Taipan Taipan Slash first tuning report.

DonEnzone said:

I think it's a bit scummy to advertise a high-power airgun, and then lock the max power setting behind a paywall. Especially for an airgun in this price range. The high-power kit should've been included in the box.

Anyway, I'm still waiting for those range reviews. So far there is still only 1 video on youtube where someone actually shoots it.

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I agree with the spirit of your argument 100%… but even stock the power level at .25 puts it in a fairly elite category power wise. Yeah it’s an expensive gun no doubt but there’s plenty of other brands where you’re gonna spend as much just to get it to stock Slash levels.

DonEnzone said:

I think it's a bit scummy to advertise a high-power airgun, and then lock the max power setting behind a paywall. Especially for an airgun in this price range. The high-power kit should've been included in the box.

Anyway, I'm still waiting for those range reviews. So far there is still only 1 video on youtube where someone actually shoots it.

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I do understand where DonEnzone is coming from.

We've only had one video on Slash accuracy from Taipan/Balistas. He shot from a vice, the gun seemed fairly accurate in .25, but the .22 only got about 7-8 shots before the mag was empty and no more after that. It left me wanting more.... but it did not stop me from buying one... .

As far as a "paywall", my perspective is a little different. I think a paywall usually means we pay for something basic, but the really good stuff cost extra. We kind of get sucked in. We've all been there.

For me, the Slash already comes with the "good stuff". The basic Slash in .22 gets around 37-66 fpe, and the .25 gets 66-103 fpe. How much more power would we want or need from those calibers?

I view the Power Kit as something that most Slash owners probably wouldn't use except in special cases. But, this is just my perspective.

Here are three more short summary tables comparing the velocities and fpe for several kinds of .25 pellets shot through a Taipan Slash with a 420mm barrel, and with the regulator pressures set at 125 Bar, 155 Bar and 185 Bar. I had previously tested some pellets with the regulator set at 100 Bar, 110 Bar and 120 Bar but had problems with the magazine not advancing. The magazines were not jammed by loose fitting pellets sliding out of the cylinders. There just wasn't enough pressure in the system to consistently force the magazine to advance for every brand of pellet until the regulator was set over 120 Bar. I also noticed that the magazine would stop rotating if it came up with an empty cylinder in the magazine, even though there might be additional pellets in the magazine. That required resetting the magazine (in/out) so there was a pellet is in the chamber being fired.

Since the recommended top setting on the regulator was 180 Bar I set it at 185 Bar to get an idea of the highest power available with each pellet.

I had hoped to be able to test Seneca's heavy 35g and 43g pellets but they were both too wide to fit into the magazine.

Slugs posed an unexpected problem for testing. None of the four types of slugs I tried (H&N HP II 32g, Zan 38g, H&N Heavy 48g, Altaros 50g) would fit all the way into or through the slug magazine. And only the 48g H&N Heavy slugs fit well enough into the pellet magazine's slightly wider cylinders to be shot without jamming the magazine. They did not fit very snugly in the cylinders of the pellet magazine after being pushed in past the little retaining ball, but they didn't edge out past the front of the pellet magazine when it was shaken or tapped.

So we still need to get some specific advice on .25 cal slugs which fit correctly in the Slash slug magazine. The H&N slugs I used were both listed as .249 and I think that the other slugs were .253. Presumably something narrower than .249 since I couldn't push those slugs past the midway point on the slug magazine even with very strong hand pressure. The 48g H&N Heavy slugs did produce the most shot power of the ammo tested at 185 Bar on the regulator, with 897f/s and 85.8fpe.

So 86fpe would be about the maximum shot power we'll probably see with the 420mm barrel at 185 Bar on the reg and using the 48g slugs. Or we might even sneak up on 90fpe if there are heavier, narrower slugs which fit those slug magazines correctly.

We're looking at a lowest available power range of between 53fpe and 65fpe with the regulator set at a low of 125 Bar. The shot power could be brought down by a few more fpe by lowering the regulator some more. But then I had intermittent problems with the magazines not cycling after firing some kinds of pellets.

Notice also that many commercially favorite pellets (Hades, Crow Magnum, Baracuda, Exact King etc) have velocities of near or over 1000f/s (with shot power of about 65fpe) with the regulator set at 155 Bar, with a couple more types of pellets snapping sonic at over 1,100 f/s. The Crow Mags and Baracudas both had problems with the magazine not always advancing even at 155 Bar. No cycling problems with the other pellets tested at above 125Bar. These were not extensive tests and parts were all new and not broken in with use.

