250Z 250Z tuning, mainly slugs.

[Bladefin]

Hi Guys, I'm new here and just getting back into air guns, I just got a 25 cal and this is my 1st PCP.

I'm planning on seeing how she shoots this weekend without changing a thing before I start diving down the rabbit hole. I've got several different grain H&N slugs in .25 (30, 32 & 34) and a sampler pack of .249's, along with a tin of .25 Apollo's in 33. Wish the Sampler in .25 was in stock...
I'd like to see which ones group the best before changing anything. Then I'll back the psi & hammer spring off and try again and see if another weight starts to shine or not as I start moving things up.

The main use will be hunting squirrels and chipmunks. I've also have a coyote problem that arises from time to time, luckily things have been pretty quiet on the yote front the last month or so. But I'm also planning on having fun with friends out back using it as a paper punch. I'm thinking pellets would be best for that.
All of the main shooting will be 25-60yrds. Maybe in the fall, once the leaves are off the trees, I'll be able to stretch it to 75yrds or more.

Here's what I got for the rest of the setup. An Althon Talos 6-24x50 scope. Mloc bipod & red tac light. With an Airgun Capital can to round things out.
It'll probably be a little bit before I get into the real tuning. I'll at least put a trigger kit on it as I see there's already one available, probably stone the sear at the same time I do that.

The current questions I have are:

Should I look into other brands of slugs and do you know of any companies that sell sample packs of their line?

Once I get the slug I want dialed in will I be able to transition to a pellet in the same weight and get similar results without changing much?

Any other pointers y'all may have are most welcome!

Thanks,
Adam

 

[CTAirgunner]

From all the research I have done, the .25 will shoot all those slugs well around 55 -60 fpe, I think I remember reading it really liked the 32 gr H&N.

@Billm @Pumacarl and @Cantona256 are all very active with theirs and can chime in.

 

[Billm]

My 250z is a .22. You mentioned that most of your shooting will be under 60yds. I’ve tried a lot of pellets and slugs and the 250z will shoot all of them really well at those ranges. My rifle really likes JST and JSB pellets. I’ve shot JSB, H&N, Rifle and Apollo slugs in various weights and they are all useable in my opinion. I’m pretty sure @Pumacarl likes the NSA slugs. I haven’t ventured into “boutique” brand slugs yet, but I look forward to trying them. I have a .25 BRK Ghost and an Air Force TalonP .25: they both really like JSB 33.96 Exact King MKII pellets. Everyone here has been extremely helpful.

 

[Pumacarl]

Actually, I really wanted to use NSA slugs but they did not work out in my .22 at all. The best slugs for me are the JSB KO's and the ZAN. Like Billm and CTAirgunner said, the .25 is not that fussy, people are doing well with a variety of choices. PCPs are the kind of fun that you use to have as a kid! I'm jealous of anyone just starting, oh the fun you are going to have!

 

[Pumacarl]

As far as advice goes, that's tuff to give without knowing someone, but I know this gun's characteristics so I will speak to that. It's mostly a hunter. You can use it for plinking, sure, but set it up for it's purpose first and get that completely down. You don't want to waste time learning one projectile and then transition to something else, just to start over again. Shoot one thing well, and then use it for whatever you want. Find one slug or pellet that does what you want and just shoot that because this isn't an FX that can easily be returned on the fly in seconds, but it does stay where you put it.

Get a rangefinder, if you're off by five yards either way, with the small targets these guns can hit, you'll miss. Get a chronograph, you need this for PCP, it isn't really an option if you want to have fun and know what you're doing, and what your gun is doing. And to round off the holy Trinity, get a ballistic app for your phone.

