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All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General => Air Guns And Related Accessories Review Gates => Air Gun Review Gate => Topic started by: Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58) on May 09, 2020, 04:52:18 PM
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I've had a little bit of time to spend with this little guy, and he's starting to grow on me. Right out of the box, the trigger was very heavy and rough feeling. I didn't measure the pull weight, but would guesstimate it at between 10-12 pounds! I spent a little time polishing all the contact surfaces and applied a coat of Molybdenum Disulfide power on all the contact surfaces of the two trigger components. There was also a burr inside the trigger housing where the pin that holds the sear was drilled. I filed that smooth as well. The springs in the picture below are both lighter springs from a Harbor Freight kit I had. The original were quite a bit heavier. I did remove the lighter back spring that applies tension on the sear and replace it with the original. That spring really had no effect on the pull weight of the trigger, but ensured good sear engagement. The trigger is still around 4 ½ pounds pull weight, but much nicer than before the polish and dry lube. It's much easier to shoot now and the lighter trigger helped shrink the groups.
This is a semi-auto air rifle. The cycling action is a rod/plunger design hidden in the shroud. So far it has performed flawlessly. Fill pressure is 3600 psi, but the gauge is marked in Mpa, so that takes some calculations to convert so you know where to stop while watching the gauge. (3600 psi = 24.82 MPa). The LDC is removable and is almost the same length as the barrel. I did not take it apart, but it appears to contain aluminum baffles. It does a good job of toning down the bark, and is backyard friendly. Since it's semi-auto, there is some pretty violent slamming of parts going on inside. At one point, POI was starting to go all over the place, I discovered the shroud had loosened some during shooting. After snugging it down, POI returned to where it previously was. I removed the shroud when I cleaned the barrel and probably didn't tighten it down as much as it needed.
I found a .STL file on Thingiverse for a barrel band picatinny rail. I had to modify it to make a slight trough to allow for the close tolerances between the shroud and the tank. It's held in place by the bi-pod clamp. It will fit any 61mm diameter CF tank, so it will work on other bottle rifles as well. It's not much to look at, but it's functional!
I have maybe 200 rounds through it so far, and it is starting to settle in. Groups are to the FX standard, but for a semi-auto with a pretty heavy trigger, they aren't too bad. The target below is one 12 round magazine of H&N Sniper Magnums. These were averaging 963 fps, making around 37 FPE. It also like the JSB 18.13 gr pellets, those were averaging around 908 fps for around 33 FPE. The JSB monsters also gave decent groups traveling around 828 fps producing around 39 FPE.
I did swap out the cheap butt stock for a nicer Magpul butt stock. I have a UTG 3-12X44 SF scope on a one piece off-set mount. The mount clears the magazine with room to spare and the scope height is perfect for the Magpul stock. It weighs in at 7.2 pounds with the scope mounted and overall length with the stock fully extended is 39 ½ inches. With the LDC removed and the stock folded, it just 20 inches in length and should easily fit in a backpack.
So far I am pretty happy with it. The trigger could be lighter, but, thus far, that's really my only complaint. I purchased off eBat from a Vendor named AEAUSA. Communication was great and he offered to toss in a spare magazine when I messaged him to ask how many mags came with it. BTW, it does come with 2 magazines and a fill probe. And, the Fill Probe has a Foster Quick Disconnect machined right onto the end of it, so no need to get any fittings to make it work! I will say that when I received it, it did not have the extra magazine in the box. I messaged the vendor just to let him know, and he very quickly got back to me and I now have a spare magazine and spare fill probe arriving on Monday! So far I have no complaints about customer service, these guys are quick to reply and eager to please!
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I was just looking at this gun the other night on ebay. Very interested. Keep us posted how it continues to do and any if any issues come up and how the vendor handles it. Is it regulated? And have you run a full shot string I'm interested how many shots per fill also. Thanks Paul.
