Gauntlet.30
- Thread starter Buckless Yooper
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I usually prefer slugs, but I haven't yet found a slug I really like for my Gauntlet 30. Partly because the 1/18 twist. Most of the available slugs I have found will be over stablilsed. But I'm still looking. In the meantime JSBm Exact 44.75 grain are working nicely in my Gauntlet.
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You'll probably have a hard time finding slugs that load into the breech without slamming the bolt shut.
My favorite ammo for the G30 are FX 44.8 grain closely followed by the JSB 44.75 grain. The 50.15 grain will give you a little more power but a little less accuracy. But you can shoot the 44.75/44.8 grains over 1000 fps and the accuracy is still very much on point with this rifle.
My favorite ammo for the G30 are FX 44.8 grain closely followed by the JSB 44.75 grain. The 50.15 grain will give you a little more power but a little less accuracy. But you can shoot the 44.75/44.8 grains over 1000 fps and the accuracy is still very much on point with this rifle.
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Getting off topic, but II see you have the .25 caliber Gauntlet 2. Thinking of getting myself. How do you like it?
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Replying to the original poster here...
It depends.
What caliber? Gauntlet original, or Gauntlet 2? Are you shooting paper, or are you shooting deer?
If you are shooting paper I would say the flat head ' wad cutter' pellets are best, because they make nice round holes all the time, whereas slugs and other pellets tend to make more ragged holes.
If you are shooting meat, it depends.
For bigger game, slugs are obvious. For example, a pellet weighing about 45 grains will impact meat at 100 yards with about 1/3 to 1/2 the force of a slug of the same weight. You want to kill, not maim.
Smaller game like rabbits such, keep to pellets. Much cheaper!
And if we knew the caliber, what model you have, some people on here might be able to dial you in to the right round for your gun.
It depends.
What caliber? Gauntlet original, or Gauntlet 2? Are you shooting paper, or are you shooting deer?
If you are shooting paper I would say the flat head ' wad cutter' pellets are best, because they make nice round holes all the time, whereas slugs and other pellets tend to make more ragged holes.
If you are shooting meat, it depends.
For bigger game, slugs are obvious. For example, a pellet weighing about 45 grains will impact meat at 100 yards with about 1/3 to 1/2 the force of a slug of the same weight. You want to kill, not maim.
Smaller game like rabbits such, keep to pellets. Much cheaper!
And if we knew the caliber, what model you have, some people on here might be able to dial you in to the right round for your gun.
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Great shot count, likes to shoot 33.95 grain JSB MK2s somewhere north of 850 fps, very satisfied with the accuracy. I put a barrel band on both my Guantlet 2s as there can be some point of impact change if the barrel gets bumped. The trigger was a little gritty at first but eventually broke it nicely, I never bothered to adjust it though. Also it's nice and quiet... makes a little "pop" sound and not much else. No need for a moderator at all.
The G2 .25 hasn't been getting as much use since I picked up the 30 caliber, but right now I have a sling on it and a red dot reflex sight and using it to try to improve my off hand shooting. Unlike some of my other guns it's very easy to put a sling on the Guantlet 2s with all the M-lok slots.
The stock could be a little more ergonomic and better looking, the bolt action is fine but not luxurious by any means, and it's a relatively long rifle. For the price I think it's still very well worth considering. I haven't tried to sell it even with a .30 cal so I guess that's saying something.
If I could only get one I'd get the .30 though. You can turn down the hammer spring and shoot JSB 44.74 around 850 fps - which gives it a pretty good shot count, accurate for target shooting, and keeps it on the quieter side. But it's nice having a lot more power on tap too. The G2 30 is a blast to shoot because the "recoil" is straight back into your shoulder -- a nice little nudge. It's just very satisfying to shoot. The 25 has no recoil so it's a little bit of a different experience.
Edit::: saw your other post there. The Guantlet 2 25 doesn't like taking slugs in the breech any better than the 30 does. Maybe I need to find some undersized slugs, but I've tried a lot of slugs in both rifles. I would just suggest sticking to JSB 33.95 MK2 on the 25 and JSB 44.75 with the 30. If you're looking for a slug gun, neither one is it.
Another edit::: If I had to pick a budget friendly .25 caliber today, I would probably grab an AEA Challenger SL .25 with the regulator upgrade. Wood stock, power wheel adjuster, more power on tap, slug friendly. I guess I miss my Challenger SL 357 (sold) a little.