For the power of the 250z in .25, if you're going to shoot pellets, don't shoot lighter than the 34gr JSB, JTS, or AEA, I know I would not. For slug choices, (besides what you already bought) I would suggest just taking some time to read what has been working for others, and watching some YouTube videos. This sounds so obvious I don't want to say it, but this is the Internet and I don't have a clue about your experience, so I will say it but don't take offense, maybe it will help someone else, don't watch videos of Gerhard shooting H&N's out of his FX to determine what you might want to try out of your Barra. Similar results and can happen but they are not likely. You just want to focus on what's working out of the gun you're using, so watch 250z videos, not slug videos. It just so happens the .25 250z does seem to do well with some H&N's, so that was probably a bad example choice on my part. If you need a second opinion, there are other airgun forums too, airgunnation.com has very knowledgeable members also. Some people only use one forum so you have to jump around sometimes for answers.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[pan60]

is there a good ballistic app for a Iphone yet?

 

[Cantona256]

Hi Guys, I'm new here and just getting back into air guns, I just got a 25 cal and this is my 1st PCP.

I'm planning on seeing how she shoots this weekend without changing a thing before I start diving down the rabbit hole. I've got several different grain H&N slugs in .25 (30, 32 & 34) and a sampler pack of .249's, along with a tin of .25 Apollo's in 33. Wish the Sampler in .25 was in stock...
I'd like to see which ones group the best before changing anything. Then I'll back the psi & hammer spring off and try again and see if another weight starts to shine or not as I start moving things up.

The main use will be hunting squirrels and chipmunks. I've also have a coyote problem that arises from time to time, luckily things have been pretty quiet on the yote front the last month or so. But I'm also planning on having fun with friends out back using it as a paper punch. I'm thinking pellets would be best for that.
All of the main shooting will be 25-60yrds. Maybe in the fall, once the leaves are off the trees, I'll be able to stretch it to 75yrds or more.

Here's what I got for the rest of the setup. An Althon Talos 6-24x50 scope. Mloc bipod & red tac light. With an Airgun Capital can to round things out.
It'll probably be a little bit before I get into the real tuning. I'll at least put a trigger kit on it as I see there's already one available, probably stone the sear at the same time I do that.

The current questions I have are:

Should I look into other brands of slugs and do you know of any companies that sell sample packs of their line?

Once I get the slug I want dialed in will I be able to transition to a pellet in the same weight and get similar results without changing much?

Any other pointers y'all may have are most welcome!

Thanks,
Adam

Hey bro,

Sounds like we are basically in the exact same boat! This is also my first pcp, I hunt squirrels, doves, cottontails, jack rabbits and Coyotes haha…

I can save you a lot of trouble here by telling you that this gun is AWESOME and will shoot slugs or pellets accurately pretty darn easy. It really likes the H&N HP 2 slugs from 30-36gr. I’ve never tried the .249 cuz this barrel isn’t super tight. I’ve shot and it loads the patriot javelin 32gr in .251 really well actually. 33gr apolos and 34gr H&N were the ones that grouped the best for me initially. Then I found a guy in the forums here who makes custom slugs and they are by far the best I’ve used. They look like NSA cup base slugs and he’ll make them any weight you want. 400 slugs shipped to my door is less than $40, no bent skirts, shiny and lubed. I also got a 20fps bump on the 36gr over the 36gr H&N.

Unless you port the whole block this gun’s sweet spot is right around 60fpe. If you keep the reg at factory settings it’ll shoot the 28.24gr H&N barracuda hunter extreme pellets right around 900-920 and it’ll be dime sized groups at 50yards. You’ll get at least 4 full clips a fill.

I never tried shooting 28gr slugs they might work with factory settings but idk. For slugs the gun really shines around 2500/2600 psi. The 33gr Apolo will do 870-880, 34gr H&N will do around 850… it’ll shoot them all accurately too. The hammer spring isn’t gonna give you power. Once you settle on a reg pressure and slug you like, sit at like 25 yards and start grouping. Keep doing small adjustments on the hammer spring till it’s basically hole on hole. At 50 dime sized groups is easy.

