Most Powerful Benchrest Capable Air Rifle?

[Billm]

Oh I guess i shouldn't share the AEAC video I just watched about the RTI guns.....super cool company, and oh so sweet pcps. If the Mora was available up here id have a hard time saying no to that. Video is well worth the watch, and I hate to admit it but they nailed the 2 reg setup!

I did watch it. No dealer has them in stock in .30 for the most part and when they do, they’re the old version. I sent them emails over a week ago and they’ve failed to answer them. Their .22 and .25 are accurate because of the barrel. I’ve spoken to several Mora shooters that have confided that they are struggling to get the same accuracy from their .30 barrels. When you dig deeper, most of their accolades are about shooting slugs. They are shipped as slug guns. Like a lot of manufacturers that keep hyping all of their barrel options, none of them are actually available. Several owners have mentioned that RTI has failed to deliver on spare parts. They haven’t nailed the 2 reg setup. They’ve nailed the marketing of their 2 reg setup. There’s very little real world evidence yet of how well it functions or holds up. Same thing with the FX MkII, great marketing about their new bull barrels and the benchrest specific Benchmark rifle - none of them exist and they don’t know when they will be available. FX doesn’t plan on selling the rifles with the solid barrel, it will be aftermarket only. At least with the MKII, some are available and the pellet liners are cheap and plentiful.
Don’t get me wrong, I still like the Mora, but it’s not an option right now. But, I may revisit it, if the Panthera doesn’t work out.

Bill did you get the regular barrel or the heavy barrel with a liner?

Unless I’m misreading it, they are not selling any of the mkIIs with the thick barrel to prevent sticker shock. It is supposedly an aftermarket accessory. Bit of a bummer if it is.

 

[Billm]

When I ordered the rifle, it didn’t tell you in the specs that you’re not actually getting the new barrel system. I found out after the fact.

 

[Danman]

I did watch it. No dealer has them in stock in .30 for the most part and when they do, they’re the old version. I sent them emails over a week ago and they’ve failed to answer them. Their .22 and .25 are accurate because of the barrel. I’ve spoken to several Mora shooters that have confided that they are struggling to get the same accuracy from their .30 barrels. When you dig deeper, most of their accolades are about shooting slugs. They are shipped as slug guns. Like a lot of manufacturers that keep hyping all of their barrel options, none of them are actually available. Several owners have mentioned that RTI has failed to deliver on spare parts. They haven’t nailed the 2 reg setup. They’ve nailed the marketing of their 2 reg setup. There’s very little real world evidence yet of how well it functions or holds up. Same thing with the FX MkII, great marketing about their new bull barrels and the benchrest specific Benchmark rifle - none of them exist and they don’t know when they will be available. FX doesn’t plan on selling the rifles with the solid barrel, it will be aftermarket only. At least with the MKII, some are available and the pellet liners are cheap and plentiful.
Don’t get me wrong, I still like the Mora, but it’s not an option right now. But, I may revisit it, if the Panthera doesn’t work out.

Unless I’m misreading it, they are not selling any of the mkIIs with the thick barrel to prevent sticker shock. It is supposedly an aftermarket accessory. Bit of a bummer if it is.

Yeah... i should have probably said 'it seems' they have nailed the 2reg setup, FX definitely did not.
Any idea of the twist rate on the 'RTI' (L.W.) barrels for .30cal? It was mentioned the twist rate is made especially for the RTI guns.
The Ghost was released in 2022 iirc and we are STILL waiting on .30cal slug barrels, so supply is not just an RTI problem for sure May be a tricky caliber to get right for slugs?
Their is a dedicated benchrest variant called the FX Benchmark, that will ship with the solid barrel and traditional looking buttstock with bottle up front i do believe.
Nothing FX has ever made interested me enough to own (M3/M4 is wicked cool but its far too complicated and leak prone) other than the Dynamic with solid barrel.
FX gen2 seems like an excellent choice for your usage and i doubt it will be boring,...I'll be following along!

 

[Billm]

Yeah... i should have probably said 'it seems' they have nailed the 2reg setup, FX definitely did not.
Any idea of the twist rate on the 'RTI' (L.W.) barrels for .30cal? It was mentioned the twist rate is made especially for the RTI guns.
The Ghost was released in 2022 iirc and we are STILL waiting on .30cal slug barrels, so supply is not just an RTI problem for sure May be a tricky caliber to get right for slugs?
Their is a dedicated benchrest variant called the FX Benchmark, that will ship with the solid barrel and traditional looking buttstock with bottle up front i do believe.
Nothing FX has ever made interested me enough to own (M3/M4 is wicked cool but its far too complicated and leak prone) other than the Dynamic with solid barrel.
FX gen2 seems like an excellent choice for your usage and i doubt it will be boring,...I'll be following along!

Trust me, I have my reservations lol. I was disappointed to find out that the heavy barrels don’t come with the rifles and are not actually available. I had enough to buy the Blackwolf and decided that I would go with the less expensive FX and that way if I’m not happy, I can maybe try the mora or Skout at a later date. I wanted the Benchmark, but it’s not even available as a preorder, which in my opinion equals delayed introduction.
I think you’re dead on about .30 caliber slugs being a problem child with accuracy. Even Corbin has stated that it has been more difficult to develop the .30 slugs than other calibers.
I do think the FX block looks cool with the angled gauges etc..
Hopefully, I can get down to IPAC and see some of these rifles in the flesh.
Also, don’t worry about not agreeing with my choice, the difference in opinions is what makes all of this discussion useful.

