3 Regulated FX Royale 500s: Updated (QC issues)
After much research and deliberation, two friends and I each decided collectively and individually that the FX Royale 500 w/reg would be our next airgun. After they saw my Talon SS at a recent airgun get together, they both decided they wanted their first PCP. I have had the itch for a .25 for a few months, so this was a perfect opportunity to do the research and pull the trigger.
Other top contenders included the Daystate Airwolf MCT in .25 and Royale 400 w/reg in .22, but the FX Royale 500 w/reg edged them out. Go big or go home, so it was .25 all the way.
We all settled on the Hawke Sidewinder 30 Tactical 6.5-20X 1/2 Mildot and Holland’s Scope levels. We took delivery on Monday and unboxed them today, mounted and leveled the scopes, pumped up the tanks, and hit the range.
We got them all zeroed 2″ high at 25 yards within 6 shots each to get them on paper, then zeroed them at 50yrds. Once zeroed, groups of one quarter sized ragged hole were the norm at 50 yards. All three guns were cleaned with Patchworm kits using Ballistol then dry patches. The bores were extremely dirty.
All three of us were able to hit shotshells at 70 yards with JSB 25.4gr Kings with a one mil-dot hold over. Today was shooting for fun, next trip to the range will include paper punching for groups. The 500 is an incredibly accurate and extremely quiet air rifle.
I brought my .22 TT TSS along for the opportunity to shoot it at 70 yards since some recent upgrades. I was thrilled with the performance as I was easily able to repeatedly hit a pill bottle shot after shot at 70 yards with a 2 mil-dot holdover (35yrd zero), also with the Hawke Sidewinder 30 Tactical 6.5-20X 1/2 Mildot scope. Incredible performance for a 12 inch barrel.
All in all it was a great day of airgunning.
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I was reluctant to post this, but thought it might help inform other potential buyers before they spend their hard earned cash. I don’t intend this to be FX bashing, just the experience we had with our FX Royale 500s. The dealer and distributor have been extremely responsive and assured us that this will be made right.
As I mentioned in my first post, three of us decided to go with the 500 after a lot of research and deliberation. We were excited to get our guns and when they finally arrived, we unboxed them together, mounted and leveled the scopes, charged up the tanks, and headed to the range.
It was shortly after the unboxlng that we noticed our first “issue”. We were comparing serial numbers when two of us noticed that our serial number lines were blank with the serial number incorrectly engraved on the top line next to the maximum fill pressure:
Pete’s:
My gun:
The third gun (Joe’s) was a 4 digit serial number (71XX). His gun did not have a date code on the receiver.
Based on the date code on the bottom line of Pete’s gun and my gun, the guns were manufactured in Jan ’12. The Luxfer 500cc bottle on Joe’s gun was dated 5/11 which puts the manufacturing date sometime after May, but before the other 2 guns.
Now, a mismarked receiver with the serial number engraved on the wrong line might not affect how the gun shoots, *but*:
1. Most manufacturers would consider this a “blemish” and not “A” stock. If you were paying $1800 for a custom 1911, would you accept it with screwed up engraving and be willing to pay full price?
2. IMHO it reflects poorly on FX QC to let this go through the door.
3. IMHO it would negatively impact the resale value for the 2 reasons stated above.
Issue #2 on Pete’s gun and my gun, the shroud was in contact with the bottle.
Pete’s:
Mine:
The barrel on the 400 and 500 is free floated, so the bottle touching the shroud is unacceptable and it shouldn’t have left the factory like that.
Issue #3 Feeding
After we had ordered our 3 500s, we came across a post on YF about apparent feeding issues in guns from a recent production run [see here]. In anticipation of receiving our guns, we ordered single shot trays which we thought were FX factory trays. I also contacted Ernest Rowe about his gorgeous custom polished stone trays. He sent us a sample which we tested.
