TX200 one year review
11-15-2018, 04:34 PM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,181
TX200 one year review
I have owned my rifle for about a year, and in that time I have put over 5000 rounds through it.
First off the rifle will come to you in a well thought out box. The gun will, or should be safe from damage but be sure to inspect it. The fit and finish of the rifle will or should be second to none.
The TX200 has an 11mm dovetail built in to the receiver with a scope stop built into it to mount a scope. No “iron sights” are included with the gun. And to be honest you won't want them.
The TX is a heavy gun, with the sling, and scope it is right at 11 pounds with a walnut stock. The cocking effort is said to be about 38 pounds I would say that should be close. It is not hard to cock but it is a pull. Loading the TX is done with your thumb. After a lot of shooting expect a sore thumb. When cocking the TX you must make sure it is fully cocked. If it is not the gun will not close. If your having trouble with this make sure the gun is FULLY cocked.
The trigger is pure magic. I have shot a lot of rifles. I have shot several air rifles. The TX200 has the best trigger of any gun I have ever shot, It is euphoric ha ha ha. No honestly the trigger is amazing. The recoil impulse is VERY mild. In fact it is so smooth right out of the box it is scary.
You can expect to get about 675 FPS out of a 14.66 gr H&N FTT pellet. Mine is a .22 cal and it likes the 5.54 the best but all three sizes shoot very, very well. After 2000 rounds mine has settled down to 664 to 668 FPS.
Does the TX have enough power to kill with? YES!!!! I have been using mine this spring to hunt squirrels, doves, starlings, and Rock Chucks. The chucks are big some are 10 to 12 pounds. At the time of this writing I have killed a total of 250 Rock Chucks. Ya, but what kind of yardage? Well glad you asked. If I can get under 60 yards any chuck I aim at is in trouble. That said I have killed several in the 70 to 75 yard mark, and have fully penetrated side to side through the lungs on a smaller 2 to 3 pound chucks. The gun is accurate enough to head shoot out to 70 yards with my scope if a guy does his part. My rifle is putting out right at 14.2 foot pounds of energy at 668 FPS. That seems pretty light in the loafers compared to the hot and smoking 1400 FPS rifles. Yep it is, and I feel confident in the gun and pellet to take game out as far as the scope has mil lines. That extra speed just makes the gun harder to shoot and control. I can already blow through them at 668 FPS why do I need to blow through them faster? Then there is the old, if it is faster then you don't have as much hold over as much on long shots. I guess that is so, but if your using a scope with mil lines or dots sight them in and shoot with a dead hold not a hold over. While there might be the magic break barrel somewhere that shoots 1400 FPS and can shoot a dime sized group at 30 yards most wont. Not even close! The average TX200 on the other hand will and can shoot that group providing the shooter does his part. The group in this picture is a 50 yard group.
Noise, how loud are they? Well the TX has a silencer but to be perfectly honest the gun is on the loud side. The spring was a bit on the twangy side when I fist started to shoot it. Since then it has settled down a lot. The one thing that it does not have is the CRACK that the super sonic guns have.
My shooting experience with the TX200.
I got a UTG 4-12x44 compact to put on it and sighted it in to 30 yards. Well the compact didn't have enough scope length to give me comfortable eye relief. I tried a longer model the same power. Again I was not happy and felt that the gun was capable of more. So after talking with the factory many times I got a Vortex Crossfire II 6-18x44 AO. This scope has mil lines on the side wires and the bottom wire. I wish the scope had more mil lines. The more the better I say. I also wish the top wire had lines. It is just a wire and I have no hold under reference for tree top squirrels.
The first thing I did was sight the scope in for 30 yards on the first time the pellet crosses the crosshair.
I struggled to hit anything at any yardage except 30 yards it was dead on. I now have 20 yards on the main crosshair. 30 yards on the first mil line. 45 yards on the second line. 60 yards on the third line. Then on the bottom wire where it goes from fat to thin, that is 70 yards.
