I just shot around 50 rounds through my slayer and put it on the bench to clean it. Do you guys clean from muzzle end with a bore guide or take the barrel off?
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A day at the range with a Slayer...
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Do not remove barrel. It is a tensioned barrel. I clean from the muzzle end. Just be careful and use brass cleaning tools. The barrel is a rifle barrel and not soft metal like an airgun barrel
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Also I shoot slugs lubed with 10wt r/c shock oil I buy on eBay. Reduces barrel leading significantly
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@jmeade1975 I use a string with a loop on the end with three square patches in the loop for quick pull-through cleanings at the range. Using lubed slugs, I need three passes or so to remove all leading. Feed it from the breech and pull it out the muzzle.
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I've been having a lot of accuracy issues with my Slayer. Been using the NSA 142 gr .357 as recommended but my groups are 1-2" @ 50 yards and @ 100 yards open up to around 6". Seems like it should be much better. I've had others shoot the Slayer with the same results.
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The FAQ section on their website gives some cleaning instructions using a bronze brush. It was also recommended to try .358 in The NSA 142. Mine was about the same as yours with .357 in
various slugs, but started to tighten a bit with .358 and a good cleaning.
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Try the NSA 142 grain slugs in .358" diameter. They should fit the bore tighter and shrink those groups. Also, check your scope mounting hardware, including the 3 rail mounting screws by the magazine well.
What does that fps shot string look like for the first four shots? As you may know, being unregulated the tighter the shot string the more accuracy because the harmonics are also consistent. My Slayer will be really consistent at a lower powered tune for the first four shots. I will either refill after three shots or correct the holdover for the rest of the magazine, depending on how I feel about the group and what range I am shooting. However when the Slayer is tuned for power each shot drops about 20 fps, and with the power tune I need to correct with holdover for each shot. Let us know what you come up with.
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Thanks for the input. I'll check on the items you've mentioned. When I've been shooting it at the range I've been tethering right around 3000psi.
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Here is a one mag shoot string with the NSA 142gr from a 3600psi fill. What are your thoughts on this string? I would think the speeds should be a bit faster according to the 940fps Tom mentions on his site. I haven't adjusted anything since receiving the Slayer about a year ago.
Shot count: 6
Low: 870
Hi: 926
Avg: 907
Spread: 56
STD Dev: 20.6
870
914
926
923
909
898
Shot count: 6
Low: 870
Hi: 926
Avg: 907
Spread: 56
STD Dev: 20.6
870
914
926
923
909
898
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The first shot looks a little valve locked. Two things to do to become familiar with it's nuances... First, try two different max fill pressures. Drop to both a 3500 psi fill then 3400 psi fill to see where that shot sting maps out at. It should give you four or five really good shots in that same fps range (less that first 870 shot). Then to see where it will go with additional spring tension, try a few turns in on the hammer spring adjustment with a full 3600 psi fill. It should move that valve lock up or eliminate it and also gain a decent amount of energy. It's been a while since I had mine slinging lead that fast, but I have seen several shots well above the 1,000 fps range. When running it this fast it is dropping each shot down 20 fps or more per (a "cliff tune") so I have to be on my game for each shot and consistent with the fill pressures.
My fps/pfe is actually lowered to your same shot string currently, with the same ammo. I've got well over a thousand rounds through the Slayer, so I've become pretty familiar with it and don't shoot it tethered anymore because it burnished the o-ring in the fill nipple making for a poopty range day waisting air.
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@ctshooter a couple other things that may help you out... Because of the barrel length you may be on the edge of waisting air around that slug with the valve dwell, which could be effecting the accuracy. Fiddling with the dwell could either help or hinder you in accuracy and you'll likely be back where Tom tested and tuned it. Not sure which you have but, on the older Slayer's balanced valve, the adjustment screw on the valve body controls valve dwell time, and the hammer spring adjustment screw controls bell curve. Clockwise gives more dwell/power, but only do 1/8 turn and test. The hammer spring adjuster can be turned in a full turn or two to see the curve results.
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Here's another string. I turned the hammer spring in about 60 degrees. I think my fill tank was running a little low and the string above was from 3500 and this one from just a touch under 3500.
Shot count: 6
Low: 881
Hi: 937
Avg: 909
Spread: 56
STD Dev: 20.0
898
937
921
916
898
881
I checked the shipping slip from Tom and it shows: Fill to 3625 and the four shots listed there are 928, 931, 925, 924 with NSA 142 0.357. I'm definitely not getting that level of consistency.
I would imagine I have the newer of the valve as my shipping shows Sept 2022. It's not that I am not comfortable going into the gun or valve, but I'm not sure I would make it better or worse at this point.
Thing is, being tethered at 3000psi I thought I would have speed consistency while at the range, so I am not sure the spread is fully relevant to the accuracy concerns. Will probably reach out to Tom to have him check the accuracy and tune when I have some time to pack it up and ship it.
Shot count: 6
Low: 881
Hi: 937
Avg: 909
Spread: 56
STD Dev: 20.0
898
937
921
916
898
881
I checked the shipping slip from Tom and it shows: Fill to 3625 and the four shots listed there are 928, 931, 925, 924 with NSA 142 0.357. I'm definitely not getting that level of consistency.
I would imagine I have the newer of the valve as my shipping shows Sept 2022. It's not that I am not comfortable going into the gun or valve, but I'm not sure I would make it better or worse at this point.
Thing is, being tethered at 3000psi I thought I would have speed consistency while at the range, so I am not sure the spread is fully relevant to the accuracy concerns. Will probably reach out to Tom to have him check the accuracy and tune when I have some time to pack it up and ship it.
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@ctshooter That isn't really that far off on spread from the pre-delivery tune. It likely settled in with use at where it is now since the same grain weight slugs were used to test and tune. Tom is intimately familiar with tuning and accuracy of these and will get you squared away.
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I just did two more tests:
From ~3600:
823
907
930
932
932
909
From 3400:
909
932
932
914
900
886
From ~3600:
823
907
930
932
932
909
From 3400:
909
932
932
914
900
886
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I'd try the fill at 3300 psi and see if you get three tight shots around 930 fps. Then get a couple of boxes of the NSA .358 diameter 142 grain slugs to tighten up the groups. Here's a look at the dope chart at that muzzle velocity.
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Painted up some steel tonight at 175 and 230 yards. I don't know what to think about the busy Tremor3 reticle; it definitely has a lot of hold dots printed all over the bottom of it!
View attachment IMG_20231107_171420587_HDR.jpg
View attachment IMG_20231107_171420587_HDR.jpg
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It brings a whole new meaning to busy as far as reticles go.
I like the H59 but the Tremors are not my desire for holdover reticles because I feel it gets to the point of obscuring seeing where the impact goes sometimes.
I like the H59 but the Tremors are not my desire for holdover reticles because I feel it gets to the point of obscuring seeing where the impact goes sometimes.
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Are you using them as hollow points ? I have cast solids in the past but never a hollow point. Would like to order a mould and get to casting some .357 for the slayer, I don't really need a HP round....
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I bought the 358-152-HP-CF4 mold with all three changeable pins, and cast with the shallow and deep hollow pointed pins. The mold works well for either. If you're strictly target shooting the Slayer for accuracy then I have found the swaged ammo is the best because of consistency. Cast ammo has weight and size variation that matters in flight characteristics in long range target shooting, whereas it does not show up so much in close range hunting.
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