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nice Paul.. So you were able to drop the trigger by roughly half with spring mods , thats really good since a lot of people were initially turned off to AEA by the trigger pull weight .. Whats interesting is the blowback shroud design , and how unlike a hatsan , its not affected by the added backpressure of the huge ldc.
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nice Paul.. So you were able to drop the trigger by roughly half with spring mods , thats really good since a lot of people were initially turned off to AEA by the trigger pull weight .. Whats interesting is the blowback shroud design , and how unlike a hatsan , its not affected by the added backpressure of the huge ldc.
Rob, That huge LDC is a completely separate unit that screws on the end of the shroud. The blow-back system is fully self contained within the shroud of the rifle.
Polishing the contact points on the trigger also helped, it was very gritty feeling out of the box.
Here are some pictures of the blow-back system that's inside the shroud. It is similar to Hatsan't, but the tolerances are much tighter, no slop in this system at all!
These pictures were taken right after I removed the shroud, lots of debris was cleaned and removed before it was reassembled! :o
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Nice rig.
you could benefit a bit by having a plenum made yo fit in replacement of that gauge on the bottom. if it is m10 instead of m8 threads. looks like m8 by the way the thin contour runs. wish it was a bit thicker on the walls.
could i get a pic of the gauge hole?
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Duy, I hope these help you out. It's Mother's Day, so no time to degas and and pull the gauge to measure the hole, but it looks like a pretty stock pressure gauge. I will note though, the green markings on the gauge extend well past the recommenced fill pressure of 3600 psi or 24.8 MPa! That can be deceiving... I did fill it to 25 MPa once and had no problem, and I'm sure it will withstand more than 3600 psi, but those green graduations probably should have stopped at 25 MPa not 29 Mpa!
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Very nice Paul. I had not heard flattering things about AEA so your review was great. A semi-auto is a curiosity itch that I may have to scratch at some point so gee thanks for enticing me...
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Andrew, this is the 3rd semi-auto PCP I have owned and thus far the best of the bunch! My 1st was an Evanix Air Speed that had issues with the magazines misfeeding and causing serious jams. It also had a unique accuracy issue I was never able to resolve, it would group nicely, but in two separate groups that were about 2" apart! I got absolutely nothing from Evanix, worst customer support I have ever experienced!
My second was a Hatsan Semi-Auto Galatian V. It was just a piece of junk and went back to Hatsan. It's a shame because it was a really nice looking air rifle, but power was way under what was advertised, it had all kind of feed issues and the trigger on it required a gorilla grip to shoot! Hatsan did take it back and issued a full refund, so no complaints with their customer service!
My only complaint with this one is the trigger. I have gotten it as light as I think it will ever go and it's still 4 ½ pounds, but it's a consistent 4 ½ pounds! Accuracy is improving and it seems to really like the H&N Sniper Magnums and the JSB 18.13 grain pellets. I will admit, I'm spoiled by the triggers on my FX rifles, so I may be a bit harsh in my evaluation of this trigger. All in all, I am enjoying it! I love how light it is and the fact it can be made compact enough to fit in a backpack! So far, communication with the vendor has been good. He's even sending me a spare magazine and fill probe and has offered me a discount on my next AEA purchase!
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saw the pics above , its nice the gun is wasting no air , its basically recycling air from each shot to slam the piston bak and chamber another round.. brilliant design and the ldc would have no effect.
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This gun may very well end up on my to do list :)
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Paul,
Nice review of the AEA Hp gun, it has a great look to it and shoots well! The backpacking guys & gals will like the compact size of it for sure.
Sounds like the vendor is listening to your feedback and appreciates it too.
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Paul, great info. Once upon a time I had my eye on a Huben but then they delayed and had initial issues. Amazing how many semis are now coming out.
Not sure if I missed it but is this regulated? How many shots are you getting?
Thanks
Andrew
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Andrew, I have not done a shot count yet, but I did discover that once it gets low on tank pressure (around 1200 psi), it no longer cycles automatically. You can still shoot it and it still holds POI, you just have to manually cycle the action. I don’t think it’s regulated, but don’t know that for fact. I’ll have to message the seller and ask.
