The rifles:
FX Elite S/N 007 cal 0.25 with Smooth Twist barrel, regulated, power adjustable within limits, single load, single shot with transfer port in cocking bolt not in barrel. Barrels can be quickly changed, 5 minutes, and no need for bolt or any other change. This is one of the first standard production FX Elite rifles as its S/N # 007 suggests (with a # like that it could be valuable some day
) . 
BSA JB OZ 1B Hornet cal 0.25, regulated single shot with normal pellet probe and transfer ported hammer forged BSA barrel. Barrels, receivers and probes can be changed but take about 15 minutes, power adjustable. Edit: This rifle was prepared for me by its desighner John Bowkett in UK so is not standard.
I am just home for a couple of days from the farm then returning to complete the lavender harvest. This was the first test for the new FX Elite which arrived to me in OZ two days before Xmas. ... The BSA is well known here for its superb accuracy with 100 yd 5 shot target groups down to 0.60 inches.
First comparative test for the FX and Smooth Twist barrel:
The level playing field for this comparison was:
Just one group for each rifle at 50 yards and at 100 yards in same outdoor conditions ... not cherry picked from a few or many groups, just cold turkey. This was the very first, and only one as yet, shot with the FX Elite at 100 yd.
Both rifles adjusted to 880 fps 44 fpe with JSB Exact Kings .25 cal straight from the tin, not selected;
Both sighted in for 50 yards after barrel cleaning;
Both shot with front sand bag with the fore-ends held, front wrist rested, butts shouldered lightly and elbows on table.
Both using Bushnell Elite scopes set on 16X power.
Purpose: to compare groups at 50 and 100 yds; to compare pellet drop at 100 yards by using 50 yd scopes' zero for both ranges.
Results: The target cards are opened manilla folders. PsOAim (bottom of black marker squares) and 50 yd groups at top of cards, 100 yd groups at bottom:
Some readers may note the ballistic implications of the pellet drop statistic; and the very shallow 100 yd vertical shot dispersions.
Under the conditions I consider all groups superb.
For those who are not familiar with FX ST barrels, they are smooth bore to the last 6 cm then have shallow "rifling" impressed from the outside.
Picture of the muzzle of the Elite:
I subsequently began other tests of this new FX Elite with its spare .22 cal barrel and with the superb .22 cal LW barrel from my old FX/RWS Excalibre installed. ( Barrel change is a 5 minute job and each barrel can be rotated to index it for POI with different pellets ). All that and other research, will have to wait for the present.
But here is the one group shot at 71 yards shown with a US dime (0.70 inch outside diameter)
, 5 shots aimed at the pellet mark to the right. The group appears larger as the paint on the steel disc gets blasted away at the edges.
These five shots were shot filmed slow motion using the Casio through the scope to clearly show flight from 10 yards to 71 yards. There was no evidence of spiral flight.
Being left handed I found the right handed thumbhole stock to be somewhat awkward but probably very comfortable for a right handed shooter..
This rifle will shoot JSB KIngs at 50 fpe and Barracudas to 52 fpe but this test was done at 44 fpe as that is very near max for the BSA with Kings and I wanted the test to be at same power for both rifles and 880 fps happens to me a favourite velocity as many readers would have noted over the years.
I hope you enjoy this comparative test. I look forward to getting the time to proceed with other research.
I did take the Elite for one outing and head shot three bunnies for a neighbour! Wasn't that kind happy.gif.
Best regards ... Yrrah.
... Best regards, Harry.
