Shooting 150 and 200 yds with the AEA Challenger Pro

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Stretch

Stretch

Member
Jan 27, 2019
407
170
Virginia, United States
Yesterday I was able to hit the 150 yds target (4" gong) consistently and I was hoping on stretching it to 200 yds today. A bluebird family decided to nest directly in the line of fire where my shooting bench is located, so I was forced to shoot prone. Shooting uphill from a downhill slope is more than my back can handle and my bipod isn't long enough, so I ordered a BOG Death Grip tripod. Here's my Challenger Pro as it's currently configured. From this shooting position I have targets at 150 and 200 yds. Once I get that BOG tripod I'll have better luck than I did today.

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Yeah, until recently I shot indoor prone adult 22 matches at our club. But my back won't bend that way any more (I'm 78 yrs old) but bench or table is easier. So I feel your pain.

22 cal? So how do you like it so far? Have you shot lighter pellets, like 18 grain?
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When I first got it I didn't have an adapter for a suppressor and the factory had set the regulator at 190 bar and transfer port half open. I loaded a magazine with Air Arms 18 grain pellets and let 'er rip. Damn! It was loud and every round went super sonic. And when I say loud, I mean like 50 cal loud. I had some 30 grain slugs and tried them and it sent those slugs super sonic, too. It was like driving finishing nails with a sledge hammer. So I tuned the regulator down to 150 bar and then eventually 125 bar and the transfer port at about 66% closed which gives me 56 shots with 25 grain slugs going about 900 fps +/- 5 fps. This has been working pretty good out to about 150 yds but I'm thinking now that I should move up to some heavier slugs.

So do I like it? That's a hard question to answer. The power is incredible. The trigger and side lever cocking are miles better than AEA's bolt action rifles. Accuracy is good (and I think it will improve with .218" slugs, I'm currently using .217"). But some things about it were just not thought out (like the picatinny rail and buttstock) and I personally find it less than beautiful. But if it will hit 200+ yards like it's been hitting 150 yds, I'll be happy.
 
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Is that the stock butt stock or did it come with the CNC hair puller version?
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It came with the CNC hair puller version (LOL). I grabbed this buttstock off another rifle. I'm debating whether I want to modify the "hair puller" version to make it a bit more user friendly. Believe it or not, it's lighter than the plastic buttstock.
 
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How does it group at 50 with the slugs?
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I've shot it about a dozen times so far and it seems to get better every day. Up until yesterday, my best groups were around 1" at 50 yds with H&N 25 grain slugs (0.217 cal). Yesterday I got some NSA 24.38 grain slugs (0.2175 cal) and, although it was very windy, during the lulls the rounds were touching, so about 1/4-3/8" groups of 3 rounds. I gave it another try today (still very windy) and got the same thing, 3 rounds touching with a flier or two. Until I get a day without wind I won't know if the fliers are caused by the wind or something else.
 
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Is that the stock butt stock or did it come with the CNC hair puller version?
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I must have ripped 50 hairs out of my beard (by the roots) filming my first Challenger Pro video. 

Now I do this: 

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I dumped that crappy aluminum stock after the first beard hair was lost to it. Hard to believe someone would pay extra to get one. 
 
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