Stock FX Impact Mk3 and Slugs

[PaulFWI]

Can I now buy an Impact Mk3 and expect it to shoot heavy slugs well, out-of-the-box? Or do I still need a new liner - and possibly other adjustments.

Thanks. When I can just buy one of these and use it for a replacement for my .22LR rifles, which shoot ~40gr bullets subsonic for 80-100 ft/lb, I will.

[oldpro]

 Youll need power kit and slug liner. Been there done that.

[PaulFWI]

My Ruger RAR .22LR cost $400 new and shoots 1/2" groups at 50Y. Guess I'll stick with that.

It's foolish they're not making these guns ready to compete with .22 rimfires yet. It opens up a huge market.

[Spacebus]

Can I now buy an Impact Mk3 and expect it to shoot heavy slugs well, out-of-the-box? Or do I still need a new liner - and possibly other adjustments.

Thanks. When I can just buy one of these and use it for a replacement for my .22LR rifles, which shoot ~40gr bullets subsonic for 80-100 ft/lb, I will.

My Seneca Eagle Claw in 25 cal (full length) slings 33 grain slugs at 975 - ish FPS right out of the box with the power wheel at full power for twelve shots with a full 3k psi fill. Great expansion with NSA or Apollo slugs, accuracy is superlative. Only downside is it's a bit heavier than most 22 lr rifles. 8lbs without any sights. It also lacks factory iron sights, which could also be a turn off. It's a bit shy of your desired power level, but there is an aftermarket valve that brings the output up to 100 FPE.

I would not hesitate to shoot at game animals up to 75-ish lbs at ranges less than 50 yards with mine. I've only shot squirrels with mine, but the expansion is incredible.

In the photo the 25 cal Apolo slug on the left was recovered from a trap, but I've managed to recover one from a squirrel that had expanded even more (and totally ruined the meat) . The other expanded slug shown is a 177 JSB 10.03 with a 45 cal slug on top for scale.

[PaulFWI]

"accuracy is superlative" - what would that me? Has to be <= .5" at 50Y.

(Oh, to demonstrate I love airguns too, my first-gen FX Crown .30 is the most accurate rifle of any kind I've ever owned. It easily does < .25" at 50Y. But the loopy trajectory with pellets at 825 FPS makes it a 55Y gun max for me.)

[Spacebus]

"accuracy is superlative" - what would that me? Has to be <= .5" at 50Y.

(Oh, to demonstrate I love airguns too, my first-gen FX Crown .30 is the most accurate rifle of any kind I've ever owned. It easily does < .25" at 50Y. But the loopy trajectory with pellets at 825 FPS makes it a 55Y gun max for me.)

It's capable of "ragged hole" five shot groups at 50 yards, which is about as far as I've ever shot it on paper. I can reliably hit the 200 yard steel disc (12"?) at my local range with only adjusting hold for elevation, even in a stiff breeze.

I find that my Eagle Claw will do anything 22lr sub can do, but at the expense of weight. On the bright side, the shroud is very effective, so opportunities for followup shots.

[PaulFWI]

Sounds pretty accurate.

I hope it's regulated. I long ago swore-off non-reg'd PCPs.

A few years ago I settled on FX because they were so much better than anything else. But pricey.

Anyway thanks for the tip. I am going shopping now!

[Spacebus]

Sounds pretty accurate.

I hope it's regulated. I long ago swore-off non-reg'd PCPs.

A few years ago I settled on FX because they were so much better than anything else. But pricey.

Anyway thanks for the tip. I am going shopping now!

They are not regulated, but they are tuned well and the first twelve shots at high power were very consistent. I'll have to track down my notebook and see what the actual numbers were.

[PaulFWI]

No, the Seneca does not do it. In addition to being non-regulated, it does only ~50 ft-lb in .22.

I should have specified .22 cal in my OP. My bad.

The reason for .22 is the trajectory slug BC gives in that caliber at high but subsonic velocities.

[Spacebus]

No, the Seneca does not do it. In addition to being non-regulated, it does only ~50 ft-lb in .22.

I should have specified .22 cal in my OP. My bad.

The reason for .22 is the trajectory slug BC gives in that caliber at high but subsonic velocities.

Is there a 22 cal air rifle slug with a better BC Tha. 25 cal? I'm not sure I understand how a 22 cal slug will be better.

[anti-squirrel]

My Ruger RAR .22LR cost $400 new and shoots 1/2" groups at 50Y. Guess I'll stick with that.

It's foolish they're not making these guns ready to compete with .22 rimfires yet. It opens up a huge market.

My Crosman 2400KT shoots tight single hole groups at 30 yards using wadcutters but is in no way, shape of form expected to compete with rimfire. 

