A.E.A. the gun of the moment ?

[Wayne52]

Don't recall anyone posting info on the AEA barrels.  Are the choked or not?  Especially in .22 or .25?  Thanks

I was told (by Bin at The Pellet Shop) that the Varmint barrel has a "gradual, slight choke" that works especially well with slugs.  I hope to do some accuracy testing this week with a variety of slugs.

From slugging, none of mine are choked. Early on Bintacllc Bin claimed non choked.

Has anyone slugged their barrel and found it to be choked?

Dave

Not yet, and you could be right.  What diameter was your .22 Varmint bore?  All my slugs are .217.

I don't know if my Challenger LS has a gradual choked barrel in it because I've never physically pushed a slug down the barrel however it shoots my cast .218 slugs excellent.  I also have the HP 25 cal semi auto carbine that I pondered on getting the varmint barrel kit for but when the Callenger LS in .22 was available again I went for it and very glad that I did.

[Mr.P]

The screw and collar on the butt end of the gun that the stock bolts onto is basically an airforce style power wheel (as opposed to the restrictor type used in the AEA guns).

No need to clip springs, as backed all the way out it results in a hammer strike that just barely releases a burst of air - a very underpowered shot.  Adjusting the preload by screwing it father in allows me to get a nice “garage-friendly” low power tune that shoots with plenty of power for plinking or paper punching at short range but is not so loud while I’m waiting for my DonnyFL adapter.

My plan is to put some washers at the end of the spring guide to increase the preload on the spring across the board.  Then back out the nut that holds the spring to balance out the preload added by the washers. 

From there I’ll be able to use it like a power wheel.  Mark where “zero” is  then add preload or reduce preload from baseline by turning CW or CCW.  I know this isn’t an example of “brilliant airgun modification” but it’s kind of cool to me that this easy externally adjustable tuning is possible.  This gun is honestly exactly what I have been looking for over the years.  Compact, simple design, easily broken down, inherent tuneability, high top end and wide dynamic range, no plastic or complex parts to break or lose. 

The weak point is the magazines I guess.  One of mine doesn’t snap in securely and needs to be reseated more often than it should be.  The lucite part tends to tighten and loosen at random - the screw is not secure and needs to be stuck in place with thread lock.

[rdwilson]

     I have the trigger on my AEA carbine at 2.75lb.  I stoned the flat side of the sear and then polished the contact surfaces with an extra fine rubberized disc.  Still has some creep but I'm shooting it some to see if it changes any.  Triggers are pretty basic on the AEA's I've seen, much like some 22 LR SA's.

          My bolt was too hard for me to cock one hand when I got it.  The last 1/2 in was very difficult.  Tore it down and the hammer spring was binding on the guide.  Polished the guide and filed the end of springs to remove sharp edges.  Oiled with Amsoil synthetic ND and reassembled.  Pull was about one third easier and last half inch was much easier.  Another trick I learned was putting o rings on the bolt handle.  Gives a bigger surface area to lpull on.  Works good for me.

     

      did you take any pics of this or do you know of any videos showing the  process . i have a first gen semi auto , a 22 hp ss plus , would like to work on the trigger on both..   good idea on the o rings , i thougt of it , but forgot it & was looking for like a rubber cup to fit on the cocking knob.

[Mr.P]

Well here is a simple thing I was able to pull off with 3d printing.  Like many I prefer a gun that doesn’t need a separate probe and can just be hooked right up to the compressor.  Leaving the fill probe in works but it sticks out pretty far and might get banged up over time.  I made something to give that a little more support and protection. 

 

[Mr.P]

With the hammer spring retaining nut / stock anchor backed out around this far, I can shoot at a relatively quiet 50-60 fpe. 

Tightened up a bit, 95 fpe is also easy on the ears. 

The nice thing is I found some lower energy settings where (while I wait for a DonnyFL adapter) I can test things out in my garage without blowing out my ear drums or having a pitchfork and torch bearing mob show up after someone panics on “nextdoor”. 

I also got a greater number of shots than I expected with the hammer backed off.  It is interesting… at half the power you get way more than twice the number of shots.  Getting those last 65 fpe costs a lot in terms of efficiency.

[DrGunner]

I had problems with all four of my mags needing to be reseated after every shot. It happens because the barrel stub doesn’t protrude enough to hold the magazine against the slot for the breech face.

The simple fix was to remove the shroud, unlock the barrel lock nut, thread the barrel IN about 1/3-1/2 turn, & lock it back down.

Worked like a charm for mine.

DrGunner

The screw and collar on the butt end of the gun that the stock bolts onto is basically an airforce style power wheel (as opposed to the restrictor type used in the AEA guns).

No need to clip springs, as backed all the way out it results in a hammer strike that just barely releases a burst of air - a very underpowered shot.  Adjusting the preload by screwing it father in allows me to get a nice “garage-friendly” low power tune that shoots with plenty of power for plinking or paper punching at short range but is not so loud while I’m waiting for my DonnyFL adapter.

My plan is to put some washers at the end of the spring guide to increase the preload on the spring across the board.  Then back out the nut that holds the spring to balance out the preload added by the washers. 

From there I’ll be able to use it like a power wheel.  Mark where “zero” is  then add preload or reduce preload from baseline by turning CW or CCW.  I know this isn’t an example of “brilliant airgun modification” but it’s kind of cool to me that this easy externally adjustable tuning is possible.  This gun is honestly exactly what I have been looking for over the years.  Compact, simple design, easily broken down, inherent tuneability, high top end and wide dynamic range, no plastic or complex parts to break or lose. 

