AEA Element Max .50

[Wackamole]

Here are the first shots sighting in shooting 235gr Nielsen HP… two two shot groups with a 4100psi fill..the top two by the black dot are hornady round ball.. all shot’s are at 60 yards sight adjustment between groups

AEA Element Max .50cal

Shot count: 3

Low: 854

Hi: 928

Avg: 890

Spread: 74

STD Dev: 37.0

928

888

854

 

[kidkb]

How do you like it so far?

 

[Wackamole]

I like it a lot. Straight out of the box it’s accurate 3/4 inch at 60 yards is ok with me. First shot on a fill of 4100psi is almost 450 foot pounds and it shoots round balls as accurate also.

 

[kidkb]

I like it a lot. Straight out of the box it’s accurate 3/4 inch at 60 yards is ok with me. First shot on a fill of 4100psi is almost 450 foot pounds and it shoots round balls as accurate also.

Thank you for the input. I’ve been thinking about picking one up to supplement my Texan 457. I’m really new to airguns and the Texan has been a blast (basically was given to me by a friend) to play with, but I’d really like something lighter and smaller that I can carry around the property as more of a truck gun capable of taking out feral hogs. My biggest hang up has been the “horror” stories about AEA quality, although I have zero personal experience with them. Do you mind sharing where you purchased yours?

 

[Wackamole]

Kidkb
I bought mine at https://www.bintacllc.com/ bin has taken good care of me in the past. I have 3 aea rifles. One of them developed a leak and was easily fixed. This element max is light weight,short and accurate. the barrel length is about perfect for me not to long to sit in a blind or tree stand Or under the back seat. Don’t get me wrong I have airguns that cost three times as much but this one is doing exactly what I want it to do str out of the box.

 

[RM.510bigbore]

How is the trigger? I watched some reviews and the trigger pull was around 2.5 lbs. I like this design of this max much more other than other big bores designs . I'm sure it would be a pound lighter with carbon fiber bottle instead of aluminum tank. I like AEA designs but I hope quality control and parts availability get better . barrel looks very sturdy threaded into action. Should be accurate if barrels good..

 

[Wackamole]

How is the trigger? I watched some reviews and the trigger pull was around 2.5 lbs. I like this design of this max much more other than other big bores designs . I'm sure it would be a pound lighter with carbon fiber bottle instead of aluminum tank. I like AEA designs but I hope quality control and parts availability get better . barrel looks very sturdy threaded into action. Should be accurate if barrels good..

It’s close to the advertisement pull weight with a little bit of creep before breaking but all surfaces are new and will break in some. I was getting 3/4 groups at 60 yards so it can’t be to bad. The package seems to be a good build for AEA. Also the hammer spring is a stiff one but manageable. I think the barrel is under some tension with the front barrel nut pulling against the shroud

 

[bearair]

One heck of a gun for sure. Bin is great to deal with.

 

[JirehP05]

Here are the first shots sighting in shooting 235gr Nielsen HP… two two shot groups with a 4100psi fill..the top two by the black dot are hornady round ball.. all shot’s are at 60 yards sight adjustment between groups
View attachment 331785
AEA Element Max .50cal

Where would you place the Element Max among the other big bores (Texan, Zeus, Bulldog, Pile Driver)?

 

[Wackamole]

I have not owned a Texan but a lot of people have them
The Zeus is to heavy for my type of hunting. It makes a lot of power but shot placement is more important.
The bulldog is a good platform shoots well but a little under powered unless you put more money into it.
The pile driver is very nice I was going to get one but I would have hade to cut the barrel down to carbine length so I bought the element max .50 it’s short , light, accurate and decent power. So far all is good no leaks and operates as it should.

 

[RM.510bigbore]

Is the barrel a tube with a small diameter barrel inside? Have you cleaned the barrel yet any leading?