Why bother with .22 rimfire when for the same money you spent on your rimfire I got my ShinSung Ultra .35 shooting swaged slugs?  In fact, after I factor in how much ammo I can cast or how cheap NSA slugs are without requiring primers or brass nor dealing with firearm ammo shortages, the PCPs are wayyyyyyyyyy cheaper.  However, you're looking for a powerhouse .22, not a big bore.

So ultimately, you're looking for a bit of a unicorn: a PCP in .22 that yields very high power levels usually associated with hotter tunes on .25 and larger bores, AND is ready out of the box for slugs.  In your shoes, I'd break out the FPE calculator, identify the slugs you want to use, and open your wallet until your criteria are met.  I'd be inclined to say the RTI platform would be a good starting point.  I'll add I prefer shooting my PCPs over my Savage MkII which is superbly accurate.  I actually don't remember the last YEAR I shot it.  I prefer my Leshiy Classic using .2165 NSA slugs, shooting currently mid-50s FPE.  You could always opt for something with more power and throw the 36-grain NSAs faster.  RTI, Uragun, etc...


So what exactly will this .22 slug-thrower be used for?  That type of information may help whittle down potential choices.

[PaulFWI]

No, the Seneca does not do it. In addition to being non-regulated, it does only ~50 ft-lb in .22.

I should have specified .22 cal in my OP. My bad.

The reason for .22 is the trajectory slug BC gives in that caliber at high but subsonic velocities.

Is there a 22 cal air rifle slug with a better BC Tha. 25 cal? I'm not sure I understand how a 22 cal slug will be better.

A projectile of the same weight, but smaller caliber and thus longer, has higher BC, always. That's how ballistics works.

[PaulFWI]

Why bother with .22 rimfire when for the same money you spent on your rimfire I got my ShinSung Ultra .35 shooting swaged slugs?  In fact, after I factor in how much ammo I can cast or how cheap NSA slugs are without requiring primers or brass nor dealing with firearm ammo shortages, the PCPs are wayyyyyyyyyy cheaper.  However, you're looking for a powerhouse .22, not a big bore.

So ultimately, you're looking for a bit of a unicorn: a PCP in .22 that yields very high power levels usually associated with hotter tunes on .25 and larger bores, AND is ready out of the box for slugs.

I didn't really understand your first paragraph. Again, a .22 shooting ~40gr slugs/bullets in the 950-1050 FPS range is a flat-shooting rifle easily usable to 80Y. Larger calibers don't do that.

An FX Impact .22 shooting like this isn't a unicorn at all. It's what all kinds of people are doing with them - with replacement liners last time I checked.

(This is why FX lists 80 FPE as the "max" energy of the .22 Impact Mk3.)

All FX needs to do to enable this is offer a heavy slug liner as an option.

Anyway, I got my question answered.

P.S. For the record, NSA slugs are *not* cheaper than quality rimfire ammo. CCI Match and other brands are available for $.10/round in bulk. You can get CCI Mini Mags and all kinds of other hotter rimfire ammo for the same price as well. luckygunner dot com is one source; there are many.

[Madd Hatter]

My sumatra.25 long is kicking out 47 grain MP slugs in the middle 90 ftlbs range. Rested on my hood of my ranger using the rifle case as a rest I'm hitting a 1" swinging steel target at 100 yards 4 out of 5 times. I over fill it by about 200 psi and it gives somewhat of a shot curve. It's not regulated but does seem accurate inspite of it. The MP cast slugs have a higher BC than a.22 rf.

[Spacebus]

No, the Seneca does not do it. In addition to being non-regulated, it does only ~50 ft-lb in .22.

I should have specified .22 cal in my OP. My bad.

The reason for .22 is the trajectory slug BC gives in that caliber at high but subsonic velocities.

Is there a 22 cal air rifle slug with a better BC Tha. 25 cal? I'm not sure I understand how a 22 cal slug will be better.

A projectile of the same weight, but smaller caliber and thus longer, has higher BC, always. That's how ballistics works.

I understand how ballistics work, but are you a good enough shooter to tell the difference between a 0.096 BC vs 0.12? I don't get the point of your thread if you already know the FX guns can do what you want.

[anti-squirrel]

Why bother with .22 rimfire when for the same money you spent on your rimfire I got my ShinSung Ultra .35 shooting swaged slugs?  In fact, after I factor in how much ammo I can cast or how cheap NSA slugs are without requiring primers or brass nor dealing with firearm ammo shortages, the PCPs are wayyyyyyyyyy cheaper.  However, you're looking for a powerhouse .22, not a big bore.

So ultimately, you're looking for a bit of a unicorn: a PCP in .22 that yields very high power levels usually associated with hotter tunes on .25 and larger bores, AND is ready out of the box for slugs.

I didn't really understand your first paragraph. Again, a .22 shooting ~40gr slugs/bullets in the 950-1050 FPS range is a flat-shooting rifle easily usable to 80Y. Larger calibers don't do that.

