AEA challenger Bullpup .45 is all over the place

[tkav1980]

I got my first big bore today and used the Seneca .457 200 g slugs.

Sighting it in, it was literally all over the place. Typically, I take a shot from a rest and move the cross hairs to the point of impact until the gun is dead on.

Through the 6 round mag it went from high left to high right to low left and low right. 2 shots were dead nuts on. The spread for the groups was nearly a foot at 50 yards.

Shot 6 mags and the result was the same each time. So much so that I was putting rounds through the same holes.

The ammo was the only thing I could find in stock and I assume it's the issue here. Usually, I can get a gun sighted in pretty quick but this was a bit frustrating and I'd love some advice.

The cool part though was the fact that it went clear through an inch of plywood, 2x4 and a small tree behind it so I'm loving the power this thing has.

 

[dizzums]

shooting one in the dark here .. but thats a big piece of lead, and i would imagine comparatively slow .. if the gun has a bit of recoil or pronounced vibration it could possibly be affecting point of aim as the projectile is exiting the barrel .. anyway, if you only tried one hold or rest, id try something else just to see ...

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

Slug the barrel by pushing one of those slugs through from the breech end. You will probably find that the bore is quite a bit larger in diameter than the slugs you are using. Also, look at the barrel's crown with a good light and magnifying glass. You'll probably see that there are burrs on there from the machining process. Neither of these issues are conducive to accuracy.

 

[cosmic]

 Mine slugs .461 ...

 

[Ironman482]

Mine slugged at .461 also , and the .457 ammo that I first bought would drop through the bore without touching, I'll bet yours will too, I had too order a special 461 mold to get the right size ammo , .459 will work but isn't ideal.

 

[Asher]

Mine slugged at .461 also , and the .457 ammo that I first bought would drop through the bore without touching, I'll bet yours will too, I had too order a special 461 mold to get the right size ammo , .459 will work but isn't ideal.

Interesting. What kind of energy are you getting with what weight slugs? In the near future I'll be making .458 slugs for mine with my swage press. Unfortunately I can't go any wider than .458. They will have dish bases to hopefully act like pellet skirts somewhat and expand into the grooves. Mine also slugged at .461. 



@tkav1980,

Because it's unregulated I would expect some drop on the last round or two but not that bad at only 50 yards, and with only 200 grains. Mine does ok with NSA .457 slugs in that weight range, have you tried any of those?

 

[tkav1980]

Mine slugged at .461 also , and the .457 ammo that I first bought would drop through the bore without touching, I'll bet yours will too, I had too order a special 461 mold to get the right size ammo , .459 will work but isn't ideal.

Interesting. What kind of energy are you getting with what weight slugs? In the near future I'll be making .458 slugs for mine with my swage press. Unfortunately I can't go any wider than .458. They will have dish bases to hopefully act like pellet skirts somewhat and expand into the grooves. Mine also slugged at .461. 



@tkav1980,

Because it's unregulated I would expect some drop on the last round or two but not that bad at only 50 yards, and with only 200 grains. Mine does ok with NSA .457 slugs in that weight range, have you tried any of those?

The only think I could find was the 200 grain air ventury slugs. When I push the slug into the barrel at the breach, it seems like a snug fit and then shaking it returns no result. The slug stays put. Again this weekend, all over the place. It’s extremely frustrating but I think I just need to find and try some different ammo or figure out how to actually measure the bore.

 

[Borntoshoot119]

What are you using for fill pressure? I have the 357 long stock, I am able to fill it with 4500 psi but found out at that pressure a big bell curve,i lowered to 36-3800 depending on how heavy the lead is.You will need a chronograph and record the numbers, and play with different fill pressures to get those number to flatten out,, and stay consistent for 4-6 shots mine is around 5 good even power shots. Once you know what numbers work for you, keep track of the fill pressure was used, what lead was used and how far target was. And also the low air pressure, i don't go below 150 bar. BUT MINE IS THE 357.

 I DID HAVE THREE WASHERS INSALLED BUT, REMOVED 1, MADE THE TRIGGER TO STIFF FOR ME.

 

[sonnysan]

If you can smash a .454 lead ball a little bit you can slug your barrel:

https://airgunwarriors.com/community/airgun-talk/how-to-slug-an-airgun-barrel/

Once you know the groove diameter, you can focus on ammo.

You have two paths: The expensive mr. hollowpoint, Seneca (garbage), NSA, etc.

The inexpensive path: Cowboy bullets:

https://cowboybullets.com/45-Caliber_c_11.html

https://www.meisterbullets.com/AWSCategories/p/22/Hard-Cast-Bullets-

https://www.badmanbullets.com/OnlineStore/categories.php?cat=Polymer+Coated+Hard+Cast+Lead+Bullets

Best part about badman is you can order samples: 25 bullets @ $13 shipped.

It is uncharted territory, and you'll have to experiment. I have found luck with Meister .454 200gr. SWC,, but need to try samples from badman to find the best results. Badman recommends the polymer bullets, even with airguns.

 

[Nomadic Pirate 66]

How on earth you sell a .457 gun that is actually a .461 ?