During our first trip to the range, Pete & I experienced feeding issues using the single shot tray, including both the “factory” and custom tray using JSB Kings. My gun went through 2 full magazines without any feeding problems, so the issues Pete & I were having with the trays might be attributed to the trays themselves. With the report of recent guns needing to go back to FX for a known feeding issue combined with the other two QC issues in both guns made in Jan ’12, needless to say our excitement quickly turned to disappointment.
Stuff like this can happen with any manufacturer – QC issues can rear their ugly head after the product has reached the customer. The 2 obvious QC issues (bottle contacting shroud and mismarked ser #) should, IMHO, have never left the FX factory. If there is a know production run of reg’d 500s that have feeding problems and these two guns are among that batch, they should have been recalled to the distributor or factory to be corrected before heading to customers.
Due to these reasons, our guns are going back to the distributor and we are seriously considering 3 guns from another manufacturer.
thanks I saw his post after I asked in this one lol..looks like a good gun,but then its an FX they make great guns might just have this on my next gun list,maybe sell my daystate.. 🙂
We didnt do any serious shooting for groups or shot count. Once we were sighted in, we were having too much fun plinking at targets at the 70yrd line.
According to other reports by owners with reg’d 500s, shot counts into the 60-70 range is about the norm. Bogman could chime in as a more authoritative source or you might want to check out his thread.
Regards,
Brian
While I was shooting through the chrony, the rifle was shifting a little, so the shot string numbers may be a lot tighter, especially if I can find a good gun vise. Anyway, looks like it’ll shoot 70-80 shots before speed drops, per fill. I don’t fill to the 220 bar max, in case a gauge is off or the gun/tank warms up. For this string, it was filled around 218 bar:
http://talonairgun.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=230246#230246
That post also has a link to some target shots at 40 yds, before a lot of practice.
Ballistic, many thanks for the scope info! $322 sounds like a great deal indeed. Hope my “schnoz” doesn’t get in the way. But, a small touch (or touch-back off slightly) indicator for cheek position might add to consistency.
As for long range, hmmm? I wonder if the pellet itself can handle much beyond 70 yds; that is, if you’re using a Diabolo type. The .25 is heavier, but the aerodynamics are still the same. It’d be interesting to find out. Better sort and weigh your pellets for that one! A little ding or off weight means a lot at long range. Roachcreek won’t be able to stop himself from long-range shots and he’s good about posting. I think he’s getting his tomorrow.
Enough of us are getting into these FX guns, wonder if we need a new Forum section? Y’know, saddle up beside all those Edgun folks.
Please get me some groups at 100 yards…. 🙂
I’m interested and want to know what they are capable of at 100 yards (or 109 yards if possible) 🙂 because I’m thinking of buying also one!
So let me know how many flyers there are on every 5 or 10 shot groups!
thanks mate!
We didnt do any serious shooting for groups or shot count. Once we were sighted in, we were having too much fun plinking at targets at the 70yrd line.
According to other reports by owners with reg’d 500s, shot counts into the 60-70 range is about the norm. Bogman could chime in as a more authoritative source or you might want to check out his thread.
Regards,
Brian
how many shots are you guys getting before tragetory drops?
How do they perform in low light?
I’ve been looking at these for awhile, hoping to find a good deal. Seems they’re pretty standard priced at $428-430. Any leads?
Thanks!
bogman,
They are the HK4026 Hawke Sidewinder 30 Tactical 6.5-20X42 1/2 Mildot scopes. Mine is mounted using the Beeman/Sports Match High 30mm rings. I had to move it a bit more forward than my natural eye relief position to get the magazine to clear the bottom of turret housing. I wouldn’t want it any higher, so I just need to “get on top” of the gun more to get proper eye relief. I shoot my ARs nose to the charging handle so it’s no big deal for me.