All of the average velocities of over 1000f/s are shown in red in the tables below. That is usually too fast for accuracy, for pellets anyway, I don't know about for slugs.

Once you plot out some power curve tables like this with your favorite pellets it's much easier to understand the limitations of your airgun. The Slash is dead simple to tune since there is only one adjustment control for the regulator pressure. It only took about 1/4 turn (90 deg) of the pressure adjustment plate on the rear of the regulator to run the full range of low to high pressure tested. Power tables like this provide a simple guide for adjusting the velocity and shot power for different pellets or slugs.

I wish that Taipan hadn't located the regulator gauge in such an awkward location. It's OK for testing from a bench stand but can't be left in place for actual shooting. And it's bothersome (not difficult just bothersome) to need to degas and install a pressure gauge for the regulator when more accurate info is desired. And there should be an external pressure control for the regulator that uses an Allen wrench, instead of making us take off the back plate and use a small pin wrench to adjust it. And we could use some additional 12-prong pellet seating tools with longer prongs to seat some types of pellets more deeply into the magazines. And either some different slug magazines which accept wider slugs, or else a list of recommended .25 slugs of different weights which work correctly in the current slug magazines.

These are relatively mild concerns. Overall the Slash functions well and the magazines are very robust. The shot power only went up between 15 fpe to about 20 fpe as the regulator's pressure was increased between 125 Bar and 185 Bar. Even midway in pressure at 155 Bar only pellets over 26 grains kept their velocity under 1000 f/s.

JP

jpiperson2002 said:

Here are three more short summary tables comparing the velocities and fpe for several kinds of .25 pellets shot through a Taipan Slash with a 420mm barrel, and with the regulator pressures set at 125 Bar, 155 Bar and 185 Bar. I had previously tested some pellets with the regulator set at 100 Bar, 110 Bar and 120 Bar but had problems with the magazine not advancing. The magazines were not jammed by loose fitting pellets sliding out of the cylinders. There just wasn't enough pressure in the system to consistently force the magazine to advance for every brand of pellet until the regulator was set over 120 Bar. I also noticed that the magazine would stop rotating if it came up with an empty cylinder in the magazine, even though there might be additional pellets in the magazine. That required resetting the magazine (in/out) so there was a pellet is in the chamber being fired.

Since the recommended top setting on the regulator was 180 Bar I set it at 185 Bar to get an idea of the highest power available with each pellet.

I had hoped to be able to test Seneca's heavy 35g and 43g pellets but they were both too wide to fit into the magazine.

Slugs posed an unexpected problem for testing. None of the four types of slugs I tried (H&N HP II 32g, Zan 38g, H&N Heavy 48g, Altaros 50g) would fit all the way into or through the slug magazine. And only the 48g H&N Heavy slugs fit well enough into the pellet magazine's slightly wider cylinders to be shot without jamming the magazine. They did not fit very snugly in the cylinders of the pellet magazine after being pushed in past the little retaining ball, but they didn't edge out past the front of the pellet magazine when it was shaken or tapped.

So we still need to get some specific advice on .25 cal slugs which fit correctly in the Slash slug magazine. The H&N slugs I used were both listed as .249 and I think that the other slugs were .253. Presumably something narrower than .249 since I couldn't push those slugs past the midway point on the slug magazine even with very strong hand pressure. The 48g H&N Heavy slugs did produce the most shot power of the ammo tested at 185 Bar on the regulator, with 897f/s and 85.8fpe.

So 86fpe would be about the maximum shot power we'll probably see with the 420mm barrel at 185 Bar on the reg and using the 48g slugs. Or we might even sneak up on 90fpe if there are heavier, narrower slugs which fit those slug magazines correctly.

We're looking at a lowest available power range of between 53fpe and 65fpe with the regulator set at a low of 125 Bar. The shot power could be brought down by a few more fpe by lowering the regulator some more. But then I had intermittent problems with the magazines not cycling after firing some kinds of pellets.

Notice also that many commercially favorite pellets (Hades, Crow Magnum, Baracuda, Exact King etc) have velocities of near or over 1000f/s (with shot power of about 65fpe) with the regulator set at 155 Bar, with a couple more types of pellets snapping at over 1,000f/s. The Crow Mags and Baracudas both had problems with the magazine not always advancing even at 155 Bar. No cycling problems with the other pellets tested at above 125Bar. These were not extensive tests and parts were all new and not broken in with use.

