250Z 250Z tuning, mainly slugs.

[Pumacarl]

From the deck, I'm 30 to 35 yards away and 30ish feet up at the shooting point.
I might not be able to hit one that far with a club

OK, get a load of this story, y'all ain't go'in to believe this (I still have a hard time believing it and it happened to me!), but I had a witness too.

I was shooting at a frying pan placed against a tree stump, hanging on a nail, from its handle loop, 75y away from me. I was on a deck in front of a large, all glass sunroom, shooting my .30 Paradigm using FX Hybrids. I shot at that pan and the slug hit the inside radius at the left side, slid over to the right side and rode the radius there, out straight back to me and hit the glass door right above my head but it didn't have enough power to break anything. It was totally flattened, I can not for the life of me understand how it flew back so perfectly being flattened like a pancake, but it did. This happened recently and I think I posted a picture of it somewhere. This all happened in the time it took to hit and fly back and the person with me could see the pellet in flight coming back. I watched it hit, in the scope and caught a glint of it flying back but it was all so quick we didn't have any time to do anything but be amazed by the whole thing.

The moral of the story is 30 - 35 yards is not that big of a deal, and it doesn't matter how high up you are, the projectile is going to bounce back to the same direction it came from, not flat to the ground.

 

[Cantona256]

If you shoot enough you’re gonna see bullets do some wild wild things. I was an extra stupid frat boy in south Mississippi a million years ago and boy did we do and shoot some stupid stupid things. I’m very lucky I don’t set off a metal detector or worse…

Thanks for reminding us that these airguns can really pack a wallop. It’s something that’s been on my mind a lot lately and the more I think about the more I realize that 50-120fpe really is no joke. Honestly I think because of the lower velocities I’d rather get hit with a m1911 than a my buddy’s gauntlet shooting 78gr griffins.

 

[Bladefin]

Got the target run yesterday. Going to do some shooting shortly.

Sitting at 50yrds.

 

[Pumacarl]

That's pretty awesome! All you need now is a little monkey in a uniform to run it for you, a regular circus act, LOL! You might get really lucky and have Starlings landing on the lines, the best targets ever.

 

[Cantona256]

Got the target run yesterday. Going to do some shooting shortly.

Sitting at 50yrds.
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Dang bro that’s a sweet setup

 

[Cantona256]

Okay little update:

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago in the process of tuning this gun I opened the transfer port to 4.4mm and the thimble valve to 4.8mm… that was a mistake. I did get more power but it’s inefficient. That bigger volume causes a pressure drop where you least want it… so I was shooting 32gr Franco’s at 960-965 with the reg at 2900psi and getting about 12-15 shots a fill. Effective but not my preference. Also it made loading slugs very tricky.

I got a new thimble valve(which btw is actually the exhaust port/intake sleeve and ported it to 4.4mm dropped the reg down a little and wow much better. 31gr at 970-975fps with the reg down at 2800 and I still got 22 shots a fill yesterday in 65° weather. Should be 25+ in warmer weather. The 32s are still doing 965-960fps… so 65.5-67fpe with the same tune and my scope can save multiple zero profiles so a change over is effortless.

Pretty excited because the plenum maker said his testers have reported about 5-10fpe increase and 1-3 more magazines per fill due to being able to drop the reg. So that will be interesting and hopefully the last mod I make for awhile. I love tuning these things but I’m ready to figure out a new gun. I feel like I have a good handle on this barra and what it can do…. And the more I use it the more impressed I am. It really is a diamond in the rough. A little love and this thing shoots unreasonably well for the price.

*match up your ports!*

 

[Cantona256]

Also… I’m gonna echo what @Pumacarl told me awhile back… it’s worth downloading a ballistic calculator and taking the time to get it dialed in so that it matches real world results… I use the dnt app that came with the scope and the G7 model has worked perfectly. In fact is so accurate I actually use it to check my chronograph results. I’ve been using a cheap Amazon one and that thing sucks. At one point it was saying I was 100fps less than what I actually was haha…. I’ve tested the ballistic table out to 190y and it’s right on the money… I used it yesterday to calculate a shot at 128y with 18° elevation upwards…. I came within 2-3” of a headshot but I didn’t pay attention to the windage and missed to the left. On the video I can see the slug hit and the shrapnel spray onto the tree rat….so yeah ballistic apps are cool.

