Out of box, the Veteran is the quieter gun. It doesn't require any modification to be backyard friendly. The Crown is also backyard friendly but slightly louder than the Veteran. Shooting side by side, the Veteran recorded an average decibel reading of 86 db to the Crowns 88 db. Adding a DonnyFL Tanto to the Veteran drops the sound to 84 db.
Winner: Taipan Veteran 10-9
Adjustability
Both guns can be adjusted externally. The Crown is easier to do. Simply turn a knob and either the hammer spring tension or the valve port size can be changed. The regulator pressure can also be adjusted externally which is a good thing because taking the stock of the gun is an irritating chore that requires the gun to practically be totally disassembled first. The Veteran can only have the hammer spring adjusted externally and requires an Allen wrench and two pins as tools to accomplish.
Winner: FX Crown 10-8
Unique Features
The Crown offers the ability to change caliber, barrel length and twist rate. This can be useful if trying to find one gun that can do it all. I don’t look for a gun that can do it all. I look for a gun that can do its purpose better than any other gun. The Veteran has a 20 MOA rail built in that is invaluable when shooting past 100 yards. The loopy trajectory of air rifles makes the added 20 MOA of adjustment a huge benefit. The Veteran also has an anti-double load feature that prevents the magazine from rotating if there is already a pellet in the barrel. It works like magic.
Winner: Taipan Veteran 10-9
Barrel
You hear a lot of talk about how great the FX Smooth Twist barrels are. You hear almost as much praise for the CZ barreIs used in the .22 cal Taipan Veterans. I was expecting this category to be a wash but was surprised to find the Taipan Veteran was clearly the most accurate. I tested accuracy shooting half a dozen 25m targets with each gun. The Veteran consistently shot a better score than the Crown despite the Crown having an advantage of a larger pellet making a bigger hole in the target. I also found that the Veteran kept the same zero between shooting days whereas the free floating barrel of the Crown would shift slightly. This caused me to need to re zero the Crown before each shooting day, a process that became irritating.
Winner: Taipan Veteran Knockout!
Final Result:
The Veteran went into the final round with a 58-56 lead and ended the fight with a knockout to remain the Champion.
