250Z I'm in the club boyz!

[PestPlasteringPlinker]

Did quite a bit of tinkering with the tune today. The rifle really likes the AEA 21.9gr. They shoot well at about any velocity above 890fps but the real 'sweet spot' is 945fps.

Also fired the AEA 25.3gr from about 880fps to 930fps. The rifle does not like the 25.3gr at all. Pretty amazing how totally different the .25.3s and the .21.9s group from this rifle.

No further luck with the AVS ELR 26gr .2173" slugs. I won't shoot those again from this rifle.

Have some H&N 21gr .218" slugs ordered for next slug testing. At the very least..., if I can't find a slug tune that shoots with enough shot-to-shot precision I can always fall back to the 22gr pellets at a good high velocity.

My goal for this rifle is hunting rock chucks while on foot and shooting off a turkey seat using shooting sticks. Once I find the dens it's normally pretty easy to find a good place to sit, watch and wait that is within 75yds (or closer). Even if I have to shoot the .22gr pellets the rifle will have plenty of energy for humane kills! Accurate slugs would be preferable for better terminal performance but not mandatory for the way I will use this rifle.

At any rate, I have lots of time before Spring to work with the 250z and learn the rifle so no need to be impatient with a final tune and projectile.

Heck yeah buddy. Clean, quick, humane dispatching, to me, it really doesnt get any better than that. The z can definitely put the power down to give that pellets, or slugs.

 

[BBGunn]

I have my pellet tune finalized. Fired eight, 5-shot groups this morning. These are the three best groups. Average 5-shot group was 5/8".

Regulator - 2050psi
Hammer Spring - Cut .500"
Hammer Adjuster - 1/2 turn out (away from spring) from flush with block.
Velocity - 945fps
Fill - 250 Bar
Shots on Reg - 43

 

[PestPlasteringPlinker]

I have my pellet tune finalized. Fired eight, 5-shot groups this morning. These are the three best groups. Average 5-shot group was 5/8".

Regulator - 2050psi
Hammer Spring - Cut .500"
Hammer Adjuster - 1/2 turn out (away from spring) from flush with block.
Velocity - 945fps
Fill - 250 Bar
Shots on Reg - 43

Wow! Those aea are crushing it out of your set up!

 

[BBGunn]

Strike #3 on slugs so far. Fired H&N 21gr .218" at 955fps today. 'Scatter gun' grouping. No sense messing with the tune to try different velocities, etc. If a slug groups that badly, it will never tune no matter what is changed on the rifle.

So far I've fired AVS 26gr & 30gr .217" and the H&Ns mentioned here. All..., not even close to precision.

I'll try one more slug that should be in the realm of correct for the 250z and if that doesn't get it done then I won't waste any more money on slugs and the rifle will be a 'pellet' shooter. It shoots the AEA 21.9gr with such precision I don't know why I am even trying to find a slug that works???

 

[PestPlasteringPlinker]

Strike #3 on slugs so far. Fired H&N 21gr .218" at 955fps today. 'Scatter gun' grouping. No sense messing with the tune to try different velocities, etc. If a slug groups that badly, it will never tune no matter what is changed on the rifle.

So far I've fired AVS 26gr & 30gr .217" and the H&Ns mentioned here. All..., not even close to precision.

I'll try one more slug that should be in the realm of correct for the 250z and if that doesn't get it done then I won't waste any more money on slugs and the rifle will be a 'pellet' shooter. It shoots the AEA 21.9gr with such precision I don't know why I am even trying to find a slug that works???

My original barrel really liked Apollo slugs after a decent clean and polish. Slug tuning was still waaaaaaay over my head when I first tried them, but when a(im starting to hope it never does happen) coworker grabs this barrel up, im certainly going to revisit them again.

 

[PestPlasteringPlinker]

Here is my excursion of slugs, im sure, nothing on yours. Hn 2495 sampler, hn2505 sampler, zan sampler, Apollo at 33 grain. Clearance knockouts at 251, and upcoming griffin, and Franco slugs. Varmit knockers on the way, but im still not fine tuneable.

I number crunch, then group verify, then adjust h.s. as needed.

To date, its the 2505 h&n slugs, but, I have the hp 2 coming, so it may change, all three griffin, varmit knocker, and francos are on their way.

I know, I need a longer, heavier slug to achieve the best performance on this pcp. I would assume on accuracy, 38 grain or more based on zero touch 36 grain group. Too much weight, not enough fps , unless a huge sacrifice on shot count. Not worth it for me personally.