I ported my thimble valve and I have the slug power kit from rogue air so my personal settings are quite close but a little different. I’ve tried every weight slug between 30-40gr and they all work but I hunt a lot of different things that are different sizes and ranges. So I wanted a versatile setup. I’m at 2600psi shooting 30gr Franco slugs at around 955/960 for 62ish FPE. The Franco’s expand beautifully so I use them on birds all the way up to coyotes. They also shoot really flat out to 100y and I get 20 shots a fill in chilly weather. More like 25 when it’s warm. I also like this set up because it’ll shoot the 35gr Franco’s at around 875fps and all I gotta do to change it up is a tiny bit of hammer spring adjustment.

Can’t wait to hear how it goes and what you decide to do with it! You made a great choice and everyone in this forum has been amazingly helpful to a noob like me so don’t be afraid to ask. Dont forget to post your kills! Oh and I hope you got good optics cuz I didn’t and found this gun outshoots what I have so I just spent $400 on a DNT Zulus haha. I promise you’re gonna wanna stretch the gun out just cuz she can do it.

 

[Cantona256]

As far as advice goes, that's tuff to give without knowing someone, but I know this gun's characteristics so I will speak to that. It's mostly a hunter. You can use it for plinking, sure, but set it up for it's purpose first and get that completely down. You don't want to waste time learning one projectile and then transition to something else, just to start over again. Shoot one thing well, and then use it for whatever you want. Find one slug or pellet that does what you want and just shoot that because this isn't an FX that can easily be returned on the fly in seconds, but it does stay where you put it.

Get a rangefinder, if you're off by five yards either way, with the small targets these guns can hit, you'll miss. Get a chronograph, you need this for PCP, it isn't really an option if you want to have fun and know what you're doing, and what your gun is doing. And to round off the holy Trinity, get a ballistic app for your phone.

For the power of the 250z in .25, if you're going to shoot pellets, don't shoot lighter than the 34gr JSB, JTS, or AEA, I know I would not. For slug choices, (besides what you already bought) I would suggest just taking some time to read what has been working for others, and watching some YouTube videos. This sounds so obvious I don't want to say it, but this is the Internet and I don't have a clue about your experience, so I will say it but don't take offense, maybe it will help someone else, don't watch videos of Gerhard shooting H&N's out of his FX to determine what you might want to try out of your Barra. Similar results and can happen but they are not likely. You just want to focus on what's working out of the gun you're using, so watch 250z videos, not slug videos. It just so happens the .25 250z does seem to do well with some H&N's, so that was probably a bad example choice on my part. If you need a second opinion, there are other airgun forums too, airgunnation.com has very knowledgeable members also. Some people only use one forum so you have to jump around sometimes for answers.

Welcome to the forum!

Every new pcp owner needs a version of this given to them at the start. I agree with everything said here… except on the pellets haha. If you don’t touch the reg you can go lower than 34gr on pellets.But don’t bother shooting more than 40-50yards if there is wind haha.

 

[Bladefin]

I've got to say, I'm thoroughly impressed out of the box. Just some basic plinking off the deck and it was about 6" right and 4" down. Within 5 slugs I was hitting a couple cans in the fire pit roughly 25yrds away unsupported. Popped a 55gal fire drum 20yrds out and it put a huge dent in it. I can see why you'd be a bit jealous @Pumacarl, this is gonna be a lot of fun digging deeper into.

I've been watching 250Z vids on YouTube for the last few weeks, a few of them more than once. I did buy a Chinese chrono and when the funds allow I'll upgrade. Got a vacation coming up at the end of the month. I also have a very expensive hobby in saltwater aquariums. So I'm a bit limited on the cash flow at the moment. That's why I went this route and not dropping $2k or more on a 300 Blackout.

I've been looking for a good spreadsheet to log my results. But if there's a good app I'm not against it. I can always make my own sheet for logging the data with limited formulas.

I had a feeling this gun wouldn't transition from slugs to pellets easily. My plan is to dial it in for the main task of vermin control with slugs. Any other fun I have with it is a bonus.

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. Looks like a great group of guys on this site. Gals too if there are any.

 

[Pumacarl]

Every new pcp owner needs a version of this given to them at the start. I agree with everything said here… except on the pellets haha. If you don’t touch the reg you can go lower than 34gr on pellets.But don’t bother shooting more than 40-50yards if there is wind haha.