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Yeah I'm about ready to give up om finding the 'right' slug for the Gauntlet 30. I have one more slug to try, and I'm going to test some JSB 50.15 exacts as well, but it pretty much looks like I'm going to stick with the 44.75 exacts.
I found the 'perfect' slug for my 22 without any real trouble.
Don't get me wrong, the gun works fine and it's accurate with the exact 44.75.
I still might buy a .25 though
I found the 'perfect' slug for my 22 without any real trouble.
Don't get me wrong, the gun works fine and it's accurate with the exact 44.75.
I still might buy a .25 though
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EDIT
I was considering polishing the throat on my Gauntlet 30 barrel a bit more for even easier chambering, but the accuracy is so good I was hesitant. After reading a thread here on AGN about coating slugs / pellets with HBN powder making them easier to chamber, I wanted to test some kind of coating / lubricant before messing with the throat. I tried rolling the NOE cast slugs on a paper towel with some silicone oil on it for a very light coat. Sure enough, significantly easier to chamber. Accuracy stayed the same.
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The NOE 55 grain hollow point cast with pure lead using the deep or the shallow hollow point pin shoots extremely well in my Gauntlet 30. Frequently getting groups equal to what I have shot with with the same slugs in an FX M3 700mm sniper but at a higher velocity. 975 to just over 1000 FPS with the Gauntlet, 875 ish with the FX. FX 44.8g Pellets are more consistent, but at zero cost other than my time I am happy with FREE one hole groups at 15 yards vs 14 cents / shot with the FX pellets. Still waiting for warmer weather to try them at 50y and 100y.
On the Gauntlet 30 You will need to open up the throat a bit unless you enjoy tapping on the bolt handle with a mallet. (It's going to break eventually if you do that!) I called Umarex customer service and they said they were aware of the tight fit with some slugs and opening up the throat will not void the warranty. You might want to get that in writing on a brand new gun. I ended up polishing the throat slowly with fine grit wet dry sandpaper until the bolt closed with moderate pressure, but definitely quite a bit more than side lever guns. The accuracy actually improved with the polishing of the throat. The same slug chambers very easily with the FX Sniper. Quite difficult with a Prophet 2 - enough so that I stopped trying to shoot them in the Prophet until the throat was opened up, which might not happen since the owner wants to shoot pellets and they do very well in the RTI. They are concerned about losing pellet accuracy and the NOE doesn't shoot as well in Prophet as it does in the FX and the Gauntlet.
The gun is HUGE - heavy and very long, but handles great from the bench or a tripod. I can't see myself carrying it much in the field, but currently 100% of my shooting is indoors.
I was considering polishing the throat on my Gauntlet 30 barrel a bit more for even easier chambering, but the accuracy is so good I was hesitant. After reading a thread here on AGN about coating slugs / pellets with HBN powder making them easier to chamber, I wanted to test some kind of coating / lubricant before messing with the throat. I tried rolling the NOE cast slugs on a paper towel with some silicone oil on it for a very light coat. Sure enough, significantly easier to chamber. Accuracy stayed the same.
-----------------------------
The NOE 55 grain hollow point cast with pure lead using the deep or the shallow hollow point pin shoots extremely well in my Gauntlet 30. Frequently getting groups equal to what I have shot with with the same slugs in an FX M3 700mm sniper but at a higher velocity. 975 to just over 1000 FPS with the Gauntlet, 875 ish with the FX. FX 44.8g Pellets are more consistent, but at zero cost other than my time I am happy with FREE one hole groups at 15 yards vs 14 cents / shot with the FX pellets. Still waiting for warmer weather to try them at 50y and 100y.
On the Gauntlet 30 You will need to open up the throat a bit unless you enjoy tapping on the bolt handle with a mallet. (It's going to break eventually if you do that!) I called Umarex customer service and they said they were aware of the tight fit with some slugs and opening up the throat will not void the warranty. You might want to get that in writing on a brand new gun. I ended up polishing the throat slowly with fine grit wet dry sandpaper until the bolt closed with moderate pressure, but definitely quite a bit more than side lever guns. The accuracy actually improved with the polishing of the throat. The same slug chambers very easily with the FX Sniper. Quite difficult with a Prophet 2 - enough so that I stopped trying to shoot them in the Prophet until the throat was opened up, which might not happen since the owner wants to shoot pellets and they do very well in the RTI. They are concerned about losing pellet accuracy and the NOE doesn't shoot as well in Prophet as it does in the FX and the Gauntlet.