Its a balance of accuracy, shot count, and impact energy on the pests, and shots I do take, that keep me in the 32 grain range.

I wish there were samplers of every maker to be totally honest though.

 

[Cantona256]

Yesterday I did a lot of shooting and a little experimenting with reg and hammer spring. One thing I learned is that with the stock hammer spring no one should attempt shooting the .22 caliber 250Z with less than 22gr pellets. There is too much hammer spring for reducing the regulator (lighter pellets) setting. Even at the stock/factory reg and hammer setting, the hammer is slightly over-sprung.

If need be, I'll shorten the hammer spring but I think I'll be fine as I plan to go up in projectile weight and regulator pressure. Have some heavier projectiles in the mail so we'll get on with the most interesting part of having a new rifle..., the tuning part.

The issue that some have unfortunately had with their barrel's bore is simply not an issue with my rifle. Even less than perfectly tuned, the rifle stacks pellets at 50yds!

I am really enjoying the 250Z at this early stage of ownership!

I believe most pellet shooters like the 25.39gr pellets out of it. You’re absolutely right about it being too powerful for less than that.

Idk if they changed the hammerspring weight on the newer models. The Gen 1s have a super light spring and even then the gun cooks. It’s why I never bothered with fx hybrids out of it. Too light

 

[Cantona256]

Today was first attempt at shooting slugs from the 250z in .22.

For my first slugs I chose AVS ELR slugs in 26gr, Dish, .2173". I wish I could report that the rifle just loved them and was stacking them but that wasn't the case. In fact, the rifle doesn't like that particular slug much at all.

I shot them at velocities from 890fps to 950fps. I stayed mostly at about 940fps. I was getting good low ES out of the regulator but the bore just doesn't like that particular slug.

I also tried the same slug but in 30gr. I quickly learned that slug is too heavy for what the 250z can deliver.

What I learned today was the weight range of slugs that are correct for the stock 250z. Considering the rifle's resources, I feel like slugs from about 21gr - 25gr is where I need to be.

More testing to come.

A 30gr shouldn’t be out of the power range as the .22 will hit 60fpe with the right tune. Try a cup base slug too. Mine loved the cup base.

 

[Cantona256]

Did quite a bit of tinkering with the tune today. The rifle really likes the AEA 21.9gr. They shoot well at about any velocity above 890fps but the real 'sweet spot' is 945fps.

Also fired the AEA 25.3gr from about 880fps to 930fps. The rifle does not like the 25.3gr at all. Pretty amazing how totally different the .25.3s and the .21.9s group from this rifle.

No further luck with the AVS ELR 26gr .2173" slugs. I won't shoot those again from this rifle.

Have some H&N 21gr .218" slugs ordered for next slug testing. At the very least..., if I can't find a slug tune that shoots with enough shot-to-shot precision I can always fall back to the 22gr pellets at a good high velocity.

My goal for this rifle is hunting rock chucks while on foot and shooting off a turkey seat using shooting sticks. Once I find the dens it's normally pretty easy to find a good place to sit, watch and wait that is within 75yds (or closer). Even if I have to shoot the .22gr pellets the rifle will have plenty of energy for humane kills! Accurate slugs would be preferable for better terminal performance but not mandatory for the way I will use this rifle.

At any rate, I have lots of time before Spring to work with the 250z and learn the rifle so no need to be impatient with a final tune and projectile.

Did I ever show you my rock chuck video? Hit a big pregnant female right in the throat at 84 yards. She took a 32gr Franco like she was getting a stoma after 30 years of smoking cigs hahaha… she took 0 steps.

 

[BBGunn]

Did I ever show you my rock chuck video? Hit a big pregnant female right in the throat at 84 yards. She took a 32gr Franco like she was getting a stoma after 30 years of smoking cigs hahaha… she took 0 steps.

Can't recall whether I've seen your vid, or not. Please share a link.

I've killed hundreds of chucks with a more standard 30fpe .22 rifle. Back 30yrs ago we (friends & I) were going on 2-week long trips into Nevada & Idaho hunting chucks with air rifles only. Back then a 30fpe rifle was considered a 'powerful' air rifle.


Here are some Nevada chucks taken with my Falcon FN19 (single shot) .22. These photos were from a 'film' camera, prior to the invention of digital cameras, or 'smart phones'.

 

[BBGunn]

Fixed the rifle's 'floppy' bolt handle yesterday. This is probably common knowledge to those who have had the 250z for a while. But if you are new to this rifle you might find this info. helpful.

If you get a new 250z and the bolt handle moves freely up and down you can adjust it to create more resistance on the handle.