 

[Bladefin]

The tree the far end is attached to is 65yrds. I added small support pulleys to the sled that ride on the upper cord. It drastically reduced the sag on the setup. Next I'll either tape or paint markes on the paracord at set distances so it can easily be run out to the distance I want to shoot at. I might raise the hook on the deck post a little some time soon too.

I took some shots yesterday morning but didn't do any tuning. It was just too @$%^@ hot and muggy out. Sweat running in my eyes and dripping on the table wasn't any fun.

We did get to see this though while we were working out back...

 

[Bladefin]

Now that I'm on the concrete pad under the deck, shooting from a level surface and the targe is level, I'm noticing the gun is canted on the bipod. I saw this Sunday but didn't mess with it until tonight. The scope looks centered on the barrel but canted on the pod. The m-loks look to be mounted secure and I tightened the screws the manage the folding but It's leaning right.

Then I noticed there is a lot of play in the stock to action/barrel mounting points. I don't think @Pumacarl mod at the end of the stock will do much, if anything about this.

 

[Pumacarl]

Now that I'm on the concrete pad under the deck, shooting from a level surface and the targe is level, I'm noticing the gun is canted on the bipod. I saw this Sunday but didn't mess with it until tonight. The scope looks centered on the barrel but canted on the pod. The m-loks look to be mounted secure and I tightened the screws the manage the folding but It's leaning right.

Then I noticed there is a lot of play in the stock to action/barrel mounting points. I don't think @Pumacarl mod at the end of the stock will do much, if anything about this.

If you have play in the bedding of the action to the stock you have to either remove material or add it. I bed the end of my stock, like I showed, and I have zero movement. I have done most of the guns that I have owned. I don't trust the mlok slots on the Barra at all. That's why I reinforced the one pic rail that I did use, with a stainless steel backing plate. That does not move either. I have done a real lot of this type of thing and it's just something you have to shrug your shoulders about and get to fixing it. I have even skimmed bed B&C stocks that had machined aluminum bedding that supposedly didn't need such work, -yeah right. It's fun learning, and doing, and liberating to not see it as a problem, but just a setback. Have fun with it.

 

[Billm]

Now that I'm on the concrete pad under the deck, shooting from a level surface and the targe is level, I'm noticing the gun is canted on the bipod. I saw this Sunday but didn't mess with it until tonight. The scope looks centered on the barrel but canted on the pod. The m-loks look to be mounted secure and I tightened the screws the manage the folding but It's leaning right.

Then I noticed there is a lot of play in the stock to action/barrel mounting points. I don't think @Pumacarl mod at the end of the stock will do much, if anything about this.

Like @Pumacarl said you have to reinforce the front end. The fore end plastic is not rigid enough to support a bipod using the m-lok, at least not without adverse torque.

 

[Pumacarl]

There are things to consider when bedding airguns that most videos don't tell you about. You have to reverse think so that you don't get any locks. Modeling clay is your friend, so is lots of release agent, wether you use Pam, neutral shoe polish, or Brownells (which is the best). JB Weld, the original, is the best easy to get bedding material to me. Their quick working Steel Stick seems to be working well too, but I don't trust it as much, it just is a lot easier sometimes if you know what you're doing. You have zero time for mistakes or problems with that stuff. Brownells Steel Bed is the absolute best product, I think, but only very slightly better than JB Weld, when reading the white papers. The only other bedding product that a lot of people like because it ends up looking really good, is Devcon MarineTex.

