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Thread: FX Independence new owner

  1. #1
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    FX Independence new owner

    Just put the deposit down on my new rifle!! A .177 un-shrouded model running sub12ft/lbs (UK spec), very excited to receive it but could be a while yet as it has had to be special ordered in.

    I will of course be posting my own opinions/experiences with this rifle as I go, but for now does anyone have any tips/tricks for this particular rifle? Anything to look out for, or friendly advice is always appreciated
    Slightly obsessed with Single Stroke Pneumatics
    Also making stocks over at Daviesbuilt gunstocks.

  2. #2
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    One of these popped up used a while ago and I was very tempted but let it go at the time.

    I wanted mine as a field rifle and had a few concerns about the upward facing slot of the pump arm regarding water ingress if out in the rain.

    I'm also not massively sold on the smooth twist barrel concept and have done a fair bit of reading. It seems the greater the muzzle velocity, the better the accuracy (to a point). .177 should be ok in this respect.

    I've also looked into the servicing of them. Quite a faff but very doable.

    I'd really appreciate updates on how you get on with this as its still a a rifle I can't really put out of my mind.
    B.A.S.C. member

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by robs5230 View Post
    One of these popped up used a while ago and I was very tempted but let it go at the time.

    I wanted mine as a field rifle and had a few concerns about the upward facing slot of the pump arm regarding water ingress if out in the rain.

    I'm also not massively sold on the smooth twist barrel concept and have done a fair bit of reading. It seems the greater the muzzle velocity, the better the accuracy (to a point). .177 should be ok in this respect.

    I've also looked into the servicing of them. Quite a faff but very doable.

    I'd really appreciate updates on how you get on with this as its still a a rifle I can't really put out of my mind.
    A good point about water getting into the pump mech, however it looks like this can be cleaned/accessed with relative ease.

    This will be my first smooth twist barrel, done some reading about leading in but will let you know how it performs!!

    I also was the same as yourself, been looking at this one for a while, as I love my true SSPs. But finally decided to take the plunge. Got rid of all my last lot of PCPs as couldn’t be bothered with the bottle, but the self contained mech looks good on the independence. I will of course post updates (when the thing gets here )
    Slightly obsessed with Single Stroke Pneumatics
    Also making stocks over at Daviesbuilt gunstocks.

  4. #4
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    I have had one for some time, it is one of the early ones without the power adjuster, only available in .22 at the time.

    There were big problems with some of these earlier ones, mine included, but it's sorted now.
    Easily the most amazing rifle I ever owned, and a doddle to pump up in sub 12 - no more effort
    per shot than a spring rifle, possibly even less (about 24 lbs as far as I can tell with bathroom scales).

    It is pretty much exactly 1 pump per shot, so you could use it like a single stroke pneumatic,
    but I find it more convenient to shoot about a mags worth
    and then top up. It is way easier to pump than a Dragon FT by the way (I have both)

    Not sure what to offer in the way of advice, except definitely get access to a chrono (if you don't already have one)
    to find the sweet spot - it even seems to vary a lot from one kind of pellet to another.
    Also be wary of taking apart unless you are very confident about what you are doing,
    as there are certain "gotchas" that can result in damage

    Good luck anyway - I would be interested to know how much pumping per shot it takes to top up,
    as presumably .177 will use a bit more air.

    BB

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by brassbanjo View Post
    I have had one for some time, it is one of the early ones without the power adjuster, only available in .22 at the time.

    There were big problems with some of these earlier ones, mine included, but it's sorted now.
    Easily the most amazing rifle I ever owned, and a doddle to pump up in sub 12 - no more effort
    per shot than a spring rifle, possibly even less (about 24 lbs as far as I can tell with bathroom scales).

    It is pretty much exactly 1 pump per shot, so you could use it like a single stroke pneumatic,
    but I find it more convenient to shoot about a mags worth
    and then top up. It is way easier to pump than a Dragon FT by the way (I have both)

    Not sure what to offer in the way of advice, except definitely get access to a chrono (if you don't already have one)
    to find the sweet spot - it even seems to vary a lot from one kind of pellet to another.
    Also be wary of taking apart unless you are very confident about what you are doing,
    as there are certain "gotchas" that can result in damage

    Good luck anyway - I would be interested to know how much pumping per shot it takes to top up,
    as presumably .177 will use a bit more air.