Underneath the rear pic-rail is access to a screw that has a spring-loaded ball end, The ball end contacts the bolt body and when the bolt is in battery, the little ball end sits in a tiny detent hole on the bolt. The small ball-end screw has no locking function and will quickly move away from adjustment if not set in place with thread locker, or similar.

Once the screw is adjusted properly you can lightly feel the bolt locate into the small detent hole under the spring-loaded ball. Also, and more importantly {to me anyway} is that the bolt handle will no longer freely flop up & down when you are handling and turning the rifle at different angles.

 

[Pumacarl]

I have my pellet tune finalized. Fired eight, 5-shot groups this morning. These are the three best groups. Average 5-shot group was 5/8".

Regulator - 2050psi
Hammer Spring - Cut .500"
Hammer Adjuster - 1/2 turn out (away from spring) from flush with block.
Velocity - 945fps
Fill - 250 Bar
Shots on Reg - 43

That seems like a really great tune for those pellets, nailed it! I have a Gen 1 that is setup a little bit off from stock settings (as it seems we all do) so I don't know if it's even pertinent to mention this but I will anyway just as an fyi.

My gun's reg is at 2450psi and my thimble port opened to 4.3mm(?) and I was shooting groups with those pellets at 978fps that looked just like yours except every group would throw a shot a 1/4" off. Completely maddening. You have found the totally stable speed for your setup. That's the best feeling in airgunning for sure. And just so you know at my power level, I only get 26 shots, so you are very efficient too. For slugs, at your power level, if you're not going to install a plenum, I think the 19-23gr are the ones to try, especially if you're not going to crank your reg up and lose that effecieny with pellets. It all depends what you want. The only .22 slug that seems to defy logic, for it's size, that I have heard about and tried, and found to be true, is the JSB KO .216 20.83gr. Try that before quitting slugs, they shoot just 2 seconds faster than those AEA pellets do in my gun, so expect 947fps from them. Treniers sells them. Good luck!

 

[BBGunn]

That seems like a really great tune for those pellets, nailed it! I have a Gen 1 that is setup a little bit off from stock settings (as it seems we all do) so I don't know if it's even pertinent to mention this but I will anyway just as an fyi.

My gun's reg is at 2450psi and my thimble port opened to 4.3mm(?) and I was shooting groups with those pellets at 978fps that looked just like yours except every group would throw a shot a 1/4" off. Completely maddening. You have found the totally stable speed for your setup. That's the best feeling in airgunning for sure. And just so you know at my power level, I only get 26 shots, so you are very efficient too. For slugs, at your power level, if you're not going to install a plenum, I think the 19-23gr are the ones to try, especially if you're not going to crank your reg up and lose that effecieny with pellets. It all depends what you want. The only .22 slug that seems to defy logic, for it's size, that I have heard about and tried, and found to be true, is the JSB KO .216 20.83gr. Try that before quitting slugs, they shoot just 2 seconds faster than those AEA pellets do in my gun, so expect 947fps from them. Treniers sells them. Good luck!

Thanks for the reply and advice, I appreciate it. Yes, I am good with the pellet tune but am still working to find a slug that will group, and shoot with shot-to-shot precision. I have some .2193" coming from AVS. If those don't cut-it I'll give the KOs & Hybrids a try. At that point if I am not satisfied with slug performance my 250z will be a pellet shooter only.

Speaking of shot-to-shot precision. The pellet groups I posted further up in this thread show good accuracy, but poor precision. That is because I was making optic adjustments through that shooting session, not the fault of the rifle. I should have mentioned that in the post. This rifle shoots to the same POI every time, and every day I shoot it!

Since posting those targets above I have fired some 5-shot groups as small as 1/4" CTC at 50yds! Of course that's not the average, but the rifle 'shoots' pellets!

 

[Pumacarl]

Thanks for the reply and advice, I appreciate it. Yes, I am good with the pellet tune but am still working to find a slug that will group, and shoot with shot-to-shot precision. I have some .2193" coming from AVS. If those don't cut-it I'll give the KOs & Hybrids a try. At that point if I am not satisfied with slug performance my 250z will be a pellet shooter only.

Speaking of shot-to-shot precision. The pellet groups I posted further up in this thread show good accuracy, but poor precision. That is because I was making optic adjustments through that shooting session, not the fault of the rifle. I should have mentioned that in the post. This rifle shoots to the same POI every time, and every day I shoot it!

Since posting those targets above I have fired some 5-shot groups as small as 1/4" CTC at 50yds! Of course that's not the average, but the rifle 'shoots' pellets!