Just know that every instructional video for firearms applies to airguns too, but you also have to consider the expansion of your air cylinder. If I am doing any bedding touching a hpa area I fill the gun to at least 75%. Even then, you don't want to do a full bedding job to an air cylinder, or any bedding where it expands the most, it's center point. If you do, keep it small and actually fill the gun all the way up. You can really make a sloppy gun, brick solid, if you do it right. Your gun should end up resting in the stock completely dead. No movement before you tighten the stock screws, no movement while tightening the screws. Just a stiffening. That's the goal.

 

[Bladefin]

I've read about bedding, a long time ago... and have never done it. Looks like I've got a bunch of research in front of me. It's not a project I had planned for.

When I torque on the grip I'm seeing up to a foot of reticle movement on the target. That's not gonna cut it! I'm glad I bought some sand bag rests to get me through!

 

[Cantona256]

Yeah I wanna just echo everything the guys have said here. I had a bipod for a few weeks after I got the gun and took it off for essentially the same reason. My best solution has been to use my cheap Amazon tripod and a bag of rice because finding the right size shooting bag was too complicated haha…. I couldn’t figure out how to not cant the gun until I trusted the gyro in the scope. The way I tilt my head wants to make the reticle look angled and I was just overcompensating. Noob stuff haha.

The same guy who’s make it the plenums is also making a forend stiffener that looks real sharp so that maybe a solution as well.

 

[Pumacarl]

Yeah I wanna just echo everything the guys have said here. I had a bipod for a few weeks after I got the gun and took it off for essentially the same reason. My best solution has been to use my cheap Amazon tripod and a bag of rice because finding the right size shooting bag was too complicated haha…. I couldn’t figure out how to not cant the gun until I trusted the gyro in the scope. The way I tilt my head wants to make the reticle look angled and I was just overcompensating. Noob stuff haha.

The same guy who’s make it the plenums is also making a forend stiffener that looks real sharp so that maybe a solution as well.

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WOW!! Way to bury the head line, that stiffener looks awesome! Show us some more pictures of that. If that would have been available when I was doing mine, I would have got that. It looks like the sides are stiffened too, nice looking work.

 

[Cantona256]

WOW!! Way to bury the head line, that stiffener looks awesome! Show us some more pictures of that. If that would have been available when I was doing mine, I would have got that. It looks like the sides are stiffened too, nice looking work.

That’s the only picture I have of it so far! I haven’t ordered one yet but I’m very much going to. They look really cool.

 

[Cantona256]

The dude’s email is

crossdude2007@gmail.com

The stiffners are $75 I think. They are ABS or ASA plastic so very light. Dude says he shoots benchrest with his .25 cal and it helps a lot.

This is also the guy who makes the plenum. Which should be ready to go in like 3 weeks.

 

[Bladefin]

That’s the only picture I have of it so far! I haven’t ordered one yet but I’m very much going to. They look really cool.

Is the guy posting anything on the net?

 

[Pumacarl]

I've read about bedding, a long time ago... and have never done it. Looks like I've got a bunch of research in front of me. It's not a project I had planned for.

When I torque on the grip I'm seeing up to a foot of reticle movement on the target. That's not gonna cut it! I'm glad I bought some sand bag rests to get me through!

I don't want to sound preachy, but you really don't ever want to be torquing down on your grip, even using an MDT chassis, and those can take it. The Barra is not a good candidate at all, for such tests. I just suggest a light to firm touch that you do instinctively and can do repeatedly. It isn't worth checking where your equipments limits are, unless you're willing to find out, and deal with the consequences. It is your dime though, do as you like. Just let us know what happens because we all are a curious lot. lol

 

[Billm]

I've read about bedding, a long time ago... and have never done it. Looks like I've got a bunch of research in front of me. It's not a project I had planned for.

When I torque on the grip I'm seeing up to a foot of reticle movement on the target. That's not gonna cut it! I'm glad I bought some sand bag rests to get me through!

One of the things that I’ve learned about shooting from a bench is: the rifle should be on target without any pressure applied to it. If you are holding the sight picture by applying pressure to the stock, you won’t be consistent. Or another way to look at it is: you’ll be consistent, consistently random lol.