AEA Challenger .30 on the way

[smythsg]

One thing I forgot to mention is that the trigger on my .30 cal is a single stage. It may be able to be adjusted for two stage, but out of the box it is single stage. It surprised me the first time I fired it, but I think I will like it as I do more shooting and get use to it.

[bear air]

If you are dealing with Bin then your in great hands. His customer service is off the charts. Has anyone tried the .303 sized slugs? I have been busy collecting ammo in another caliber but...the challenger has potential to be a great hunting rifle. And if the huma reg has enough plenum to push the heavier stuff all the better. I have been dragging my feet to get some sanding blocks to finish working on my stock.

[smythsg]

James, the hammer spring adjuster arrived today, many thanks for sending it my way. Right now I am working with the Pellet Store to resolve a problem I have with the Challenger. The Power Adjuster was frozen solid when I received the rifle. It was suggested to remove the adjuster and apply some silicone oil or grease to allow it to move more freely. I had to tap it out with a punch and hammer to get to it, and them tap it back in with a hammer to get it back into position. It is still so tight that I can barely move it with pliers. Not sure yet what the end result of this is going to be, hope I don't have to return the rifle...

[gendoc]

i really hope all works out for you Steve !!

[shorty]

And I can't wait to hear if the hammer spring adjuster works for you.

[smythsg]

Thanks so much John, I shot a few pellets with the Challenger yesterday and it shoots well, just an inconvenience that the Power Adjuster is whacked. I may ask Bin to send me another adjuster wheel and I will try to file it down a bit to make it looser and try that. I really don't want to send the rifle back.

Tim, I hope to be able to get to the hammer spring adjuster soon, just have to work through the new gun issues first.

[smythsg]

The Challenger .30 sitting next to my SPA M16 .25 cal. It's hard to tell in the picture, but the Challenger is a much beefier rifle than the M16. Outfitted with my 2 MOA Sig red dot sight at 5 ozs, the Challenger still out weighs the M16, outfilled with a 22 oz Vector Optics scope, by more than half a pound. Of course the M16 is shooting at 51 ft lbs and the Challenger at double that so maybe girth is in order...   The venerable M16 has been a fabulous hunter for the last few years but will probably go on the marketplace soon to help cover cost of the Challenger.

[bear air]

Nice looking spa. Hope you get the power adjuster issue figured out. That makes me want to try mine out and see if it works lol.

[smythsg]

Chris, hopefully your adjuster is not as tight as mine. 

I have really enjoyed the M16, it has been a great hunter. My Airforce Escape UL has become my primary hunting rifle and the M16 hasn't had that much action lately. As luck would have it, I had it out in the field just a week or so ago and took a pig with it. Haven't done that with the Escape yet... 

[bear air]

Nice! Good to hear a 51 fpe 25 cal will take a hog down.

[Wayne52]

I've got three Challengers, .22, .30 and 35 cals.  They're all very powerful rifles and the one that gets used most of the time is the .22.  My .22 gets as much as 70fpe which is way more than I ever expected a 22 cal airgun to ever get.  I've also got an Airmax Dominator (SPA M16) which is a really nice airgun that shoots my cast BBT's really great.  I did modify my Airmax Dominator by opening up the ports in it however from what I understand the 25 cal is about maxed out from the factory the way it comes.  All the AEA's are very powerful airguns and for the performance that they deliver you can't find a more inexpensive pcp that will even come close to comparing with them.

[smythsg]

Chris, inside 30 yards, with proper shot placement to the fusebox, 51 ft lbs will drop the piggy in its tracks. You do have to wait on the shot to get a proper angle though. Manny schooled us all on taking hogs when he was still active on the forum.

Wayne, you and I both purchased our M16 rifles at about the same time. I went .25 cal and you went .22 cal. I watched several of your successful hunting videos with the M16 and I posted a few success stories of my own. While not as powerful as the Challenger rifles, they proved to be grand hunting guns for their time. I added a Huma regulator to mine and shimmed the hammer spring to get it to 51 ft lbs. Other than having to replace an O-ring or two I never had any issues with that rifle. I look forward to the same kind of success with the Challenger.

[smythsg]

Did some chrony work with the Challenger .30 this afternoon, finding the sweet spot to be about 3300 psi down to about 2000 psi with the power wheel set a little below the 10:00 position. That gave me 11 shots in the low to mid 900's with the 48.6 gn Hatsan Strike pellets. The low was about 910 fps and the high was about 955 psi. Strelock Pro says that gives me between 91 and 99 ft lbs, more than enough to handle the most ferocious of the Godzilla squirrels on a full days hunt. Woe be the piggy that gives me a shot with this rifle.