The optics are great for the money. I refer to it as a “poor man’s Nightforce”. One of the owners of the other Royale’s sold his Nightforce to fund the purchase of his FX and he agrees with the quality vs price comparison to his NF. Very clear and bright, and the performance in low light at 6.5X is good. Not quite as clear and bright as some Bushnells and Leopolds, but those scopes are a bit more expensive. To my eye and for my uses, it’s a great scope for the money.
The best feature IMHO is the etched 1/2 mildot reticle combined with Chairgun Pro. The mildots on the Leupolds and Bushnells, among others are too big IMHO and obscure too much of the target for the precision shooting and accuracy of a quality airgun, whether punching paper or shooting small pests at longer ranges.
I got both of mine through Wayfair. The first one was on sale for $322 then I used a 10% internet coupon to get it under $300. If you search enough for the Hawke scope using Google, you’ll soon see ads for a Wayfair coupon at different sites you visit including Youtube. The second one I got using a 20% off coupon Wayfair sent me for being a customer.
Check Wayfair.com daily. Based on the past pricing history at their site, I would expect the price to drop again to the $322 range within the next few weeks.
Ballistic, what kind of rings are you using? Is that a Sidewinder TAC 30?
How do they perform in low light?
I’ve been looking at these for awhile, hoping to find a good deal. Seems they’re pretty standard priced at $428-430. Any leads?
Thanks!
Haven’t test low and medium but high is averaging ~880fps 43-44FPE out of the box.
So how fast are the various velocities?
Thanks!
It’s the adjustable power wheel.
1 dot = low
2 dots = medium
3 dots = high
The adjustment between the three levels is repeatable and precise.
What’s that little knurled wheel for?
Outstanding you guys!!! Congrats to alll of you. 😀
Ballistic, I’ve only got a magazine. Er, I mean one FX magazine. It’s possible that some other magazines didn’t get thrown out with the paper recycling. I mean, uh, there is an AA s510 magazine in the house, too.
The Kings run through the magazine fine. If you want to fuss with hand loading them into the breech, without either, it can be done albeit slower. I usually avoid things that sound like they stick out of rifles. “Protrusion” is fine w/ buxom ladies, but in guns, I fear snagging on briars, my coat or the front doorway. Since I’m not small, the FX is not small, but my house was built by a couple under 5 ft. 4 in., passage ways are kinda tight. So, I opted to not get a tray unless there seemed to be a good reason.
Maybe the FX folks (or their distributors) can say which pellets function well in the tray. If it’s designed for target-shooting, the lighter tipped wadcutter types could be the intended projectiles. Clever folks, those FXers. They must have tested the tray in some capacity. Perhaps not JSB Kings or other round-nose designs.
I’d put on some magnifying lenses and watch what is going on, slowly.
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So sorry to hear you guys got a bunch of problems shipped w/ the guns, Brian. Sucks big time. But, I’d give them a chance to make it right. Have Jim take a hard, close look before he ships. If he’s installing the bottles and/or regulators, there may be an issue with the sealing o-ring, gasket, whatever is between the tank and air tube. Shroud clearance is not much. On mine, it’s maybe a mm.
Most QC are likely checking that the gun functions, doesn’t leak,is up to speed, etc. I bet they weren’t looking carefully at the outside, like they should. There is also the auto-printing needing resetting every month, could be software screw-up or invisible/non-printing characters, like spaces, which can exceed the field/line space and bump everything around. (Looks OK on screen, but prints like crap.) My 500 doesn’t have a date stamp, maybe it’s a newer addition?
It wouldn’t surprise me if FX is having growing pains, problems gearing up when demand rises. The typical factory approach is to push workers harder, make sure the demand is long-term before hiring. That’s often when problems get bad. Unlike AF, I bet they fix things. The distributors need to know these issues, too. So, as the “middle-man” they can do the returns and ship consumers a good gun in the first place. A two-point, factory + distributor QC is normally a good approach.
I hope you guys stick with it long enough to give FX a chance to get it right. If they keep screwing up, spank their asses online! Post your pics, like you have been and the search engines will put their nuts in a vise. 😉