    BB
    Thanks for your reply BB

    Glad to hear you are still enjoying yours, and that the issues were resolved. And thank you for your insights.

    I do love my single stroke pneumatics, so will be doing some testing to see where the weed spot is and if i can get it to roughly one pump per shot I find the dragon easy to cock (I have the shorter) so the Independence should be fine!!

    Thanks for the advice, I have access to a chrono and will get the internals serviced professionally.

    And yes I will be posting my experiences, so will document the air usage in .177

    ATB, Tom

    P.S. I'm very jealous of your Dragon FT
    Slightly obsessed with Single Stroke Pneumatics
    Also making stocks over at Daviesbuilt gunstocks.

  6. #6
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    For anyone interested in the Independence mine has finally arrived, not had chance to put some lead downrange yet but I’ve had a good poke around and here’s my impression so far;

    Fit/finish
    - Very very good, and surprisingly comfortable to hold, feels good and stable on the shot. I was worried that with such a high magazine and no adjustable cheek I’d struggle to get a scope settled where I wanted it but its clearly been thought through in the stock design. The finish is very nice, machining is excellent and nothing feels 'cheap'. Without a scope it is very pointable despite that extra weight from the pump. I would recommend a lighter weight scope to keep the balance sweet.

    Features
    - The pump is easy to use and not very taxing at all, possible a little more effort than the old match grade SSPs but you really don’t notice it. In .177 at the 190bar Mark I am getting one shot to one pump with no problems. Cocking is nice, magazine is just another FX tensioned mag so nothing new to report there. Lots of rail space on the breech and the safety is nice and solid once set up (more on this in a minute) even though it can only be used when cocked.

    As I said no lead downrange yet so I can’t comment on accuracy but the chrono readings are fantastic. The trigger is finished well but it’s setup from factory was not good but it’s super easy and intuitive to adjust, and I now have it set exactly as I want it and is exceptionally crisp. You can also adjust how the safety acts upon the trigger blade, which must be done once you’ve set the trigger up.

    I’m very impressed so far and if it groups well then it’s a keeper for me!
    Slightly obsessed with Single Stroke Pneumatics
    Also making stocks over at Daviesbuilt gunstocks.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by tomdavies9 View Post
    For anyone interested in the Independence mine has finally arrived, not had chance to put some lead downrange yet but I’ve had a good poke around and here’s my impression so far;
    Thanks TomD

    Hope you enjoy your independence, there is nothing else quite like them. Interesting to note the .177 takes no more pumping than the .22, which also is pretty much exactly one shot per pump,
    I may now go ahead with a calibre change with mine (I did make inquiries before about getting a .177 barrel for it, and got sticker shock, £200+ if I remember).

    The pumping force seems very reasonable to me, on one occasion I measured 20lbs, on another 24 lbs (not sure what changed). This is less than most sub 12 springers!

    The trigger on mine was set at around 1lb right out of the box, and I have never felt the need to adjust it.
    The trigger design on these FX guns is very ingenious, and I was stumped for a while as it looks like a single stage setup (in fact it basically is).
    However the apparent second stage is provided by a special set screw that has a spring-loaded ball bearing built in!
    Also the sear is so small you need a magnifying glass to get a good look at it! Everything about these guns has been thought out to the Nth degree it seems

    Anyway good luck, it would be great to hear some consistency/accuracy results

    BB

  8. #8
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    Hi BB

    Yep I was very impressed with the one pump/one shot of the rifle, and as you say that makes caliber swaps an interesting idea. Also as you say very reasonable to pump no matter what pressure you are at.

    Further to my original post, my trigger weight was fine out of the box (if anything a touch too light for me) and the quality is clearly there, it just had no second stage!! But all the adjustment screws are easily visible when the stock is off and very common sense to adjust.

    I have had chance to lead in now, took a fair few mags but got there in the end. Accuracy is very nice, as to be expected. I am still keeping at around 190 bar when in use and this seems to be doing the trick. I’ve not had chance for a proper chrono session yet to compare at different pressures but the shops report I had done shows great consistency when shooting without pumping, so I can only imagine this tightening up when a consistent pressure is maintained.
    Slightly obsessed with Single Stroke Pneumatics
    Also making stocks over at Daviesbuilt gunstocks.

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