 

[Pumacarl]

Hey Bill, you'll like this story. I thought that I might get ambitious today and vinyl wrap my barrel, long story short, I didn't. I will revisit that later. Anyway, I had the gun all aired down and I decided to take the liner out and clean it. Polishing it before must have really helped because it was nothing to clean and didn't really need it. I started putting the gun back together, it's picatinny optics rail was mounted into my tripod and the gun was upside down so I went to screw on the bottle first. Luckily, there was only about 130b in the bottle, because as it started filling back up the gun the protective cap on the foster fitting blew off and straight up into the ceiling! A new experience for me. And I thought about that for a minute. I have never had a valved bottle airgun and I have never gased back up a gun that way before. I usually use the foster if there is one, and a probe if there isn't. It didn't do any damage, the squirt of air stop quickly, but it did happen. Something to think about when you are messing with yours. I don't think that I have read anybody mentioning this happening to them, so I figured I'd mention it to you.

On another note, I went to check my zero after and it was way off. Maybe it's because I didn't put the liner in the same way. The Nexus made short work of it. I counted the corrections off the reticle, clicked them in, and first shot dead on. The scope is really good, I would have prefered mil, but mechanically it's a tank.

 

[Billm]

Hey Bill, you'll like this story. I thought that I might get ambitious today and vinyl wrap my barrel, long story short, I didn't. I will revisit that later. Anyway, I had the gun all aired down and I decided to take the liner out and clean it. Polishing it before must have really helped because it was nothing to clean and didn't really need it. I started putting the gun back together, it's picatinny optics rail was mounted into my tripod and the gun was upside down so I went to screw on the bottle first. Luckily, there was only about 130b in the bottle, because as it started filling back up the gun the protective cap on the foster fitting blew off and straight up into the ceiling! A new experience for me. And I thought about that for a minute. I have never had a valved bottle airgun and I have never gased back up a gun that way before. I usually use the foster if there is one, and a probe if there isn't. It didn't do any damage, the squirt of air stop quickly, but it did happen. Something to think about when you are messing with yours. I don't think that I have read anybody mentioning this happening to them, so I figured I'd mention it to you.

On another note, I went to check my zero after and it was way off. Maybe it's because I didn't put the liner in the same way. The Nexus made short work of it. I counted the corrections off the reticle, clicked them in, and first shot dead on. The scope is really good, I would have prefered mil, but mechanically it's a tank.

You guys are tempting me to cancel my order before it ships lol. I’ve screwed the valved bottle on and off my Ghost with no issues. Doesn’t the foster have a one way valve in it? I hope I’m not on the path to: “I told you so”

 

[Pumacarl]

You guys are tempting me to cancel my order before it ships lol. I’ve screwed the valved bottle on and off my Ghost with no issues. Doesn’t the foster have a one way valve in it? I hope I’m not on the path to: “I told you so”

Yeah, it has the one way valve in it, and it did kick in, after some more pressure showed up. Usually I'm filling through that foster, and the gun almost never is totally aired down unless I'm doing a complete re-seal, or regulator work. I don't know if this is normal or not and I don't think being an FX had anything to do with this. I just wanted you to know to remove your cap on your foster fitting if you are going to be screwing on a pressurized bottle onto a completely empty gun. Just an an fyi, not a criticism.

 

[FL22]

You guys are tempting me to cancel my order before it ships lol. I’ve screwed the valved bottle on and off my Ghost with no issues. Doesn’t the foster have a one way valve in it? I hope I’m not on the path to: “I told you so”

Since you’re starting to perhaps have some second thoughts, what is the return policy?

 

[Billm]

Since you’re starting to perhaps have some second thoughts, what is the return policy?

They get you either way:
*All cancellations and/or refunds will be subject to 6% transaction fee to cover bank fees*
Or

*ALL AIRGUN & AMMO SALES ARE FINAL*

Having been in retail for years, no card processor charges 6% transaction fees. But, I also know that cancellations and returns can put a small mom & pop store out of business.

 

[FL22]

They get you either way:
*All cancellations and/or refunds will be subject to 6% transaction fee to cover bank fees*
Or

*ALL AIRGUN & AMMO SALES ARE FINAL*

Having been in retail for years, no card processor charges 6% transaction fees. But, I also know that cancellations and returns can put a small mom & pop store out of business.

I’m certainly hopeful that it delivers on the results you want. Truthfully I was thinking that you were going to get a BW.

 

[Pumacarl]

I’m certainly hopeful that it delivers on the results you want. Truthfully I was thinking that you were going to get a BW.

I was hoping that he was going to get the new AAA HPS. Unfortunately nobody can get what isn't actually available.

 

[Billm]

I’m certainly hopeful that it delivers on the results you want. Truthfully I was thinking that you were going to get a BW.

I just couldn’t see the huge price difference. I looked for accuracy reviews for the BW Zero and couldn’t find any.

 

[Billm]

I was hoping that he was going to get the new AAA HPS. Unfortunately nobody can get what isn't actually available.

That was my first choice, I even decided that I’d buy the Edwest version and pretend that it wasn’t blue. But, they sold them while I messed around.

 

[Pumacarl]

That was my first choice, I even decided that I’d buy the Edwest version and pretend that it wasn’t blue. But, they sold them while I messed around.

Hopefully, two years down the road you'll pick up a used one for a third less money, and it'll be just as good and you'll be a better shot by then with more experience. A silver lining perhaps.