-
I received the spring washers I ordered from McMaster Carr. It only took 1 and now the folding stock adapter feels rock solid! These fit perfectly and are barely noticeable. No more wobble! These have a 40 lbs working load, so plenty of strength to give it a good solid feel, but I was still able to compress it enough to get the pins seated. This made a huge improvement in the feel of the rifle!
-
I mounted my ATN 4K Pro scope to the Backpacker today. After sighting it in, I calibrated the RAV (Recoil Activated Video) and shot these 10 rounds to test it out. Not too shabby for a compact semi-auto!
https://youtu.be/jD4Kz_2LnyY
Here's a close-up of the group. Two flyers, but otherwise a pretty respectable grouping. These were H&N Sniper Magnums, 17.9 grains, averaging 963 FPS making close to 37 FPE! This should be good enough for shooting rats! Here's a picture of it all set and ready to start taking out some little fur balls!
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awesome !!!!!!!!!@ :D
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Sharp looking rifle Paul!
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This is a series of shots taken at 40 yards using BSA Elite 15.43 grain round head pellets. These pellets really haven’t performed well in any other rifle, but they seem to do quite well in the Backpacker!
https://youtu.be/a3bBoMFERk4
I added some dry titanium lube to the polished trigger surfaces and it has helped guide a bit with shooting out the trigger. Much easier to stay on target when shooting rapid fire!
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Author Topic: Review of AEA HP Backpacker Carbine (Read 1001 times)
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Offline Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58)
Guns? What guns?
Real Name: Paul
Review of AEA HP Backpacker Carbine
« on: May 09, 2020, 04:52:18 PM »
Quote
I've had a little bit of time to spend with this little guy, and he's starting to grow on me. Right out of the box, the trigger was very heavy and rough feeling. I didn't measure the pull weight, but would guesstimate it at between 10-12 pounds! I spent a little time polishing all the contact surfaces and applied a coat of Molybdenum Disulfide power on all the contact surfaces of the two trigger components. There was also a burr inside the trigger housing where the pin that holds the sear was drilled. I filed that smooth as well. The springs in the picture below are both lighter springs from a Harbor Freight kit I had. The original were quite a bit heavier. I did remove the lighter back spring that applies tension on the sear and replace it with the original. That spring really had no effect on the pull weight of the trigger, but ensured good sear engagement. The trigger is still around 4 ½ pounds pull weight, but much nicer than before the polish and dry lube. It's much easier to shoot now and the lighter trigger helped shrink the groups.
This is a semi-auto air rifle. The cycling action is a rod/plunger design hidden in the shroud. So far it has performed flawlessly. Fill pressure is 3600 psi, but the gauge is marked in Mpa, so that takes some calculations to convert so you know where to stop while watching the gauge. (3600 psi = 24.82 MPa). The LDC is removable and is almost the same length as the barrel. I did not take it apart, but it appears to contain aluminum baffles. It does a good job of toning down the bark, and is backyard friendly. Since it's semi-auto, there is some pretty violent slamming of parts going on inside. At one point, POI was starting to go all over the place, I discovered the shroud had loosened some during shooting. After snugging it down, POI returned to where it previously was. I removed the shroud when I cleaned the barrel and probably didn't tighten it down as much as it needed.
I found a .STL file on Thingiverse for a barrel band picatinny rail. I had to modify it to make a slight trough to allow for the close tolerances between the shroud and the tank. It's held in place by the bi-pod clamp. It will fit any 61mm diameter CF tank, so it will work on other bottle rifles as well. It's not much to look at, but it's functional!
I have maybe 200 rounds through it so far, and it is starting to settle in. Groups are to the FX standard, but for a semi-auto with a pretty heavy trigger, they aren't too bad. The target below is one 12 round magazine of H&N Sniper Magnums. These were averaging 963 fps, making around 37 FPE. It also like the JSB 18.13 gr pellets, those were averaging around 908 fps for around 33 FPE. The JSB monsters also gave decent groups traveling around 828 fps producing around 39 FPE.