All of the average velocities of over 1000f/s are shown in red in the tables below. That is usually too fast for accuracy, for pellets anyway, I don't know about for slugs.

Once you plot out some power curve tables like this with your favorite pellets it's much easier to understand the limitations of your airgun. The Slash is dead simple to tune since there is only one adjustment control for the regulator pressure. Power tables like this provide a simple guide for adjusting the velocity and shot power for different pellets or slugs.

I wish that Taipan hadn't located the regulator gauge in such an awkward location. It's OK for testing from a bench stand but can't be left in place for actual shooting. And it's bothersome (not difficult just bothersome) to need to degas and install a pressure gauge for the regulator when more accurate info is desired. And there should be an external pressure control for the regulator that uses an Allen wrench, instead of making us take off the back plate and use a small pin wrench to adjust it. And we could use some additional 12-prong pellet seating tools with longer prongs to seat some types of pellets more deeply into the magazines. And either some different slug magazines which accept wider slugs, or else a list of recommended .25 slugs of different weights which work correctly in the current slug magazines.

These are relatively mild concerns. Overall the Slash functions well and the magazines are very robust. The shot power only went up between 15 fpe to about 20 fpe as the regulator's pressure was increased between 125 Bar and 185 Bar. And at 155 Bar only pellets over 26 grains kept their velocity under 1000f/s.
JP

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Thank you for such a thoughtful and thorough report… not gonna lie I’m glad I held off. The magazines seem like a nightmare and the power levels seem to be significantly lower than advertised. Isn’t it supposed to be able to do well over 100fpe even before the power kit?

jpiperson2002 said:

Here are three more short summary tables comparing the velocities and fpe for several kinds of .25 pellets shot through a Taipan Slash with a 420mm barrel, and with the regulator pressures set at 125 Bar, 155 Bar and 185 Bar. I had previously tested some pellets with the regulator set at 100 Bar, 110 Bar and 120 Bar but had problems with the magazine not advancing. The magazines were not jammed by loose fitting pellets sliding out of the cylinders. There just wasn't enough pressure in the system to consistently force the magazine to advance for every brand of pellet until the regulator was set over 120 Bar. I also noticed that the magazine would stop rotating if it came up with an empty cylinder in the magazine, even though there might be additional pellets in the magazine. That required resetting the magazine (in/out) so there was a pellet is in the chamber being fired.
....
JP

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Thanks for the update. Based on the challenges you faced, is the Slash worth it over the likes of the well established Hubens K1? Before the Slash came out, I kept reading about how Taipan does really excellent tests before introducing a new model. Curious what you think.

Cantona256 said:

Thank you for such a thoughtful and thorough report… not gonna lie I’m glad I held off. The magazines seem like a nightmare and the power levels seem to be significantly lower than advertised. Isn’t it supposed to be able to do well over 100fpe even before the power kit?

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The general design of the Slash magazines is excellent and the magazine safety is secure. They are made of machined metal and better than I'd expected. The pellet magazines worked with the dozen or so pellets I tried, in the sense that pellets were securely held in place once the edge of the skirt was caught under the little retaining ball.

I wasn't sure what to expect from shooting slugs. My limited prior experience with them involved wasted time and money compared to pellets. The 48g H&N slug developed the most power of the ammo tested at 185 Bar (85.8fpe) out of the 420mm barrel, and was still only going at 900f/s while all of the pellets were over 1000f/s. Those particular slugs seemed to work fine when shot through the pellet magazine and they didn't protrude or jam the rotation. Some companies offer specialty slugs in various diameters and weights so it isn't hard to determine what slugs works correctly and best for the standard power band available with the shorter 420mm barrel.

If it had one of those optional super-power kits installed in it (I don't remember seeing those kits mentioned in the advance ads) then I'm not sure what kinds of slugs you'd be able to shoot out of it and still keep the velocity subsonic under 1,100f/s. I don't hunt so I'd rather be able to tune down from 80 fpe to 20 fpe for target practice, like on the Huben K1, than be locked into one of three general Slash power ranges which don't allow as wide a variation. Though without having either of the new Slash power kits to test it's hard to predict the actual power range and ammo weights best suited.

