FX Impact - major faults reported

[Jesim1]

Ohhhhhh Dear - looks like we have been getting kept in the dark about the scale of the problems with the FX Impact. If someone like BAR is taking to facebook to openly say they have a 90% return rate even after checking every gun prior to sale, then this has to qualify as one of the best marketing cover ups in ages - sorry if you have one, I hope it's one of the 10% which work.

A real pity, I liked the gun, but with an apparent massive reliability problem and a top end price tag for now this is definitely off the shopping list till further notice.

James

This has been posted on the front of BARs - Blackpool Air Rifles Facebook page:

Well enough is enough ... from today we are stopping stocking the FX Impact. Sad really as I love the looks .the handling and when they aren't in the workshop being repaired the accuracy, but we simply cannot accept the ridiculous amounts of faults with them . We thought fixing them before they go out would cure most issues but the guns are still going wrong and when you have a 90% return ratio we have to face the fact...These guns are simply not saleable at the moment.
There is a glimmer of hope on the horizon. I have spoken to FX, they are working hard to resolve the issues and hence we may start to stock them again if we feel they truly have addressed the problems.
I know we are going against almost every review on Youtube and the magazines, every pundits advice and most gunshops and distributors glowing recommendations but ...well you can come to your own conclusions .

[lensman57]

I don't have one and I don't want one but last year I saw a video of a guy in the States who had to send his gun back after a week as the bolt and the probe had come loose and had damaged the barrel. After he got it back with a test card showing all was ok he found out that the gun had no accuracy . He traced the problem to the magazine, it wouldn't line up properly . He used a Benjamin Crosman single loader as it seemd to fit and the accuracy was back.
I have also seen a video of a guy with both a wild cat and an impact and both barrels are bad. The ST rifling is not really smooth but rough with pitting in the lands making the pellets fly in a spiral pattern.
Last week I was at AIR and the chap next to me was shooting an impact from the bench with a bipod. I didn't look at his card but from his moaning and groaning it was clear that the gun wasn't performing as it should have been.
I am sure that there are good ones out there but as with the bad batch of barrels from Weirauch a while back, the importer has to take charge if lasting damage to the reputation of the FX guns is to be avoided.
From time to time things do go wrong with mass produced rifles but it is the back up and the support quality that matters at the end.

A.G

[artschool]

unbelievable.

i went to buy one of these in FAC before christmas but changed my mind at the last minute.

[Rob Edge]

Smooth twist barrel not all its cracked up to be then. Now that's a surprise.

[dave goodall]

Where does its say accuracy is a issue ??? Says he loves the looks and accuracy of the gun you only have to look at bench rest in USA to see there's no issue with accuracy didn't bar do the same with kalibrgun cricket looked how that worked out for them Cheshire gun rooms still have a 3 month waiting list on the booked up to the max on pre orders how about they don't tinker with the guns befor selling them think I've only heard of one complaint of the impact and that was one the first offs. I myself wouldn't buy one like in uk format way too much for a gun wasted at sub 12 levels

[Arthur John Smithsplease]

Never was convinced of the benefits of the smooth twist barrel.

[Rob Edge]

Where does its say accuracy is a issue ??? Says he loves the looks and accuracy of the gun you only have to look at bench rest in USA to see there's no issue with accuracy didn't bar do the same with kalibrgun cricket looked how that worked out for them Cheshire gun rooms still have a 3 month waiting list on the booked up to the max on pre orders how about they don't tinker with the guns befor selling them think I've only heard of one complaint of the impact and that was one the first offs. I myself wouldn't buy one like in uk format way too much for a gun wasted at sub 12 levels

Plenty of groans out there about accuracy if you look hard enough. Don't forget the USA don't have a restriction on FTLB and apparently ST is slightly better at higher levels. Now if this was a Daystate problem people would be crying from the rooftops. The one thing that I did note is that the usual reviewers (not Lloyd) always seem to get something that is perfect but we all know that somtimes you will get a lemon. Rick Eustler always tells it like it is complete with warts.

[Jackspratt]

Bought mine new in .177 calibre - it never grouped ever! I might as well have bought a .410 as far as grouping went.

The gun was obviously intended for FAC outputs and maybe at those pressures "smooth-twist" actually works but it never did at sub 12 ft-lbs.

Also the most important bits on the rifle are disabled on the UK versions!

Complete and utter rubbish - it was gone inside 3 weeks and I for one will never buy another FX. Once bitten, etc, etc.

[Brimfire]

Kudos to BAR.

[Marky t]

Bought mine brand new 2 years ago,had a couple of orings go but did the job myself,apart from that the gun is brilliant,cheers marky