Excellent helpful posting, good job! You're an old salt now, lol!

Let me explain the pellet weight thing, from my perspective. I think 25gr .25 caliber pellets suck. Plain and simple. When I got into shooting .25 caliber they were all the rage, and tunes of '40 for 40' 40 shots at 40fpe, why?, because that's what everybody was doing with their guns obviously. Not many were asking why, just following. I tried the .25gr JSB and they were often slightly more accurate, and everyone else liked them, so I used them on some woodchucks and I was not impressed with their killing power. The heavier 34gr never failed to penetrate a skull and was always a clean kill, they just hunt better. They also carry better, and I have been plinking with them out to 155y, something I didn't bother trying with the 25gr. The 34gr is just so much better to me in use, especially when you turn whatever your shooting up over 55fpe. I prefer a 34gr JSB MKII at 875fps for only 8 shots out of my Mrod, then 40 shots at 40fpe using 25grainers, any day of the week and twice on sunday. I have never shot more than three shots on a woodchuck anyway, and when I did I was using 25gr pellets. I never needed quantity just quality. Now I'm shooting the 34gr MKII out of my TalonP and they are awesome in that too. My favorite pellet of all time, ...so far. Now I'm going to get blasted by everyone who love the Kings, but I don't care, I don't, and nobody else's opinion is going to change mine. We'll all just go on liking what we like.

 

[Pumacarl]

I've got to say, I'm thoroughly impressed out of the box. Just some basic plinking off the deck and it was about 6" right and 4" down. Within 5 slugs I was hitting a couple cans in the fire pit roughly 25yrds away unsupported. Popped a 55gal fire drum 20yrds out and it put a huge dent in it. I can see why you'd be a bit jealous @Pumacarl, this is gonna be a lot of fun digging deeper into.

I've been watching 250Z vids on YouTube for the last few weeks, a few of them more than once. I did buy a Chinese chrono and when the funds allow I'll upgrade. Got a vacation coming up at the end of the month. I also have a very expensive hobby in saltwater aquariums. So I'm a bit limited on the cash flow at the moment. That's why I went this route and not dropping $2k or more on a 300 Blackout.

I've been looking for a good spreadsheet to log my results. But if there's a good app I'm not against it. I can always make my own sheet for logging the data with limited formulas.

I had a feeling this gun wouldn't transition from slugs to pellets easily. My plan is to dial it in for the main task of vermin control with slugs. Any other fun I have with it is a bonus.

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. Looks like a great group of guys on this site. Gals too if there are any.

Once you see just how accurate and quiet and easy to shoot (at home) these airguns are, you are going to be happy you didn't get the Blackout. You'll fall deep into the rabbit hole, just like the rest of us! LOL

 

[Billm]

Once you see just how accurate and quiet and easy to shoot (at home) these airguns are, you are going to be happy you didn't get the Blackout. You'll fall deep into the rabbit hole, just like the rest of us! LOL

I respect your opinion @Pumacarl . But I gotta call you out on the “rabbit hole” comment. There is nothing addictive about airguns or airgunnig.

 

[Pumacarl]

I respect your opinion @Pumacarl . But I gotta call you out on the “rabbit hole” comment. There is nothing addictive about airguns or airgunnig.

I believe you may be right, I misspoke and apologize and further more retract my comment. I don't have a problem either, I can give up this hobby any time that I want to. I am in complete control. It just so happens that it appears to mirror addiction. Purely coincidental.

 

[Cantona256]

Once you see just how accurate and quiet and easy to shoot (at home) these airguns are, you are going to be happy you didn't get the Blackout. You'll fall deep into the rabbit hole, just like the rest of us! LOL

Oh man this is so true! That’s one of the reasons why I’ve been having so much fun these things. I live in a spot where I can shoot everyday right outside my door and I try to take advantage of that as much as possible. The ability to shoot day or night without having to worry about the sound is pretty damn sweet.

