AEA So, aea? I'm going to do it anyway.

The challenger platform seems to be the most trouble free. I had the bullpup in 25 with 24" barrel when it came out. Never hand an issue with it... the squirrels sure did though.

oldmojo said:

Thats reassuring ,thats what im leaning towards. Did you have issues with pellet size? I've read they can have non standard bore sizes so some brands of pellets work better than others.

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No, but i didn't really try many. It was too hot to shoot the 25.4 pellets, so I went up to the 34 grain MKII, and it was a laser out to 75 yards.

The pellet shop has some great deals on challenger pro and pro lb right now I've been eyeballing one too. I've quickly come to realize there is someone poopooing every single brand as the worst abomination since fiat currency and the income tax, and there are those who sing the praises. Reading here youd be inclined to think FX releases absolute garbage that can barely hold air and can't even group Minute of Solar unit. Owning several, I have no clue what 85% of the haters who aren't owners are "hearing" about.

If you order from UA or TPs you'll at least know it holds air and fires.. that's half the battle. Good luck. Let me know because I really want one too, but I've about spent my PCP addiction limit for the year this last week.

I looking at the megalodon. I have the ss .30 now. Some cycling issues every now and then and a poppet replacement after a yr but nothing huge.

Dr. Kralenstein said:

The challenger platform seems to be the most trouble free. I had the bullpup in 25 with 24" barrel when it came out. Never hand an issue with it... the squirrels sure did though.

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I like when the red water comes out.

Not what I would recommend but if you really want to try one, the Challenger Bullpup is the best option. Also if you can find one with the factory regulator option its worth the extra money. If you can make a single shot tray you can avoid one of the biggest flaws, the mags. The bullpup has a better trigger that is sort of adjustable and the barrel is very sturdy so no worries about poi shifting. Both of mine are powerhouses, but can be a bit tricky to tame. Sometimes more is not better.

But I would urge you to take a loot at the Stoeger line, like the Bullshark before buying anything. For hunting I have found 30fpe in 22Cal to be all you really need for pigeon or smaller pests. You dont need the 80-120fpe the AEA deliver to have a great pcp paper puncher or pesting rig. The Stoeger is more accurate, decent trigger, better build quality, much better mags, etc. Also has a 5 year warranty which is rare in the industry.

My advice would be just to keep it simple if you're going for AEA. Avoid semi auto that's for sure.

I just got a challenger pro lb in 30 cal. Haven t done much with it but it looks and feels solid. The magazines suck. But I am working with a company to design new ones. They finished and sending back this week hopefully.

right now shooting 50.5 AEA pellets at 1000 FPS effortlessly. 165 bar on reg

I have 22, 25, and 30 cal in AEA rifles. The 30 cal is .303 bore, so purchasing slugs in that size shoots better in my rifle. Pellets seem to be OK, I'm currently shooting the 50.2 FX with good results. I have not been able to find the heavier AEA pellets but plan on trying them. A friend of mine highly recommends the Challenger Pro.

I have a Pro which has good build quality, shoots good, worlds of power, good trigger, etc. BUT.... it is purely a bench gun as it is just too heavy and poorly balanced to lug around hunting. Sadly I had never seen one in person so had no reference on balance and general use. My summary is that AEA pro's are well made guns but have limited use.

Another suggestion: do not run the AEA at the maximum power you can get out of them. Ideally dial it back a bit so you're not so hard on the internals.

MrP said:

Another suggestion: do not run the AEA at the maximum power you can get out of them. Ideally dial it back a bit so you're not so hard on the internals.

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I think most run dialled back as full power is crazy fast / supersonic for most stuff.. I am running 165BAr and hammer pretty much all the way turned out (min) and getting 1000 FPS on 50.5 grainers. IF I tuned hammer in and reg to 200 I think I would be 1100+ easy

Mike

CanMike said:

I think most run dialled back as full power is crazy fast / supersonic for most stuff.. I am running 165BAr and hammer pretty much all the way turned out (min) and getting 1000 FPS on 50.5 grainers. IF I tuned hammer in and reg to 200 I think I would be 1100+ easy

Mike

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Yeah both of mine are dialed way back, even with slugs. Really, they make too much power if you ask me. Unless you need to hunt close range with heavy slugs from like a blind or something I suppose.