Years ago, two brilliant minds came together and invented a barrel technology. They worked out the finer details and put into production a design that became known as Smooth Twist, after the method and style of the finished product. The process involves precision steel tubing, cut and machined to extremely high tolerances and is then put through a proprietary process which imparts twist to the inside of the barrel from the outside without cutting, harming or disturbing the smooth finish of the bore. This technology spins and stabilizes the pellets when fired, but does not cut or harm the pellet, making it less susceptible to wind turbulence. And, like anything new in the gun world, it was received with much resistance and nah-saying by the industry and shooting public alike. But then something started happening to change those opinions…the barrels started winning long range competitions!
Rumors, theories, and conjecture lost their way when the results started recording, and FX Smooth Twist barreled rifles started to take top seats every year at Extreme Benchrest for the 75 and 100 yard competitions.
2017 was no exception, in fact FX upped their game on proving their barrel tech has what it takes. 29 shooters in the top 20 of both classes (40 total between Pro and Sportsman) placed using a Smooth Twist barrel in an FX air rifle! That’s nearly 75%! Check out these results:
Looking at this chart you immediately think, “Yeah, but almost everyone shot with an FX, so of course FX won out!” Good observation. But take a step back and look at the overall qualifying results to see the spread of shooters who competed to make the finals and you see that FX consistently rose to the top.
Now, let’s pause and give a hand to every single shooter at EBR. They all did well in competing in this difficult competition and the shooters who came out on top deserve the bulk of the recognition. The rifle is simply the tool of choice, but a good shooter will choose the best tool by their own standards, and the results show where each competitor put their trust.
Back to the FX product now, and they deserve a good deal of respect. The 2017 results are amazing, but they aren’t simply an anomaly. The 2016, 2015, 2014, etc results show FX, with their Smooth Twist barrel technology, are onto something good!
Are they the best for long range accuracy? That is up to you to decide, because nobody can tell you what is “the best”. Grab an FX Airgun with a Smooth Twist barrel and find out for yourself! This writer can say, with experience, that FX/Smooth Twist barrels are among the most consistent shooting rifles/barrels he has tested.
Until next time,
Get Out and Shoot!
Here’s a little video illustrating the Smooth Twist barrel technology: