Yeah.... lol. I told myself I would stop selling off my collection to buy other things because then I miss what I sold. LOL.
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The Fix from Q
- Thread starter Tyler455
- Start date
I am generally trying to cut down. I sorta collect old Mosins, but with modern guns, I am really not a collector, so I am thinning out the herd, so to speak. I am finally at a point when all my rifles can fit in my safe, so it is already an improvement.
All that aside, the Fix is a very interesting design and I am very impressed with it. I shoot a lot more offhand now than I used, so switching to the Fix from a DTA was an easy decision. As a heavy bolt gun, DTA is superb, but shooting it offhand was not optimal.
ILya
I would love a good walking/truck gun, I blast Prairie dogs, sometimes you need to walk half a mile or more to get a different angle on the dog town. The Mini Fix would be perfect for that.
Same here, after a couple hundred rounds the bolt lift was much smoother and lighter. At this point I don't see any value in it being lighter, I can run it with one finger so what else would you want really.
Its a little harder than than my old GAP rifle and my 70 degree throw rifles but i can manipulate it easily with one finger. IIRC, Its almost like there you have to get over a little bump and then it easy, which is probably in the roller bearings and cam.
FWIW, my Fix has had a very easy bolt throw since day one. No change yet, with just over 400 rds through it.
Special thanks to Nick and Patrick at Q for their hospitality today. I learned quite a bit, and really enjoyed everything I saw. I'm not in the market this second, but I would really enjoy a Fix or a mini. I'm gonna try to talk my dad into selling a couple rifles to get one
Another question; Do the 250+ serial number rifles still have a machined rather than cast receiver? Also, do the 250+ serial numbers have that bolt upgrade to smooth it out? Whatever it was that the upgrade entailed...
So what optic did you end up mountain on your fix Ilya? What was the final weight of the whole setup?
I'll use it to test scopes, so there will be a lot of different scopes on it at different times. When not testing stuff, this is the scope that I think is just right for it:
Tangent Theta TT315M. As configured in the picture, with a bipod and a 24" Proof 308Win barrel, it weighs in a hair under 10lbs.
ILya
Tangent Theta TT315M. As configured in the picture, with a bipod and a 24" Proof 308Win barrel, it weighs in a hair under 10lbs.
ILya
Dang thats a slick looking setup there!!!
Thanks for the info sir!! That TT on the the Fix look like they go together like PB&J.
Thanks for the info sir!! That TT on the the Fix look like they go together like PB&J.
That's as perfect of a match as I could think of. I am about to put a Delta Stryker HD 4.5-30x50 on there to finish testing the scope and it only makes it half pound heavier or so. However, for a general purpose boltgun, I really like the 3-15x magnification range where I think Tangent Theta is the best of the breed right now.
Another scope that I am going to finish testing on the Fix after the Delta is Leupold Mark 5 HD 3.6-18x44. If you are looking to save ounces, it is a viable option and with a 16" 308 barrel might be one of the better ones.
ILya
Yes, to both. We are planning on casting receivers anytime soon.
Since it is a 45 degree throw, it is very difficult to come up with a proper comparison.
It is not particularly heavy, but the movement takes a little getting used to because of the short throw. To me, in terms of effort, it seems similar enough to most 60 degree throw bolts out there.
With 90 degree throw bolts that I have, it is heavier than the Tikka M695, but lighter than my Mauser. Roughly comparable effort to the DTA. I do not have a Savage any more, so I can't compare and I won't touch R700 with a ten foot pole, so I am not going to theorize on that.
FN SPR is a touch lighter I think, but not far off.
ILya
It’s really not a big deal at all. Any perceived heaviness is bc of the steep angle in the cocking piece. It’s a short handle too, but still i didn’t think it was a big deal, and I am recovering from c5 palsy in my right arm
So I took my 6.5CM The Fix out today. It shot some cheaper Hornady American Gunner (25 shots) into 5x .5 groups all day long. Then I tried some 130ELD reloads ... that brought my groups down to .3 and they were much softer shooting - so think I am going to play with the 130s (The profile of the ELD and ELDX work with the Q feed ramps well). I find the Q fun to shoot for sure.
A few times when I was learning my Fix bolt throw, I thought it was heavy. Very heavy. That's becasue I blew through the actual throw so fast and effortlessly, and was trying to rip the bolt handle up through the upper receiver. No joke.
