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FX DRS First Thoughts...

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Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58):
FX DRS

I received my FX DRS a couple weeks ago and have had a chance to test it out.  I got the .22 caliber version with the 600mm barrel.  I chose the longer version because it came with a larger capacity air tank and the longer barrel for the same price as the shorter 500mm version.  I mainly shoot from a rest, so the longer version worked for me.  Someone who may be wandering the woods while shooting will probably want the shorter 500mm version.  So far I like it a lot, but it does have a couple shortcoming that I’ll get out of the way.

First is Length of Pull, the stock was designed for short people, plain and simple!  But, that was cured by adding a slip on rubber butt pad that added an inch to the LOP, which was enough to make it more comfortable to shoot.

Second, the dovetail rail in front of the magazine well is very short, so much so, I had to order a set of the BKL Off-set rings to mount the scope far enough forward to allow enough clearance for the larger Crown/Dreamline magazine, and give me the eye relief I needed.

Third is the gauges…  It only has one and it’s for the fill pressure in the tank.  The plenum has a plug that can be removed and a 1/8BSPP treaded gauge installed, but the hole has no ledge inside the hole for a Delrin gasket or O-ring to sit on, so I had to use a bonded washer to get a tight seal.  Also, the main gauge has M8*1 threads, which is unusual and unlike any of my other FX air rifle, that all use 1/8BSPP threaded gauges.

I like the light weight of the rifle and the sleek looks.  The soft touch, synthetic stock has a really nice shape and feels very solid.

It is shooting very accurately and is not pellet picky.  In fact, some of the pellets that performed the best were the Air Boss 18 grain Domed, Norma 17.6 grain Domed, H&N Barracuda 18 18.1 grain Domed, JTS 18.1 grained Domed, JSB Exact 15.89 grain and Polymag 16 grain pellets.  The worse were the Norma 15.9 grain and Apolo 16 grain.

It comes with a smaller version of the FX side-shot magazine, that holds 12 pellets compared to the standard Crown/Dreamline magazine that holds 18 pellets.  The smaller magazine that come with it will fit longer pellets and slugs and the long Polymags work great in it.  FX says it will fit up to a 40 grain slug also, but I have not tried any to confirm, and quite honestly, in its current configuration, I don’t feel it has adequate power for 40 grain slugs.

I am experiencing some regulator creep that is causing the first 3-4 shots to be a lower velocity that the rest, especially the 1st and 2nd shots!  The first shot can be over 100 FPS less that the 5th shot and beyond, the 2nd – 4th shots building in velocity.  A quick e-mail to the Vendor I purchased from and I have a new regulator on the way.

The DRS is a very simple platform to work on, and tune, however, the stock does have to be removed to make adjustment to the regulator and hammer spring.  Out of the box it was shooting a little hot, so I pulled the stock, degassed it and attached a gauge to the plenum to see where the regulator was set from the factory.  I was surprised to see it set at 134 BAR, so I backed it off to 115 BAR and backed the hammer spring adjuster off a full turn and ¼.  This brought the velocity of the 16 grain pellets down to around 940 FPS and the 18 grain pellets to around 900 FPS.  Grouping improved as well.  Shot count out of the box with 60 shots before it came off the regulator, I have not had a chance to test it since I adjusted the regulator.

With the air cylinder attached, you cannot remove the regulator for maintenance or replacement, so I went ahead and did a dry run to see how difficult that task would be.  It’s really quite easy.  There is a degass vent on the plenum, it’s the small brass plug in the lower, center of the block.  It bleeds air off both the cylinder and plenum, so no need to dry fire it to bleed the plenum after the air cylinder is emption.

The air cylinder unscrewed easily and screws onto the block and the end of the barrel.  It also has a very substantial steel barrel over the superior smooth twist liner.  Once the air cylinder is removed the regulator can be easily removed and replaced.  While I had it out, I cleaned it and lubed all the O-rings.  I put it back together, aired it up to 230BAR and set it aside to ensure there are no leaks.  This morning, it’s sitting right where I left it yesterday, so all seems to be good.  Later today I’m going to do some more testing over the chrony to see if I still have a significant drop in velocity on the 1st – 3rd shots and get a shot count before it comes off regulator pressure. 

Over all I am happy with the rifle and am hoping the new regulator will cure the low velocity 1st – 3rd shots.  My plan is to use this rifle to shoot rats, so I won’t have the luxury of taking 3 shots before I go for the kill shot and having a rifle that is hitting 1 to 1 ½ inches low on the first shot is unacceptable.  I’ll update this thread as I gather more data and will update after the new regulator arrives and is installed.

Back_Roads:
 So you are saying that the new airgun I will get tomorrow will need work right out of the box ??? LOL Well I have everything I  will need off you list, except for one of them regulators that work perfectly as advertised ::: LOL

Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58):

--- Quote from: Back_Roads on April 14, 2024, 10:39:11 AM --- So you are saying that the new airgun I will get tomorrow will need work right out of the box ??? LOL Well I have everything I  will need off you list, except for one of them regulators that work perfectly as advertised ::: LOL

--- End quote ---

Sadly, this seems to be the new norm!  Fortunately, it's very easy to work on and I purchased from a very responsive and supportive vendor.  Otherwise, it could quickly escalate into a bigger problem!  I just want to be honest in my findings and not paint that all rosey and bright review you see from so many YouTuber's that get them for free or at a discount, and are afraid to call the manufacture's baby ugly!  From me, it is what it is...   ;D

Back_Roads:
 I am confident the Utah Airguns will take good care of me if issues arise also ;)

Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58):

--- Quote from: Back_Roads on April 14, 2024, 11:42:52 AM --- I am confident the Utah Airguns will take good care of me if issues arise also ;)

--- End quote ---

No doubt since they are now the authorized US Service Center for FX.  I was offered the opportunity to send it to UA for repair, but after discussing it further, Tom felt pretty confident I could handle the repair.  Besides, I hate subjecting a new airgun to any more shipping abuse than is absolutely necessary!  :o

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