fx revolution part 1

[aack73]

 i will do couple different parts in an attempt to keep it more brief and readable. sorry if i ramble. book reports and papers weren't my strong suit in school. i ain't competing with Ted either just another objective opinion for those maybe interested.

i bought the fx revolution (here in referred to as "revo") over the monsoon primarily because of the stock. i think wood looks nicer on any color metal, but i preferred synthetic in this case. i have intentions of this being a carry hunting/ plinking rifle. it upsets me to ding up a nice wood stock. and i am a fan of the pistol grip ar style stocks too. makes for good comfortable off hand shooting. IMO.  


1: stock is synthetic with pistol grip, similar to ar 15's. the bottle is rear mounted and has a cheek piece and butt molded over the bottle. this can be adjusted for length and for cheek weld. this as simple as it is makes a world of difference for me when i shoulder a gun. i want the scope and poa to come right to me.  you can also adjust the butt separately from the rest of the cheek piece. i really liked this aspect. overall length is 40 1/2" without ldc and 46" with 6" ldc.

2: trigger is a two stage pull. this isn't adjustable like on most fx rifles due to the automatic cocking. sear engagement is critical. it has a nice smooth pull. 1st stage is about 12 to 14oz pull. you can definitely feel the second stage, it breaks crisp at around 1lb 8oz. this measured on my lyman digital gauge.  if this were to be a bench gun i would prefer much lighter. being an off hand hunting plinker 1 1/2 lb is about perfect. i would prefer a short single stage at 1 1/2 lb's. but i can say this trigger is smooth and much nicer than my ar. i would kill to have a trigger this smooth on my ar.

3: magazine only holds 12 shots. i say only cause i'm usually double checking it like it can't be empty already. and yes it is. you will want more magazines. i only bought 2 extra due to the costs of these. at $89.95 i was expecting someone to jump out and load them for me, but no go.  the fit and finish on these are typical fx. very nice. they are tight and don't feel cheap like some others. very nice magazines but still way over priced.  you will need tall/high or extra high rings in order for the scope to clear the magazine. it would be nice to get the scope a little lower.

4: the cocking mechanism and safety is pretty simple and straight forward.  the pics don't do it justice. while it looks as though there are lots of fragile stuff on the side of the receiver and under the barrel, i dont think this is the case at all. the bolt is a straight pull to cock and all of this mechanism is in the fore stock and under the receiver inside the stock. it's robust and i don't feel as though i'm gonna break it if i bump it. i would never throw this gun to the ground but feel as though it would continue to cycle flawlessly if you did. don't think you'll bend it up. the safety is a short bolt on the rear of the receiver. forward to fire and rearward for safe. the one odd looking paper clip looking wire sticking up behind the safety is part of the safety and rides snug on the receiver.

5: filling is done with the bolt locked open. when open it reveals an opening under the fore stock. it's not possible to tether this rifle. it wasn't really designed to be a bench gun in my opinion. therefore not really a problem. i got just over 120 shots from 1 fill before it would no longer cycle properly. my poi only changed maybe 1/4" at 15 yards. i havent got all the chrony numbers and poi and groupings at longer distances (30/40/50/75). this will be next. fx recommends a fill of 200 bar.

6: sound is pretty quiet with out a ldc. it does have a little report but not much. most of the sound is that of the cycling of the bolt. i am using a ldc which further quietens the report. it comes factory with a 1/2" threaded barrel and cap for the threads for those that don't want a ldc.  for reference it is louder than my .177 marauder. not by much. definitely back yard friendly. i think the overall report from the barrel is as quiet or more so. the noise coming from the auto recocking itself  to me was a little louder than the ping of my marauder.

7: shooting impressions. i love the way it feels shouldered. the balance point (this is with my ldc) is the gauge right in front of the trigger guard. i think the rear mounted bottle was a big help here. about a 1000 pellets in and this thing has cycled flawlessly. no misfeeds or jams. i have primarily shot jsb's through it. maybe 3 or 4 mags of mendoza's over at a friends house. i gave him a tin of pellets so he would have something to shoot and thought i would try a couple of them in the revo to see how they shot. they also cycled flawlessly. accuracy wasn't very great straight out of the box. guessing maybe it just needed some lead through it (several of you said the same thing). i have continued to put some lead through it. accuracy has gotten better after a 1000 pellets. still not quite what i expect shooting from the bench. keep in mind i have extremely high expectations of all my rifles when shooting from the bench. hopefully it will continue to season with more pellets. i don't plan on shooting this one from the bench very often. definitely gonna be an offhand gun or some shooting sticks maybe. it will get shouldered mostly.

