30-Yard Challenge

[tommyb]

September 5, 2025

HW100 .22 Carbine
AEA 15.89g pellets
Midas Tac 6X24X50mm Scope
Rear Protektor bag
Accu-TAC front bipod

194-8X 30 Yard Masters ( Leaderboard )
199-12X 30 Yard Challenge ( Leaderboard )
193-11X
193-11X

RAW HM1000x .22
Athlon Heras 15X60X50 mm, at 35X
JSB 25.39g RDs
Rear Protektor Bag
Accu-TAC front bipod

197-10X 30 Yard Challenge
199-15X 30 Yard Challenge ( Leaderboard )

Boy, glad I talked to Ed yesterday and tried the AEA 15.89g on the HW100 .22. The four chrony shot strings were all at around 800 FPS, with ES less than 20.

Interesting fact: Ed tuned my HW100 .22 last year and it shot the FX Atomic 15.89g great at 810 fps. Until now, I never tried another pellet in the gun, until today. I came close to shooting my first ever 200, but not quite yet.

All the way, with AEA!!

 

[EPG]

Leaderboard Submissions:

Date: 9/5/25
30-Challenge: 199 16X
Rifle: .22 Taipan Vet 2 Standard
Pellet: AEA 18.3g 875fps
Scope: Athlon Argos 10-40 SFP @ 38X

Date: 9/5/25
30-Masters: 200 18X
Rifle: .22 Taipan Vet 2 Standard
Pellet: AEA 18.3g 875fps
Scope: Athlon Argos 10-40 SFP @ 38X

I shot the 200 18X first - I believe that it's the best 30-Masters that I've shot with any rifle. I then thought I'd try to keep everything the same and see if I could follow it with a 200 at 30-Challenge. I let the rifle on the shooting table and added air back to 190bar - which was the starting fill pressure on the 200 18X card. Alas, the wind kicked up and my shooting was not as good - shot a 196.

Later in the day, the wind got mild again and I tried for 200 again - and shot the 199 16X. I show a close up of 12A - just missed the 200 by the width of a hair, lol.

On the 200 card, I show a close up of my lone sighter, which was also an X. So, I shot 19Xs out of 21 shots taken on the 30-Masters Card - it felt amazing - all the stars must have been aligned, since I'm shooting straight from the tin. I'm loving the consistency that I'm getting with the AEA 18.3 grain - excellent pellet.

Made Becky take my picture with both cards today - she puts up with me and my crazy airgun addiction.

-Ed

 

[EPG]

Leaderboard Submission:

Date: 9/9/25
30-Masters: 198 14X
Rifle: .22 Akela "HP" (using 23.5" Cayden barrel)
Pellet: AEA 15.9g 880-891 fps (unregulated - using 2.68" hammer spring)
Scope: Athlon Argos 10-40 SFP @ 35X

Having fun creating my own "Frankenstein" air rifles - like Ricky the Airgunnero.

This build just blew my mind with an immediate 198 30-Masters. Shot a 2nd card late in the day using FX 15.9 and shot 194 30-Masters. It's so quiet now that this barrel is under a shroud - love it !!

-Ed

 

[EPG]

Leaderboard Submission:

Date: 9/10/25
40-Masters: 193 9X
Rifle: .22 Akela "HP" (using 23.5" Cayden barrel)
Pellet: AEA 15.9g 875-884 fps (unregulated - using 2.68" hammer spring)
Scope: Athlon Argos 10-40 SFP @ 35X
Starting fill pressure = 2,600psi (unregulated rifle)

Its a bit breezy to be shooting 15.9g at 40-Masters, but this "Caydela" is really showing a super-consistent vertical dispersion. First try at 40-Masters was 190 7X in very significant breeze in the morning.

I am REALLY impressed with this build - super quiet too.

 

[NAProf]

Hi Guys,
After another 3-day mini Nor'easter I was finally able to "put some lead downrange". Shot 4 cards with three rifles today. All were pretty good but only 1 for the Leaderboard!