When I sighted it in for that the gun just seemed to hit everything I shot at. Windage is still an issue. The wind blows every day in Southern Idaho. That is something a guy has to learn. But there are ways to give your self a better edge. Like if you have a left to right wind. Wait for the chuck to face to the right. Then hold behind the shoulder. You either hit the lungs, Neck, or head depending on how strong with the wind is. Doping the wind is a learned skill.
Slings! Well I added a sling to my gun to make it more manageable for carrying. The sling stud I use is for a Marlin 1894 357 mag. I wrapped the lever with a couple wraps of electricians tape to protect the cocking arm. You have to mount it forward enough to keep the swivel from hitting the stock. Also it most not interfere with the cocking lever going to full cock position. Drilling the stock must be done. There are some butt plates that can be put on to attach the sling to but the truth is I got the gun to hunt with. I need the sling and drilling is the cheapest and easiest route. My leather sling I have is WIDE. At the widest point the sling is 3” wide. I LOVE this. I had it custom made for me by a friend. The wide sling protects the stock when I rest it on rocks, or the truck. The leather has taken a beating but the stock hasn’t.
The one problem I did have mounting the sling this way was the cocking rod came loose over time of carrying it slung on my shoulder. The circled spot is where it came loose.
I just kept wiggling it and soon it came off. I put some permatex retaining compound on it and let it set a couple days. Problem solved.
Has anything else went wrong with the gun in a year?
Well the only thing I had to replace was a breach seal. That is over 5000 rounds and only a seal. That is not bad at all.
One of the things that tipped the scales for me personally was a you tube video that showed how easy it is to rebuild the TX200. It is the simplest of all the guns to take apart and put back together. The fact that the gun is the #1 spring rifle in the sport of Field Target shooting. It is super easy to rebuild that was what made me go with the TX200.
What do I not like about the gun?
I guess first off it is heavy. Next it is expensive. By the time you put a good mount like the BKL and a good scope you are looking at a LARGE chunk of change. VERY LARGE. Another thing I don't like is the stock. WHAT??? Well let me say, the stock is pretty. The wood is beautiful and the lines are elegant. That said, the wood is very porous. If I have a couple days beard growth my whiskers get stuck in the holes in the wood. That can be uncomfortable. The comb of the stock is quite sharp, and the stock is not ambidextrous. I figure at some point I will change the stock a bit and give it a wet sanded TruOil finish.
Rebuttal
One of the things that make the gun so easy to shoot is the extra weight. And in my 53 years on earth never have I ever bought something cheap and had it be worth a damn. The fact is you pay for what you get. That said just because you pay a high price for something doesn't make it the best. Do your home work on high end air guns. The TX200 is at the top.
When I got back into air gunning a couple years ago I never dreamed I would be where I am today. When I was buying semi accurate break barreled guns, and I thought they were accurate enough. Never would I have believed that my rifle would open the doors to unbelievable opportunities to hunt private land that is locked up to other types of guns. The farmers just don't want bullets flying all over the farm and loud banging. Never would I have dreamed that I would have an air rifle that would shoot groups smaller than a quarter at 50 yards.
There are probably other brands that come close to the potential that the TX200 has. I can think of several that I would love to play with. But the winners of the Field Target shoots are almost always TX200. They have been made almost exactly the same way for over 30 years. When a Manufacture keeps the same model for that long it is a good one.
The only regret I have with it was I should have bought it first. Then I would not have bought the others.
First off the rifle will come to you in a well thought out box. The gun will, or should be safe from damage but be sure to inspect it. The fit and finish of the rifle will or should be second to none.
The TX200 has an 11mm dovetail built in to the receiver with a scope stop built into it to mount a scope. No “iron sights” are included with the gun. And to be honest you won't want them.
The TX is a heavy gun, with the sling, and scope it is right at 11 pounds with a walnut stock. The cocking effort is said to be about 38 pounds I would say that should be close. It is not hard to cock but it is a pull. Loading the TX is done with your thumb. After a lot of shooting expect a sore thumb. When cocking the TX you must make sure it is fully cocked. If it is not the gun will not close. If your having trouble with this make sure the gun is FULLY cocked.