8: overall fit and finish is excellent. all the metal has a nice finish on it. gun is well balanced and the stock is adjustable to suit your preferences. trigger is very smooth and predictable 2 stage.  i can say that it's not perfect. then again to me nothing is. but i love this gun. it will become known as the black plague/ black death to crows and squirrels in these parts.

i will follow up with some chrony numbers and groupings at various yards with various pellets. havent had time to set it up to do it properly yet. if there are any specific questions or pics wanted just ask. i'll do my best.

 
http://s1180.photobucket.com/albums/x408/aack73/fx%20revolution/?albumview=slideshow

[Addictedtoair]

Excellent job Chad. I hope you are as happy with your FX as I am with mine. They are some mighty fine shooters. Oh, they are crazy to charge so much for magazines!! Have a great time with your new rifle.

Brett

[bodybag0]

Nice review.  I been following your thread for awhile.  I was hoping to see some pics of the groups.  I can imagine will post them once the accuracy settles down.

[aack73]

i will post pics of all the groups. good and bad. i try and give a good objective report for any interested. what matters to some won't to others.

[jonnnyboy]

Great review, Chad.  The FX brand is in an elite group based on the cost of their guns but they more than deliver in the quality department.  I'm glad to hear that you are happy with the Revo.  That is one of the guns that has always intrigued me.  One of the most lovable traits of the FX is its ability to hit point of aim on that first shot out of the house.  I find it irritating to have to take a few warm-up shots with my airguns when all I want to do is go down to the woods and hunt a little bit.  The FX always seems to just take up where you left off without any of that annoying re-adjustments being necessary.

I'm looking forward to when you post some pics of the gun and groups.  I think of all the FX guns, the Revo will probably be the one that just keeps getting better and better as you shoot it.  It's definitely got a more intricate and developed firing mechanism than your normal airgun.  Semi-auto must be a joy to shoot but running out after 12 shots is like 'eating just one potato chip!'

I hear your pain on the magazine cost!

joe

[redone1992]

Nice review

[aack73]

here is 2 shot strings i recorded. i stopped at 59 on string 5 cause i ran out of jsb pellets. string 6 is cphp (crosman premier hollow points)  these are starting to show promise as far as accuracy goes. i get an occasional flier, but otherwise these are 1 holers so far at 15. i know this is an unacceptable distance for most of you but this is what i have available indoor out of the cold, wind, and where i chrony. will test more later at 30 and 50.   my theory is if it won't shoot at 15 it aint gonna shoot at 30 or 50 or farther.   

jsb diablo exact 15.9gr   starting pressure of 220 bar.
String 5
     1)   905.4      1.1
     2)   909.1      4.8
     3)   906.5      2.2
     4)   911.5      7.2
     5)   911.3      7.0
     6)   907.6      3.3
     7)   911.7      7.4
        910.7      6.4
     9)   905.7      1.4
    10)   906.6      2.3
    11)   909.3      5.0
    12)   912.7      8.4
    13)   910.3      6.0
    14)   917.4     13.1
    15)   912.8      8.5
    16)   910.9      6.6
    17)   915.2     10.9
    18)   913.5      9.2
    19)   910.2      5.9
    20)   912.7      8.4
    21)   908.6      4.3
    22)   911.5      7.2
    23)   910.5      6.2
    24)   904.7      0.4
    25)   898.5     -5.8
    26)   908.1      3.8
    27)   905.1      0.8
    28)   908.8      4.5
    29)   910.6      6.3
    30)   905.3      1.0
    31)   907.6      3.3
    32)   904.1     -0.2
    33)   905.1      0.8
    34)   903.0     -1.3
    35)   906.4      2.1
    36)   901.7     -2.6
    37)   903.2     -1.1
    38)   908.0      3.7
    39)   902.0     -2.3
    40)   902.7     -1.6
    41)   906.1      1.8
    42)   901.5     -2.8
    43)   902.1     -2.2
    44)   900.3     -4.0
    45)   898.1     -6.2
    46)   895.3     -9.0
    47)   895.8     -8.5
    48)   897.3     -7.0
    49)   902.6     -1.7
    50)   899.0     -5.3
    51)   898.8     -5.5
    52)   894.3    -10.0
    53)   894.8     -9.5
    54)   895.9     -8.4
    55)   891.1    -13.2
    56)   893.9    -10.4
    57)   888.7    -15.6
    58)   884.1    -20.2 f
    59)   889.3    -15.0

