250Z How about a dedicated slug barrel???

[BBGunn]

What do you 250z owners think about a dedicated slug barrel for your 250z (probably same for 270z)? I mean, if Barra was to offer a faster twist rate barrel aimed toward better slug performance, would ya try it?

Personally, I think the 1:18 twist bore supplied with the 250z (probably 270z) is too slow for slugs. I also think 1:18 isn't the best choice for pellets but it's more suited toward pellets than it is toward slugs. Since Barra is offering spare barrels for sale already, I wonder if they could provide same barrels but with different twist rates? I would think they would sell some spare barrels if they offered a 1:16 twist and called it a 'slug' bore. And then if that did well for Barra maybe they could offer a 1:24 twist and call it a 'pellet' bore.

The spare barrels they sell now are not very expensive so it seems like Barra could offer a couple extra twist rates without much cash involved putting that project together.

Considering how popular the 250z is, and how popular the 270z will be, I would think optional barrels would be a big win for consumers and for Barra.

What do you guys think about this notion?

 

[PestPlasteringPlinker]

Its a good concept, but i think as a mid level, that some concider budget, their barrels, when they're as advertised, are a win for a majority of users.

If a person was planning on competition shooting theirs professionally I would imagine they might have one custom made by LW to their exact specs.

Pellets, awesome lazer, slugs, with a good polish, for some; a lap and polish, for others, and i have no complaints at all. Maybe its because I have just been shooting the absolute out of this one, and no more than 70 slugs out of my sl30, and thats the extent of barrels I've shot out of.

i'll be pushing the z out to 100, when my next shipment of slugs comes in, because I really want to make sure this barrel is in top condition for slugs, then pellet run it out to 50 before I sign off on this one, and give a facts sheet. Rinse and repeat for the swapped barrel. Considering I am going to price for time and testing, its the same concept, but for same twist rate. I whole heartedly think each barrel will be a bit unique. That's half the fun.

It would be pretty dang neat to see the difference it makes for some people, but as is, this is an exceptionally efficient tool for me as is.

If it was a win for barra monetarily, and a big win for the consumers, then no harm no foul.

 

[Freddy J]

Still waiting for a decent barrel.

 

[PestPlasteringPlinker]

Still waiting for a decent barrel.

That was floating in my head too. I would hope, if they did something like that, qc would be 1000% locked down. It could wind up real bad if it wasn't.

 

[BBGunn]

Kinda looking like folks wouldn't be interested in optional twist barrels from Barra. Is it that there isn't much trust in the quality, or is everyone happy with 1:18 twist for all-around use? Or another reason?

 

[PestPlasteringPlinker]

Kinda looking like folks wouldn't be interested in optional twist barrels from Barra. Is it that there isn't much trust in the quality, or is everyone happy with 1:18 twist for all-around use? Or another reason?

I know i can't complain with what mine is doing for me.

I have no plans on buying another barrel, but as im rotating coworkers barrels out, if I find a choked one, imma have them flat out return the whole thing.

I dunno. I do know I can sling slugs well, launch pellets(my barrel is about 2k on each, proficiently) but I also know, if I took this to a competition, im just playing around having fun with friends, not trying to win really.

If I was to compete, yeah, id want to experiment with twists, sort by weight, sort by diameter, etc etc. But I would probably be competing with a more easily interchangeable system, and for sure, it would be a side leaver.

 

[Twitch]

What do you 250z owners think about a dedicated slug barrel for your 250z (probably same for 270z)? I mean, if Barra was to offer a faster twist rate barrel aimed toward better slug performance, would ya try it?

Personally, I think the 1:18 twist bore supplied with the 250z (probably 270z) is too slow for slugs. I also think 1:18 isn't the best choice for pellets but it's more suited toward pellets than it is toward slugs. Since Barra is offering spare barrels for sale already, I wonder if they could provide same barrels but with different twist rates? I would think they would sell some spare barrels if they offered a 1:16 twist and called it a 'slug' bore. And then if that did well for Barra maybe they could offer a 1:24 twist and call it a 'pellet' bore.

