AEA Challenger 30 Bullpup - 24" barrel & slugs

[rbolton6]

Has anyone with the 30 cal 24" been able to find a slug that will shoot from this gun?
I just got it last week with hopes and about $300.00 worth of slugs waiting for it.
BIG LET DOWN!!!
Good thing I had several tins of JSB 44 & 51 grain pellets laying around, they are the ONLY thing this gun likes and that's with the power wheel turned down to about the 10 o'clock position and shooting around 850 fps.
I have slugs from just about every major producer ranging from 47gr all the way up to 111gr.
I'm doing good if ANY of them even hit the paper, they are ALL shotgunning all over the place regardless of the power wheel setting.
If anyone's found a slug that will shoot from the 24" barrel please let me know.

 

[smythsg]

My .30 cal 24" barrel standard did not like the three types of slugs I tested as well. It is squirrel head accurate with the 48.6 gn Vortex pellets at 50 yards so the gun can be accurate with ammo it likes.

I read a couple of posts that implied the barrel on these airguns are sized .303 instead of .300. Nielsen sells slugs that are sized .303 and I plan to test them somewhere down the road. Were any that you tested sized .303?

 

[Hateful McNasty]

No expert or pcp kinda guy but reading around it seems a .30 can be a pita in slugs . Kinfa to what smythsg says above. Kinda has me a thinking .357 maybe a yad better in selection. (??)

 

[silvershooter589]

I get better groups in my Challenger Pro 30 using NSA .303 compared to NSA .300 ... the same was also the case with a Terminator 30 I previously owned.

Not saying it has the same barrel as your gun but you may want to experiment with small quantities until you find what works. I have a bunch of slugs that "didn't work out" piling up on my bench too.

Anyway, with that gun, I would estimate with the power wheel on max something like a 65-70 grain slug may be ideal. I wouldn't even bother with the lighter or much heavier stuff.

 

[smythsg]

Nice to see some confirmation that the NSA .303 shoots better in some AEA airguns. I am going to order a small quantity and try them out in my Challenger Standard .30 cal.

 

[smythsg]

Placed an order for some of Nick's 47.2 gn slugs in .303 for testing. Will update when I receive them.

 

[shambozzie]

Nice to see some confirmation that the NSA .303 shoots better in some AEA airguns. I am going to order a small quantity and try them out in my Challenger Standard .30 cal.

My aea hp max .30 bbl love the nsa 47.2.. 303 slugs also. You need to keep the bbl clean and i lube with 10w silicone shock fluid. They shoot very good from a 13" bbl. This target a 55 yds. After scope adj got the cloverleaf @ 900 fps ave.

 

[smythsg]

Pretty encouraging results good sir. I really look forward to getting the 47.2 slugs and giving them a go. Thanks again for the tip on using the silicon shock fluid. I have some silicon oil, but would like to try some of the 10w you mention. Where did you pick up your bottle?

 

[Hard2hurt223]

Pretty encouraging results good sir. I really look forward to getting the 47.2 slugs and giving them a go. Thanks again for the tip on using the silicon shock fluid. I have some silicon oil, but would like to try some of the 10w you mention. Where did you pick up your bottle?

You can get that oil on Amazon or at a hobby store I use the same stuff on my rc car shocks

 

[heavy-impact]

Definitely a .303 but it could've been worse like the .3064 barrel Airgun Technology screwed us Vulcan 3 owners with.

 

[smythsg]

HaHa... I might be the only one left on the planet that has never purchased anything from Amazon, have never had an account. I do know of a very large Hobby store about 10 miles away so will try to get by there soon to pick up some 10W.

 

[smythsg]

That seems an odd sized barrel for sure on the Vulcan 3. Just out of curosity, what pellet and slug does it like best?

 

[heavy-impact]

That seems an odd sized barrel for sure on the Vulcan 3. Just out of curiosity, what pellet and slug does it like best?

Shoots jsb pellets ok or aws slugs in .306 diameter. I have a new TJ's .294/.300 barrel for it I've just been lazy about getting out to my shop and machining it to fit.

 

[smythsg]

I'm new to .30 cal and was not aware that AWS was making slugs in .306 size. Seems like a lot of different sizes in the bigger calibers...

 

[bearair]

Following along. I swear Mr hollow point called it out when he did the videos on the bullpup. I've been curious myself. If they can get the heavier stuff up there and shooting accurately this would be good. Mine likes the hades pellets. I didn't shoot for anything with the nsa current 300 offerings. I need to get mine out and shoot it some more.

 

[smythsg]

Received the NSA 47.2 slugs in .303 yesterday afternoon and as luck will have it, raining for the next three or four days so can't try them out yet. Will update all when the Sun comes back to GA!!

 

[rbolton6]

Thanks for the info on the NSA slugs!
I'm going to call and order some today.
I installed a regulator from Bintac and have been slowly creeping up the velocity on it day by day and still no huntable sized groups with ANY of the slugs I have here.
Yesterday I had it adjusted to 926 on the 50gr and 962 on the 44gr JSB pellets. Both were still dead on, making one holes groups.
Tried the slugs I had and no luck.
Hopefully the .303 NSA slugs will produce.
Thanks for all of the help fellas!!!!

 

[smythsg]

Small window of opportunity to get out to the woods this afternoon, several more days of rain after that. Dense fog and very warm in North GA now, but very wet. I did get a chance to chrony the 47.2 gn slugs yesterday during a short period of no rain and they seem a bit more efficient with air than the .300 slugs I have tried so feeling encourged. Hopefully they will shoot straight as well...

The chrony shows I'm shooting a full mag between 920 fps and 960 fps, averaging a little over 92 ft lbs. (Power wheel in the 10:00 position, fill presure at 3200 psi starting)

 

[smythsg]

Made it out to the WMA this afternoon for a short walk about. Found a good spot to do a rough sight in for the 47.2 gn slugs and a hoppy beverage can for a target at 40 yards. Standing, steadying against a tree, I was able to adjust the 2 moa Sig Romeo5 red dot optic on my Challenger and shoot the group below. I know these will be tighter with proper sight in, but I was very pleased with the performance of Nick's 47.2 .303 slugs in the Challenger. Looks like slugs in .303 are the ticket for AEA .30 cals.

 

[N2 Shooter]

Shoots jsb pellets ok or aws slugs in .306 diameter. I have a new TJ's .294/.300 barrel for it I've just been lazy about getting out to my shop and machining it to fit.

I would have returned that airgun with the quickness! Who wants to pay top dollar for a premium airgun with some dorky sized barrel? It seems like the Eastern European guns from Kalibr and AGT get hyped up, but then they can't deliver.