AEA Is AEA challenger pro suitable for playing in the backyard ?

Well I have one in 30 and the power cranked up with a Donny Ronin on it and I shoot in the back yard.

Granted I'm in a pretty rural setting and hear gunfire frequently from other people shooting real guns in their yards.

But anyway, yeah a moderator will quiet it down especially if you turn down the power. That said then you might as well buy a lower powered 22 air rifle in the first place, probably save some money too. There's a lot of nice lower priced air rifles with regulators available in 22 especially if you aren't even planning on using the Challenger Pro's full power.

Yes without a moderator and at full power it's going to sound like a 22 rimfire or louder.

The Challenger Pro is a very heavy gun my friend. You won't be carrying that either, believe me.

Maybe you should consider an Air Venturi Avenger or Avenge-X and get a moderator for it? Unless you are going to be shooting heavier .22 slugs, the Challenger Pro is overkill. And it's not the most ergonomic gun either. As I said I have one in .30 caliber.... and it's a powerhouse. But I end up shooting my Guantlet .30 more often because it's more comfortable for me, and it's also a powerhouse.

If you can afford a Challenger Pro you can also afford the new Air Venturi Avenge-X .... without ever having tried one myself I can assure you this is going to be a better (and cheaper) rifle in either .22 or .25 ... might as well do .25 and get some nice power on tap. You can adjust it externally down to quiet it and use lighter ammo and get more shots.

Adjusting the power on the Challenger Pro is very imprecise. It has that "power wheel". But it's extremely touchy. The slightest 1mm adjustment can make a huge difference. So I don't even use it, I just adjust the regulator where I want it (which you have to degass the gun and remove the air tank to do, and then you can only guess based on how much you turn the nut), and then use ammo that it likes. So in practice it hasn't been as versatile for me as you may think.

Leo, The AEA Challenger Pro 22 Cal was my first PCP air rifle that I bought and remains one of my favorite PCP rifles I use it in my backyard without any issues. I run a DonnyFL Ronin on it and I have it tuned to full power. I had a problem with possums coming out at night and eating my dog's dogfood. My AEA Challenger PRO 22 cal stays configured to dispatch possums . It is a one-shot head shot that only takes one shot. With that said, I will warn you that the AEA Challenger PRO turned up shoots at about 80 fpe which is about the same energy of a 22 rimfire. So this rifle will shoot through and fence board, 2x4s, etc. You have to be Very carefull where you aim and shoot this rifle. There is a video below of me showing what this rifle will do in my backyard.

A great alternative to AEA for backyard friendly PCP rifle is the Avenger Bullpup. It's about half the price, very quite, stupid accurate, and shoots around 30 fpe. There is a video below that details that rifle in the backyard.


AEA Challenger Pro 22 Cal

Avenger Bullpup:

Mike -- am I wrong -- for me I want a 22 air rifle to kick up to 55-60 fpe max, but also shoot 30 fpe all day. Magazine needs to fit some long slugs too. Gotta be regulated.

AEA Challenger Pro will certainly do the job but to me it's a bench gun. Too heavy and metallic to carry around much. I haven't even figured out where to hook up a sling on this damn thing yet and I've had it well over a year. Why bother, I'm not carrying it more than 50 feet out to the deck.

I would say ONE option to be "backyard friendly" AND have some power on tap. Umarex Guantlet 30 and you can now get it with the sidelever for a couple extra bucks.

Yes you're shooting 30 caliber ammo. BUT if you turn down the power on the hammer spring to minimum, you're then shooting around 70 FPE which is actually very very quiet even with a small Donny FX moderator on there. Backyard friendly all the way. So you can use that setting for target shooting with JSB 44.75 grain pellets and get about 6 magazines on the regulator. Amazing.

Then you can just turn the allen bolt 3 or 4 turns to the right and all of a sudden you're at max power and you can kick 65 grain slugs at 124 FPE. Only getting 3 mags on the reg however.

To Leo C I would say if you have a lust for power but also want a gun that can be quiet, go 30 caliber and the Guantlet 30 is affordable and you will love to shoot it.

Silver, I don't think your wrong. It sounds like the 30 Cal Guantlet 30 Cal is a great rifle for the backyard. I might acquire one and do a backyard review on it. But, Leo's question was about the AEA Challenger PRO in 22 Cal. I offered my opinion (and video) on that rifle.

I sold an AEA Challenger Pro in .22 a few months ago.

The trigger is atrocious, very heavy and long, single stage and non-adjustable.
It is very loud, even with a big silencer.
It is extremely powerful, but that is mostly useless because of the bad trigger.

For backyard shooting buy something else.

Actually, for any shooting buy something else, since the AEA Challenger Pro is not worth anywhere close to the $800 price.
I sold mine for less than $500, and was happy that someone else bought it.

nobody1 said:

It is very loud, even with a big silencer.
It is extremely powerful, but that is mostly useless because of the bad trigger.