The gun is HUGE - heavy and very long, but handles great from the bench or a tripod. I can't see myself carrying it much in the field, but currently 100% of my shooting is indoors.
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That’s so weird! I turned my hammer spring all the way down and I’m still shooting around 950 fps. I wonder if I did something wrong or it’s the gun
I’d really like to be around that 850 markUpvote 0
I was just wanting to get a consensus of what people were actually using in their gauntlet .30 all the information you need is in the picture
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That’s so weird! I turned my hammer spring all the way down and I’m still shooting around 950 fps. I wonder if I did something wrong or it’s the gun
I'm not 100% certain but I might have had to really twist that bolt counter-clockwise the first time. There may have been some resistance I broke through or something sticky with the bolt.
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Okay, may as well toss in my nickel! My G30 loves slugs! Chambering issues? Yes. Simple choice for that is have the breech worked, or find the right slug. I found the right slug! If you want weight over 60 grains, my go to is Griffin Ammo. I’m getting 115fpe with 64 grain slugs that load as easy as a pellet! About to try these 78 grain slugs once the weather breaks a bit. I’ve tried Zan’s, NSAs, some junk off eBay, etc… my absolute go to is the Griffin Ammo, 64 dbhp. They run a bit over 900fps and will easily put hole in hole groups. Solid gun, just need to find the ammo that works for you.
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Good find! These, correct?
Griffin Slugs .30 Caliber Dish Base 50 - 125 100 ct.
Our slugs are handmade. All are swaged from very soft pure lead. The hollow point is perfect. It is deep and narrow, providing excellent expansion along with a great bc. Dish base.
griffinairgunammo.com
Not too bad a price for the slugs either.
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Wow it amazing that this Chinese airgun manufacturers won't buy a throating reamer!!!! Old.technology pretty easy step for accuracy!!!!
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I ordered 100 rounds of the Griffin 64 grain and tried them out yesterday. My Gauntlet 30 seems to like them well. A little rough chambering, but not bad.
I read an article that slugs have better crosswind behavior between 850 to 900 fps, so I set mine to 870. At 50 yards with 10 mph crosswind they were hitting within an inch of the aim point every time, as Chairgun predicted. Well, almost every time... it was 36 degrees out and I was a bit cold, so I screwed up a few shots. But out of 50 younds only a few went astray.
Waiting for a calmer (and warmer) day to see what they do at 100 yards. If I don't see signs of instability, I'm ordering a few hundred rounds.
Also, I don't believe that anything much longer will fit the magazine. My slugs barely clear the clear magazine cover. Have to use the tray for anything bigger. That's OK for target shoots, but for hunting I want the magazine.
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I got some Griffin 64 grains in today. Only shot one out of the single tray but it loaded almost as easily as a pellet. Certainly easier than any other slugs I've tried. Too foggy for accuracy testing but I have high hopes based on what a couple of you have said.
Based on appearance these are some very high quality slugs. Can't find any defects!
Based on appearance these are some very high quality slugs. Can't find any defects!
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I'm heading out to the range tomorrow morning to try them at 100 yards. Very hopeful. From the performance at 50 yards, I am betting they do the job well. But you never know.
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Dang it! I wasn't thinking. The range at Babcock is closed today. Hope you all were safe last night!
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Ed22701 just want to thank you again. I had given up trying to shoot slugs in the G30. These Griffin 64s are SUPERB!
Did some shooting at 50 and 75 today. Will be doing more later I'm sure. But I already purchased a big supply of these after seeing the results.
At 50 it was mostly hole-in-hole. First couple shots were a little off, which seems normal switching ammo in this gun, then everything after that was hole-in-hole and exactly the same perfectly zeroed POI from when I was last shooting JSB 44.75 grain pellets. So I can go back and forth with zero scope adjustments -- bad ass.
They fit the magazine just fine. I'm having no issues getting them in the breech. If anything it just takes a very light push while locking down the bolt.
At 75 yards I wasn't shooting paper but easily plinking little metal bits and pieces.
So thanks again, and happy New Year. Your advice could not be more valuable for G30 owners!
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