The weak point is the magazines I guess.  One of mine doesn’t snap in securely and needs to be reseated more often than it should be.  The lucite part tends to tighten and loosen at random - the screw is not secure and needs to be stuck in place with thread lock.

[Mr.P]

Makes sense - will try that out if possible.

[Wayne52]

I had problems with all four of my mags needing to be reseated after every shot. It happens because the barrel stub doesn’t protrude enough to hold the magazine against the slot for the breech face.

The simple fix was to remove the shroud, unlock the barrel lock nut, thread the barrel IN about 1/3-1/2 turn, & lock it back down.

Worked like a charm for mine.

DrGunner

The screw and collar on the butt end of the gun that the stock bolts onto is basically an airforce style power wheel (as opposed to the restrictor type used in the AEA guns).

No need to clip springs, as backed all the way out it results in a hammer strike that just barely releases a burst of air - a very underpowered shot.  Adjusting the preload by screwing it father in allows me to get a nice “garage-friendly” low power tune that shoots with plenty of power for plinking or paper punching at short range but is not so loud while I’m waiting for my DonnyFL adapter.

My plan is to put some washers at the end of the spring guide to increase the preload on the spring across the board.  Then back out the nut that holds the spring to balance out the preload added by the washers. 

From there I’ll be able to use it like a power wheel.  Mark where “zero” is  then add preload or reduce preload from baseline by turning CW or CCW.  I know this isn’t an example of “brilliant airgun modification” but it’s kind of cool to me that this easy externally adjustable tuning is possible.  This gun is honestly exactly what I have been looking for over the years.  Compact, simple design, easily broken down, inherent tuneability, high top end and wide dynamic range, no plastic or complex parts to break or lose. 

The weak point is the magazines I guess.  One of mine doesn’t snap in securely and needs to be reseated more often than it should be.  The lucite part tends to tighten and loosen at random - the screw is not secure and needs to be stuck in place with thread lock.

Kevin I bought mine from the pellet shop, it's the last AEA that I bought, is that where you ordered yours from?  Bin said before he even shipped mine that he checked it over good, mine was adjusted perfect from the get go.

[bear air]

I have to say he did a good job checking mine over too. I have done nothing other than scope it, sling it, and clean the barrel. And enjoy!

[Captain Paul]

With the hammer spring retaining nut / stock anchor backed out around this far, I can shoot at a relatively quiet 50-60 fpe. 

Tightened up a bit, 95 fpe is also easy on the ears. 

The nice thing is I found some lower energy settings where (while I wait for a DonnyFL adapter) I can test things out in my garage without blowing out my ear drums or having a pitchfork and torch bearing mob show up after someone panics on “nextdoor”. 

I also got a greater number of shots than I expected with the hammer backed off.  It is interesting… at half the power you get way more than twice the number of shots.  Getting those last 65 fpe costs a lot in terms of efficiency.

What caliber is your AEA?  I'm thinking my next air rifle may be a .30 to keep in the truck.

[DrGunner]

Yep, mine came from the Pellet Shop as well. Both mags that came with the rifle would shift about 1/8-3/16” to the right when I cycled the bolt. I thought it was a problem with the dimple under the mag not being deep enough for the detent ball, but I didn’t want to mod anything without posting a thread & asking others. Someone here suggested that I adjust the barrel protrusion at the breech, and that fixed it right up. Simple adjustment, really- and not something that Bin would have noticed in a simple function test. He probably loads 2-3 pellets in a mag & shoots them. The magazine shift I was seeing would happen during the first 3-4 shots of a FULLY LOADED mag- I’m assuming the driving force was the mag rotor shifting against the narrow part of the bolt probe when the bolt is drawn back on an empty mag slot.

[Wayne52]

Kevin the gun in my signature is the same way, you need to make sure when you take them apart for modifying etc that when you put the barrel back in you need to make sure the mag is a good fit also.

[Nomadic Pirate]

Just by being used to Evanix magazines and now using the JTS magazines I'm blown away at why companies still stay with the crappy Marauder style mags

[DrGunner]

Just by being used to Evanix magazines and now using the JTS magazines I'm blown away at why companies still stay with the crappy Marauder style mags

You can bet it’s about $$$. They probably use the Marauder mags because they can do so without paying anyone for the rights to use the design, and don’t have to shell out for R & D to
design something better.

[Captain Paul]

I've not had any issues with my magazines, maybe I'm just lucky.  I've also pulled the barrel on my Varmint several times and was careful to check that the magazine cleared the breech properly while reinstalling.  Maybe that helps, I don't know.

[Firewalker]

Gauntlet and Diana use the same style and I have had nothing but issues with them both. I single load the Diana now.

Never had a single issue with the DAR magazines.

[avator]

I respect Manny and his experience but, I have the Marauder type mags in 3 different calibers and they are used in several of the guns I own. I also must have been born with the silver spoon because I have never had anywhere near the issues that some claim to experience. Matter of fact, I have yet to have one fail.
I will agree with the claim that there are much better made mags.... Evanix and BSA among them. However, there are complaints to be made against the spring and o-ring pellet trapping design too.

[Mr.P]

That’s great to hear. 

[avator]

LOL.... I can only comment on personal experience... just as we all do.

[Nomadic Pirate]

Not only I had issues with a bunch of them in my Marauders and the one AEA, but they Have a stupid system to load them ( all or nothing ) they rattle and they look plain ugly in the gun