So, I will answer this question as Ed I have had discussions about this issue. There is no standard in regards to airgun slugs; this makes it very difficult to produce a "slug barrel" What rate of twist, chamber depth, lands, groove count, etc.? What is a 25 caliber slug standard? Is the .25 caliber slug a 247, 248, 250? What weight? How long is it, what is the slug's balance point? These questions far exceed the common question of "is the barrel choked or not." F.X. has addressed this issue by producing inexpensive liners that are quick and cheap to provide. I am not throwing shade at F.X. They understand as I do that slugs are everchanging, and this was a smart solution. In short, there is no SAAMI for airguns like firearms enjoy, so air gunners who choose to shoot slugs are wildcatters like I was when I shot long-range Centerfire. The 6mm Creedmoor has been around in the Open F-class for a while, and the obvious performance made Hornady Senior Ballistics Scientist Dave Emary partner with Creedmoor's Dennis DeMille to develop this round and make it a SAAMI standard. My dream would be to one day get a phone call from Dave Emary telling me that they want to take airguns seriously and he needs a gun to test, but until that day, we are going to have to rely on what we currently have. If SAAMI decided to spec airgun slugs, the problem would be solved, then Europe would soon follow with a C.I.P. standard, and we will have a plug and play solution.
So, where does this leave every other company and me? If the gun you're shooting now loves a slug, how long will that slug be produced? Maybe only brand X likes this particular slug, and sales will dictate a company to no longer provide your gun's favorite projectile. This has happened to me more than once. Currently, the only solution I see is to have the producer of slugs make barrels for their projectiles. I have sent slugs to Ed, but he always asks the same question "how long will this slug be around, should I invest 300K Euro to make a barrel around this slug?" So I am working to solve this issue, the volume of Leshiy 2 sales will make it very profitable for a company to partner with us to produce barrels for the L2 and then later other Edguns. The way I see it is I have to do this project in the U.S.A., I am not ready to announce further development, but this project is a top priority for me. As Ed always reminds me, "when fishing one brings the bait the fish want not the bait you like."
More to come
Brian