The 250z is very solid once you get it where you want it with what works. Super impressive. I let people who don't shoot anything, shoot mine at a bbq at 200y on a 5" hanging duraseal ball, and 4 out of 5 got first shot hits, the 5th got it on his second try. This was standing, using a tripod. They were also drilling my 125y 2" target. These were people that don't even shoot, and they could hit using the 250z. Keep trying slugs until you find one, totally worth it.

The AVS ,2193 slug diameter is for Edguns isn't it? Sounds big for these guns, I'll be interested in your results.

 

[BBGunn]

The 250z is very solid once you get it where you want it with what works. Super impressive. I let people who don't shoot anything, shoot mine at a bbq at 200y on a 5" hanging duraseal ball, and 4 out of 5 got first shot hits, the 5th got it on his second try. This was standing, using a tripod. They were also drilling my 125y 2" target. These were people that don't even shoot, and they could hit using the 250z. Keep trying slugs until you find one, totally worth it.

The AVS ,2193 slug diameter is for Edguns isn't it? Sounds big for these guns, I'll be interested in your results.

You may have started one or two of your friends into a new hobby!

I don't know if Steve (AVS) designs any of his slug diameters specific to a certain barrel bore. He is an advocate for filling the bore's groove diameter to achieve best accuracy. As far as I know, he is the only slug business that provides such a large choice of projectile diameters.

While I don't have many years shooting slugs, my own experience has shown that filling the groove diameter does not necessarily equates to the most accurate result. In fact, I usually find a slug some what smaller than groove diameter to win out.

I am trying the .2193" AVS because the head size on my AEA 21,9s is .219" and while I can feel them push into the lands with the bolt, they are in no way a super tight fit. When I tried .217" slugs I could not even feel them engrave in the lands. Next, I tried .218" and I could feel those engrave but just very lightly. We'll see what happens this coming week when the .2193" arrive.

 

[BBGunn]

I did receive the AVS .2193" slugs this week. Haven't had time yet to work with them. Had some home projects going on this week that took priority.

Will start back with the 250z tomorrow, or Monday.

 

[BBGunn]

This morning I tested the latest AVS .2193" slugs I received this past week. Both versions of the AVS slugs are 22gr, and both have dish base. One slug is the 'ELR' version and the other the 'Std' version (see pic).

Started with a clean bore like I always do when testing new projectiles.

As you might guess, the .2193" slugs are snug going into the leade. The 'ELR' version has more contact against the bore's lands than does the 'Std' version. Thus, the ELRs have a little more resistance pushing into the lands. While the .2193" slugs fit into the bore with resistance, it's not overly excessive.

I fired the .2193"s at 943fps, 959fps and 978fps. Regulator was 2050psi, 2200psi and 2500psi. If I'm being honest, both versions of the AVS slugs grouped the same regardless of the velocity and, or, minor hammer spring tension changes. ES is very stable with low single digit spread at all velocities.

I wish I could report that at least one of these new slugs is accurate..., but they are not. The 'Std' version is very slightly more accurate than the 'ELR' version but they were very close in accuracy. 5-shot groups at 50yds averaged only 3MOA. Both slugs have good shot-to-shot precision as groups landed with consistent POI..., just poor accuracy.

Even though the "ELR' version has more drag in the bore, both versions of these slugs achieved the same velocity with each regulator change. Also of interest, these slugs achieved nearly identical velocity with the AEA 21.9gr pellets I have been shooting.

As for now, I am done testing slugs. Maybe I'll come back to it later but for now my rifle is a pellet shooter. It shoots the AEA 22s with such excellent accuracy and shot-to-shot precision it will work well for hunting Rock Chucks to 75yds.

More well made AVS slugs that my 250z .22 will not shoot with any accuracy.

 

[BBGunn]

Okay, I'm done pouting over slug test failures and wasted money and am back at it.

Have another variation and brand ordered. More to come when they arrive.

Bye the way..., I am not disrespecting the work by others with the .22 caliber 250z. I am not trying the few proven slugs and tunes that others have had good results with on purpose. I hope to land on yet another option to add to the short list that has been established. In the end, if I can't find another slug and tune that works, I will certainly revert to one of the choices others have reported to work.

 

[Bladefin]

Try a tin of the JSB KO MKII. The skirt at the rear seems to really help.

 

[BBGunn]

Fired this group early this morning with snow flakes coming down. Don't know why I am trying to get the 250z to shoot slugs when it shoots pellets this well!