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Thought it time to post a review of my recently acquired FX Streamline Walnut .22 PCP Air Rifle. Having read and viewed numerous reviews on this model, I was convinced it would make a fine addition to my collection. Upon arrival, my first glimpse of this Swiss made confirmed it's exceptional good looks, from the deep rich chocolate stained walnut stock to the gorgeous black satin finish on all it's metal parts. Shouldering the rifle is an absolute joy, lightweight, well balanced and perfectly proportioned. The side cock lever is silky smooth to operate and requires very little effort to cycle. The longer vertical cylinder on the end of the cocking lever offers a very positive grip and a variety of comfortable hand positions from which to operate. Safety mechanism is quite accessible for the right handed, although possibly a challenge for those with larger fingers. It's located on the top edge of the stock just above the trigger. Safety can only be engaged once the action is cocked, and automatically disengages when de-cocked. This differs from most of my other air rifles where the safety engages and stays engaged independent of the action. De-cocking is achieved by pulling the side lever all the way back, holding the trigger in, then cycling the cocking lever fully forward. The safety is now off and cannot be engaged until the action is cocked again. One must therefore manually engage the safety every time the gun is cocked.
The Match Style trigger is not only a joy to behold, but to use as well. Right out of the box, The FX Streamline has a wonderful first stage, followed by a very predictable and crisp second stage release. According to the included well written owner's manual, there are multiple trigger adjustments available; I may tweak these at some point to maintain a certain consistency across all my airguns, but factory settings are near perfect as they are.
The multi-shot rotary magazine slides into the breach from the right hand side, a real plus for those of us who own a side-focus scopel. In .22 calibre, the metal and clear plastic constructed magazine holds 11 rounds, loading in a similar fashion to many others of similar design; a drum is rotated around against a spring, the first pellet loaded in skirt first to hold the spring in place, then the mag is flipped over and additional pellets are loaded in nose first through an opening as the clear plastic cover is rotated around to each position. The magazine is quite compact and sports a pretty low profile, allowing a close scope to barrel mount, locking into place easily and intuitively. Not as simple to load up as certain other brands / designs, but overall well designed and looking mighty fine cosmetically when in place on the rifle. The clear plastic cover gives a pretty good indication of shot count remaining, and the design blocks the action from moving forward when empty. Unfortunately there is no mechanism to prevent double loading of pellets, so one has to be mindful of this when operating the side lever and taking shots.
The air pressure gauge is located at the end of the air reservoir, not on the bottom of the rifle - this is my only major bone of contention with this gun. Regardless of all safety precautions observed beforehand, I'll never feel comfortable looking at the business end of any firearm in order to check remaining air pressure; this said, I can live with it, especially considering all the other virtues the FX Streamline has to offer. In terms of filling with HPA, it's not only safer to monitor pressure with the gauge on your High Pressure Tank and/or compressor, it will more accurately indicate the fill pressure. The FX uses a probe style fitting which seems to be a negative for some, I actually find it's far easier to connect and disconnect than the standard 1/8 Quick disconnect I have on most of my other air rifles.
Now here is what I think is one of the most desirable features of this wonderful PCP rifle -variable, on-the-fly, power adjustment! A large, three position rotary wheel located on the upper left hand side of stock, just forward of the breech, is quite accessible and ergonomic to use. There are three distinct markings and detents on the wheel for each of the designated power levels, the lowest of which still provides ample velocity and FPE for plinking, close range pest control and target shooting. Moreover, the lowest power setting significantly reduces the noise level, allowing for a backyard friendly airgun and more stealthy operation in terms of pest control. I have yet to Chrony but I'll hedge bets the lowest setting will be well above 600 fps. According to the specs, this rifle is fully regulated and will provide 60 full power shots from a 3300 psi fill -it would make sense to me then that at lower power settings the shot count will increase. Have yet to pass enough lead down the barrel to confirm this hypothesis, but will follow up with another post once I have. In any case, I've never been one to obsess about shot count, and sixty per fill exceeds my expectations and personal needs. At full power, the FX Streamline, having it's moderator removed to satisfy Canadian regulations, does indeed emit quite a bark, however, it's not significantly noisier than any of my other .22 calibre PCPs. At some point in time I shall set up my SPL meter, and do some comparative readings with all my other rifles at one meter distance, the standard for SPL testing. As always, hearing protection should be employed.
So far, I've shot about 44 rounds through my new FX Streamline, and after mounting and sighting in a Hawke Sidewinder Scope, I've managed quarter sized groupings at 50 yards with JSB Exact pellets ....... pretty darn impressive for a brand new out of the box air rifle! Given the cost, cosmetics, ergonomics, build quality and performance so far, I'd say this is one of the best value PCP Air Rifles on the market right now, especially for those who would appreciate the classic looks of this gun. I couldn't be more thrilled with this purchase and suggest that anyone contemplating owning one themselves, should just buy one! For those who are on a limited budget, my advice is to "buy once, cry once", don't purchase a $500.00 PCP (for certain there are some decent ones out there in that price range) thinking you'll invest in something better later on ........ be patient, save your hard earned $$$ and pony up for one of these babies, you won't regret it.
Hope this review will be of some benefit to others who might be thinking of pulling the trigger on this "scaled down" FX product. If anyone has questions regarding my experience with the Streamline, please don't hesitate to PM me.
Cheers!
Aaron / Avianmanor
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File comment: FX Airguns Streamline .22 Walnut
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File comment: FX Airguns Streamline .22 Walnut
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