AEA Semi Auto buyers and owners BEWARE!

hgg2k

Member
Apr 29, 2021
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Greece
I recently bought the AEA HP SS .25 air pistol and I have to admit that it is a lot of fun!
Very nice platform and very accurate for such a small barrel.
It has two problems though.

One is major and the other is huge.

The major problem is the magazine. It is pure junk. Cheap plastic, awful construction and badly designed. The spring inside has two extensions (pins), a long one that goes into the rotary wheel and a very short one that goes into the bottom of the magazine. This small one is so sort that after a while it pops up and the magazine stops working. You have to disassemble the magazine and put it back to position, but it will keep doing it because it’s a very bad design. It is also very picky about pellets. The whole construction is very cheap and flimsy.

The second problem that I realized after 100 rounds is huge! Everybody that has used a moderator surely knows that they collect a lot of lead dust inside. The HP and all the other semi autos have a set of baffles inside the shroud and they use the captured air to push back the cocking action in order to load the next pellet automatically. Everybody would have noticed that every time you shoot it, a generous amount of air blows exactly at your face.

This means that after every shot a small amount of very fine lead particulates from the shroud is hitting you right at your face! This dust is hundreds of times more dangerous than handling lead pellets, especially if you inhale it. Lead will be in your bloodstream in a matter of minutes. Carcinogenic and highly neurotoxic.

Buying this air pistol, no matter how fun it is, was a very bad decision unfortunately.
Owners of these semi autos should be aware of this danger which is no fun at all.
 
The magazines are not junk but close. I agree with the mag springs, what I do is bend out a longer leg for the case anchor hole and then cut off what sticks out after assembly. There is some blow back but not excessive. If yours is excessive you may want to check the breech seal. I seriously doubt the lead dust is anymore than many other airguns or powder burners.

I had an issue with the barrel getting very dirty patches came out black. Looking through it with a bore scope showed splotches of rust through out the barrel. I polished the barrel and the dirt went away. Prior to that I saw dust on the end of barrel and cylinder and in the moderator. All stay much cleaner now. I did this to improve accuracy and it did. Maybe try polishing the barrel and see if dust concern is still there.
 
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I understand the issue. I'm saying you get the same thing from many semiauto rifles. I shoot left handed. Shoot a rimfire semiauto LH once. You get splattered in the face from the "blow back" action. I will have to disagree with your above statement as a whole. I do not think this is an AEA design issue. Blow back actions in semiauto's is common.

Lead dust can be a hazard when shooting indoors. That is why they insist on controlled HVAC systems with hepa filtration. Are you getting lead dust on your face that is visible? If not how do you know it is excessive? I'm not seeing what you are referring to and I have two AEA semiauto's.
 
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MEH!

I got my annual blood testing done last month as part of my annual physical and I had less than 9 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) and I cast a LOT and shoot a LOT in my shop.

My .22 AEA Carbine has over 5k pellets through it this past year, 99.9% inside my shop and I still have an acceptable lead level.

Caveat Emptor
 
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MEH!

I got my annual blood testing done last month as part of my annual physical and I had less than 9 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) and I cast a LOT and shoot a LOT in my shop.

My .22 AEA Carbine has over 5k pellets through it this past year, 99.9% inside my shop and I still have an acceptable lead level.

Caveat Emptor
Holy Moley!! 5K! I guess that means the AEA guns are good to go? I've heard some not so good things about them.... I would love a semi. Dam this place has co$t me so much already....
 
Holy Moley!! 5K! I guess that means the AEA guns are good to go? I've heard some not so good things about them.... I would love a semi. Dam this place has co$t me so much already....

Full disclosure:

It took me a long time to tune the semi-auto function to the point that I could mag-dump without a jam. I added a carbon fiber bottle and a regulator with a small plenum, added 6 spent .22lr casings to the support ring to limit the air to the piston.

I shoot CPHP's for $6.24 a tin of 500 so 5k is less than $70, I shoot about a tin a week on average or 50k a year.
 
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The lead dust is very fine. Baffles always collect this dust and we are talking about minute amounts.
The safe maximum exposure is 10 micro grams μg per square foot ft2 and this limit is for your floor,
not concentrated on your face. Rimfire lead exposure is also an issue, but this is way more dangerous.
You are inhaling pure lead dust.
The limit for airborne lead particulates, which is in the form where it is most likely ingested by breathing, is 50µg/m3 over an 8 hour time weighted average exposure. As Firewalker has declared, his BLL is 8 µg/dL and his activities demonstrate above average exposure activities in regards to this sport. I have seen many, many occupational BLL reports for those engaged in airborne exposures to lead, and 8 is just slightly above the average, which is 5 µg/dL. I would not be too concerned till one reached 15 µg/dL. It is the lead in your blood that affects you. Wash your hands after handling lead. If one is concerned, one should get a BLL/ZPP test.
 
Full disclosure:

It took me a long time to tune the semi-auto function to the point that I could mag-dump without a jam. I added a carbon fiber bottle and a regulator with a small plenum, added 6 spent .22lr casings to the support ring to limit the air to the piston.

I shoot CPHP's for $6.24 a tin of 500 so 5k is less than $70, I shoot about a tin a week on average or 50k a year.
Well, if I ever find one, I might just have to pick your brain a little...
 
Holy Moley!! 5K! I guess that means the AEA guns are good to go? I've heard some not so good things about them.... I would love a semi. Dam this place has co$t me so much already....

Gun Pron:

20221223_162558.jpg
 
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