The trigger is pure magic. I have shot a lot of rifles. I have shot several air rifles. The TX200 has the best trigger of any gun I have ever shot, It is euphoric ha ha ha. No honestly the trigger is amazing. The recoil impulse is VERY mild. In fact it is so smooth right out of the box it is scary.
You can expect to get about 675 FPS out of a 14.66 gr H&N FTT pellet. Mine is a .22 cal and it likes the 5.54 the best but all three sizes shoot very, very well. After 2000 rounds mine has settled down to 664 to 668 FPS.
Does the TX have enough power to kill with? YES!!!! I have been using mine this spring to hunt squirrels, doves, starlings, and Rock Chucks. The chucks are big some are 10 to 12 pounds. At the time of this writing I have killed a total of 250 Rock Chucks. Ya, but what kind of yardage? Well glad you asked. If I can get under 60 yards any chuck I aim at is in trouble. That said I have killed several in the 70 to 75 yard mark, and have fully penetrated side to side through the lungs on a smaller 2 to 3 pound chucks. The gun is accurate enough to head shoot out to 70 yards with my scope if a guy does his part. My rifle is putting out right at 14.2 foot pounds of energy at 668 FPS. That seems pretty light in the loafers compared to the hot and smoking 1400 FPS rifles. Yep it is, and I feel confident in the gun and pellet to take game out as far as the scope has mil lines. That extra speed just makes the gun harder to shoot and control. I can already blow through them at 668 FPS why do I need to blow through them faster? Then there is the old, if it is faster then you don't have as much hold over as much on long shots. I guess that is so, but if your using a scope with mil lines or dots sight them in and shoot with a dead hold not a hold over. While there might be the magic break barrel somewhere that shoots 1400 FPS and can shoot a dime sized group at 30 yards most wont. Not even close! The average TX200 on the other hand will and can shoot that group providing the shooter does his part. The group in this picture is a 50 yard group.
Noise, how loud are they? Well the TX has a silencer but to be perfectly honest the gun is on the loud side. The spring was a bit on the twangy side when I fist started to shoot it. Since then it has settled down a lot. The one thing that it does not have is the CRACK that the super sonic guns have.
My shooting experience with the TX200.
I got a UTG 4-12x44 compact to put on it and sighted it in to 30 yards. Well the compact didn't have enough scope length to give me comfortable eye relief. I tried a longer model the same power. Again I was not happy and felt that the gun was capable of more. So after talking with the factory many times I got a Vortex Crossfire II 6-18x44 AO. This scope has mil lines on the side wires and the bottom wire. I wish the scope had more mil lines. The more the better I say. I also wish the top wire had lines. It is just a wire and I have no hold under reference for tree top squirrels.
The first thing I did was sight the scope in for 30 yards on the first time the pellet crosses the crosshair.
I struggled to hit anything at any yardage except 30 yards it was dead on. I now have 20 yards on the main crosshair. 30 yards on the first mil line. 45 yards on the second line. 60 yards on the third line. Then on the bottom wire where it goes from fat to thin, that is 70 yards.
When I sighted it in for that the gun just seemed to hit everything I shot at. Windage is still an issue. The wind blows every day in Southern Idaho. That is something a guy has to learn. But there are ways to give your self a better edge. Like if you have a left to right wind. Wait for the chuck to face to the right. Then hold behind the shoulder. You either hit the lungs, Neck, or head depending on how strong with the wind is. Doping the wind is a learned skill.
Slings! Well I added a sling to my gun to make it more manageable for carrying. The sling stud I use is for a Marlin 1894 357 mag. I wrapped the lever with a couple wraps of electricians tape to protect the cocking arm. You have to mount it forward enough to keep the swivel from hitting the stock. Also it most not interfere with the cocking lever going to full cock position. Drilling the stock must be done. There are some butt plates that can be put on to attach the sling to but the truth is I got the gun to hunt with. I need the sling and drilling is the cheapest and easiest route. My leather sling I have is WIDE. At the widest point the sling is 3” wide. I LOVE this. I had it custom made for me by a friend. The wide sling protects the stock when I rest it on rocks, or the truck. The leather has taken a beating but the stock hasn’t.
