N/A Slug Uniformity and Accuracy

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CanMike

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Aug 7, 2024
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So I was thinking. I just got some Altaros slugs and the uniformity is beyond anything I’ve seen with standard pellets and slugs. So this got me thinking. I’m wondering if part of the reason they are accurate is that they are uniform and don’t have any surface defects to swing them off course. (Super high BC aside)

Notice all the weird artifacts inside the hollow point and rough / uneven nose on the standard slugs.

Mike

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CanMike said:
So I was thinking. I just got some Altaros slugs and the uniformity is beyond anything I’ve seen with standard pellets and slugs. So this got me thinking. I’m wondering if part of the reason they are accurate is that they are uniform and don’t have any surface defects to swing them off course. (Super high BC aside)

Notice all the weird artifacts inside the hollow point and rough / uneven nose on the standard slugs.

Mike

View attachment 580466

View attachment 580467
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Yea I was very impressed too, same thing. Ive been shooting .25 altoros queens for almost 2 months now and they are nothing shy of phenomenal. Cnc machined to perfection and seperated into foam. They are truly flawless on arrival. They shoot very consistent. They are pricey but you get what you pay for.
 
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@CanMike and @Dstrac: I'm pretty new to airguns, so I con't have much experience with different brands. I have some .22 HAWKi Thunder 25.3 gn pellets, very uniform and accurate. They are at 0.214 at the nose and 0.225 at the skirt. I just received some Apolo 25 gn slugs, very uniform but run 0.217/0.218 in diameter. I haven't shot them yet as I am waiting for a scope and don't want to sight the rifle in twice. However, I don't understand how being so undersized, they will fly true(?).

Did either of you measure your slugs for uniformity, not just for appearance, and how off from the nominal barrel diameter are they?
 
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i think uniformity plays a role. i used to shoot 17.5gr nsa slugs out of the notos with great accuracy. then i got a bad batch of them there were excess lead on the tips and inside the cavity. these were all over the place. apolo slugs we the only slugs that jammed up my huben k1. they shot okay for looking the way they did but i stopped shooting them after it jammed my gun.
 
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GerryR said:
@CanMike and @Dstrac: I'm pretty new to airguns, so I con't have much experience with different brands. I have some .22 HAWKi Thunder 25.3 gn pellets, very uniform and accurate. They are at 0.214 at the nose and 0.225 at the skirt. I just received some Apolo 25 gn slugs, very uniform but run 0.217/0.218 in diameter. I haven't shot them yet as I am waiting for a scope and don't want to sight the rifle in twice. However, I don't understand how being so undersized, they will fly true(?).

Did either of you measure your slugs for uniformity, not just for appearance, and how off from the nominal barrel diameter are they?
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I have measured altoros .25 slugs before. Im sure they vary by brand. They can measure under sized .2485- .249 is normal for a .25 slug. Over sized slugs like a . 254 measure .252-.253. Slugs can be out of round as well like you mentioned. They need to be a snug fit, but never so tight where you need to force it. Never force a slug into a barrel. It should be a slip fit. Not a press fit. Some .22 guys use .217 or .218
A few thousandth of an inch small is ok but a few thousandth too big could mean a stuck projectile.
If you go too small and air will go around the slug rather than push it out the barrel. Ive only been shooting a few years myself but have machine shop experience. Your gun may not like some slugs. If you have trouble try different brands.
Hopefully this answered some questions about fitment
 
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bigHUN said:
5 microns under size of grooves is OK and no blow by, but 5 microns over size is not OK.
Choked barrels a bit more complicated.
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Are you sure you haven't mis-stated the units. 1 micron= 0.00003937in., so 5 microns =0.00019685in. (maybe 50 microns?) I doubt anyone molds to those tolerances, or sizes the slugs or pellets afterwards. The .22 sizer I have is 0.2245; I have to push the HAWKi pellets through, but the Apolo pellets just fall through; That's why I'm "wondering" how the Apolos will shoot. Soon to find out!
 
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GerryR said:
Are you sure you haven't mis-stated the units...................
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5 micron is a plenty comfortable size for grinding = lapping a hole ID (with a lapping tool) ... you pick a Temp let say 22C and when making a die you work with it at 22C and the ID is 5 microns tolerance. If you at 30C that is not a 5 micron any longer.
To make a pellet sizer, about 1-3 degree taper will make the skirt bigger.
A push through can work with slugs ... I don't shoot slugs because my liners all choked.
For example, my Wilson brass neck sizer die inserts are tapered.
 
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GerryR said:
Is this accurate enough for you?View attachment 580616
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Maybe, depends on the tension on the spindle. Ok I'm being a bit of an ass, did precision grinding for 35 years. Does it really matter to pellets and slugs, I tend to doubt it if a few .0001" matter much, most barrels aren't that close...yet.
 
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HogKiller said:
Maybe, depends on the tension on the spindle. Ok I'm being a bit of an ass, did precision grinding for 35 years. Does it really matter to pellets and slugs, I tend to doubt it if a few .0001" matter much, most barrels aren't that close...yet.
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From some of my research, pellets and slugs are made to +- .001, so I doubt anybody needs a micrometer like the one pictured; I was just being a pain. I've had and used that mic for many years before retiring.
 
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GerryR said:
From some of my research, pellets and slugs are made to +- .001, so I doubt anybody needs a micrometer like the one pictured; I was just being a pain. I've had and used that mic for many years before retiring.
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We didn't have digitals way back when, I used Etalons, and Etalon dial mics that we'd set with gage blocks.
 
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HogKiller said:
We didn't have digitals way back when, I used Etalons, and Etalon dial mics that we'd set with gage blocks.
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Before they came up with the slip-clutch adjustment on the barrel of the mics, 10 people taking readings with the same mics would come up with 10 different results. That was a major improvement along with the tenths vernier. Sill more accuracy than is needed for pellets and slugs, IMO. For real accuracy, I believe they have push-through sizing dies similar to the ones used for powder burner bullets.
 
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GerryR said:
Before they came up with the slip-clutch adjustment on the barrel of the mics, 10 people taking readings with the same mics would come up with 10 different results. That was a major improvement along with the tenths vernier. Sill more accuracy than is needed for pellets and slugs, IMO. For real accuracy, I believe they have push-through sizing dies similar to the ones used for powder burner bullets.
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I"ve got some of the old ones laying around somewhere. I ran a test of sizing, didn't see any appreciable difference. I haven't been in the trade for ..... 21 years.
 
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