30 yd Masters 200-17X
FX Crown Mk II (Nordic Wolf) with 500mm barrel in .22
AEA 18.3 gr pellets @ 879 fps
Athlon Heras SPR 6-24x56 SFP @ 24x

Every time I start thinking about selling my .22 Crown I end up shooting a card like this - it is almost as if the rifle is sensing my thoughts. I have only shot 5 200 cards in three years of doing this and three of them have been with this rifle.

I shot this and a 191-11x 40 yd Challenge with the NW Crown in 4-6 mph winds in the morning. But the wind was fairly steady and blowing right in my face. The AEA 18.3's had no problem bucking this wind.

After lunch the wind was down to about a steady 3mph so decided to try the .177's. The GM Crown shot the FX 13.4's on a 196-10x 30 yd Masters card (with 7 10's ). Good, but not a Leaderboard.

Finally, at around 6PM the wind pretty much died. Got out the DRS and shot a 193-8x 30 yd Masters (with 5 10's also ). Also, not a Leaderboard, but not bad. However, I did note that I had a hard time with my heartbeat showing up in the reticle movement. The fact that I have AFib doesn't make it any easier, but I must be pushing a main artery on the portable bench (maybe the way I am sitting as the seat is part of the bench). Something to work on as I don't have that problem in my FT shooting position.

In closing - take a minute tonight to remember how together we were as a nation after the events of 24 years ago. We could use some of that spirit now!

Cheers,
Greg

 

[tommyb]

Hi Guys,
After another 3-day mini Nor'easter I was finally able to "put some lead downrange". Shot 4 cards with three rifles today. All were pretty good but only 1 for the Leaderboard!

30 yd Masters 200-17X
FX Crown Mk II (Nordic Wolf) with 500mm barrel in .22
AEA 18.3 gr pellets @ 879 fps
Athlon Heras SPR 6-24x56 SFP @ 24x

Every time I start thinking about selling my .22 Crown I end up shooting a card like this - it is almost as if the rifle is sensing my thoughts. I have only shot 5 200 cards in three years of doing this and three of them have been with this rifle.

I shot this and a 191-11x 40 yd Challenge with the NW Crown in 4-6 mph winds in the morning. But the wind was fairly steady and blowing right in my face. The AEA 18.3's had no problem bucking this wind.

After lunch the wind was down to about a steady 3mph so decided to try the .177's. The GM Crown shot the FX 13.4's on a 196-10x 30 yd Masters card (with 7 10's ). Good, but not a Leaderboard.

Finally, at around 6PM the wind pretty much died. Got out the DRS and shot a 193-8x 30 yd Masters (with 5 10's also ). Also, not a Leaderboard, but not bad. However, I did note that I had a hard time with my heartbeat showing up in the reticle movement. The fact that I have AFib doesn't make it any easier, but I must be pushing a main artery on the portable bench (maybe the way I am sitting as the seat is part of the bench). Something to work on as I don't have that problem in my FT shooting position.

In closing - take a minute tonight to remember how together we were as a nation after the events of 24 years ago. We could use some of that spirit now!

Cheers,
Greg

View attachment 593070

Greg

Your last sentence, I could not agree more. I don’t think there are too many who would disagree with your sentiment.

Great shooting and it’s nice to have the background.

Tom

 

[EPG]

Leaderboard Submission:

Card: 40-Challenge: 196 13X
Rifle: .22 Benjamin Akela (23.5” Cayden barrel - unregulated)
Pellet: AEA 15.9g @ 882fps
Scope: Athlon Argos 10-40 SFP @ 40X

Good wind conditions for this card. Akela .22 “HP” has been amazing. I believe I paid $185 for it - refurb from Airgun Revisions. Cayden barrel loves the AEA 15.9g.

Typically, I’d use at least 18g to shoot 40 yards with .22 caliber. This Akela .22 HP build with this longer barrel is just a laser - and really nice shot cycle.

 

[Florida_Man]

I left work early to meet the Terminix guy, and had a little extra time. Now for the backstory.

I’ve been shooting the 30Y Challenge for two years now, and it’s been quite a journey. I started with an FX Maverick Compact in .177. While it was accurate enough for pest control, the rifle struggled with point-of-impact shift. I eventually sold it, with my best score being a 197.