The one problem I did have mounting the sling this way was the cocking rod came loose over time of carrying it slung on my shoulder. The circled spot is where it came loose.
I just kept wiggling it and soon it came off. I put some permatex retaining compound on it and let it set a couple days. Problem solved.
Has anything else went wrong with the gun in a year?
Well the only thing I had to replace was a breach seal. That is over 5000 rounds and only a seal. That is not bad at all.
One of the things that tipped the scales for me personally was a you tube video that showed how easy it is to rebuild the TX200. It is the simplest of all the guns to take apart and put back together. The fact that the gun is the #1 spring rifle in the sport of Field Target shooting. It is super easy to rebuild that was what made me go with the TX200.
What do I not like about the gun?
I guess first off it is heavy. Next it is expensive. By the time you put a good mount like the BKL and a good scope you are looking at a LARGE chunk of change. VERY LARGE. Another thing I don't like is the stock. WHAT??? Well let me say, the stock is pretty. The wood is beautiful and the lines are elegant. That said, the wood is very porous. If I have a couple days beard growth my whiskers get stuck in the holes in the wood. That can be uncomfortable. The comb of the stock is quite sharp, and the stock is not ambidextrous. I figure at some point I will change the stock a bit and give it a wet sanded TruOil finish.
Rebuttal
One of the things that make the gun so easy to shoot is the extra weight. And in my 53 years on earth never have I ever bought something cheap and had it be worth a damn. The fact is you pay for what you get. That said just because you pay a high price for something doesn't make it the best. Do your home work on high end air guns. The TX200 is at the top.
When I got back into air gunning a couple years ago I never dreamed I would be where I am today. When I was buying semi accurate break barreled guns, and I thought they were accurate enough. Never would I have believed that my rifle would open the doors to unbelievable opportunities to hunt private land that is locked up to other types of guns. The farmers just don't want bullets flying all over the farm and loud banging. Never would I have dreamed that I would have an air rifle that would shoot groups smaller than a quarter at 50 yards.
There are probably other brands that come close to the potential that the TX200 has. I can think of several that I would love to play with. But the winners of the Field Target shoots are almost always TX200. They have been made almost exactly the same way for over 30 years. When a Manufacture keeps the same model for that long it is a good one.
The only regret I have with it was I should have bought it first. Then I would not have bought the others.
04-05-2019, 09:29 AM
#4
Super Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Northern California
Posts: 18,381
Great write-up Ron. I started with a Crossman 760 and never had the dough to upgrade to a Sheridan back in the day. I'm starting to dabble in PCP air rifles but am very intrigued with your TX200. Not being tied to a scuba tank is appealing. And getting access to farms and ranches that don't want firearms is a nice bonus. Have you taken any turkeys with it? Air guns are legal for turkeys in CA and that looks like a made-to-order turkey rig.
04-08-2019, 07:04 PM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,181
Great write-up Ron. I started with a Crossman 760 and never had the dough to upgrade to a Sheridan back in the day. I'm starting to dabble in PCP air rifles but am very intrigued with your TX200. Not being tied to a scuba tank is appealing. And getting access to farms and ranches that don't want firearms is a nice bonus. Have you taken any turkeys with it? Air guns are legal for turkeys in CA and that looks like a made-to-order turkey rig.
05-23-2019, 04:23 PM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,181
It is not anywhere near as touchy as a break barrel gun for being hold sensitive. I sight mine in using cross sticks. If I use the artillery hold while hunting that works. The shooting sticks I use are some I make my self. The gun rests on the leather and that allows the gun to do its own thing. I have several friends that have shot it, long with a 10 year old girl. They all shot it well so I would say its not real sensitive.
My sticks are in three sizes.
Short for table top or laying down.
Medium for sitting.
and long for kneeling or sitting in a chair in a blind.
My sticks are in three sizes.
Short for table top or laying down.
Medium for sitting.
and long for kneeling or sitting in a chair in a blind.
