I truly feel like choking back tears as I'm writing this. This has been an exceedingly difficult and frustrating journey for me.
Truly if I would have known how difficult it would have been it is very unlikely I would have ventured into it.
Looong story short, I sold my fx impact about 6 months ago, and put an ad on the classifieds i wanted to buy a "pretuned" slug shooter.
I was not interested in spending hours and hours dialing and cronying and plinking and scrubbing barrels and testing..... etc
I wanted the homework done when the gun arrived!I guess I'm kind of a lazy air gunner.
A gentleman emailed saying he had an edgun with a power plenum, huma reg and hammer weight that shot NSA 26 grain slugs very well. Normal 1" groups at 100 yards. I have never whipped out my checkbook quicker and with less regret.
The gun showed up a few days later, and shot just as the gentleman said. Very comfortable 1/2" at 50 and pretty consistent 1" to 1.5" at 100. Pushing the slugs at 950 fps.
After a while the groups started to wander and wane. And open up.
Frequent barrel scrubbing helped. But the reality was, the slugs were unreliable. It would stack 3 or four tightly and then 2 big fliers.
I tried every speed under the sun. Nothing helped.
Finally I ordered a whole different bunch of different NSA slugs and decided to try different weights and diameters.
Some of them were really good at 50 and 60 yards, but then fell apart at 100.
I tried every speed and every grain from 26 grain all the way up to 38 grain....
Nothing consistent. Nothing I would consider stable and reliable for hunting prairie dogs at 180 yards with.
I set my goals pretty average.
The slugs had to group nickel size at 60 yards over and over and over again before I took it to 100.
If they didnt do nickel size at 60 theres no way they will group 1" or 1.5" at 100.
Or 3" at 200. That's where I'm ultimately going. Reliable, consistent 3" groups at 200.
I finally gave up on Nielson. They just weren't working for me.
I finally spotted a slug assortment for sale on the classifieds and pounced on them.
They were Griffin airgun slugs. As soon as they showed up i loaded them in the magazine. I lined up on my 60 yard target for the 10,000th time. And squeezed off. Once, twice, thrice, and a fourth time.
I almost dropped my gun. The most awesome group emerged on the paper I had ever seen!
Could it be repeated? Was it a fluke? My heart beat like crazy as I moved the crossovers over to the next x on the paper. 1,2,3,4 and 5! Wow! Another group that could be covered with a dime! Never mind a nickel.
Here are 2 of the groups I shot at 60 yards.
Shortly after that the wind started up, and 100 yard groups have not really been possible for a couple days, but today I finally got a chance to.stretch her to 100. And here is the result.
The first 9 shots were quite positively under 3/4" and perhaps I should have stopped. But I fired about 16 shots to get a good average of what is really happening.
I am truly truly happy with this group! This to me is reliable good ammo that I can use to hunt sparrows to 100 yards with.
Pigeons and european collared doves to 140 and maybe 160.
And prairie dogs to 200 and beyond a bit perhaps.
This has been a very very frustrating journey and perhaps it's not over yet. But I'm sure happy with where I'm at right now.
These are the cupped 31 grain Griffin slugs going at 910 fps for those wondering.
Oh and dont shoot them in your superior liner. They group 6" at 100 yards.
Well that's the short end of my journey into the slug world....
Has it been fun? No.
Has it been educational? Absolutley.
Am I glad its over? Dear God, yes!
The only negative thing about Griffin slugs is their price. They cost more than even fx hybrids. I think with shipping included they average .17 cents a piece. Will I keep buying them? ABSOLUTLEY!
Their quality is amazing. Very consistent and well made product.
Truly if I would have known how difficult it would have been it is very unlikely I would have ventured into it.
Looong story short, I sold my fx impact about 6 months ago, and put an ad on the classifieds i wanted to buy a "pretuned" slug shooter.
I was not interested in spending hours and hours dialing and cronying and plinking and scrubbing barrels and testing..... etc
I wanted the homework done when the gun arrived!I guess I'm kind of a lazy air gunner.
A gentleman emailed saying he had an edgun with a power plenum, huma reg and hammer weight that shot NSA 26 grain slugs very well. Normal 1" groups at 100 yards. I have never whipped out my checkbook quicker and with less regret.
The gun showed up a few days later, and shot just as the gentleman said. Very comfortable 1/2" at 50 and pretty consistent 1" to 1.5" at 100. Pushing the slugs at 950 fps.
After a while the groups started to wander and wane. And open up.
Frequent barrel scrubbing helped. But the reality was, the slugs were unreliable. It would stack 3 or four tightly and then 2 big fliers.
I tried every speed under the sun. Nothing helped.
Finally I ordered a whole different bunch of different NSA slugs and decided to try different weights and diameters.
Some of them were really good at 50 and 60 yards, but then fell apart at 100.
I tried every speed and every grain from 26 grain all the way up to 38 grain....
Nothing consistent. Nothing I would consider stable and reliable for hunting prairie dogs at 180 yards with.
I set my goals pretty average.
The slugs had to group nickel size at 60 yards over and over and over again before I took it to 100.
If they didnt do nickel size at 60 theres no way they will group 1" or 1.5" at 100.
Or 3" at 200. That's where I'm ultimately going. Reliable, consistent 3" groups at 200.
I finally gave up on Nielson. They just weren't working for me.
I finally spotted a slug assortment for sale on the classifieds and pounced on them.
They were Griffin airgun slugs. As soon as they showed up i loaded them in the magazine. I lined up on my 60 yard target for the 10,000th time. And squeezed off. Once, twice, thrice, and a fourth time.
I almost dropped my gun. The most awesome group emerged on the paper I had ever seen!
Could it be repeated? Was it a fluke? My heart beat like crazy as I moved the crossovers over to the next x on the paper. 1,2,3,4 and 5! Wow! Another group that could be covered with a dime! Never mind a nickel.
Here are 2 of the groups I shot at 60 yards.
Shortly after that the wind started up, and 100 yard groups have not really been possible for a couple days, but today I finally got a chance to.stretch her to 100. And here is the result.
The first 9 shots were quite positively under 3/4" and perhaps I should have stopped. But I fired about 16 shots to get a good average of what is really happening.
I am truly truly happy with this group! This to me is reliable good ammo that I can use to hunt sparrows to 100 yards with.
Pigeons and european collared doves to 140 and maybe 160.
And prairie dogs to 200 and beyond a bit perhaps.
This has been a very very frustrating journey and perhaps it's not over yet. But I'm sure happy with where I'm at right now.
These are the cupped 31 grain Griffin slugs going at 910 fps for those wondering.
Oh and dont shoot them in your superior liner. They group 6" at 100 yards.
Well that's the short end of my journey into the slug world....
Has it been fun? No.
Has it been educational? Absolutley.
Am I glad its over? Dear God, yes!
The only negative thing about Griffin slugs is their price. They cost more than even fx hybrids. I think with shipping included they average .17 cents a piece. Will I keep buying them? ABSOLUTLEY!
Their quality is amazing. Very consistent and well made product.