I did swap out the cheap butt stock for a nicer Magpul butt stock. I have a UTG 3-12X44 SF scope on a one piece off-set mount. The mount clears the magazine with room to spare and the scope height is perfect for the Magpul stock. It weighs in at 7.2 pounds with the scope mounted and overall length with the stock fully extended is 39 ½ inches. With the LDC removed and the stock folded, it just 20 inches in length and should easily fit in a backpack.
So far I am pretty happy with it. The trigger could be lighter, but, thus far, that's really my only complaint. I purchased off eBat from a Vendor named AEAUSA. Communication was great and he offered to toss in a spare magazine when I messaged him to ask how many mags came with it. BTW, it does come with 2 magazines and a fill probe. And, the Fill Probe has a Foster Quick Disconnect machined right onto the end of it, so no need to get any fittings to make it work! I will say that when I received it, it did not have the extra magazine in the box. I messaged the vendor just to let him know, and he very quickly got back to me and I now have a spare magazine and spare fill probe arriving on Monday! So far I have no complaints about customer service, these guys are quick to reply and eager to please!
* IMG_8800.jpg (163.15 kB, 640x278 - viewed 10 times.)
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Navarre, FL
Offline bear air
Real Name: Chris
Re: Review of AEA HP Backpacker Carbine
« Reply #1 on: May 09, 2020, 05:01:53 PM »
Quote
I was just looking at this gun the other night on ebay. Very interested. Keep us posted how it continues to do and any if any issues come up and how the vendor handles it. Is it regulated? And have you run a full shot string I'm interested how many shots per fill also. Thanks Paul.
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Sioux City IA, USA
Offline Rob M
Re: Review of AEA HP Backpacker Carbine
« Reply #2 on: May 09, 2020, 09:12:11 PM »
Quote
nice Paul.. So you were able to drop the trigger by roughly half with spring mods , thats really good since a lot of people were initially turned off to AEA by the trigger pull weight .. Whats interesting is the blowback shroud design , and how unlike a hatsan , its not affected by the added backpressure of the huge ldc.
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Louisiana
Offline Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58)
Guns? What guns?
Real Name: Paul
Re: Review of AEA HP Backpacker Carbine
« Reply #3 on: May 09, 2020, 09:20:58 PM »
Quote
Quote from: Rob M on May 09, 2020, 09:12:11 PM
nice Paul.. So you were able to drop the trigger by roughly half with spring mods , thats really good since a lot of people were initially turned off to AEA by the trigger pull weight .. Whats interesting is the blowback shroud design , and how unlike a hatsan , its not affected by the added backpressure of the huge ldc.
Rob, That huge LDC is a completely separate unit that screws on the end of the shroud. The blow-back system is fully self contained within the shroud of the rifle.
Polishing the contact points on the trigger also helped, it was very gritty feeling out of the box.
Here are some pictures of the blow-back system that's inside the shroud. It is similar to Hatsan't, but the tolerances are much tighter, no slop in this system at all!
These pictures were taken right after I removed the shroud, lots of debris was cleaned and removed before it was reassembled! :o
* IMG_8813.jpg (98.88 kB, 343x640 - viewed 2 times.)
* IMG_8814.jpg (67.19 kB, 324x640 - viewed 2 times.)
* IMG_8815.jpg (75.89 kB, 640x437 - viewed 1 times.)
* IMG_8816.jpg (106.35 kB, 640x634 - viewed 1 times.)
* IMG_8817.jpg (72.24 kB, 608x640 - viewed 0 times.)
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* IMG_8819.jpg (59.69 kB, 640x330 - viewed 0 times.)
