A brief post to report first range trip for the 46 Nitro Express Magnum. Sunny and warm. Set up paper target at 50 yards. I had bore sighted the rifle at home with a Site Lite laser to get the scope close. Shot off a forward rest with a sand sock under the butt of the rifle. Had about 3500 psi in my attached tank and set regulator at 3000 psi. Was shooting the 450 grain Raptor slug, cast from pure lead with a little tin to fill out the mold and sized .465. The slugs were seated against the rifling. First three shots shown on the attached target.

Did not have enough air or time to work out the technique for 100 yards, but we wore out the steel targets hanging at 50, 75 and 100 yds. The slug chronographed 750 fps at 3000 psi. That velocity was pretty constant even as my tank pressure ran down to 2500 and I ran out of time!

So...lots of fun. Three other guys were at the range and they were flummoxed and flabergasted. Not the kind of BB gun they were used to! I let them all shoot it. More converts!

More info when I can do some testing with some different alloys, diameters and pressures. What a fantastic rifle!

Hugh

Hello Hugh,

Well, that's a good start, I'd say. Mightly fine.

IIRC ... you can actually shoot those biggest slugs at .463" .... and then you can shoot the smaller Bishops at .465". Try that. You might get a bit more fps .... I forget. That's very good though. And, I appreciate you taking my suggestion of getting some trigger time behind the gun at 3,000 psi.

You CAN shoot the gun at 3,500 psi. You really don't need to. I never run anything wide open, personally. You man settle on a 3,200 psi, or thereabouts, for your default. OR ... once you chrono various set ups ... you MAY find that you get 25% more air usage from ... say ... blasting away at 2,750 psi and there's enough (especially with Bishops, etc., for some range times). I'm not trying to go whimpy on ya. You can certainly develop your loads, and memorize your scope for top drawer rounds, and just run it that way. It will take it. Just offering thoughts.

I'm very glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for sharing at the range, and here.

Best,
Gary

Hey Hugh looking good. That's some serious smack down power, I'm sure those steel plates were ringing. Don't you love it when the guys with the powder burners get all big eyed when they see just what a big bore airgun can do. I enjoyed the post and we definitely need to get together for some range time.

Hey, Joe. Later this summer. Our range is actually just off 220, south of town, so if you would like to come up here, it would probably take about 90 minutes from your house! I'll be in touch. Can't wait to see that smoothie.

One of the things I always got a kick from, was glancing down the row of shooters, and seeing all of their spotting scopes swung onto MY targets. hehehhee.

You have to allow some "extra" time for talking, when you take a big bore PCP to the rifle range.



Gary

"You have to allow some "extra" time for talking"

That's an understatement at my range. People would just keep wandering by and stop to ask questions unabashedly.

Lon

Sounds like plan, just let me know when so we can work out our schedules.