 

[Wackamole]

I believe the shroud is over the barrel but not small at all and I think it is under tension from the front barrel nut. And yes I have cleaned the barrel
and not any out of the ordinary

 

[durbs75]

Thank you for the input. I’ve been thinking about picking one up to supplement my Texan 457. I’m really new to airguns and the Texan has been a blast (basically was given to me by a friend) to play with, but I’d really like something lighter and smaller that I can carry around the property as more of a truck gun capable of taking out feral hogs. My biggest hang up has been the “horror” stories about AEA quality, although I have zero personal experience with them. Do you mind sharing where you purchased yours?

Your horror stories are true!!!!

 

[Wackamole]

at least AEA let’s consumers know if there is a possible problem and how to fix it. Or fix it for you.Not like some companies that sell you something that needs work just to make it work correctly. for the price point it works as advertised

 

[bearair]

I agree that Bin goes above and beyond when it comes to customer service. I now own three aea guns. Haven't shot the M50 yet but my 45 hp max and std 30 challenger have been great so far.

 

[Wackamole]

Good to hear that you are happy. There are a lot of people that expect way to much out of a air gun at a great price point.

 

[kidkb]

I thought I’d share that I did end up purchasing an Element Max .51 cal and was sorely disappointed. Even at 30 yards using multiple slugs from NSA to Mr. Hollowpoint I couldn’t get a grouping better than the size of my palm. I hunt so I don’t need dime size groups, but it was wildly unacceptable for my use cases. Bin has been great with customer support, but I’m still being charged 20% restocking fee on top of cost to ship it back so this hasn’t been a great experience as a first time purchaser of an AEA air gun.

I know lots of other people are having good luck with theirs but figured I would share my own experience.

 

[silvershooter589]

I've made 6 purchases from BinTac. Some of them were keepers, others I passed on to someone else to enjoy. Bin is easy to get in touch with for any questions, parts & service. In my experience he stands behind his products -- but yes if you decide you just want to return something because you don't like it, you get a restocking fee. I have never done this... instead on a few AEAs I ended up selling, not because they sucked, but they just weren't for me, I sold them here on the marketplace for a decent price and they all sold almost immediately.

If the product is actually delivered defective they will swap or repair it no problem. And if you run into an issue and let's say you're way out of warranty, they will put you on the phone or video call with a tech to teach you how to fix it. And yes he does videos on YouTube teaching people how to do many of their own repairs, maintenance and proper operation.

So I don't know about "horror stories" with AEA -- at least with BinTac and his affiliated dealers. I think people need to do their research before they buy any product, make sure they read any fine print on returns, and also learn to perform basic maintenance on their guns. A few of their products are known to have parts that will eventually wear out and need replacement. These parts are generally cheap and available so you can keep an extra on hand. Most of their products I have found to be fairly robust (and accurate).

 

[kidkb]

I can't tell if your response is directed at me or not based on your comment about the restocking fee, but my intention wasn't to say anything negative about Bin or his business as he's been helpful in the process of deciding what to do about the Element Max. I'm simply sharing my experience as someone who hasn't owned or shot an AEA product before. People can do with that information as they see fit.

For anyone curious, here are 3 groups I shot from a measly 30 yards away using a lead sled on a table. I tried different slugs from Mr. HollowPoint, NSA, and some from a local air gunner (I think they are Seneca) for each group. As you can see, they are all over the place, some not even in the frame. One single slug hit where the reticle was pointed (big black spot) out of the entire session:

 

[silvershooter589]

I can't tell if your response is directed at me or not based on your comment about the restocking fee,

Not directed at you... just my general commentary on the "horror stories" comment above and I mentioned the restocking aspect in there too.

Yeah that accuracy is not good. I know you tried various ammo but I'm thinking there must have been some better ammo for it out there somewhere. I'm also thinking that gun must have a kick and probably not the easiest to shoot either. I used to have a Challenger 357, which is way less power than that Element Max, and even that was tough for me to shoot groups... but I know it wasn't the gun because it was possible, but it took a lot of practice to get there.

Who knows, maybe you did get a lemon. Taking a 20% hit sucks, but I wonder if Bin would have traded you for something else like a Big Bore Challenger that you might have had better luck with.