In the fall of 2023, I moved to a Daystate Huntsman Revere Safari in .177. Around the same time, my son was born in August 2023, which meant less range time. Learning the rifle and testing pellets stretched out over the next two years, but eventually I found that JSB Monster Redesigned pellets gave me the best consistency.

Finding the right setup was another challenge. I prefer bags, so that’s where I invested. My Caldwell bag never impressed me until I lightened the fill, and my rear support—a Wiebad mini range cube—has been a reliable constant. To complete the setup, I built a shooting table out of composite deck material, mounted to a portable workbench.

For nearly two years, 197 remained my ceiling with the Revere, all shot under a Sightron 36x scope. Recently, I swapped optics—moving the 36x to my S200 and running a Sightron 24x on the Revere. At the same time, I addressed a small but nagging issue: the factory barrel shroud had noticeable movement. I replaced it with a threaded adapter, removed the shroud, and shot with the adapter and 22/25 DonnyFL Tanto.

Another addition since my previous best scores is the MDT Send It electronic level. It’s a small tool, but I believe it made a real difference in today’s performance.

The result? After years of effort, experimentation, and persistence—my first 200.

 

[NAProf]

I left work early to meet the Terminix guy, and had a little extra time. Now for the backstory.

I’ve been shooting the 30Y Challenge for two years now, and it’s been quite a journey. I started with an FX Maverick Compact in .177. While it was accurate enough for pest control, the rifle struggled with point-of-impact shift. I eventually sold it, with my best score being a 197.

In the fall of 2023, I moved to a Daystate Huntsman Revere Safari in .177. Around the same time, my son was born in August 2023, which meant less range time. Learning the rifle and testing pellets stretched out over the next two years, but eventually I found that JSB Monster Redesigned pellets gave me the best consistency.

Finding the right setup was another challenge. I prefer bags, so that’s where I invested. My Caldwell bag never impressed me until I lightened the fill, and my rear support—a Wiebad mini range cube—has been a reliable constant. To complete the setup, I built a shooting table out of composite deck material, mounted to a portable workbench.

For nearly two years, 197 remained my ceiling with the Revere, all shot under a Sightron 36x scope. Recently, I swapped optics—moving the 36x to my S200 and running a Sightron 24x on the Revere. At the same time, I addressed a small but nagging issue: the factory barrel shroud had noticeable movement. I replaced it with a threaded adapter, removed the shroud, and shot with the adapter and 22/25 DonnyFL Tanto.

Another addition since my previous best scores is the MDT Send It electronic level. It’s a small tool, but I believe it made a real difference in today’s performance.

The result? After years of effort, experimentation, and persistence—my first 200.

View attachment 594209

View attachment 594210

Congratrs!
It is an awesome feeling when you shoot that last bull and you see it strike the 10 or x, knowing that gives you the ever elusive 200. It is also a testiment to your determination and competativeness that you have stuck to it and achieved the result. I wish I could say that it gets easier, but it doesn't. But having done it once you know you are capable of making it happen again. Keep "sending lead downrange"!
Cheers,
Greg

 

[tommyb]

I left work early to meet the Terminix guy, and had a little extra time. Now for the backstory.

I’ve been shooting the 30Y Challenge for two years now, and it’s been quite a journey. I started with an FX Maverick Compact in .177. While it was accurate enough for pest control, the rifle struggled with point-of-impact shift. I eventually sold it, with my best score being a 197.

In the fall of 2023, I moved to a Daystate Huntsman Revere Safari in .177. Around the same time, my son was born in August 2023, which meant less range time. Learning the rifle and testing pellets stretched out over the next two years, but eventually I found that JSB Monster Redesigned pellets gave me the best consistency.

Finding the right setup was another challenge. I prefer bags, so that’s where I invested. My Caldwell bag never impressed me until I lightened the fill, and my rear support—a Wiebad mini range cube—has been a reliable constant. To complete the setup, I built a shooting table out of composite deck material, mounted to a portable workbench.

For nearly two years, 197 remained my ceiling with the Revere, all shot under a Sightron 36x scope. Recently, I swapped optics—moving the 36x to my S200 and running a Sightron 24x on the Revere. At the same time, I addressed a small but nagging issue: the factory barrel shroud had noticeable movement. I replaced it with a threaded adapter, removed the shroud, and shot with the adapter and 22/25 DonnyFL Tanto.

