More on the SUREFIRE .25 slugs
Was really excited to get out this weekend and shoot some more of Jerry’s slugs in .25. I had such great results with them during my last outing. But last time i had run out of air (dive shops fault) and ammo (my fault for not ordering enough) and time 🙁 . But this time i ordered 100-84 grainers and 100-74 grainers and 100-65 grainers 😀 .
After doing some more target shooting and remembering from the last time…my gun really loved the 80+ grainers and the 60+ grainers. And that’s just fine cause one gives me more speed and flatter trajectory with some good punch (118 FPE! 😯 ) and great accuracy out past 50 yrds. The other gives me power, power, power (130 FPE! 😯 ), with great accuracy at 50-75 yrds.
I started off sighting the gun in at 50 yrds. I centered the 80+ grain slugs into the bullseye which just about chewed out the red dot in the center. The gun is definitely more sensitive when you shoot it off the bipod. It then becomes hella accurate when you put it in a rest (no duh huh?!). I really love my condor. I also, and more importantly have renewed trust in her. THANX JERRY!!!
Enough reading the boring stuff. I will move on to the cool stuff. Now, i had MORE malfuntions that day then i ever had ever before. 1st, i forgot the batteries to my digital camera so i had to take pictures with my VIDEO CAMERA. My cheap assed bipod broke. Darryl and i had simultaneous gun malfuntions (no, not the condor, she was on point). Darryl lost his binoculars………pheeewwwwww!!!
OK, here is a pic of a 75 yrd group that i shot with the 60+ grainers. I was shooting the condor while using the bipod. Group is .940″
After goofin off for a couple of hours, Darryl and i were ready to head out and get some Ground Squirrels. This is a 57 yrd head shot that started out as a shoulder/heart shot but i quickly changed it to a head shot only cause i was supposed to have renewed faith in my condor and the new slugs. So now i raised the cross hairs to the center of his head and gently squeezed the trigger. Now, the funny thing is, when i shoot quarry i usually can hear the audible THWWOOOOCK but not with the condor and the new slugs. The big ole 84 gr slug just punched right through his head and kicked up major dirt in the background. The squirrel was picked up off the log and thrown behind it. As i approached the back of the log, the first thing i saw was blood stained wood were the pellet impacted his head as he layed on the log. Needless to say, he was easy to find. We each got a couple GS’s that day but since i had camera issues..here is the one that i got a pic of:
Last but not least, i have a short little video that i did of me shooting 2 water jugs at 90 yrds and 1 sports water bottle at 65 yrds. The 2 jugs at 90 yrds were shot with the 84 grainers and the 1 sports water bottle was shot with a 60+ gr slug. In the video, when i shoot the 2 water jugs, the camera catches the pellet in flight on all 3 shots. Check it out. Excuse the quality but my camera has had it. ENJOY:
I must say that i am really impressed with Jerry slugs and i am going to be ordering a bunch of the 60+ grainers to hunt with. The 80+ grainers and the 70+ grainers are going to become my SPECIALY SLUG:evil:. Jerry and Gary Barnes have some real winners and a customer for life.
Stay tuned for more.
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Viewing 14 replies - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
Butcher,
Watch out for the fumes! Regarding the action in the Sumatra: I don’t think you need to start out with working up new parts to strengthen it. I think if you have a clear understanding of how it works and that forcing anything will do bad things, then you’ll be OK for a long time.
If the indexing lever ever gets bent, I’m sure a replacement can be easily cut, it’s a simple piece. I don’t see any options for strengthening that would not require some very sophisticated machine work on a new style index lever and the magazine.
Nebraska,
SWEET! You’re shooting clover leaf groups at 50 yards and you got your first kill with the 7 ring slugs. I guess that means Surefire can now claim to offer accurate heavy slugs for the .25 high power airgun hunter AND offer online proof from you and Tofazfou. 😀
I just noted that the one reading you got at 50 yards showed the 7 ring had as much energy at 50 as a Kodiak has at the muzzle!