Your explanation about the pellets makes 100% sense to me. I never even tried the 25gr pellets because I agree that they are too light for this gun. The 28.24gr H&N pellets is actually the lightest I’ve gone with this thing.. 30/31gr is about as light as I’ll go with slugs let alone pellets.

 

[Cantona256]

I believe you may be right, I misspoke and apologize and further more retract my comment. I don't have a problem either, I can give up this hobby any time that I want to. I am in complete control. It just so happens that it appears to mirror addiction. Purely coincidental.

Same here. I would also add that my friends and family are 100% not tired about talking airguns with me all the time

 

[CTAirgunner]

Discussions and reads like this are what makes HAM pretty awesome, a new member comes in, people with experience come to help, on lookers read, and we all learn.

As far as the rabbit hole things go, lets just say men have always had an obsession with moving objects through air! lol Golf, baseball, football, shooting, archery, 120mm APFSDS rounds... lmao

Either way this was a pretty awesome read, @Cantona256 do you find you get better accuracy with the 30gr Francos over his 35gr or vice versa?

 

[Cantona256]

Discussions and reads like this are what makes HAM pretty awesome, a new member comes in, people with experience come to help, on lookers read, and we all learn.

As far as the rabbit hole things go, lets just say men have always had an obsession with moving objects through air! lol Golf, baseball, football, shooting, archery, 120mm APFSDS rounds... lmao

Either way this was a pretty awesome read, @Cantona256 do you find you get better accuracy with the 30gr Francos over his 35gr or vice versa?

At 50 yards no difference. I definitely have to re-zero and the hammer spring just needs a little tlc to tighten the groups up. I suspect the 35s will do better at range due to their bc. I’ve shot to 120y before just playing around but I wanna sit and actually try and group some at 100 and beyond but I haven’t had an optic that could keep up. I just ordered a DNT Zulus 5x20 so that should help a lot. The main reason I’m going with the 30s and 31s for now is the speed gives me the same fps and the expansion lets me shoot birds and rabbits without over-penetrating…However

I have a question for the salty dogs around here. How much do you normally see guns improve after breaking in? Because out of curiosity I re-chrono’d the 35gr and 37gr Franco’s and wow… 890-895 on the 35’s and 883-887 on the 37’s… that’s significantly faster than I’ve seen those speeds go. I haven’t changed any settings and it’s about the same temp as last time. This gun seems to be very sensitive to temps honestly. It’s been a weirder than usual spring here in Utah so I’ve rarely done any shooting above 75°…lol am I gonna have to have a “summer tune” and “winter tune?” Not to be confused with a girl you call “summer teeth” cuz “some are here and some are there.”

 

[Pumacarl]

Part of getting a new airgun for me involves a severe cleaning of the bore, finishing with JB bore paste and bore brite. I don't ever recall noticing much of a difference after in anything, it gets broken in right up front with all the cleaning and polishing. If I stay with the same pellet brand, once sighted in, that's has good as it is ever going to be. External effects like temperature and weather are always going to change things up, but the gun itself doesn't seem to break in to me, I think that's a myth of people just getting comfortable with their gun, not the gun itself changing. These are not firearms, they are not constantly eroding away from 55,000psi pressures and heat. I've lost track of how many 10's of thousands of pellets i have shot out of my Gauntlet and it still shoots the same. Even leading in the barrel of a pcp is generally unneccessary. A springer is different, there is extreme heat for a fraction of a second and I definately had to lead in my barrel on those, or season it, as they say. That's part of the reason I don't miss shooting those that much. People still argue over this stuff, too funny.

 

[Bladefin]

I noticed in the manual they say not to oil the barrel. What's the reasoning behind that?

 

[Cantona256]

I noticed in the manual they say not to oil the barrel. What's the reasoning behind that?

When the compressed air is released it can cause combustion if there are hydrocarbons in the barrel. Make your barrel super dirty, blow out your o-rings and possibly worse… it’s called “dieseling.” Some people do it in springers for fun.