The spare barrels they sell now are not very expensive so it seems like Barra could offer a couple extra twist rates without much cash involved putting that project together.

Considering how popular the 250z is, and how popular the 270z will be, I would think optional barrels would be a big win for consumers and for Barra.

What do you guys think about this notion?

The new lothar walther barrels have a 1:16 twist

 

[stmag1300]

I'm still new to the pcp and the 250z is my first, but for me as a hunter and plinker, not a competition shooter, this rifle has been hitting dime to quarter size groups no matter what i've sent through the barrel...slugs or pellets. Keep in mind.....i'm not shooting much past 50 yards either

 

[PestPlasteringPlinker]

I'm still new to the pcp and the 250z is my first, but for me as a hunter and plinker, not a competition shooter, this rifle has been hitting dime to quarter size groups no matter what i've sent through the barrel...slugs or pellets. Keep in mind.....i'm not shooting much past 50 yards either

Oh yeah man. 50 yards shes a lazer. Once you get comfortable with it, and figure out how you want to tune it, 100 yards is apiece of cake.

 

[Freddy J]

That's what I'm trying to learn, tuning a LW 700 mm barrel. Any help on starting points would be great.

 

[Twitch]

What ammo do you plan on using?, do you have a slug power kit or external plenum?

 

[Freddy J]

I have a c-88 Plenum and Hammer Spring Kit. In testing, I found the Zan 25.5 gr and H-N 34gr showed the best promise. The Hammer Adjustment doesn't seem to change anything, turning it in or out. I'm planning on shooting at 50Yards.

 

[Twitch]

I concur with the hammer adjustment, i have the exact setup as you along with a DFL yokozuna. My spring adjustment is actually .5 turns out and reg. Pressure around 2300 and am finding that it works well for 25 grain knock outs and 25 grain zans at around 960 and around 880 for H&N's, both are in the optimal fps for those projectiles.

 

[Twitch]

I concur with the hammer adjustment, i have the exact setup as you along with a DFL yokozuna. My spring adjustment is actually .5 turns out and reg. Pressure around 2300 and am finding that it works well for 25 grain knock outs and 25 grain zans at around 960 and around 880 for H&N's, both are in the optimal fps for those projectiles.

The H&N's are 30 grains, i forgot to mention that in the last post.

 

[Freddy J]

I tried adjusting the Hammer out 1-1/2 turns, and it hit the stop inside the stock. Won't turn out anymore.

 

[BBGunn]

I tried adjusting the Hammer out 1-1/2 turns, and it hit the stop inside the stock. Won't turn out anymore.

B

250Z Post in thread 'I'm in the club boyz!'

Mar 10, 2026

How much hammer spring are you using at the moment? What do the groups look like? Are they just totally scattered or is there a pattern to it? Looking at the shape of the holes does it look like the slug are tumbling?

You’re getting fantastic speed for that reg pressure. The fact that the slugs are going faster than the pellets gives me pause though… I’m thinking that .218 might be too small (lack of thread engagement) or you have a lot of hammer spring (more dwell) which means the valve is being held open too long.

When I first got the rifle I realized the hammer spring was...

• BBGunn

• 

 

[Cantona256]

What do you 250z owners think about a dedicated slug barrel for your 250z (probably same for 270z)? I mean, if Barra was to offer a faster twist rate barrel aimed toward better slug performance, would ya try it?

Personally, I think the 1:18 twist bore supplied with the 250z (probably 270z) is too slow for slugs. I also think 1:18 isn't the best choice for pellets but it's more suited toward pellets than it is toward slugs. Since Barra is offering spare barrels for sale already, I wonder if they could provide same barrels but with different twist rates? I would think they would sell some spare barrels if they offered a 1:16 twist and called it a 'slug' bore. And then if that did well for Barra maybe they could offer a 1:24 twist and call it a 'pellet' bore.

The spare barrels they sell now are not very expensive so it seems like Barra could offer a couple extra twist rates without much cash involved putting that project together.

Considering how popular the 250z is, and how popular the 270z will be, I would think optional barrels would be a big win for consumers and for Barra.

What do you guys think about this notion?

Nahhh 1:18 is not too heavy for slugs at all.

