"ODE" to BullpUps – GENERAL RANT !!!!

…. Ok I gotta put in my 2 cents… First off I have learned alot from the guys on this forum… there are a Lot of Smart and Talented guys here. Many times I see posts of “Aigun-aholics”… Buying Lots of Airguns……. The guys that are the Biggest “Aigun Junkies” are the ones MAKING the Guns and Devoting their Life and creating a Business out of it……. But….I am but just a “Leaf in the Wind”….

Since I got my First Edgun..(for what its worth about same week as the “Famous Ted-in-Madision”) I have been and avid follower, know that this was my forth airgun preceded by a .22 verminator – .22 Airwolf – .25 Air Ranger. The one thing that I was absolutely sold on was the Ruggedness and Ease to maintain. NO Other manufacture to date has put forward as much information to “User Support and Maintenance”!

The first time I got a Matador(2.5)… I sent Tony an email… Followed by Payment… and Had my gun in 7 to10 days…a few months Later.. I saw the Leyla.. Sent Tony a e-mail.. Followed by Payment.. and Had the Gun in 7 to 10 days..

This was followed by what I call the “Bullpup Explosion”…. The few guns out there got so much Attention with VERY Limited availability….it was like “Drug addicts” looking for a high that Most had never experienced!…

This was Followed by a PAINFULLY Slow trickle of Edguns over a 2year period!!! A couple of Mishaps… this has happened in ever industry I have ever been involved in! Good and Bad….

Then “The Cricket” arrives.. From what I know the “Kalibr Crew” are some how hooked up with CZ.. a Old and Well established Manufacture… I am not sure if most people are aware of this.. BUT the SINGLE biggest problem in the Shooting Industry is the Availability of BARRELS!…….what this means is when you make you own barrels …Making the rest of the gun is EASY!!!!!!!!! WIN – WIN.. The Cricket is a well made Multi-Shot Bullpup. They too are going through Growing Pains!!!

Now FX – I don’t think a lot of people know this BUT.. Before the Smooth twist Barrels… FX guns were pretty hard to come by…..I can only Imagine how much Money and Time Fredrick spent to Develop the Smooth Twist Barrel….” Now that is what I call – DEDICATED” !!!!!!!!! So now FX is only Limited by the hours in the day and Fredrick’s Imagination…. BUT the kicker is the development of the “FX ROYALE” platform. This has been slowly tweaked over the last few years to become a Modular receiver that can be adapted to several different applications….. Know that FX was Never interested in a Bullpup !!!!!!

A FX BOBCAT is Simply a FX Royale in a stock.. THAT IS IT!!!…. The Genius is that FX Developed a MODULAR Receiver and NOW Make A High Quality Barrel that can compete with “OLD SCHOOL Barrel Makers”…. But Guys.. It an AR-15… Just make Parts and MIX AND MATCH… WIN-WIN for FX !!!

OK… Now the EDGUN… In my opinion Ed is the “Leonardo da Vinci” of Bullpups… I don’t know who was the first.. and I don’t care.. and I know neither does Ed….. Everyone knows the rest…NEXT !!!
(For those of you that have Never Not had a Cell Phone – lets call it the “I-Generation”… “ED = Steve Jobs” in the Bull-Pup AIRGUN WORLD !!!!)

On comes the .30 Cal…..as far as I know FX got the First .30 cal guns “Commercially Available” to market…and to the Best of my knowledge.. for what its worth… I was the first “Owner of a .30 cal” that actually paid for a gun…. I can say this with great confidence as I was there when they opened the First guns off the Shipping Pallet! ….Yup.. Who cares!!! …. The 30 cal is very Impressive….

FX created a platform that can be easily adapted to different calibers and Stock Shapes….either by Luck or Design…..They are able to Directly control materials – Design – Testing… If something needs to be changed its done ASAP!…… By good luck.. the FX Receiver has been able to Support all Current calibers to date. BUT. I think it is at its LIMIT…. Over all a Very good product.

Cricket – the .30 cal that is in the works is a “MODIFIED” production gun, BEING DONE BY A NON-PROVEN Builder and designer. The guys involved are Good People.. but to the best of my Knowledge they have Never
built and Publicly available gun. They aren’t even doing their own testing!!!! All the parts are being Sub-contracted..
As far as I know.. no one has published the Final Price of the 30 cal Cricket.. Remember it is a modified “Production Gun” with a retail price of approx “$1895.00”.. now ADD R&D… Custom ONE- OFF Barrels from LW… Custom magazines…. Valves… Bolts…ete…etc…etc… to make any money they will have to cost $3k…. lets hope that ALL the L.W. barrels shoot… and lets hope the Modified Valves – Regs and other parts hold up…..I wish Peter and Steve the Best of Luck…

And Now the EDGUN…I DON’T Know Ed.. Never met him.. and have nothing to gain..Same with Tony.. Never Met him….Yup.. I was pretty Pissed when it took almost 2 years to get my R3…. and Have since purchased another R3 Matador..and will be getting a R3 – 30 cal…. and I have NO PROBLEM Pre-paying.
Ed and TONY have NEVER Asked for this before.. I am sure the money Doesn’t fully cover the R&D of the NEW caliber..BUT … I bet its is every BIT as Good as all my Others!!!! …. ITS AN EDGUN…..

I don’t know of any other Manufacturer that MOVED COUNTRIES to continue to be in Business… HUMMMMMMMM!!! That is DEDICATED…. and I can ONLY Imagine ED’s Contributions to Local Government…

LET ME KNOW WHEN THE FADE TO COPY THE BOBCAT Stock Happens…. I am not going to hold my Breath.. Are You ????????…

The Cricket.. the Magazine indexing systems… Not what I am Looking for either..Time Will Tell…
Supported by a big company.. they should do well over time.

FX is the Remington 700 of the airgun World…. Everbody has them….But Very LOW Resale Value….Cus Everbody Has One!!!.. Yup they Work Right out of the Box..

I bet in years to come – ALL BULL-PUP Airguns will be compared to the “MONA LISA” of Bull-Pups…”The EDGUN”…and these guns will become “Aireloom’s” passed on for years to come…….What Every Our generation of the “Pyramids” is…. I bet they will find an EDGUN there….!!!!

…NOW this is a BULL-PUP Section…. But has any body be watching the “R.A.W” airguns… HUMMMM !!! they have a 30 cal in development… Just not a Bull-Pup……YET??????????.. and for those that don’t know… Daysate made a Bull-pup ….Long.. Long ago…..

Guys this is a hobby for us… We are very Lucky to be able to have such LUXURIES in Our lives.. Lets just be thank full to ALL the Manufacturers for their Hard work and Dedication….

For All of you on this Forum that OWN and DEVELOP NEW and innovative Products….. Please tell me a I am wrong……After….. you Develop your OWN AIRGUN Company and NEW and Uniquely Designed Airgun!!!

.. Again.. This a great Forum… and a Even Better Group of Guys.. Thank you for all I have learned !!!!!!

RANT – OFF……

Mark……..