An FX Impact .22 shooting like this isn't a unicorn at all. It's what all kinds of people are doing with them - with replacement liners last time I checked.

(This is why FX lists 80 FPE as the "max" energy of the .22 Impact Mk3.)

All FX needs to do to enable this is offer a heavy slug liner as an option.

Anyway, I got my question answered.

P.S. For the record, NSA slugs are *not* cheaper than quality rimfire ammo. CCI Match and other brands are available for $.10/round in bulk. You can get CCI Mini Mags and all kinds of other hotter rimfire ammo for the same price as well. luckygunner dot com is one source; there are many.

You made the statement of comparing PCP air guns to powderburners, so I just took it a step further.

And- by your own statement, you want a unicorn- an out-of-the-box slugthrower in .22.  If you have to swap barrels, it AIN'T out of the box.  I concur with Mike- if you already know what you want, get it. 

My Ruger RAR .22LR cost $400 new and shoots 1/2" groups at 50Y. Guess I'll stick with that.

It's foolish they're not making these guns ready to compete with .22 rimfires yet. It opens up a huge market.

I don't believe they are intended to compete with them.  There's no way I could have killed the thousands of pigeons as I did when I worked in avian abatement by using a firearm.  I used 2 airguns- a .20 R-7 and my Blue Streak. 

That Ruger is generally considered a decent shooter.  I prefer my Savage thanks to a superb trigger, but it would take an additional $200 to make it quiet like my PCPs.  Dunno how your Ruger is set up, but I do know I can plink all day way cheaper using my Leshiy with the .22 using pellets, then tune it up a little hotter and hurl the NSAs accurate enough for pesting 80-yard critters.  With JSB Monsters and Hades, the Leshiy's EdGun-spec .22 350mm barrel is only good for about 70 to a max of 80 yards in my hands, but it also only has 4x glass, though sometimes a 6x ACOG.

If you want to jump on the FX train and do what everybody else does, I think there's a ton of info about the various tunes over at AGN and on YouTube.   It will certainly make chasing the high power in .22 using slugs easier by following in the footsteps.  Or you could always go a different path and tune/hotrod a SPA rifle, grab an RTI, or perhaps chase one of the other Eastern European brands.  Or you could stick with your boomstick and buy the CCIs in bulk.  Nothing wrong with either path if you enjoy whatcha do. 

Side note: my Savage shoots more accurately with Eley and Wolf match ammo than the CCIs, especially past 50 yards.  I understand you saying your gun shoots better with CCIs in bulk, but I can get NSAs all day long for $17+ shipping and never have to worry about squibs, storing ammo, or wearing ear protection when I want to knock some cans down or light up a tree-rat.  And I can shoot wadcutters, domes, Polymags, or whatever accurately just by adjusting the velocity and HST up or down.

[subscriber]

What will a .22 Impact need to shoot like a subsonic rimfire?  This:




More: 

[RDB]

Why impact? The Panthera should be able to do what your looking for right out of the box.

[Corny]

Why bother with .22 rimfire when for the same money you spent on your rimfire I got my ShinSung Ultra .35 shooting swaged slugs?  In fact, after I factor in how much ammo I can cast or how cheap NSA slugs are without requiring primers or brass nor dealing with firearm ammo shortages, the PCPs are wayyyyyyyyyy cheaper.  However, you're looking for a powerhouse .22, not a big bore.

So ultimately, you're looking for a bit of a unicorn: a PCP in .22 that yields very high power levels usually associated with hotter tunes on .25 and larger bores, AND is ready out of the box for slugs.

I didn't really understand your first paragraph. Again, a .22 shooting ~40gr slugs/bullets in the 950-1050 FPS range is a flat-shooting rifle easily usable to 80Y. Larger calibers don't do that.

An FX Impact .22 shooting like this isn't a unicorn at all. It's what all kinds of people are doing with them - with replacement liners last time I checked.

(This is why FX lists 80 FPE as the "max" energy of the .22 Impact Mk3.)

All FX needs to do to enable this is offer a heavy slug liner as an option.

Anyway, I got my question answered.

P.S. For the record, NSA slugs are *not* cheaper than quality rimfire ammo. CCI Match and other brands are available for $.10/round in bulk. You can get CCI Mini Mags and all kinds of other hotter rimfire ammo for the same price as well. luckygunner dot com is one source; there are many.

Of course nsa is cheaper. They hav 12% discount going right now. And if u take enough u get 15% discount. That’s less than 5cents per round on the 20gr .22 slugs I use

[PaulFWI]

Of course nsa is cheaper. They hav 12% discount going right now. And if u take enough u get 15% discount. That’s less than 5cents per round on the 20gr .22 slugs I use

I stand corrected on that. They were much more expensive when they came out.

FX Hybrids are still pricier - .15/round.