AEA Shot my .510 Challenger bullpup

[vtl]

Ok, so I've sort of sighted in my first PCP ever: the AEA Challenger bullpup .510 + Swampfox Patriot 4-16x44 scope. I've shot two mags of AEA CNC-machined 300 gr hollow point and about a hundred of less than ideal, cheap 345 gr Ebay hollow points, all at 70 yards. Thoughts:

Cons:
- this damn thing is too heavy. Not comfortable to carry it around, impossible to aim unless supported
- butt stock sits too low, can only use an upper corner of it against my shoulder
- it self-disintegrates while shooting. Would be a very wise idea to take it apart, apply blue Loctite on every damn bolt and assemble it back. It was leaking out of the box because of a backed off bolt
- trigger is very stiff. By the time the rifle finally fires you pulled it to the right already
- safety is awkward: can't see if it's on or off. If you try to pull it blindly to "on" and you messed it with the trigger - the rifle may fire. Very unsafe safety
- time to fill from 2000 PSI to 4000 is about 15 minutes with GX-4 pump
- fill port cap falls off after every shot
- first shot at full pressure always goes low. Why?
- failed to cock the spring twice, had to close the breach and try again. Would have to remove the mag if I used one at the time.

Pros:
- cheap
- mag fed
- looks badass
- it is basically a rifled shotgun. Will kill anything. Recoil at full 4100 PSI is unbelievable
- 500 cc tube @ max PSI has enough air for 5-6 rounds. Wish it had a regulator

Now I want to convert it to a classic stock and buy a 3D printer to print magazines that will accept commonly found .510 slugs, which are tad longer than the stock mag will take. Need to move the bipod to the stock and put a better barrel band.

Also why it shoots to the right? The lower is the projectile's speed the bigger is the sway to the right. Is the barrel curved? With a higher FPS the slug rotates quicker and has more momentum, so it flies more straight, but as air pressure and FPS drop it starts to deviate more and more? Is it a plausible theory? I can actually check it with my long straight edge I got a few years for the engine rebuild. But that would suck if the barrel is not straight.

This is 16 shots done with one fill, till I was able to hit the target. Last 2 slugs were a miss.

 

[vtl]

The cheap slugs:

 

[beerthief]

WOW the way you wrote this up i was thinking a $299.00 gun ! Not a $650 gun

 

[vtl]

WOW the way you wrote this up i was thinking a $299.00 gun ! Not a $650 gun

That's because I was slightly disappointed. I previously shot an American designed $250 (in 2020 dollars) crossbow that hits a 1'x1' target at 100 yards easily with no mods, but a better scope. At 70 yards I could pick a deer's eye to hit, left or right, shot after shot. Never had any mechanical or ergonomic problem with it. I can also carry it on me in the woods all day long. The overall feel difference is so significant that you see an American vs Chinese design approach and attention to details for real. China folks simply miss all the years of guns experience. They will get better over time, but it takes years.

Anyways, I know what to look for in my Challenger when I take it apart. It's a gun with a lot of power and seems to be very sturdy in core, but it needs some love out of the box.

Also it is not a $2000 .50 caliber US made gun, right? You get what you pay for.

 

[vtl]

I polished the trigger and it is not as gritty now as it was in the field.

Also measured the barrel with my straight edge. It is... awful. Bent down and right. Enough to miss a 19"x25" target at 100 yd after sighting in at 50. This is AEA.

 

[RM.510bigbore]

AEA makes there own barrels ......lol Its just a crude barrel... I'd buy a American Green Mountain barrel or ER Shaw barrel...they won't break the bank...it requires a mill and lathe to fit barrel blank..sucks green Mountain blanks decent and cheap

 

[RM.510bigbore]

Also a external regulator shooting tethered is the only really accurate way too shoot big bores....much more fun too...I have lots of .510 cast slugs

 

[vtl]

Also a external regulator shooting tethered is the only really accurate way too shoot big bores....much more fun too...I have lots of .510 cast slugs

I've asked Huma-Air if they would do one for a big bore AEA. Marc said they are "exploring the possibilities"

 

[vtl]

AEA makes there own barrels ......lol Its just a crude barrel... I'd buy a American Green Mountain barrel or ER Shaw barrel...they won't break the bank...it requires a mill and lathe to fit barrel blank..sucks green Mountain blanks decent and cheap

Crappy barrel sucks indeed I'll try to measure the run out with impromptu "lathe" and give it a few smacks against a log like in this video:

Luckily I don't need much precision with this gun, 2-3" group at 100 yd would be enough to take down a deer reliably. All that I need.

I'm not a gunsmith, but have fairly large experience for a tree shade mechanic with fixing cars and fabricating small things/tools.