Needless to say, I was unable to ever move the bolt any higher at that point, and I shortly realized my mistake. I firmly believe in the one gun theory, but am unable to apply that to my rifle practice for several reasons. So, most days I have two or more rifles out with me. This is good, as I can shoot while other guns cool, but if I don't stay up on my Fix manipulation, I occasionally try to pull through a lot of aluminum again.
I wonder if anyone with heavy bolt lift might have done this once or twice and not realized it. I'm not saying that some guns don't have a heavier than normal lift, just that this could be a contributing factor.
Needless to say, I was unable to ever move the bolt any higher at that point, and I shortly realized my mistake. I firmly believe in the one gun theory, but am unable to apply that to my rifle practice for several reasons. So, most days I have two or more rifles out with me. This is good, as I can shoot while other guns cool, but if I don't stay up on my Fix manipulation, I occasionally try to pull through a lot of aluminum again.
I wonder if anyone with heavy bolt lift might have done this once or twice and not realized it. I'm not saying that some guns don't have a heavier than normal lift, just that this could be a contributing factor.
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Kevin, advantage of cast over the machined receiver?
You’ve got me curious now, on the Fix and the MiniFix.
Curious about that as well - lots of folks are getting used to machined versions, so I wonder if the cast versions will be the same quality.
How can the buyer be convinced the cast product will be the equal of the machined product?
How can the buyer be convinced the cast product will be the equal of the machined product?
I don’t know - that’s why I asked. I’m not a metallurgist and have no idea if a cast product is as durable/precise/etc. as a machined one.
Edited to add a link:
http://info.cpm-industries.com/blog/bid/283266/Cast-vs-Billet
I have no idea if this link is relevant - and again, that’s why I’m asking.
Edited to add a link:
http://info.cpm-industries.com/blog/bid/283266/Cast-vs-Billet
I have no idea if this link is relevant - and again, that’s why I’m asking.
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I think the question as to the type of construction, machined via cast, is a relevant one, esp so on a Gen 1 design. No doubt there is QC on both types, but as a potential purchaser, I’d curious of the answer, and ideally the rationale behind the change in construction, be it cost, weight, design, etc. Durability of a cast vs machined product would also be a concern to me.
With that said, the idea of a lightweight bolt gun is quite intriguing to me, and the design I’ve seen on line is equally intriguing. Given Kevin’s impressive resume, I’ll be very interested in seeing the product firsthand.
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I am an optics guy, not a mechanical guy. but I have some limited experience with cast vs machined parts and for a part like a rifle receiver, especially in a rifle where the bolt locks into the barrel extension like the Fix, I would be extremely surprised if there is any practical performance difference unless something is really done badly.
Casting makes sense when you go for higher volumes. It is expensive to get casting going and if upi end up re-designing anything, you will have to pay for tooling twice. If you just start making something, you start with machining from a billet. That forces you to remove a lot of materials (although you will recoup some costs via recycling), but once your design is set and volume picks up, casting is usually a better way to go.
Both casting and machining can be done right or screwed up.
If you trust the team at Q to make their products the right way (and I expect them to do the right way), it makes no difference whether they are using billets or castings before the final machining.
My Fix is serial number 003, so I am a bit of an early adopter. The only reason I did not pre-order the mini-Fix is that I do not want 224 Valkyrie. I live in California where we can no longer mail order ammo, so I do not want to add new calibers. I am actively cutting down on the calibers I have. I will be ordering the Mini-Fix approximately three seconds after they introduce a version in 300Blackout or 6.5Grendel, and by the time they get around to that, it will likely be a cast receiver. I assure that will not slow me down by a nanosecond.
ILya
It is relevant, sorta. It all comes down to whether the team working on the product knows what they are doing.
ILya
I would suspect that if they ever get to using castings it will be cheaper and faster for their manufacturing, and if done right it will have no impact on quality or function in any way. If the rest of the rifle pieces are not able to be produced in volume that surpasses the ability to machine receivers, then maybe it will just stay as-is for now. That's what I infer from Kevin's comments. There are all kinds of advanced casting technologies out there using vacuum or temperature to solidify the casting and make it on par with a machined piece. I seem to remember some reference to the casting technology they were planning to employ in one of the original launch press articles, but can't remember which one it was.