The variation in shot power caused by adjusting the regulator from 125 Bar to 185 Bar was an increase of about 20fpe for the 48g slugs (from ~65fpe to ~86fpe) and an increase of about 17fpe for pellets (~60fpe to ~77fpe). That is plenty of velocity adjustment range for dialing in pellets and slugs for specific purposes and distances.

The Slash is a fine airgun, light and quiet for such a powerful .25 cal airgun. The magazines are a pleasure to use and so solid that I can't see them breaking.

It seems to me to be best suited for hunting where you might set the regulator to some optimum pressure and then have a few magazines along with different pellets or slugs in them. Especially the slightly shorter version with the 420mm barrel. It's easier to carry than the longer version and the power difference between the two can be reduced with suitable regulator adjustments and ammo selection.

I'll post this one for sale in the classifieds before the end of the summer. By that time we should all have more test results from Slash owners with different calibers and barrel lengths. And maybe some user feedback about the low-power and super-power kits as well.

I've had a few Huben K1s and Leshiy2s in the past. Each of these three semi-auto airgun models tries to stand apart by having a unique design and individual approach for power adjustments. Since the K1 is limited to .25 cal, it can't compete directly with the Slash and Leashiy2 in the .30 cal arena. But any of the models can be configured for light hunting and producing somewhat similar amounts of shot power compared to the other models, depending on the tune.

I think that anyone would be satisfied with the quality and performance and sound of the Slash, within the realm of reasonable expectation. It's easy to get worked up over the potential of a new design - that's how I've ended up with several which I got just so I could have a look and run some basic pellet/velocity/fpe power curve tests like the ones above. Just another retired engineer who only trusts real-world test data to tell an accurate story.

JP

jpiperson2002 said:

The general design of the Slash magazines is excellent and the magazine safety is secure. They are made of machined metal and better than I'd expected. The pellet magazines worked with the dozen or so pellets I tried, in the sense that pellets were securely held in place once the edge of the skirt was caught under the little retaining ball.

I wasn't sure what to expect from shooting slugs. My limited prior experience with them involved wasted time and money compared to pellets. The 48g H&N slug developed the most power of the ammo tested at 185 Bar (85.8fpe) out of the 420mm barrel, and was still only going at 900f/s while all of the pellets were over 1000f/s. Those particular slugs seemed to work fine when shot through the pellet magazine and they didn't protrude or jam the rotation. Some companies offer specialty slugs in various diameters and weights so it isn't hard to determine what slugs works correctly and best for the standard power band available with the shorter 420mm barrel.

If it had one of those optional super-power kits installed in it (I don't remember seeing those kits mentioned in the advance ads) then I'm not sure what kinds of slugs you'd be able to shoot out of it and still keep the velocity subsonic under 1,100f/s. I don't hunt so I'd rather be able to tune down from 80 fpe to 20 fpe for target practice, like on the Huben K1, than be locked into one of three general Slash power ranges which don't allow as wide a variation. Though without having either of the new Slash power kits to test it's hard to predict the actual power range and ammo weights best suited.

The variation in shot power caused by adjusting the regulator from 125 Bar to 185 Bar was an increase of about 20fpe for the 48g slugs (from ~65fpe to ~86fpe) and an increase of about 17fpe for pellets (~60fpe to ~77fpe). That is plenty of velocity adjustment range for dialing in pellets and slugs for specific purposes and distances.

The Slash is a fine airgun, light and quiet for such a powerful .25 cal airgun. The magazines are a pleasure to use and so solid that I can't see them breaking.

It seems to me to be best suited for hunting where you might set the regulator to some optimum pressure and then have a few magazines along with different pellets or slugs in them. Especially the slightly shorter version with the 420mm barrel. It's easier to carry than the longer version and the power difference between the two can be reduced with suitable regulator adjustments and ammo selection.

I'll post this one for sale in the classifieds before the end of the summer. By that time we should all have more test results from Slash owners with different calibers and barrel lengths. And maybe some user feedback about the low-power and super-power kits as well.

I've had a few Huben K1s and Leshiy2s in the past. Each of these three semi-auto airgun models tries to stand apart by having a unique design and individual approach for power adjustments. Since the K1 is limited to .25 cal, it can't compete directly with the Slash and Leashiy2 in the .30 cal arena. But any of the models can be configured for light hunting and producing somewhat similar amounts of shot power compared to the other models, depending on the tune.