 

[RM.510bigbore]

That guy in the video is 100 percent awesome in his info. I worked at ER Shaw Barrel s in Pennsylvania for a lil while. They straightened barrels in a rig between centers....they hit the high spot with a 10 lb rubber hammer...till straight... Then in the cnc machine to turn barrel to bore centers. Small caliber barrels are really crooked....Straighten your barrel and watch some videos on hand lapping with a lead lap...You seem very capable mechanically

 

[vtl]

Ya, I'm a big believer in simple methods when they are in agreement with the physics. People laughed at me when I machined my engine's cylinder head on an IKEA kitchen table (good thick mostly flat wooden base) and a 3/8" thick piece of polished glass (flat to my smallest 0.001" gauge). The result was better than the factory machining, it turned to a complete mirror-like surface. The engine actually has a multi-layer steel gasket, which tolerates a lot, but I had to remove a few pitting spots from fire ring areas. Read a book or two, think about what you need to do step by step, don't rush it and check/measure often.

 

[RM.510bigbore]

I'm here to help if you need anything. Pm me you Can call or txt me if you need more information... My Texan .510barrel was horrible... Know it's beautiful inside smooth as a baby's bottom. And know constantly 3 MOA at 125 yards... Good enough for a Airgun....

 

[vtl]

On my 0.0025±0.0005 flat glass I measured a 0.019±0.001 run out. 0.016+ is a lot! And there's a smaller one, closer to the muzzle.

Would love to have a lathe and measure the run outs properly, with a dial gauge, but I don't have one and have no time to drive to shop with one.

 

[Trucker3573]

WOW the way you wrote this up i was thinking a $299.00 gun ! Not a $650 gun

Honestly it’s pretty much what they are. I found an aea big bore 357 on American airgun scamifieds for a great deal. It was 325 or 350 with a hawke 3-9. Good deal. They produce a bunch of power and are possible to shoot accurately IF you do your part. Lots of power but literally everything else about the gun sucks. I was so glad I never dropped near 700 on one.

 

[Trucker3573]

OP do you have the high power valve installed or the power 3 washer kit ? If not forget filling to 4K. Fill to the sweet spot of about 3200 and live with 2-3 shots. All you need as these guns are big game killers not shooters as there is nothing fun about shooting them.

 

[vtl]

OP do you have the high power valve installed or the power 3 washer kit ? If not forget filling to 4K. Fill to the sweet spot of about 3200 and live with 2-3 shots. All you need as these guns are big game killers not shooters as there is nothing fun about shooting them.

This is a .510 caliber, it has the kit installed at factory. At 4K PSI it kicks insanely, for a PCP.

I understand that a high-power rifle is not a sharp shooter. I just want to make it spewing slugs ballistically, not sideways at some random curve, so I could actually use it for hunting humanely at ~100-125 yards. 2-3" group would do it. I know the problem, I'll rig something up to fix it, when time allows.

 

[Trucker3573]

This is a .510 caliber, it has the kit installed at factory. At 4K PSI it kicks insanely, for a PCP.

I understand that a high-power rifle is not a sharp shooter. I just want to make it spewing slugs ballistically, not sideways at some random curve, so I could actually use it for hunting humanely at ~100-125 yards. 2-3" group would do it. I know the problem, I'll rig something up to fix it, when time allows.

Ok got you. Then there is benefits from the 4K fill. I wasn’t interested in any of that. They produce plenty stock and produce peak velocity at low pressure which is sweet. These guns are not easy to shoot well. The triggers are abysmal and the projectile is in the barrel a long time (relative to a firearm) once fired. Therefore anything bad input by a shooter will be amplified. I just have a goal to kill a whitetail with an airgun. Otherwise that tank of a gun will safe sit most of its life.

 

[AmosBurton]

So I worked at Green Mtn for a bit. Among other things I straightened barrels.
We basically used a similar, yet more modern, approach as that old timer used.
Instead of a log we used gauge blocks, a dial indicator, and a 10T press(as the log).
Look down the barrel for concentric circles. Any spot where there are not circles but ovals indicates a bend(the high side is the thicker portion of the oval).

 

[vtl]

Yeah, thanks, @AmosBurton. I found two bends I need to fix. One is closer to the center, one is near the muzzle end. How do I fix that one? I think I need another rig to hold the barrel while I press it on my shop press...

 

[AmosBurton]

Yeah, thanks, @AmosBurton. I found two bends I need to fix. One is closer to the center, one is near the muzzle end. How do I fix that one? I think I need another rig to hold the barrel while I press it on my shop press...

Same way, use two blocks with v's cut into them, separate them a bit and put the bend in the middle and then press the bent spot.