« Last Edit: May 09, 2020, 09:36:58 PM by Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58) »
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Navarre, FL
Offline darkcharisma
Real Name: duy
Re: Review of AEA HP Backpacker Carbine
« Reply #4 on: May 10, 2020, 12:38:49 AM »
Quote
Nice rig.
you could benefit a bit by having a plenum made yo fit in replacement of that gauge on the bottom. if it is m10 instead of m8 threads. looks like m8 by the way the thin contour runs. wish it was a bit thicker on the walls.
could i get a pic of the gauge hole?
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SACHSE
Offline Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58)
Guns? What guns?
Real Name: Paul
Re: Review of AEA HP Backpacker Carbine
« Reply #5 on: May 10, 2020, 10:01:56 AM »
Quote
Duy, I hope these help you out. It's Mother's Day, so no time to degas and and pull the gauge to measure the hole, but it looks like a pretty stock pressure gauge. I will note though, the green markings on the gauge extend well past the recommenced fill pressure of 3600 psi or 24.8 MPa! That can be deceiving... I did fill it to 25 MPa once and had no problem, and I'm sure it will withstand more than 3600 psi, but those green graduations probably should have stopped at 25 MPa not 29 Mpa!
* IMG_8820.jpg (86.2 kB, 480x640 - viewed 5 times.)
* IMG_8821.jpg (85.31 kB, 640x514 - viewed 1 times.)
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Navarre, FL
Offline larspawn
Real Name: Andrew
Re: Review of AEA HP Backpacker Carbine
« Reply #6 on: May 10, 2020, 10:18:12 AM »
Quote
Very nice Paul. I had not heard flattering things about AEA so your review was great. A semi-auto is a curiosity itch that I may have to scratch at some point so gee thanks for enticing me...
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Michigan
Offline Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58)
Guns? What guns?
Real Name: Paul
Re: Review of AEA HP Backpacker Carbine
« Reply #7 on: May 10, 2020, 10:30:37 AM »
Quote
Andrew, this is the 3rd semi-auto PCP I have owned and thus far the best of the bunch! My 1st was an Evanix Air Speed that had issues with the magazines misfeeding and causing serious jams. It also had a unique accuracy issue I was never able to resolve, it would group nicely, but in two separate groups that were about 2" apart! I got absolutely nothing from Evanix, worst customer support I have ever experienced!
My second was a Hatsan Semi-Auto Galatian V. It was just a piece of junk and went back to Hatsan. It's a shame because it was a really nice looking air rifle, but power was way under what was advertised, it had all kind of feed issues and the trigger on it required a gorilla grip to shoot! Hatsan did take it back and issued a full refund, so no complaints with their customer service!
My only complaint with this one is the trigger. I have gotten it as light as I think it will ever go and it's still 4 ½ pounds, but it's a consistent 4 ½ pounds! Accuracy is improving and it seems to really like the H&N Sniper Magnums and the JSB 18.13 grain pellets. I will admit, I'm spoiled by the triggers on my FX rifles, so I may be a bit harsh in my evaluation of this trigger. All in all, I am enjoying it! I love how light it is and the fact it can be made compact enough to fit in a backpack! So far, communication with the vendor has been good. He's even sending me a spare magazine and fill probe and has offered me a discount on my next AEA purchase!
« Last Edit: May 10, 2020, 10:34:15 AM by Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58) »
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Navarre, FL
Offline Rob M
Re: Review of AEA HP Backpacker Carbine
« Reply #8 on: May 10, 2020, 12:35:31 PM »
Quote
saw the pics above , its nice the gun is wasting no air , its basically recycling air from each shot to slam the piston bak and chamber another round.. brilliant design and the ldc would have no effect.
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Louisiana
Offline Back_Roads
I Got A 10 Pump BB Gun :) BB Guns Got Much More Complicated :)
Real Name: James Seiler
Re: Review of AEA HP Backpacker Carbine
« Reply #9 on: May 10, 2020, 02:15:25 PM »
Quote
This gun may very well end up on my to do list :)
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Wisconsin Collins ;Hunters Paradise; Theres a Sign in town to prove it :)
Offline screwwork
N.U.A.H. Marksman
Real Name: Randy
Re: Review of AEA HP Backpacker Carbine
« Reply #10 on: May 10, 2020, 02:34:29 PM »
Quote
Paul,
Nice review of the AEA Hp gun, it has a great look to it and shoots well! The backpacking guys & gals will like the compact size of it for sure.