Its amazing how fast one can go through a tin of 100 pellets doing chrony work and sighting in...   Fortunately more pellets and some NSA 49.5 slugs on the way.

A few of obversations about the Challenger: 1. The shroud does a pretty good job, even at almost 100 ft lbs. Not back yard friendly for most folks, but fine for me as all the lots in the small subdivision I live in are at least 1 to 1 1/2 acre so we are not so close together. 2. The trigger is not too bad at all. Single stage, short and predictable, (just guessing about 2+ lbs...) a fine hunting trigger. 3. The rifle just feels like it wants to be shot more...    and I plan to oblige. It takes my Yong Heng compressor about 20 seconds to go from 2000 psi to 3300 psi... now about those pellet prices! 

Tomorrow I will take the Challenger on it's first woods walk and try to get some shots at longer range to fine tune the zero. So far, for the coin tossed down, I think this rifle is a great value and will be a keeper!!

[Back_Roads]

 NOE just released their 55 gr. .30 slug mold, add a cheap melting pot and a pressure pour dipper, and 10 lbs. of lead and you are going to save $ in a few shooting sessions

[smythsg]

Today was a most magnificant day in the North Georgia Mountains, temp at 53 degees at 7:00 am with a high of 76 late this afternoon, low humidity, and not a cloud in the sky. As such, this 70 year old bag of bones dragged his new Challenger .30 cal to the WMA for it's first woods walk. 6 and 1/2 miles later,and untold elevation changes, per the handheld gps, me and the Challenger made it back to the truck totally wore out but smiling none the less. 

The morning started out walking a stream following pig sign for about 2 miles. I saw and heard several deer, but they were unusually wary, maybe because Archery deer season opened over the weekend. Heard several squirrels barking but the canopy is still almost completely obscured by lower trees and I did not see any of them. Walked almost another mile along the logging trails to a spot where I usually see pigs, but it was just too bright today and the piggys stayed in the beds. I actually caught sight of a couple of squirrels along the way, but if you blinked, they were gone, lost in the dense greenery. Didn't get a shot at them either. By now, it was a little over three miles in, and time to head back toward the truck.

North GA hunting rules states that if you have no opportuntiy to take game, one must find an old beer can along the trail and take a few shots to make sure your weapon is functioning properly. I always follow the rules and promptly found such old empty beer can, set it up in the appropriate place, made sure the rangefinder agreed  that I was 50 yards away, and took three shots. After three shots the can was still standing and I was perplexed what was wrong. I strolled those 50 yards, only to find three nice large holes in the can, that I could not see from my 50 yard vantage point because it was too shaded. I still don't know why the can never fell over, but those three holes put a little giddy up in my step on the way back to the truck.

Now, what did I think of the Challenger during this magnificant outing you ask? Ok Spoiler Alert, it's a keeper!! Let's start with the only negative...it was heavier than I expected. 6.9 lbs... I don't think so. By the time I made it back to the truck I was thinking Hatsan BT65 weight. Slightly front end heavy but not too bad, still shouldered nicely and felt really substantial. Would I walk 61/2 miles with it again, not a chance. I will still walk with it, just slower and not so far.    Now the good stuff: I really like the trigger, very nice hunting trigger. As I mentioned before, the shroud does a nice job and I don't think the gun is any louder at 99 ft lbs than my .25 cal Escape UL with a Tanto at 65 ft lbs. The stock on my gun is not "pretty" just functional, and I like that in a hunting gun. (and this is a hunting gun). The fit, finish, and overall quality of the rifle seems quite good, and after nailing the beer can three out of three, I have great confidence that if I do my part the Challenger will do it's part at the proper time.

So, the hunt ended, and my legs hurt, but would I do it again...haha you bet! But first I am going to puill the camper over to the lake for a couple days rest.

[Back_Roads]

 Sounds like a good day of scouting, and good riddance to the hoppy beverage container, I have seen them multiply like rabbits 
 
squirrel opens this weekend here, I might have to sneak some hunting in at work 

[smythsg]

Opening day is always a celebration at my house!   

[bear air]

Steve, I agree with you whole heartedly about the stock. That's why I'm in the process of reshaping my stock. I'm dragging my feet buying a nice set of shaped sanding blocks. I am about half way through it but now I have to start paying close attention to what I'm taking off the stock. I have been nothing but impressed with my st 30.

[smythsg]

Chris, I like your idea about reshaping the stock. It seems a bit bulky, Looking forward to your work. i'm pretty impressed wit my .30 also. Going to order a barrel band later this morning for it.

[bear air]

I bought a bison bb shortly after I got mine. I have a gen 1 marauder that ended up having a really nice reshaped stock that spurred the project.