Another addition since my previous best scores is the MDT Send It electronic level. It’s a small tool, but I believe it made a real difference in today’s performance.

The result? After years of effort, experimentation, and persistence—my first 200.

View attachment 594209

View attachment 594210

Hey Chris, I enjoyed reading about your journey with the 30Y Challenge and the .177 Revere. Looks like a nice new table you made there.

I have been trying unsuccessfully for 3 years with my .22 Revere to shoot my first 200 with this rifle. It's shoots well ( consistently in the low-mid 190's ), but I just have not gotten there.....yet!

Congrats to you on your first 200! Wanna trade rifles? Lol....

 

[Florida_Man]

Hey Chris, I enjoyed reading about your journey with the 30Y Challenge and the .177 Revere. Looks like a nice new table you made there.

I have been trying unsuccessfully for 3 years with my .22 Revere to shoot my first 200 with this rifle. It's shoots well ( consistently in the low-mid 190's ), but I just have not gotten there.....yet!

Congrats to you on your first 200! Wanna trade rifles? Lol....

Thank you. There is a lot along the way that I didn’t mention. Coming up with a table and rests took a lot of thought, trial, and error. There was a point along this journey that stability was the only thing I did. Build from the base up. My shooting practice was a few sessions a week indoors at 10m during my lunch breaks at work. I knew until I solved the stability, I was wasting time at 30yards.

A crazy thing about today is I was near the end of a tin. So after verifying with one shot that it was the same POI I shot the entire card from the new tin. Prior tin I washed prior to use.

This rifle shot 197’s with air arms and fx 10.3gr. I will try them again, but it seems like the redesigns are just a little better.

Special thanks to Airguns of Arizona. While it’s their low cost Daystate, I had a few questions early on and they were great.

 

[JimD]

Congratulations Florida Man!!! I shot three 199s with my P35-22 before I finally shot a 200 - with 15Xs - two years ago. I shot one more last year with my then new Caiman X. And now a break through - two 200s in one year this year. But that was in August. This month I struggle to shoot a 195. While shooting is always fun it's really nice to get to the objective occasionally too.

 

[tommyb]

Thank you. There is a lot along the way that I didn’t mention. Coming up with a table and rests took a lot of thought, trial, and error. There was a point along this journey that stability was the only thing I did. Build from the base up. My shooting practice was a few sessions a week indoors at 10m during my lunch breaks at work. I knew until I solved the stability, I was wasting time at 30yards.

A crazy thing about today is I was near the end of a tin. So after verifying with one shot that it was the same POI I shot the entire card from the new tin. Prior tin I washed prior to use.

This rifle shot 197’s with air arms and fx 10.3gr. I will try them again, but it seems like the redesigns are just a little better.

Special thanks to Airguns of Arizona. While it’s their low cost Daystate, I had a few questions early on and they were great.

Yeah, the more we can do to stabilize our shooting platform will almost always improve our accuracy with these minuscule 10 rings. This includes having a solid ‘level’ bench with no wobble, using good front and rear rests, and a lil’ skill and luck along the way.

 

[tommyb]

September 17, 2025

Where: Woody’s Range
Gun: FX Royale 400 .22 caliber with Smooth Twist barrel
Ammo: AEA 18.3g and JSB 20.83g
Accu- Tac front Bipod
Rear Protektor bag
Scope: Athlon 2FP Argos BTR Gen 3, 10 X 40 X 56mm

I was adjusting my Hammer Spring quite a bit today, while shooting 30y cards. I think I found two pretty good velocities for the above pellets.

AEA at 910 FPS and JSB 20.83g at 875 FPS. I tried to go higher, but another full turn and a half, and I was at the max.

Two Leaderboards:

30Y Challenge: 199-15X
30Y Masters: 197-14X

Notables: 198-11X, 196-17X, 193-11X. Anytime I get more than 15x hits, I’m always happy.

 

[JimD]

I have a leaderboard submission.