Had my first kill last night using the 65.4 grain slugs that I bought from Jerry. 30 yards one shoot kill pass through, could not really check out the damage as you can see by the pic. Handling was not a option 😯
Nebraska, those are some real good numbers, and the consistency you are getting with the fps is very impressive.
WIth the hardware that skunk is wearing, my first thought was that it was a badger!
Jerry thanks for the very detailed information on the operation of the Sumatra action. I will likely be going over it many times so I can fully process it. I’m working with a lot of spraypaint today, so I think I should keep my thinking to a minimum for now 😆
Do you think that there is potential for an innovative tuner to strengthen the action?
Congratulations Butcher can’t wait to see your first kill. Was out today and ran some numbers- not a lot but some. Did a five shoot string ‘cuz I think that is more than enough for hunting. Still had lots of shots but in all honesty I really only care about the first one. First shot 880.1 fps-112.51fpi-2-859.7fps-107.35fpi-3-859.6fps-107.33fpi-4-853.9fps-105.91fpi-5-852.2fps-105.49fpi. Put the chrony out at 50 yards. Only got one reading it was 780.2fps at 88.42fpi. I will try this when there are less people around; we had our fun shoot today. Still haven’t figured out how to work the chrony that well. These numbers are with 3100 fill with a Tony full boat tune. Three shot groups at 50 yards all in the bull’s eye and touching. OH Yeah 😳 was using 65.4 grain slugs that I bought from Jerry.
Had my first kill last night using the 65.4 grain slugs that I bought from Jerry. 30 yards one shoot kill pass through, could not really check out the damage as you can see by the pic. Handling was not a option 😯
OK butcher i see now. My bad for misreading. Can’t wait till you get the sumatra. Even after removing the choke from my condor it still shoots the 42 grain EJ’s OK. But, she is now a SUREFIRE powerhouse.
Damn, i wanna go huntin now.
That group was with the first generation slugs. The current version should do at least as well and the new base might prevent some of those fliers.
I think I wrote a post somewhere about the indexing system on the Sumatra but I can’t find it. The way the system works is that when the cocking lever is pushed open it causes a pin that rides in a slot in the index lever to slide toward the shooter. This raises the lever. The cocking lever must be opened all the way so that the sliding pin can engage a drop cut at the end of the slot. Opening the cocking lever also pulls the index pin out of the back of one chamber which will allow the magazine to rotate. Closing the cocking lever now pulls the index lever down and slightly forward. This causes the pointed tip of the index lever to engage the back of a magazine chamber and pull it down rotating the next chamber into position. The index pin has also been released by the cocking lever moving back which allows spring pressure to push it into the next chamber which keeps the magazine from over-rotating and holds it in position. As the above sequences complete, the bolt which retracted when the cocking lever was opened now drives forward and chambers the next round.
The system all works well enough but it is very dependent on being clean and friction free. If anything impedes the free rotation of the magazine (like the nose of a slug sticking out the front or tail out the back) the system can jam. If that happens, pulling back harder on the cocking lever will bend the index lever which will cause the lever to not engage the magazine properly in the future or not turn it enough. If you really get stuff jammed up the index pin might jam in the back of the magazine causing real headaches…
That’s why I have not continued to push these slugs real hard for the Sumatra. They will work and will shoot well but I fear I will have to explain the above to every shooter and then still catch the blame if the bust their gun with a load of 7 rings… The 6 rings will work safely if you pay a little attention and react appropriately to the first sign of a jam.
Didn’t mean to be unclear. I didn’t mean to imply I already have one.
I have decided to buy one now that I know that the 55 or so grainers will load in the magazine. Though I will have to look into the “fragile indexing system” and see if it can be strenghthened. I will need a multi-shot for the event of multiple raccoons coming in to the call (DAMN that is going to be so much fun!).
When I get it, I am going to have it tuned specifically to shoot the SUREFIRE slugs, even though I have almost $200 worth of 42 EJ’s sitting around.
You will see a post on the Sumatra soon after I get it. Hopefully within a couple months for the prime fur season.
Hey congrats Butcher on the SUMATRA. Didn’t know. Have you done a post on it yet?
