Could choked rifled barrel use slugs?

[Puppadore]

Hi, im new to air guns and i only have one PCP and it is a Kral NP03 in .177. It says it has a “Kral built choked rifled barrel”.

Can this use a JSB KnockOut slugs? If so which of 10.3 or 13.4 gr should be used?

I am asking because i dont want to “just try it out” and find out it was a waste to buy the pellets.

 

[Vetmx]

If you don’t have a boatload of power on tap, don’t bother with slugs. Yes you can get them to shoot out of a choked barrel if you find the right slug but slugs have a lot of drag compared to a pellet of equal weight. A choke only kills velocity more. The Np03 is a cool pellet gun. Just know that if you can’t resist trying slugs, you don’t have a wide berth of tuning parameters with that gun. You might be able to find the pressure and speed they like to be accurate. Your problem will be keeping it there for more than a few shots. Stick to pellets. You don’t want those Kral magazines all full of silicone residue anyway.

 

[Seeker]

All FX heavy (slug) liners are choked so...

 

[kuroshio_098]

I've been trying out slugs in my .22 Kral with a factory barrel because one of the places that I can shoot at has strong winds on a normal basis.

So far, I found that they can group almost as well as diabolo pellets at closer ranges. I haven't tried stretching them out yet because it took some testing to find out which slugs are accurate in my gun.

And using ballistics software, it looks like even with lower velocities, slugs don't require extra holdover due to higher BC.

Even though my Kral isn't really tuned for power, I am covinced that I will see the benefits of slugs when I take the next step and stretch out the distance, especially under windy conditions.

 

[Puppadore]

I've been trying out slugs in my .22 Kral with a factory barrel because one of the places that I can shoot at has strong winds on a normal basis.

So far, I found that they can group almost as well as diabolo pellets at closer ranges. I haven't tried stretching them out yet because it took some testing to find out which slugs are accurate in my gun.

And using ballistics software, it looks like even with lower velocities, slugs don't require extra holdover due to higher BC.

Even though my Kral isn't really tuned for power, I am covinced that I will see the benefits of slugs when I take the next step and stretch out the distance, especially under windy conditions.

Thank you so much. Im trying to learn a bit more.

Are diabolo pellets just regular skirted pellets?

What does BC mean?

Thank you.

 

[kuroshio_098]

Not a problem! I am just regurgitating what I have learned from this helpful community over the years.

Yes, diabolo pellets are normal skirted pellets.

BC = ballistic coefficient, a measure of drag. The higher a BC, the less energy a projectile sheds and the more it can resist wind.

 

[moodyblues]

So I’ve tried a couple hundred dollars worth of slugs in my Krals. Some show promise at 30 yards, maybe 3/4” groups, but they fall apart very quickly past that. I’ve had good luck with FX hybrids, but your stock 03 will probably max out around 650fps or with them. That would just be wasting high dollar projectiles. You really have to get a lot of things to line up shooting slugs out of a pellet gun, it just wasn’t made to do the job. Just a heads up slugs carry their energy much further than pellets, it’s considered unsafe to shoot slugs in populated areas. Hope this helps.

Beau

 

[kuroshio_098]

I was just about to give up on slugs in my Kral until I shot this at 30 yards. I tried a few different slugs without success as well. Also, it did take some work on the gun to improve accuracy from stock with pellets and slugs. Again, I just found this so I did not try it out at 50-100 yards which is my intended distance for slugs.

H&N Baracuda 18 top left vs NSA slugs @ 30 yards. 5 shots each.

The H&Ns are not the best pellet in this gun but they are decent. NSA 20.2 @ 740 fps and NSA 17.5 @ 810 fps, H&N 18 @ 830 fps.

 

[moodyblues]

I had luck with the same NSA slugs at 30 and they started spiraling past 30. I think the twist rate is a little to slow to keep them stabilized. Raising velocity seemed help them stay stable a little further our, RPMs are your friend here.

Great looking groups, I hope they hold together for you.

Beau

 

[kuroshio_098]

Thank you for letting us know about your experiences!

I have been worried about the lower velocity, lower spin rate and lack of stability destroying my hopes of success with slugs in this pretty much stock gun.

When I can get out there, we'll see if I can outdo the trusty old JSB 16 at distance.

 

[moodyblues]

Good luck my friend, I hope they do good for you.

 

[N2 Shooter]

Thank you for letting us know about your experiences!

I have been worried about the lower velocity, lower spin rate and lack of stability destroying my hopes of success with slugs in this pretty much stock gun.

When I can get out there, we'll see if I can outdo the trusty old JSB 16 at distance.

Spin rate, ammo length and velocity all work together for slug stability.

I get great results from FX Hybrid Slugs in my Maverick, and that has a 1:26" twist rate. So don't give up on the slow twist rate just yet.

But your gonna have to try them out, and try them at longer distances to be certain.