Shot 9/17/25 about 8 this morning in 3mph winds (I ignored)
198 16X
Caiman X with Vector Sintenel 10-40 set at 40X
AEA 21.9 at 840 fps

I tested pellets last year when I got the Caiman and settled on H&N 18 grain which gave me a 200 last year. The regulator was at 95 bar as I received it. I then tried slugs and it shot H&N slugs fairly well but not as accurately so I switched it back. I set the regulator at about 105 bar. No real reason. But with the regulator a little higher I have been unable to get back to the same accuracy with the H&N or other 18 grain pellets. It was not terrible but it was not upper 190s accurate. I was well below peak velocity. So on a whim I shot some AEA 21.9s that my P35-22 loves. They looked promising so I tried some different velocities, just shooting groups adjusting only the hammer spring, and they seem to shoot best at about 840 fps. I think it's a tune thing but if somebody else has a gun that likes them at that velocity please let me know. I sat down to see if I couldn't do better than my previous 197 with this gun this year and the POI kept jumping around. It was wearing the Arken EPL-4 6-24 I've pretty much always used on it and never had a problem with. I bought the Vector Sentinel 10-40 because I've been happy with the Sentinel 8-32, it gave me 3 200s, and I got it for just over $160 from Amazon last week. They do not have glass even close to the Arken but it is holding a zero as the 8-32 always has. I wish I knew why I am having scope problems.

Anyway, I think this is one point and a couple Xs better than my previous best for this gun this year so I am submitting it.

 

[Florida_Man]

I got out in the dark and did some testing with my S200. I found it likes FX 10.3’s more than Air Arms 10.3’s.
I was just going to shoot the rifle since it still had a brand new Huma reg. But it was shooting the FX really well, so I had to give it a go. I didn’t pay attention to my shot count and I was off reg at the end. A day to have time to shoot is better than a day you don’t.

Air Arms S200 177
FX 10.3gr
Sightron 36x w/ Vector adjustable mounts
715fps
Huma mod 30
Eaglevision harmonic tuner

 

[tommyb]

I have a leaderboard submission.

Shot 9/17/25 about 8 this morning in 3mph winds (I ignored)
198 16X
Caiman X with Vector Sintenel 10-40 set at 40X
AEA 21.9 at 840 fps

I tested pellets last year when I got the Caiman and settled on H&N 18 grain which gave me a 200 last year. The regulator was at 95 bar as I received it. I then tried slugs and it shot H&N slugs fairly well but not as accurately so I switched it back. I set the regulator at about 105 bar. No real reason. But with the regulator a little higher I have been unable to get back to the same accuracy with the H&N or other 18 grain pellets. It was not terrible but it was not upper 190s accurate. I was well below peak velocity. So on a whim I shot some AEA 21.9s that my P35-22 loves. They looked promising so I tried some different velocities, just shooting groups adjusting only the hammer spring, and they seem to shoot best at about 840 fps. I think it's a tune thing but if somebody else has a gun that likes them at that velocity please let me know. I sat down to see if I couldn't do better than my previous 197 with this gun this year and the POI kept jumping around. It was wearing the Arken EPL-4 6-24 I've pretty much always used on it and never had a problem with. I bought the Vector Sentinel 10-40 because I've been happy with the Sentinel 8-32, it gave me 3 200s, and I got it for just over $160 from Amazon last week. They do not have glass even close to the Arken but it is holding a zero as the 8-32 always has. I wish I knew why I am having scope problems.

Anyway, I think this is one point and a couple Xs better than my previous best for this gun this year so I am submitting it.

View attachment 594426

Jim, scores getting in high 190’sconsistently.

My Taipan .22 Vet 2 long likes the AEA 21.9g at 910-925 FPS range. Have shot a 200, a few 199’s and a couple dozen 30y targets in the mid to upper 190’s with this velocity. These have been previously posted in this thread. I shot it at 850 once, and the gun was set up by Tony to shoot 21.9g at 910 fps.

At these velocities my ES values are typically less than 15, with many strings under 10. Pretty consistent shot to shot values.

It’s a heavier pellet for most of our .22 cal 28-32 FPE rifles, but they are great quality and they seem to do well on the 30y and 40y challenge cards for me.