I think that anyone would be satisfied with the quality and performance and sound of the Slash, within the realm of reasonable expectation. It's easy to get worked up over the potential of a new design - that's how I've ended up with several which I got just so I could have a look and run some basic pellet/velocity/fpe power curve tests like the ones above. Just another retired engineer who only trusts real-world test data to tell an accurate story.

JP

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Velocities on slugs wouldn’t be difficult to manage at all. Even if you can’t take the regulator down further you just use a heavier slug… or at least you would if the “slug” magazine could actually hold slugs… yes there are specialty sized slugs but as someone who only shoots slugs and so far only in .25 cal I have to say that while .249 is common .248 or .247 is not as common. Not even sure if I’ve seen a .246. It’s not like in .22 where the range is typically .216-.218… From the perspective of someone who only hunts having my ammo choices be so limited is not ideal at all.

As far as power goes I’m not one to gripe if the numbers are within reason but what you’re reporting is not. Taipan advertises 180j before the power kit. Correct me if I’m wrong but that’s like 134fpe or something no? That’s 50fpe more than what you’re making. It may not seem like much but I was looking to get a slash as my next coyote gun. As someone who hunts them in the deserts of the Southwest I actually have a need for that power. There’s just not much cover here. Even when squirrel hunting most of my shots are between 75-110y.

Cantona256 said:

Velocities on slugs wouldn’t be difficult to manage at all. Even if you can’t take the regulator down further you just use a heavier slug… or at least you would if the “slug” magazine could actually hold slugs… yes there are specialty sized slugs but as someone who only shoots slugs and so far only in .25 cal I have to say that while .249 is common .248 or .247 is not as common. Not even sure if I’ve seen a .246. It’s not like in .22 where the range is typically .216-.218… From the perspective of someone who only hunts having my ammo choices be so limited is not ideal at all.

As far as power goes I’m not one to gripe if the numbers are within reason but what you’re reporting is not. Taipan advertises 180j before the power kit. Correct me if I’m wrong but that’s like 134fpe or something no? That’s 50fpe more than what you’re making. It may not seem like much but I was looking to get a slash as my next coyote gun. As someone who hunts them in the deserts of the Southwest I actually have a need for that power. There’s just not much cover here. Even when squirrel hunting most of my shots are between 75-110y.

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The 180 Joule (132 fpe) top-end power listed by Taipan for the .25 Slash is for the 550mm barrel. Since I have the shorter 420mm barrel I expected my Slash to produce a maximum of about 80% of that (~105 fpe) when using heavy slugs. So the 86fpe max I was able to get with 185 Bar on the regulator and using the standard power kit with a 48g slug was considerably less than that. The magazines are long enough to accept longer/heavier slugs than the 48g I was able to use.

Here's what the Barista site says about expected power ranges when using the longer 550mm barrels. The high-power kit is supposed to increase the maximum power levels by about 40 Joules (30 fpe) over the standard power kit when used with a 550mm barrel. If a high-power kit is able to increase shot power on that same 48g slug up to the ~110fpe range then it would be more suitable for longer range hunting. I much prefer the shorter 420mm barrel but getting the longer 550mm barrel would also make sense if the highest power is needed.

Actually, using Helium instead of air in a PC is probably the easiest and most direct way to increase shot power by 50% with no other changes to the airgun. It works well in more traditional hammer on valve designs. I didn't personally have much luck running Helium in my Hubens because of their unique air valve. Since newer PCP airguns already produce enough power I don't usually run power tests with Helium anymore.



As mentioned in an earlier post, the slug magazine which came with my Slash isn't able to pass the .253 (Altaros & ZAN) or either of the .249 (the H&N) pellets I tried. One of the .249 slugs (the H&N heavy slugs) fit and shot OK when loaded into the pellet magazine even though neither of the .249 H&N slugs tried would fit through the narrower cylinders in the slug magazine.

A heavier slug would put out more shot power but it looks to me like you'd need a high-power kit to get up over 100fpe with the shorter 420mm barrel. I don't see a price listed for those. Since Baristas suggests having the kits installed by their shop in one of their videos I assume that the Slash will eventually be offered in 3 separate configurations, depending on which of the 3 power kits are installed. So to accurately characterize the power specs on the Slash we'd need to look at all 3 of the low/mid/high power kit configurations to check the actual minimum and maximum power levels produced with different weight slugs.

If the alternate kits are relatively inexpensive to purchase as an aftermarket item then some additional cost isn't a big deal. But if I planned to hunt with a .25 cal Slash at over 100fpe I'd go for the longer 550mm barrel and probably wait until a vendor starts to offer the high-power kit already installed in the rifle. It may take Taipan that long to decide whether to change the slug magazines to accept a wider variety of slugs.