Sounds like the vendor is listening to your feedback and appreciates it too.
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Nor-Cal
Offline larspawn
Real Name: Andrew
Re: Review of AEA HP Backpacker Carbine
« Reply #11 on: May 10, 2020, 06:16:48 PM »
Quote
Paul, great info. Once upon a time I had my eye on a Huben but then they delayed and had initial issues. Amazing how many semis are now coming out.
Not sure if I missed it but is this regulated? How many shots are you getting?
Thanks
Andrew
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Michigan
Offline Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58)
Guns? What guns?
Real Name: Paul
Re: Review of AEA HP Backpacker Carbine
« Reply #12 on: May 10, 2020, 06:22:23 PM »
Quote
Andrew, I have not done a shot count yet, but I did discover that once it gets low on tank pressure (around 1200 psi), it no longer cycles automatically. You can still shoot it and it still holds POI, you just have to manually cycle the action. I don’t think it’s regulated, but don’t know that for fact. I’ll have to message the seller and ask.
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Navarre, FL
Offline Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58)
Guns? What guns?
Real Name: Paul
Re: Review of AEA HP Backpacker Carbine
« Reply #13 on: May 12, 2020, 09:57:21 PM »
Quote
I received the spring washers I ordered from McMaster Carr. It only took 1 and now the folding stock adapter feels rock solid! These fit perfectly and are barely noticeable. No more wobble! These have a 40 lbs working load, so plenty of strength to give it a good solid feel, but I was still able to compress it enough to get the pins seated. This made a huge improvement in the feel of the rifle!
* IMG_8829.jpg (84.34 kB, 640x640 - viewed 1 times.)
* IMG_8828.jpg (123.34 kB, 640x640 - viewed 0 times.)
* IMG_8830.jpg (84.85 kB, 640x640 - viewed 2 times.)
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Navarre, FL
Offline Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58)
Guns? What guns?
Real Name: Paul
Re: Review of AEA HP Backpacker Carbine
« Reply #14 on: May 18, 2020, 05:52:02 PM »
Quote
I mounted my ATN 4K Pro scope to the Backpacker today. After sighting it in, I calibrated the RAV (Recoil Activated Video) and shot these 10 rounds to test it out. Not too shabby for a compact semi-auto!
Here's a close-up of the group. Two flyers, but otherwise a pretty respectable grouping. These were H&N Sniper Magnums, 17.9 grains, averaging 963 FPS making close to 37 FPE! This should be good enough for shooting rats! Here's a picture of it all set and ready to start taking out some little fur balls!
* IMG_8853.jpg (143.53 kB, 640x631 - viewed 0 times.)
* IMG_8851.jpg (116.16 kB, 640x290 - viewed 5 times.)
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Navarre, FL
Offline Rob M
Re: Review of AEA HP Backpacker Carbine
« Reply #15 on: May 18, 2020, 05:56:48 PM »
Quote
awesome !!!!!!!!!@ :D
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Louisiana
Offline bear air
Real Name: Chris
Re: Review of AEA HP Backpacker Carbine
« Reply #16 on: May 18, 2020, 05:59:50 PM »
Quote
Sharp looking rifle Paul!
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Sioux City IA, USA
Offline Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58)
Guns? What guns?
Real Name: Paul
Re: Review of AEA HP Backpacker Carbine
« Reply #17 on: May 27, 2020, 04:04:08 PM »
Quote
I added some dry titanium lube to the polished trigger surfaces and it has helped guide a bit with shooting out the trigger. Much easier to stay on target when shooting rapid fire! ( quote ),, can i ask where to purchase some Titanium lube from ? and any help with procedure for working on the trigger, thanks, roger