       High:    917.4
        Low:    884.1
       E.S.:     33.3
       Ave.:    904.3
       S.D.:      7.1
        95%:     ±1.9
cphp 14.3gr  starting pressure is 220 bar.
String 6
     1)   934.2     11.1
     2)   929.5      6.4
     3)   931.1      8.0
     4)   934.9     11.8
     5)   929.2      6.1
     6)   926.9      3.8
     7)   928.4      5.3
        927.2      4.1
     9)   930.0      6.9
    10)   930.2      7.1
    11)   928.6      5.5
    12)   928.2      5.1
    13)   935.2     12.1
    14)   933.4     10.3
    15)   933.6     10.5
    16)   931.9      8.8
    17)   928.8      5.7
    18)   929.1      6.0
    19)   931.0      7.9
    20)   927.6      4.5
    21)   931.2      8.1
    22)   928.7      5.6
    23)   929.5      6.4
    24)   929.4      6.3
    25)   935.9     12.8
    26)   930.8      7.7
    27)   931.7      8.6
    28)   926.9      3.8
    29)   932.0      8.9
    30)   934.2     11.1
    31)   926.2      3.1
    32)   928.6      5.5
    33)   931.1      8.0
    34)   927.3      4.2
    35)   928.3      5.2
    36)   926.4      3.3
    37)   934.0     10.9
    38)   925.8      2.7
    39)   927.7      4.6
    40)   923.8      0.7
    41)   924.2      1.1
    42)   926.4      3.3
    43)   934.2     11.1
    44)   926.9      3.8
    45)   922.0     -1.1
    46)   921.6     -1.5
    47)   920.6     -2.5
    48)   922.6     -0.5
    49)   925.6      2.5
    50)   919.9     -3.2
    51)   919.8     -3.3
    52)   921.9     -1.2
    53)   919.4     -3.7
    54)   917.4     -5.7
    55)   915.4     -7.7
    56)   916.7     -6.4
    57)   921.6     -1.5
    58)   911.0    -12.1
    59)   911.1    -12.0
    60)   907.3    -15.8
    61)   915.4     -7.7
    62)   903.7    -19.4
    63)   909.3    -13.8
    64)   909.7    -13.4
    65)   907.3    -15.8
    66)   906.0    -17.1
    67)   902.0    -21.1
    68)   905.1    -18.0
    69)   902.1    -21.0
    70)   901.3    -21.8
    71)   899.3    -23.8 f
    72)   899.5    -23.6 f

       High:    935.9
        Low:    899.3
       E.S.:     36.6
       Ave.:    923.1
       S.D.:     10.0
        95%:     ±2.4

[Addictedtoair]

Just gotta work with what you have available Buddy! My indoor distance is just 13 yards. 

Brett

[Rico14]

Great review and pics. My Indy and Royale empty the mags too fast, I can imagine what it's like shooting the revo.

[aack73]

Great review and pics. My Indy and Royale empty the mags too fast, I can imagine what it's like shooting the revo.

sitting down with the revo is more like a magazine loading session than a shooting session. minute or so to fill all 3, then a few seconds to empty all 3, then repeat.  

[Rico14]

easy solution 6-8 more mags   

[aack73]

thought i'd give an update for any interested or others browsing the www. i have since tried my entire h&n pellet sampler with the ldc. couple of promising pellets yet surprising selection. not what you would guess.  but nothing that out performed wally world cphp. 

it's took me a while to get used to the 2 stage trigger. very smooth, light and predictable. personally i like 1 stage, no creep, very light pull, but this trigger is nice. just took some getting used to.

i have had a few misfeed/no cycle. this happens often with some pellets. i tried manually loading these and they still don't shoot good groups, so nothing lost. using the cphp's it likes and any of the jsb's i have only had a few no cycles/misfeeds. it's had maybe 2k or more pellets through it and maybe 10 misfeeds. keep in mind i do not sort pellets, nor do i cull them either. unless it's mashed badly. i load and shoot them. for the most part they do well and i have few fliers. fliers almost always last shot of the magazine. this last shot sounds different as well.  i would guess that some of my misfeeds are due to me refusing to just throw some of those pellets away. i havent had hardly any with the cphp's. they are a little harder and rarely do i see a bent skirt. more come from the jsb's. most still cycled well. accuracy wasn't very great with the 4 jsb's  i tried.

shot count is good. i can easily shoot out 6 12 round mags with no cycling problems and consistent fps.

definitely enjoying this rifle. it shoulders well and shoots good off hand. and follow ups are no problem. so far i haven't had the need for a follow up. the crows i have shot done the high dive of death. i'm sure a tough nutter will give me a second shot, soon enough.   this one will definitely up your down range pellet count and air consumption. it's too easy to shoot a 100 or 200 pellets.

[amb5500c]

I can't wait to see it in person.
Richard

[jonnnyboy]

Thanks for the update, Chad.  I'm with Richard, I would love to see and hold one. 

I guess its time to buy stock in the companies that make pellets and air tanks.  The PCP world just keeps getting larger.

joe

[Carl]

Good review, I am glad you like it. I feel your pain on the mags, cost and reloading (I have the Monsoon). I got a shoebox and am very happy that I did. I was running through my tanks pretty quick.

[aack73]

well rest assured i'm not overly paranoid or picky. if any of you guys are ever around, i'll pass her around like a cheap date. let everybody have a turn . turns out i know one of the other members here from the past. he said he may have a get together some time. he has plenty of room to shoot too. he's getting ready to really get the pcp bug bad.

[aack73]

update

tried some cph 14.3 from the brown box. shoot as good or better than the cphp. i for one like crosman pellets.

11 shots at 15yds. don't know how it will hold up at 30 & 50+ yet but shows some promise.