New FX Impact M3 FULL REVIEW
The FX Impact has been one of the most groundbreaking and respected airguns of the 21st century. There is no disputing that. While the platform has evolved since it’s introduction, here in 2021 it has received it’s most drastic changes. It has now become the Impact M3. With more features and more power than ever, has FX given us a better Impact? Below is the link to the full review video that accompanies this article. I suggest taking them both in for the full story.
To answer the question “Is the new Impact M3 better than previous versions?”…we must first determine what an Impact does so well to begin with. I would have to say than an FX Impact is a supremely adjustable, very powerful, very accurate airgun. In order to be a better version, it would have to be more of all of that. So is it?
The M3 has not one, but two regulators. Both are adjustable, and work on the same principle as the FX Maverick. The first regulator is set higher and reduces the strain on the second. This should improve longevity and shot consistency. This gun also has the new Quick Tune system. This is a combination of a new thumb wheel with 16 linear settings, a new thumb adjuster for the fine hammer adjustment, and a new knob on the valve return adjuster. You also get some graduations to show you where your hammer fine adjustment is set. This gives you the ability to quantify all of your adjustments, making it easier to write them down and share them. That’s on top of needing no tools for adjustment of anything besides the regulator. Is the new Impact M3 more adjustable than previous versions? Yes. Yes it is.
But will it kill an elephant in an armored car? No. No it will not. It does, however, have an even larger 72cc power plenum. Along with some changes to the porting and valving…this is the most powerful Impact yet made. Full power is achieved with the installation of the optional FX Slug Power Kit. Just how powerful are we talking? How about a 79ft-lb .22 caliber? That’s right. 79ft-lb from a .22 caliber airgun. That’s ludicrous speed! Is the new Impact M3 more powerful than previous versions? Yes. Yes it is.
That brings us to the bread and butter. Accuracy. Is the new M3 more accurate than previous versions? I have no idea. I can’t tell. It is still the same sub-MOA Impact that you’ve known and loved for years. The previous versions have set a standard that’s near impossible to beat. How do you beat sub MOA accuracy at 100 yards? I would have to say that the new M3 is at least equally as accurate as it’s predecessors. We humans are the limiting factor of the accuracy you’ll see out of an Impact M3. I expect that you’ll see many an M3 in many a winner’s circle.
There are some other notable improvements to the M3. Most obvious might be that the safety has switched directions. It’s in the same place and moves the same way, but the FIRE and SAFE positions have been swapped. There’s also a new gauge for the second regulator, a new larger cocking lever, a new “short throw” cocking lever design, dual transfer ports on most models, updated trigger, Wika manometers, 20 MOA built into the rail, and a whole slew of new accessories made just for the M3. Some of the more critical machining tolerances, such as the receiver to barrel fit, have been tightened to improve function and accuracy. Lefties will be happy to know that the new gun’s cocking lever can be switched to either side in less than a minute. There have been a TON of upgrades and improvements to the M3. It really is a significantly changed, and significantly improved, airgun.
Something I haven’t touched on yet is the myriad of accessories coming for the M3. It’s mind boggling. Harmonic barrel tuners, inline barrel chronographs, carbon fiber barrel sleeves, 300 BAR bottles, and much much more! The new Impact isn’t just a new gun. It’s a new system. The capability of that system is going to be based upon this supreme airgun and your wallet. The sky is the limit.
Donnie Reed is our Sales Manager and general airgun guru here at Baker Airguns. He was a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, and qualified as both a Rifle Expert and Pistol Expert. Donnie is now a competitive airgun shooter, focusing primarily on field target and benchrest competitions. He has won both PCP and piston class field target matches, as well as local benchrest competitions. Donnie also runs the Youtube channel and Facebook group ALL THINGS AIRGUN. His first college degree is in Mathematics and Sciences, but he is still pursuing another in Physics and Astronomy.