It'll be interesting when we start seeing more velocity & shot power comparisons for the different caliber Slash rifles. It isn't very difficult, it only took a few hours over a chrony with a dozen types of ammo to get the results shown. Because of the Slash' lighter weight and reduced sound levels compared to than other airguns in the 100fpe+ power range I expect it to develop a loyal following eventually like other Taipan products. It will be a lot easier for people to decide whether to buy one after we see more feedback, especially on the cost and actual effect of the power kits.

JP

It is funny how we all think differently, but my concerns with the power are more about it not going low enough rather than at the high end - although that is not meant to minimize any concerns about not hitting the advertised power. It is just that I would want the gun to be able to shoot the regular Kings in the low 900 fps range for me to consider it (and I'd probably go with a .22 caliber, so I'll wait to see how that does).

Coming from the Huben K1 - where a full order of magnitude of power adjustment is available at the power wheel repeatably, reversibly, and without tools or testing (and even more when the regulator is adjusted too) - I just find the "flexibility" of the power on the Slash to be lacking, at least so far. I had hopes that this could be the one for me, but it is looking like it is not . . .

Is it really true that the only adjustment is with the regulated pressure itself, with nothing else to vary the power at any given set point?

AlanMcD said:

It is funny how we all think differently, but my concerns with the power are more about it not going low enough rather than at the high end - although that is not meant to minimize any concerns about not hitting the advertised power. It is just that I would want the gun to be able to shoot the regular Kings in the low 900 fps range for me to consider it (and I'd probably go with a .22 caliber, so I'll wait to see how that does).

Coming from the Huben K1 - where a full order of magnitude of power adjustment is available at the power wheel repeatably, reversibly, and without tools or testing (and even more when the regulator is adjusted too) - I just find the "flexibility" of the power on the Slash to be lackinglacking, at least so far. I had hopes that this could be the one for me, but it is looking like it is not . . .

Is it really true that the only adjustment is with the regulated pressure itself, with nothing else to vary the power at any given set point?

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Only the regulator pressure and the weight of the pellet or slug can be changed to vary the shot power. The different power kits just appear to change the min/max of the shot power available as the regulator is adjusted within the regulator's min/max range.

I agree about the Huben having a much easier and wider range of external power adjustment than the Slash. To me that is Huben's biggest advantage over other airguns. I value the ability to turn down the power on the Huben K1 and GK1s for short range target practice because that's mostly how I use it. It's easy to keep lighter pellets from going supersonic with a Huben while still being able to shoot the same pellets in the lower 700f/s range with simple external adjustments. All I want is an inherently quiet and relatively compact and lightweight airgun in .22 or .25 that can be easily adjusted without tools to shoot between 10fpe and up to 100fpe or so.

That wide range of power adjustment in a Huben might be more important to some than the higher powers available with a Slash in the same caliber. Or possibly the quieter sound signature and the removable magazines in the Slash outweigh concerns about the narrower range of power adjustment in the Slash compared to the Huben.

There are so many high quality airguns competing for business that it's difficult for any of them to really stand out dramatically from the others on performance alone. At least until Huben comes out with a .30 or maybe a 9mm with a removable magazine...

It wouldn't be nearly as interesting a topic if we didn't have this diversity of old and new products to compare and to haggle about.

JP

While the gun shows promise, I’m deeply concerned regarding the magazine diameter regarding slugs. They appear too small. CZ does not make .217 in 22cal, or .250 in 25 cal, and lastly .30 in 30 cal. For all who only shoot pellets, this is of no consequence, I grant you. But slug shooters who size their slugs to the barrel, are certainly going to be concerned. I’m a huge taipan fan, but I shoot both pellets and slugs, and expect my gun to do both well. These undersized slugs won’t.

MACTEN said:

.218 Slugs fit well in the pellet magazine.
These will also be tested this week.

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As long as a magazine holds the Slugs securely it should not matter whether that magazine was originally intended for use with pellets or slugs. The H&N heavy 249 slugs did fit into the 25 Cal pellet magazine and the dozen or so shots I tested worked correctly with no problems.