For backyard shooting buy something else.

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This. I've worked on a Challenger Pro for a friend and this gun is way too powerful for a bench gun to shoot at targets and way too loud even with a silencer. And don't even think to shoot it without as it's even louder than a rimfire rifle.
The trigger can be polished and get a bit better but for 1200€ (price in EU) I can get a better fun than that.

The guy that owned the rifle then went for a cheap 350€ Hatsan Flashpup and he loves it. Well to be exact I love it as he has sold it to me.

silvershooter589 said:

Well I have one in 30 and the power cranked up with a Donny Ronin on it and I shoot in the back yard.

Granted I'm in a pretty rural setting and hear gunfire frequently from other people shooting real guns in their yards.

But anyway, yeah a moderator will quiet it down especially if you turn down the power. That said then you might as well buy a lower powered 22 air rifle in the first place, probably save some money too. There's a lot of nice lower priced air rifles with regulators available in 22 especially if you aren't even planning on using the Challenger Pro's full power.

Yes without a moderator and at full power it's going to sound like a 22 rimfire or louder.

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I've got a regular challenger bullpup in 30 cal as well with 24 inch shrouded barrel. Extremely loud without a moderator so I ordered a Buck-Rail 30 cal mod for $40.00 and I still need something quieter. Does the Ronin tame the bark more? Big difference in price but I have to try something else. Love the gun otherwise shoots great!

In my backyard test, with FX Impact M3 30 Cal, the DonnyFL Ronin quited the sound from 110 DB with no moderator to about 94 DB moderated (DB test were 2-feet from mussel). The AEA Challenger PRO is louder than the FX Impact in all calibers. See the video below...

Dogowsky said:

I've got a regular challenger bullpup in 30 cal as well with 24 inch shrouded barrel. Extremely loud without a moderator so I ordered a Buck-Rail 30 cal mod for $40.00 and I still need something quieter. Does the Ronin tame the bark more? Big difference in price but I have to try something else. Love the gun otherwise shoots great!

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If you want it really backyard friendly I'd get something bigger than the Ronin. Since it's already expensive, spending a little more may be worth it. But yes the Ronin does make a big difference in the muzzle report compared to nothing at all.

Should be okay, not too loud

I have a standard 30 sl, 200fpe if I want it. Without a moderator, sounds like a powder burner rifle. I have the emperor on it. At 180fpe, it’s quiet enough for backyard. But I’ve tinkered with it so much messing with regulator, changing out springs, and the valve tension. For now I have it set to shoot around 90fpe, supet lighr spring, 2000psi and with emperor, so quiet you wouldn’t even think it’s a gun, well until u hear it hit. That’s the only loud part. IMO it’s the best deal for a gun. I love how I can set it to shoot super low and take plenty of shots or really high powered. It’s just so dam versatile. It’s heavy as heck but I only shoot it on a tripod. One heck of a great gun for the price!!

Wokdaf said:

I have a standard 30 sl, 200fpe if I want it. Without a moderator, sounds like a powder burner rifle. I have the emperor on it. At 180fpe, it’s quiet enough for backyard. But I’ve tinkered with it so much messing with regulator, changing out springs, and the valve tension. For now I have it set to shoot around 90fpe, supet lighr spring, 2000psi and with emperor, so quiet you wouldn’t even think it’s a gun, well until u hear it hit. That’s the only loud part. IMO it’s the best deal for a gun. I love how I can set it to shoot super low and take plenty of shots or really high powered. It’s just so dam versatile. It’s heavy as heck but I only shoot it on a tripod. One heck of a great gun for the price!!

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This sounds interesting...what is this "standard 30 sl" you were talking about?

It's way too much for backyard play. But if you want some serious hunting power it will definitely do the job. There is a port restrictor to turn the power down but it's really very heavy and not something you're going to walk around carrying. If you're just playing there's a lot better choices for a lot less money. If you're dealing with coyotes and raccoons that might be a way to go.
If you only worried about some squirrels and birds then it's considered way Overkill.

Dragon53 said:

It's way too much for backyard play. But if you want some serious hunting power it will definitely do the job. There is a port restrictor to turn the power down but it's really very heavy and not something you're going to walk around carrying. If you're just playing there's a lot better choices for a lot less money. If you're dealing with coyotes and raccoons that might be a way to go.
If you only worried about some squirrels and birds then it's considered way Overkill.

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Can you recommend anything powerful enough for killing groundhogs (>=50 fpe) in the backyard, but suitable in terms of noise level?

I am Pro-Buy American, but I see many drawbacks of getting an AEA. Trigger, Magazines, too many problems for me personally, so I am looking at other choices. Good luck with your search! Research .25 cal as well. It's easier to find that 50 FPE in that caliber from all of my reading at least.