I wouldn't buy a new one. They have always seemed a little on the flimsy side to me. I own a couple of old ones (2001-2005) that are good shooters, but they are far from robust IMO. Too many reports of problems right out of the box for me to ever consider a new one. But, since AoA is out of the loop now, it may not be so bad getting parts to fix your new rifle. Ask the guys with the new Crown with regulator creep issues. But never fear, FX will sell you a new Gen Crown with a new regulator at full price to fix your faulty reg on your Crown.
Everybody else seems to love them so I guess I'm missing something.
I'm a FX whore. It's really the about the only upper end guns I buy anymore. When I read the "horror" stories from posters I wonder if they even own one? Pulled a Verminator out that has been in it's case for about two years. Air was full and it shot great. I think I have 9 or 10 FX guns and I'm on the list for the new Impact MKII that is out next month. I bought the original Impact, four of them in the family, and have always enjoyed the ability to have multiple caliber options with one gun. If you look at all the new models being released this year they really are trying to become a very progressive company covering about every category. That said, I did blow a rear seal on my Impact yesterday. First fail in 2 years. My Tarantula was sent back last year for a slow leak. FX even repaired it for free. That's an old gun! We have a new local dealer in Utah, Utah Airguns, that has been fantastic to work with. I was at their indoor range when the Impact seal failed. I left the gun there and it was repaired this morning. One day turn around.
Just be sure its not the only gun in your collection and you have other guns to shoot in case you need to send your new FX in for warranty. Don't let it be your ONLY airgun! Just like you need 2 cars if one of it is like a first generation Hyundai but still insist on driving it because you feel its cool.
If you get a good one you will be very, very happy. I own many FX guns and 2 of the 3 Impacts leak.
Wildcats Bobcats and Royales (older ones) no problems so I am not needing to buy a new one and am not sure if I lucked out but I think others can confirm older FX reliability except the Impacts.
Some of my Royales don't have the power wheels thats how old they are and never a single problem
and pellet on pellet at 50 yards no poi shift ever grab and shoot always dead on some are not even regulated and never had a regulator from the factory and never needed it since they shot sooo well.
Also have a newer Royale (but not a recently new model) and the reg gave accuracy problems from the getgo which always threw filers and a tuner took it out and it shoots perfect and is now unregulated. I would consider a HUMA reg for it but it shoots so well I don't need it.
Have a Wildcat relatively new model had to replace the reg with a HUMA and no problems and dead nuts accurate and so far reliable for now.
My older first gen Wildcats never any problems to this day. Knock on wood!
Why? Because I have read replacing on many instances, the FX regulator (even the brand new AMP regulator that also is prone to creep) with HUMA regulators makes it more reliable and a better gun with more shots. 2 of my Impacts will be getting HUMAs and hopefully that fixes most of the problems like my Wildcat.
If you want a durable gun get something made in Russia or Ukrane or USA or maybe even something like a Hatsan as long as its not any of their semi autos. You have to be mindful handling the FXs.
Don't throw them in the back of your truck, do it with your Edgun then you are fine.
I have a lot of airgun friends with mixed feelings about new FX guns including one in particular who just recently bought 3 brand new FXs and all of them were bad from accuracy to regulator creeping, fliers shoot fine one day the next day fliers etc... they were Crowns in different calibers. He had sent them all to FX for warranty and got them back same problems and sold them all. He is totaly done with FX. I would be too if it happened to me but at least ONE of my Impacts is still fine but luckily I have other guns to shoot if all of my Impacts were broken at the same time so its no big deal here.
I have a 22 Streamline synthetic about 6 months old no problems so far shoots perfect no problems FYI...
Its the NEWEST FX I bought.
I really enjoy my older FX guns!
HA
+1 On the Russian stuff. My Cricket is a tank but bullet proof, Leshiy feels like I could use it as an ax if I needed to. ? I have a couple Mutants that have also been exceptional guns. There is a local 25 meter event coming up and my son normally shoots .25 so he asked if he could try a few .22s. We were experimenting at the range with a Verminator, Streamline, Mutant short, Impact as a .22 and believe it or not a Hatsan Vectis. For him the little Mutant had the most consistent target shots. The $400 Hatsan was in the running. ? Sorry, mini thread derail.
I don’t own an FX so let’s get that out of the way first. From the outside looking in, they have put an emphasis in recent years on producing airguns with a lot of features and a high degree of adjustability.
Many features means many parts. Many parts means more opportunity for something to break, strip, leak, get stuck, or fall out.
More adjustability means more knobs and levers to tinker with. More knobs and levers means more opportunities to optimize for greatness...or to totally jack it up.
I enjoy helping people troubleshoot issues and to help them get better performance or consistency from their airguns. The more I’ve followed topics on FX airguns, the more I’ve begun to realize there’s a tendency for some people to ascribe problems to FX that are instead just a lack of understanding of how tune an airgun. The creeping regulator issue is a good example. On some level, every regulator creeps. Setting the proper hammer strike will make the velocity insensitive to pressure variations, whether it is caused by creep or a temperature change. Mind you, I’m not saying there aren’t problem regulators out there, but the “creeping FX regulators” has become so well known that it seems to be causing some owners to throw up their hands in disgust before looking at tuning as a remedy.
Anyway, FX seems to me to make excellent air rifles with lots of features that are capable of incredible performance if you’re willing to tinker with them and you are a competent tinkerer. If instead you want a premium airgun and you’re willing to trade versatility for robustness, you’re probably going to be happier with a Daystate or RAW.
FYI the good buddy of mine who bought 3 brand new Crowns had never touched or even tried to adjust the regulators and they didn't perform well straight out of their boxes.
I agree that trying to tinker with your FX guns without prior knowledge on their mechanics are detrimental but many don't adjust anything but have encountered problems and that is why there is a 3 year warranty now. Just be sure it is not the ONLY GUN in your collection, that is all!
My bud went to Daystate after that because he was done and over sending his guns back to FX for warranty and the extensive wait time was the major issue for him.
If at least one of the 3 were fine then he wouldn't have been pissed so much.
HA
Since its a brand new model, I would personally wait it out and see if they fixed their issues first before dropping down $1100-$1200 and let the other unsuspecting test subjects go through them first and report their findings on reliability or any issues before buying. I would wait at least a year before I buy one after hearing only good reviews on reliability. The AMP regulator is what I would be worried about.
HA
I really appreciate all of your responses; both pro and con. I have an itch for a .25 FX Dreamline and I'm having a hard time deciding whether or not to scratch it.
I had a .25 Streamline and traded it for a .22 Streamline. The Dreamline series is a customizers dream. So many variations are available. I've shot the Dreamline that was set up similar to my Streamline and couldn't tell a difference. The new shorty with a folding stock has me drooling some. Bottle conversion available too.
I don't care what brand PCP rifle you buy, eventually it will need repair of some sort. Fortunately, they are minor repairs and not major component failures.