The main noticeable difference between using pellets and slugs in the pellet magazine was that slugs are not held very tightly in the cylinder after the back end passes the retaining ball. They don't slide around when the magazine is moved around, but a slug can slide back and forth slightly within the pellet magazine's cylinder if the pellet magazine is tapped sharply. Even then the end of the slug did not protrude past the face of the magazine so it did not cause any problems with cycling.

My guess is that the cylinders in the slug magazines are cut to very exacting dimensions probably .249. The actual diameter of different air gun slugs can vary a bit from slug to slug according to what I have read. And since slugs have so much bearing surface against the inside of the barrel, even a very slight oversize compared to the barrel's internal diameter will jam the slug.

Even a slug which is exactly 249 in diameter might not fit into a magazine cylinder which is cut to exactly 249 because it takes a very slight amount of clearance for the slug to get through. Pellets are a lot more forgiving because of the flexible skirt and narrow bearing surface along the bulge in the body of the pellet barrel which are more easily deformed when they enter a slightly tight Barrel.

I'll shop around and see if there are a few more kinds of 249 slugs around to check in the pellet and slug magazines. I didn't see any 248 slugs advertised anywhere. There is a good micrometer in one of the drawers here somewhere and I'll be able to compare the actual diameter of some different slugs to see if there's much variation from the advertised diameters.

I don't have any accurate way to directly measure the internal diameters of the barrel or magazine cylinders. But I can come pretty close if I measure some slugs accurately and then see how easily they enter the magazines and whether the pellet can be pushed all the way through either of the magazines by hand or not.

Both of the 249 slugs tested entered the pellet magazine, but only one of them was able to be forced all the way through the magazine and out the other side. The constriction point seems to be within the cylinder of the magazine, and not a choke at the exit face of the magazine.

It is interesting to see some related information coming out about the 22 caliber Slash and slug diameters in that one. Taipan will probably sell more Slash in 22 than in 25 or 30. Any fundamental differences between the designs of the rifles or magazines in the different calibers should show up fairly quickly as more people got them and start posting results. I expect that we will also see some 50 yard accuracy targets within a month or so as well.

MACTEN said:

.218 Slugs fit well in the pellet magazine.
These will also be tested this week.

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They may produce ok. the 22 cal vet 2 I have has a .219 barrel and using AVS .2193 proved successful. I look forward to your results.

My Vet2 550mm .22's barrel likes 20gr .2183 AVS slugs the best as far as accuracy @ approximately 930fps.

So far with my 22 550 barrel slash, I’m shooting 27.5 gr .217 NSA slugs at 910ish fps down to just about/above 120ish bar. .218 don’t fit the slug mag and I haven’t tried putting it in the pellet mag. So far the gun has been good with me hitting clay targets at 72 yards with iron sights. Regarding the semi auto function, you can’t just let off and shoot rapidly; you can pull about every second, but shooting faster than that can cause the mag not to cycle. (as far as how my gun is set. Not sure if that’s adjustable)

I've had my Slash Tactical 420mm .22 for only a few days.... but I wanted to give a quick update.

It's a great gun, it shoots very well, accurate, quiet, lightweight, multiple safeties, and a superb trigger! It's also pellet picky, and I'm having some occasional magazine cycling issues that Marek Děngl (Taipan owner/desiger/etc) and Randy, MACTEN, are helping me with. Taipan is really on top of this gun, and ready to help whenever we need it.

Taipan Slash Tactical 420mm .22

Build Quality - Solid is all I can say! Nothing plastic, the magazines are on the heavier side, but very well made. You just know you have a well made gun when you hold it.

Reg /Shot Count / Shot String - Not too bad, but I expect it to improve as I break the regulator in (see pic)
- Regulator: 120 bar
- Total Shots: 40-42 with FX 25.39
- ES: 23
- SD: 6

Pellets -
- The Slash .22 was designed for the JSB 25's I believe, and JSB/FX/JTS 25's all work great.
- JSB 18's are not good and haven't tried other's yet. I think they are too small for the magazine, plus I get many mag cycle issues. Do not use them.

Safeties
- Slash has a trigger safety and a magazine safety. These are excellent. In addition, we can decock the Slash, so I look at that as a 3rd safety. Well done Taipan!

Trigger - 8.4 oz (see pic)!! I did the average of three trigger pulls twice. I got 8.4 and 8.5 oz respectively. I also adjusted the trigger from one the videos, so this might have improved it.