I’ve shot up to 45gr slugs in the .25 cal 250z and my buddy shoots 80gr slugs out of his .30 gauntlet which also has a 1:18 twist rate.

As someone who almost exclusively shoots slugs and build slug guns I feel pretty confident in saying that there are a lot of factors that go into slug tuning of which Twist Rate is only a factor on the top and bottom ends of the power/slug weight equation.

The difference between 1:24 down to 1:16 isn’t going to be huge over the length of a 28” barrel in terms of the middle of the “performance band.” This is why the fx guns with the standard barrels shoot the fx hybrids all the way up to 34gr H&N slugs just fine. That’s a 1:24 smooth twist…. It’s not until you get into the heavier slugs that you need more twist. Why?

When the slugs get heavier they get longer. Obviously the caliber can’t change and since we aren’t switching to a more dense material they must get longer. Slugs being gyroscopically stabilized (a simplification) need that extra twist to get the slug spinning around its own center of gravity. Not enough spin and the slug is much more susceptible to “yaw’ing” out.

Nothing in the 25gr> to <45gr range is long enough in .25 cal to necessitate anything faster than even 1:20 let alone 1:18

So to say a gun isn’t a slug gun just because the barrel twist is less than 1:16 is not accurate.

More accurate is “is that a heavy for caliber” slug gun? Maybe? Because barrel twist alone doesn’t make a slug gun. The Karma EQ in .30 has a 1:16 barrel and a 70cc plenum… it doesn’t shoot heavy slugs for $hit… barrel is only 24” and needs harmonic dampening before you can even think about pushing past 60gr which is not heavy at all in .30 cal


Finally I reject the idea of a “slug barrel” on principle. That smells like some Daystate/BRK $hit…. “Hey I know you just spent $3000 but for only $800 more you can have a slug barrel!” that’s a scam. Even for FX guns it’s just a liner change for the superior heavy liner and the purpose of that is in the damn name superior HEAVY liner… I believe they’ve gone as fast as 1:14 for some of those barrels but 1:16 seems to be where they have settled with that.


To summarize:

1)The barra already has a slug barrel.

2)Twist rate isn’t a cheat code for slug tuning.

3) If you can’t slug tune the barra you either have a hardware issue or you’re doing it wrong/using the wrong slugs.

4) Don’t Daystate-ify my beloved Barra. Keep that spendy-a$$ Earl Grey and Scones nonsense away from my good old fashioned American Freedom.


5) 1:18 is 100000% more for slugs than pellets.

PELLETS REQUIRE ONLY THE MOST MINIMAL OF SPIN. That’s why FX does the “smooth twist” as its standard. The barrel is smooth bore with a 1:24 twist in the last few inches of the barrel.

A lot of the traditional pellet shooters have 1:30, 1:43, 1:24, 1:26 ect ect….

For those of you who want to be “sluggers” it’s important you learn this stuff. Why? So you can read a SPEC SHEET AND MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS.

I bought the 250z in February of last year specifically because I KNEW it was a slugger. A 28” UN-choked barrel with a 1:18 twist is slugger material all day.


*all caps not meant to be “yelling” more like impeded bullet points for my fellow ADD people who wanna see the main points.

**except the Daystate/BRK hate… f*** ‘em and f*** AoA for pushing that overpriced nonsense so hard

 

[Billm]

9I’m

Nahhh 1:18 is not too heavy for slugs at all.

I’ve shot up to 45gr slugs in the .25 cal 250z and my buddy shoots 80gr slugs out of his .30 gauntlet which also has a 1:18 twist rate.

As someone who almost exclusively shoots slugs and build slug guns I feel pretty confident in saying that there are a lot of factors that go into slug tuning of which Twist Rate is only a factor on the top and bottom ends of the power/slug weight equation.

The difference between 1:24 down to 1:16 isn’t going to be huge over the length of a 28” barrel in terms of the middle of the “performance band.” This is why the fx guns with the standard barrels shoot the fx hybrids all the way up to 34gr H&N slugs just fine. That’s a 1:24 smooth twist…. It’s not until you get into the heavier slugs that you need more twist. Why?

