FX .30 Panthera Hunter Compact Slug Tune

I'm probably going to do some content on it soon, but my thoughts so far are that the .30 FX PHC is a perfect hunting platform.
I sold my 600mm .30 Maverick to my cousin so I could put the proceeds towards a .30 PHC as my new hunting slug-gun. Even though the Maverick was an absolute hammer with surgical accuracy, I wanted to take a chance on the .30 Panthera Hunter Compact as a slug gun because of what I learned with my .22 Panthera - that being it is much less cold sensitive than the Maverick.
I think the higher flow valving of the Dynamic block allows for less cold weather performance hinderance. This .30 PHC is gonna be a cold weather coyote gun, essentially my winter gun. I noticed the Mav regs would creep up in the cold (reg seat material shrinkage?) and mess with my velocity a little - not much, but enough to notice, even though it was still totally usable on 15-30 degree hunts and I did shoot a lot of critters on bitter cold nights with it.
From what I saw with my 600mm Panthera (I was one of the first preorders and got it in January 2023) it shoots pretty consistent velocity in the winter, even when it's been out in the field a long time where funny stuff starts happening to regs in the cold. Probably something to do with the high efficiency valving and larger plenum - but as long as you have a good hammer spring tune it seems to shoot great in the winter. I need to test my hypothesis on this new .30 P-Cat - but I'm pretty sure it will perform better in the cold than the Maverick platform (which I still love, btw, and I'll never sell my .22 Maverick which was my first FX gun!).

I was initially trying for a 95-100fpe tune but I found with that much air blasting out of the short 395mm barrel it was making my slugs unstable, resulting in bad accuracy. Over the weekend I settled at 960fps with Hybrids, making 91.2fpe. I was able to achieve higher power, but by dialing back a bit to 91fpe I was now shooting MOA at 50. Before at like 95-100 fpe the groups were... not great.

My tune is 175 bar with hammer one click under 3.25 on the scale. Pic below. Hope this helps as I have not seen anyone try to use the .30 PHC as a slug gun yet!

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Let me know when you get it out to 100 yards. I have a PCH in .25 and have it tuned to shoot Hades 26.54gr at 960fps and I'm at 30 fpe at 50 yards. I am getting MOA at 50 yards and it is devastating on squirrels and rabbits at that distance! I haven't tried slugs yet.
I was hitting a 4" plate at 150 all day with it in this tune. Even hitting a 5" plate at 200 until the homie shot it down! Haha
At 100 yards it was still holding MOA with 'brids like it was at 50

Love this gun! I am getting 2 full mags on this tune. I'll be damned if I change this any time soon! Love my .22 PHC also. I am now a 3 Panthera man!
 
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I was hitting a 4" plate at 150 all day with it in this tune. Even hitting a 5" plate at 200 until the homie shot it down! Haha
At 100 yards it was still holding MOA with 'brids like it was at 50

Love this gun! I am getting 2 full mags on this tune. I'll be damned if I change this any time soon! Love my .22 PHC also. I am now a 3 Panthera man!
Very nice. You gonna try some .30 slugs anytime soon? The hybrids have a BC of approx 0.09 to 0.101. Less than most .22 and .25 slugs. Interesting to see how the gun does. Not that there’s anything wrong with the hybrids, there’s just…. well, a hybrid pellet-slug. Calmer conditions should be great out to 200 yards.
 
@Emu - I got the .25 PHC strictly for hunting short distances - which to me for small game is 75 yards max. I have the Immersive 14x50 on it and so far really like it for the shorter distances (which also means thick brush versus the poor squirrel in the middle of the yard!). This is my first FX and so far have been very pleased with it. I look forward to trying some slugs but the pellets have been doing their job well so "it aint broke, so don't fix it!"

With that said like you, I take my RW .25 HP for the distance hunting, but only when I know I'm not walking around a lot - more like blind work. I hope you just didn't get a "lemon" with your PHC.

@Centercut - do you know of any slugs that work well in the HPC .25? That would probably let me increase my range. The gun is very easy to tune.
 
@Emu - I got the .25 PHC strictly for hunting short distances - which to me for small game is 75 yards max. I have the Immersive 14x50 on it and so far really like it for the shorter distances (which also means thick brush versus the poor squirrel in the middle of the yard!). This is my first FX and so far have been very pleased with it. I look forward to trying some slugs but the pellets have been doing their job well so "it aint broke, so don't fix it!"

With that said like you, I take my RW .25 HP for the distance hunting, but only when I know I'm not walking around a lot - more like blind work. I hope you just didn't get a "lemon" with your PHC.

@Centercut - do you know of any slugs that work well in the HPC .25? That would probably let me increase my range. The gun is very easy to tune.
When I bought my Panthera I thought I had bought a Uragan King with the two bottles comfortably aligned.

I have spent A LOT of pellets, change many scopes. The performance I get is good, far away from awesome.

I normally have 4 perfect shots at 90 yards out of ten. Other 6 are up to 3 inches out of where I am aiming. That's mediocrity.

I am able to shoot some half inch groups and many one inch groups at 90 yards with the Daystates, never with the Panthera.
 
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The picture of that moment of innocence in which the expectations where very high:
You need to tune that gun! What caliber is it? Let me know if you need help tuning. I have experience in .22 (600mm, 300mm) and .30 (395mm, 600mm).

That gun is 100% capable of shooting better than how you said it was shooting.

Edit: I see you said .25. I can still probably help ya.
 
@Emu - I got the .25 PHC strictly for hunting short distances - which to me for small game is 75 yards max. I have the Immersive 14x50 on it and so far really like it for the shorter distances (which also means thick brush versus the poor squirrel in the middle of the yard!). This is my first FX and so far have been very pleased with it. I look forward to trying some slugs but the pellets have been doing their job well so "it aint broke, so don't fix it!"

With that said like you, I take my RW .25 HP for the distance hunting, but only when I know I'm not walking around a lot - more like blind work. I hope you just didn't get a "lemon" with your PHC.

@Centercut - do you know of any slugs that work well in the HPC .25? That would probably let me increase my range. The gun is very easy to tune.
Try the Altaros ATP Smooth 49.5 grain at about 880 to 900 fps. Those have a BC of 0.21 G1. Superior Heavy (Slug) liner. Others that shoot well in the Superior Slug liner are the 37 and 41 grain ZANs. Any speed around 940 to 980 should work well.
 
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You need to tune that gun! What caliber is it? Let me know if you need help tuning. I have experience in .22 (600mm, 300mm) and .30 (395mm, 600mm).

That gun is 100% capable of shooting better than how you said it was shooting.

Edit: I see you said .25. I can still probably help ya.
Thanks a lot.

I'm will send you a picture of my actual setting.
 
Try the Altaros ATP Smooth 49.5 grain at about 880 to 900 fps. Those have a BC of 0.21 G1. Superior Heavy (Slug) liner. Others that shoot well in the Superior Slug liner are the 37 and 41 grain ZANs. Any speed around 940 to 980 should work well.
Hi Mike - I don’t think there is a slug liner in .25 with 380mm length to suit the PHC. There is a .22 variant, so perhaps it will appear some time.