Accuracy - I got a 0.51" 5-shot group at 50 yards, but then got so excited, I couldn't repeat but still got 0.68-0.74" (see pics)

My Problem
- The magazine will occasionally not cycle, and I must decock, then cock it to continue shooting. Maybe every 30-80 shots it will happen.
- Not a good thing and needs to be fixed!
- Marek Děngl of Taipan has Randy MACTEN have been helping to resolve it, but still not resolved. Marek is in contact with Slash Designers and Engineers, and they providing us with videos to lube, smooth or replace parts.
- I fully expect this problem to be resolved, but not nuts about having to take apart the gun (but the videos are well done).
- As far as I know, I'm the only Slash owner with a mag cycling problem.

Marek Děngl / Taipan is in constant contact with Randy and I, and I'm very pleased that the folks who designed and produced the Slash, are the ones directly helping me.

For example, when I emailed Tony at Talon Tunes on last Saturday afternoon about my mag cycling problem, he responded that he forwarded my email to Marek Děngl. In less than 30 minutes, Marek was in contact with me. That's good support!

I have no regrets other than I'm learning more about the internals of the Slash than I wanted , but pleased with my purchase, Tony and Taipan.

bernieorosz said:

I've had my Slash Tactical 420mm .22 for only a few days.... but I wanted to give a quick update.

It's a great gun, it shoots very well, accurate, quiet, lightweight, multiple safeties, and a superb trigger! It's also pellet picky, and I'm having some occasional magazine cycling issues that Marek Děngl (Taipan owner/desiger/etc) and Randy, MACTEN, are helping me with. Taipan is really on top of this gun, and ready to help whenever we need it.

Taipan Slash Tactical 420mm .22

Build Quality - Solid is all I can say! Nothing plastic, the magazines are on the heavier side, but very well made. You just know you have a well made gun when you hold it.

Reg /Shot Count / Shot String - Not too bad, but I expect it to improve as I break the regulator in (see pic)
- Regulator: 120 bar
- Total Shots: 40-42 with FX 25.39
- ES: 23
- SD: 6

Pellets -
- The Slash .22 was designed for the JSB 25's I believe, and JSB/FX/JTS 25's all work great.
- JSB 18's are not good and haven't tried other's yet. I think they are too small for the magazine, plus I get many mag cycle issues. Do not use them.

Safeties
- Slash has a trigger safety and a magazine safety. These are excellent. In addition, we can decock the Slash, so I look at that as a 3rd safety. Well done Taipan!

Trigger - 8.4 oz (see pic)!! I did the average of three trigger pulls twice. I got 8.4 and 8.5 oz respectively. I also adjusted the trigger from one the videos, so this might have improved it.

Accuracy - I got a 0.51" 5-shot group at 50 yards, but then got so excited, I couldn't repeat but still got 0.68-0.74" (see pics)

My Problem
- The magazine will occasionally not cycle, and I must decock, then cock it to continue shooting. Maybe every 30-80 shots it will happen.
- Not a good thing and needs to be fixed!
- Marek Děngl of Taipan has Randy MACTEN have been helping to resolve it, but still not resolved. Marek is in contact with Slash Designers and Engineers, and they providing us with videos to lube, smooth or replace parts.
- I fully expect this problem to be resolved, but not nuts about having to take apart the gun (but the videos are well done).
- As far as I know, I'm the only Slash owner with a mag cycling problem.

Marek Děngl / Taipan is in constant contact with Randy and I, and I'm very pleased that the folks who designed and produced the Slash, are the ones directly helping me.

For example, when I emailed Tony at Talon Tunes on last Saturday afternoon about my mag cycling problem, he responded that he forwarded my email to Marek Děngl. In less than 30 minutes, Marek was in contact with me. That's good support!

I have no regrets other than I'm learning more about the internals of the Slash than I wanted , but pleased with my purchase, Tony and Taipan.

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It's good to see some more results being posted. I also had intermittent failures of a .25 magazine to cycle after some shots. Almost no pellets successfully cycled the magazine at 100 Bar on the regulator, and a couple of pellets (Crow Mags & Baracuda) failed to cycle the magazine with 120 Bar on the regulator. So 125 Bar seems like the low end for consistency. The magazine won't cycle if the trigger is pulled on an empty cylinder so, like you, I needed to reset the magazine over a cylinder with a pellet in it for it to fire again. My guess is that lighter or slightly narrower pellets might not provide enough back pressure to operate the semi-auto before they exit into the barrel.

I didn't have any pellets fail to cycle a magazine when the regulator was above 140 Bar.