Wednesday, January 25, 2012

FX Royale 400

Well today I received my FX royale in .177 caliber and it's only fitting since this is my inaugural post. I couldn't think of a better way to start. I'll be testing the model with the 3 stage power adjuster and smooth twist barrel.

This review will be accomplished in multiple steps. You'll see why later. But first a bit of info on the rifle.

First and foremost it is manufactured by one of the premier guns makers in the airgun world. The fit and finish is remarkable. It is extremely light and weighs in just under 7 pounds. Needless to say it comes to the shoulder very easily. And keeping it locked into the shoulder is a effortless with the adjustable butt pad. The bottle is removable for filling but it isn't necessary with the built-in foster fitting. And you will always know how much pressure you have with the easy to read manometer.

I managed to run a few chrony strings with some pellets I had on-hand. I tested Crosman Premier Hollowpoints 7.9 gr, Crosman Hunting Pointed pellets 7.4 gr and JSB Diabolo Exact Heavy's 10.2 gr. I only shot strings of 5 shots on each setting just to get an idea of what the rifle is capable of. Here are the results.

Crosman Premier Hollowpoint 7.9 gr
Setting I   Average FPS 657.6 / 7.6 Ft Lbs
Setting II  Average FPS 852.3 / 12.7 Ft Lbs
Setting III  Average FPS 1055 / 19.5 Ft Lbs

Crosman Hunting Pointed 7.4 gr
Setting I   Average FPS 678.7 / 7.6 Ft Lbs
Setting II  Average FPS 871.5 / 12.5 Ft Lbs
Setting III  Average FPS 1092 / 19.6 Ft Lbs

JSB Diabolo Exact Heavy 10.2 gr
Setting I   Average FPS 595.8 / 8.0 Ft Lbs
Setting II  Average FPS 753.8 / 12.9 Ft Lbs
Setting III  Average FPS 920 / 19.2 Ft Lbs

After running these strings I loaded the magazine with different pellets and shot it over the chrony at different settings to see how "repeatable" it was. Needless to say each pellet performed at the speeds previously recorded.

In the future I will perform accuracy testing in the same manner. I will use each pellet at each setting. Some people have heard these rifles don't perform well at lower settings with the smooth twist barrel. Hopefully I can dispel some of those rumours.

Until then, shoot straight and shoot safe.




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