Backbone Gen II
The Backbone Gen II represents a total evolution of what made the original so popular and fixes all of the issues customers experienced.
What is it?
By default, the M4 Impact series as sold by FX Airguns leaves a lot to be desired in terms of structural stability, customization, and reliability. Starting with the spine, the M4 uses a thin strip of aluminum that extends along the entire length of the rifle. This serves as the major support that everything mounts too.
However, it’s pretty thin for the job it has, does not offer much in the way of features, and can actually cause the rifle to jam. This is because when the rifle is properly shouldered to fire, the spine flexes and impinges on the magazine. This prevents the rifle from cycling properly and can cause misfeeds.
The original Backbone fixed this by thickening the aluminum cross-section to provide more rigidity in this crucial area.
It also incorporated a 30 MOA adjustment, extended the Picatinny rail and later attachments allowed for additional customization.
So what’s changed?
First off, the Gen II maintains the 30 MOA adjustment, extended rail, rigidity, and the scope height of the original. But instead of customers needing to buy more parts to get side MLOK attachments, they now come integrated into the rail. The design is significantly more cohesive end-to-end. It also now includes an integrated QD sling cup.
But the biggest change is weight. The standard FX Impact is already a bit heavy. The original Backbone did it no favors by significantly adding to that weight.
By contrast, the Gen II is lighter than even the stock hardware. Compared to the original Backbone, the Gen II is over 40% lighter and 20% lighter than stock. So while adding a whole slew of features to the rifle, it actually still manages to save weight.
Significant detail was put into optimizing material placement with Finite Element Analysis to cut weight everywhere possible without compromising strength and rigidity.
OPtimized Product Skus
The other major benefit is one that customers might not realize; simplification. The original Backbone came in 3 different lengths, and an assortment of colors. This was a nightmare for logistics. Just as an example, while under previous management, an order had been placed for the smallest “Compact” version based on then current sales projections. It then rapidly shifted and meant that 2 YEARS LATER, the Compact models were still taking up inventory space.
It was also common to need to send models back for refinishing due to discrepancies in anodization, needs for different colors altogether, or incorrect sizes being sent by the manufacturer. All of this meant huge losses in revenue simply to maintain outgoing stock.
The Gen II comes in 2 sizes, Standard and Compact. You can get it in any color you want, as long as it’s black. By cutting SKUs down from 20 to 2, Utah Airguns saves on storage, cost of manufacture, and quality assurance.
This savings gets passed down to customers. To have the same feature set of the Gen II in a Gen I package, the customer needs to purchase the Backbone Gen I itself ($270), 2 UTG Pro QD Swing Swivel Adapters ($15 each), and the Ribcage Add-ons ($70) for a grand total of $370 plus tax. By comparison, with the Gen II, you get incredible weight savings, more features integrated, and (in my totally unbiased opinion) a much more attractive product for only $300.