The 6 ring slug fits into the Sumatra magazine no problem. The 7 ring fills it from end to end and in some of the chambers needs to be seated into the mag pretty hard to keep the nose from sticking out.
I would only recommend using the 6 ring slugs in the magazine and then I would recommend caution. That’s because the Sumatra magazine indexing system is pretty fragile.
I have shot the 7,8, and 9 ring slugs through my carbine single loaded and they work great. It’s a bit awkward to load at first but then you get the hang of it.
Tofazfou, hopefully I will be able to send you something here real soon that will have those coyotes running right to you so you don’t have to sit there and wait all day.
This will be my last post referring to these slugs as “Jerry’s Slugs”.
Got a super powerful .25? BETTER HEAD FOR JERRY’s!
(sorry, I had to).
Jerry, what is the maximum size of slug that will fit in the magazine of a .25 Sumatra? According to Tofazfou these slugs have done what I have hoped they would do…..which is everything the .308 was known to.
It is now time to look into the new 500cc Sumatra, and send it off to be tuned to shoot the SUREFIRE slugs.
Tofazfou thanks for your efforts in testing, and proving out these slugs.
That’s great thanks for the Info. 😀
Yep, no problems Jerry. I only call them JERRYS slugs cause YOU are the guy on the net pushing em. So most people relate the slugs to you. But, from here on out…i will call them SUREFIRE SLUGS. Sounds better than JERRYS SLUGS anyway. Jerry’s slugs makes em sound…..SPECIAL 😆
Also, there was no problem with the first design of the slugs. You figured out what the problem was with the first configuration. It was the chokes.
And yes, you are right, they do core through the small game with ease and puts em down with ease. But, it is not as easy to “GET SOMETHING BIG”. I have to drive a lot here in cali just to find somewhere to shoot. Mostly GS and rabbits. But i do see coyotes every blue moon running across the road were i shoot. So i will try a few Rabbits and try to hunt a YOTE with the slugs. The smaller game is just easier to find and hunt and the yotes you gotta sit quiet all day in 1 spot and wait. But even racoons or groundhogs or skunks…those projectile will just blow through em. The kodiaks and Eun Jins do the same thing from them condors. But i gaurante that it can easily down a deer or a yote or a hog. Those slugs are bad ass.
Cedric,
Thank you for posting your results with the slugs. Putting together a post with pictures and video takes a fair amount of time and effort and I appreciate both. I sell these slugs for the boys so I’ve got an interest but I imagine a lot of other folks got some entertainment and enjoyment out of your efforts as well.
I’m glad you have confidence in the Condor again! I’m very happy with your results too and those results mean we have a final configuration for these slugs! I’m glad it only took two tries to get a design that can be cast without too much pain and also shoots well in many guns.
If the 9 ring blew out the center of the target at 50yds and the 6 ring is more accurate and the 7 ring shoots less than 1″ at 75 yds, I’m good!
I probably should have warned you about shooting tiny little game with these big slugs though! If you hit bone they tend to make a mess and if you get mostly soft tissue they tend to “core” the target. Works for me.
So, it’s about time for you to go get something bigger! I know that Mike is looking for racoon and another customer is looking for coyote, I guess you’ll just have to save a neighborhood from a rogue mountain lion! OK, I’m just kidding there!!! No letters regarding big cats and guns etc!
OBTW, my only quibble about the last couple posts regarding these slugs is the fact that they are called Jerry’s slugs. I’m just the marketing and bean counting pogue when it comes to this product. They were designed (twice) by Gary Barnes and he cut both molds at no charge so my boys could expand their business. They call their enterprise Surefire Casting so the slugs should be known as “Surefire” slugs.
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Nebraska…CONGRATS man. Those numbers look really good to me for sure. Yep, my condor loves the 60+ grainers as well and i am gonna place an order for 300 more of just them.
I love the fact that you set up your chrony at 50 yrds and got a reading. I will do the same the next time i go out. I too would like to know the downrage velocity as well as the muzzle velocity. 88 fpe at 50 yrds is 22lr territory for sure. OOOOH IM STOKED!
isnt there a way to get a BC number now that we know MV and dowrange velocity?