When the slugs get heavier they get longer. Obviously the caliber can’t change and since we aren’t switching to a more dense material they must get longer. Slugs being gyroscopically stabilized (a simplification) need that extra twist to get the slug spinning around its own center of gravity. Not enough spin and the slug is much more susceptible to “yaw’ing” out.

Nothing in the 25gr> to <45gr range is long enough in .25 cal to necessitate anything faster than even 1:20 let alone 1:18

So to say a gun isn’t a slug gun just because the barrel twist is less than 1:16 is not accurate.

More accurate is “is that a heavy for caliber” slug gun? Maybe? Because barrel twist alone doesn’t make a slug gun. The Karma EQ in .30 has a 1:16 barrel and a 70cc plenum… it doesn’t shoot heavy slugs for $hit… barrel is only 24” and needs harmonic dampening before you can even think about pushing past 60gr which is not heavy at all in .30 cal


Finally I reject the idea of a “slug barrel” on principle. That smells like some Daystate/BRK $hit…. “Hey I know you just spent $3000 but for only $800 more you can have a slug barrel!” that’s a scam. Even for FX guns it’s just a liner change for the superior heavy liner and the purpose of that is in the damn name superior HEAVY liner… I believe they’ve gone as fast as 1:14 for some of those barrels but 1:16 seems to be where they have settled with that.


To summarize:

1)The barra already has a slug barrel.

2)Twist rate isn’t a cheat code for slug tuning.

3) If you can’t slug tune the barra you either have a hardware issue or you’re doing it wrong/using the wrong slugs.

4) Don’t Daystate-ify my beloved Barra. Keep that spendy-a$$ Earl Grey and Scones nonsense away from my good old fashioned American Freedom.


5) 1:18 is 100000% more for slugs than pellets.

PELLETS REQUIRE ONLY THE MOST MINIMAL OF SPIN. That’s why FX does the “smooth twist” as its standard. The barrel is smooth bore with a 1:24 twist in the last few inches of the barrel.

A lot of the traditional pellet shooters have 1:30, 1:43, 1:24, 1:26 ect ect….

For those of you who want to be “sluggers” it’s important you learn this stuff. Why? So you can read a SPEC SHEET AND MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS.

I bought the 250z in February of last year specifically because I KNEW it was a slugger. A 28” UN-choked barrel with a 1:18 twist is slugger material all day.

it could be more tactful (says me, Mr Tactless) , but a valid response.

 

[Cantona256]

I tried adjusting the Hammer out 1-1/2 turns, and it hit the stop inside the stock. Won't turn out anymore.

How heavy are the slugs and where is your reg at? Even for lightweight slugs the barra doesn’t like middling reg pressures with lots of dwell… meaning 2500psi and the hammerspring 2-3 turns in ain’t gonna do it for you.

Before I added the plenum I found that 30-33gr (in .25) cup base slugs worked best. Dish is good too… back the hammerspring back out and then crank the reg to 2800-3000psi…now the hammerspring adjuster will actually do something. You’ll probably be shooting those slugs at 820-850fps with the reg that high and HS backed out… start turning it in till you get around 940-950fps. Then shoot groups at 40-50y and see. Adjust the speed and hammerspring until your groups are nickel sized or less… yes Quarter sized groups are “fine” but this gun is unreal. There’s no reason why you can do nickel to dime sized groups with slugs at 50y when it’s tuned properly.


I don’t check the barra boards as much as I should but any of y’all feel free to get ahold of me if need be. There’s probably 9-10 guys floating around here who know this gun inside and out who can help too.

Dont be discouraged and don’t feel silly about asking for help. lol ask @Northeastbeast how many thousands of questions I asked him across like 4 platforms last year hahaha.

 

[Cantona256]

9I’m

it could be more tactful (says me, Mr Tactless) , but a valid response.

my bad that was not meant to be aggressive at all… the ALL CAPS is not me yelling haha. Just emphasis so the other ADD people (like me!) can see the main points haha.


Except for the Daystate/BRK hate. I live offff that hateraide . Breakfast lunch and dinner plus the T-shirt and the hat.