With that being said, humans being human, anyone who has one of the "original" machined receivers in 10 years will probably feel they have something special! ;-)
With that being said, humans being human, anyone who has one of the "original" machined receivers in 10 years will probably feel they have something special! ;-)
If designed to be cast from the beginning and properly, it’s as good as billet for this application. You can cast features that you can’t machine, or machine practically. Allows greater volume of production. Lastly, it saves money.
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Mines in the 260 serial number range and he stated that they’re preparing soon to start casting them. Safe to assume it’s a bit higher than the first 250 that are billet.
As an aside, mines been stuck in customs, so probably well past the 260+ range.
Fair enough - I, too, like the ideas behind this rifle’s origin. I’m looking for some amount of detail as to how you’re going to ascertain whether the castings are “as good”. (Understand you don’t owe me an explanation..)
Full disclosure - a Fix isn’t in my immediate future - But, I do purchase a high end scope or rifle every 5 years or so and I like this one...
Many different terms are going to be used. If you don't know them, research. At all steps of what I describe there are tolerances of what is acceptable or not. A good resource for the different methods is the YouTube channel MaterialsScience2000. https://www.youtube.com/user/MaterialsScience2000
Some of the things they do are destructive testing generally on a per batch basis. Cast something that they can do tensile testing, hardness testing, and metallographic testing on that test piece.
Also non destructive testing on the actual castings such as visual inspection, bore scoping, dye penetrant or magnetic particle, ultrasonic, xray, eddy current.
All of this in addition to dimensional inspections.
For all of these methods there are industry standards and ways of doing things. They include ways of inspections and traceability/ record keeping.
I work as an aerospace machinist (Cnc OD Grinder) making parts for things that you have heard of being used recently in the news. Some of our parts go on manned aircraft and some do not. Our cast parts go through all of the applicable methods on a 100% basis. Some methods happen at the beginning, others are interspersed, and some at the end. Some steps happen multiple times such as dye penetrant as different surfaces get machined since it only checks things on the surface. We inspect using all of the nondestructive testing methods on different parts at my work.
Edit to add dimensional stuff and standards
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Not sure if you guys have been following Kit Badger - a number of videos detailing the Fix in detail. Not shooting, but assembling one and describing the design elements and thinking.
I should apologize for taking my sweet ass time in posting a followup. I'm traveling with my girlfriend. Been busy doing D-O-M-B shit...
Meeting Nick and Patrick was AWESOME! Only wish Kevin could have been there. The idea of picking Patrick's or Nick's brain some more is almost too much to pass up!
We weren't made to sign any NDA's or not film certain things. Not that I took any pictures. But they didn't take my camera phone away from me either. Which is unique. I've visited a lot of manufacturers over the years. This was the first time I have gotten treated this way. It's not unusual to spend the night at someone's house and then be told what is off limits at their business the following day. There was all sorts of stuff lying around. Prototypes galore. There were no secrets, nothing off limits, this was a first--like I said. The guys were upfront, straight to the point and honest. Most of our conversations centered around the WHY and HOW which is pretty fricking cool. Keep in mind I was just a dude holding a six pack of founders and a bottle of tequila my girlfriend wanted to try. Next time I will bring a better bottle of tequila...
Because of the above, I'm not sure what I can and cannot say. What is okay or not okay to post on here. Not that it matters. But I'm not going to repeat every answer in detail to every question I asked.
Some impressions:
The mini-Fix for me is perfect. It's the gun I was hoping for all along. Cannot wait to get my hands on one.
The Honey Badger Pistol Brace is better than the normal Honey Badger stock. If you buy the SBR over the Pistol--raise your hand so I can laugh at you.
The rubber used in the Honey Badger Pistol brace is ABSOLUTELY perfect. Coming from a guy with a beard. Thank you. Just THANK YOU.
Receivers will be milled for the near future. Look at the pics of the stripped receiver. That's a ton of milling. Which takes time.
There is so much more I can say, but what's the point? I said these rifles were the business over a year ago when I saw them in person at NRA in Atlanta...
Meeting Nick and Patrick was AWESOME! Only wish Kevin could have been there. The idea of picking Patrick's or Nick's brain some more is almost too much to pass up!
We weren't made to sign any NDA's or not film certain things. Not that I took any pictures. But they didn't take my camera phone away from me either. Which is unique. I've visited a lot of manufacturers over the years. This was the first time I have gotten treated this way. It's not unusual to spend the night at someone's house and then be told what is off limits at their business the following day. There was all sorts of stuff lying around. Prototypes galore. There were no secrets, nothing off limits, this was a first--like I said. The guys were upfront, straight to the point and honest. Most of our conversations centered around the WHY and HOW which is pretty fricking cool. Keep in mind I was just a dude holding a six pack of founders and a bottle of tequila my girlfriend wanted to try. Next time I will bring a better bottle of tequila...
Because of the above, I'm not sure what I can and cannot say. What is okay or not okay to post on here. Not that it matters. But I'm not going to repeat every answer in detail to every question I asked.
Some impressions:
The mini-Fix for me is perfect. It's the gun I was hoping for all along. Cannot wait to get my hands on one.
The Honey Badger Pistol Brace is better than the normal Honey Badger stock. If you buy the SBR over the Pistol--raise your hand so I can laugh at you.
The rubber used in the Honey Badger Pistol brace is ABSOLUTELY perfect. Coming from a guy with a beard. Thank you. Just THANK YOU.
Receivers will be milled for the near future. Look at the pics of the stripped receiver. That's a ton of milling. Which takes time.
There is so much more I can say, but what's the point? I said these rifles were the business over a year ago when I saw them in person at NRA in Atlanta...
Well damn.... I pre-ordered the SBR Honey Badger and I'm still waiting on the transfer. Looks like I got NFA-fucked
It happens I guess.
Anything to say about a brace for the mini fix? Did you drop any requests for a rimfire conversion that fed from BDM mags?
It happens I guess.
Anything to say about a brace for the mini fix? Did you drop any requests for a rimfire conversion that fed from BDM mags?
@craigos - Boy, those videos were great, and very enlightening in terms of understanding the company management style and culture.
Thanks much for sharing!
I own some SIG SSG and AI, but the idea of something lightweight, that I can throw into my pack for a day hike, and still is a tack driver, is highly appealing to me. The fact that it is hand made down in NH, with an focus on quality, rather than on production number, is equally appealing. I'm someone who shots a lot, do have some questions on wear surfaces and such, but overall I'm quite impressed.
I'd sure like to visit the factory, or see one of those firsthand.
As my PSR interests and skills have progressed, I've worked each year to make my kit lighter and lighter. Having a rifle that is 5-7 lbs lighter than my current stick is a real bonus.
Thanks much for sharing!
I own some SIG SSG and AI, but the idea of something lightweight, that I can throw into my pack for a day hike, and still is a tack driver, is highly appealing to me. The fact that it is hand made down in NH, with an focus on quality, rather than on production number, is equally appealing. I'm someone who shots a lot, do have some questions on wear surfaces and such, but overall I'm quite impressed.
I'd sure like to visit the factory, or see one of those firsthand.
As my PSR interests and skills have progressed, I've worked each year to make my kit lighter and lighter. Having a rifle that is 5-7 lbs lighter than my current stick is a real bonus.
I just got a 16” barreled .308 The Fix rifle. Went to sight it in with factory Hornady A-MAX ammo and was disappointed with the 1.25”-1.5” groups at 100 yards. I then attached my AAC Titan-Ti .338 suppressor on the gun and at 100 yards it shot 14” lower that the unsuppressed shots. Why such a huge POI shift? On my .338 Lapua there is no POI shift and with this .308 it’s huge. When using the same suppressor on my AR-10 there’s hardly any shift also. So confused...
Well, you are hanging a weight off your barrel and it changes harmonics. At least its something that should be repeatable. Last weekend I went out with a newer tikka ctr 20inch in 6.5cm and an older AAC Cyclone with a serial number that was a C0009# and at 100yards it was 1mil low exactly and it was repeatable. Groups were phenomenal with/without can half inch or better. I can't comment on your group size, shoot more to break it in.
Thank you for the kind words. We are generally pretty open about most things, outside of a vendor list. We don't hide things when people visit.
Try some gold medal match. No 308 leaves here without shooting 5 shot groups under 1”.
Shift could be the mount.
The fix 308 tube is very thin and light. Could the extra weight affect it more than "normal"? My TbAc barely moves my poi, fwiw. 14 oz or so.
@Kevin Brittingham, sent you a PM.
@Kevin Brittingham, sent you a PM.
I made sure the QD mount was on tight and the Titan as well. Just bought 3 boxes of Gold Medal Match ammo, will try it this weekend.
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