.35 Air Bolts for the .357 Benjamin Bulldog
- Thread starter Ezana4CE
- Start date
@AirArcher66 I just thought of something. Considering the shape of the Benjamin Bulldog shroud I may be able to get away with removing the end of the shroud that contains the adapter to affix a moderator. I’m not certain, but I wonder if there is a way to rotate the bolt so that the broadhead drops down into the shroud with the end cap removed. I will have to try it and see. I really don’t want to cut the shroud if I can avoid it.
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So after grabbing some 100 grain bullet point tips (pictured on the left side) I realized that the field tips that come with the air bolts are also 100 grain (right side). They were cheap so I intend to compare penetration between them on the target. I’m hoping that the bullet tips have less penetration due to their shape. I like that they have more thread than the tips that came with the bolts.
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Remember that your arrow will come out the barrel rotating ( like a bullet does ) so both Broadhead and even more the fletching will touch the shroud.
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Finally giving this a go from about 52 yards 
Here’s what it looks like with a bolt loaded
This was the first shot starting between 2600-2500 psi. Scope was zeroed using 110 grain NSA hollow point slugs. Aimed dead center. Glad I moved the chronograph before taking the shot.
Here’s what it looks like with a bolt loaded
This was the first shot starting between 2600-2500 psi. Scope was zeroed using 110 grain NSA hollow point slugs. Aimed dead center. Glad I moved the chronograph before taking the shot.
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I retrieved the bolt and I noticed that the rifling or maybe the shroud adapter tore into the fletching. I also blew the o-ring off the end of the bolt (I’d read in a review that this would probably happen). Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the used bolt and one that hasn’t been fired yet. 
After taking the first shot I filled the reservoir to approx 2800 psi. Here’s the next shot after the fill.
Then I removed the Donny FL shroud adapter endcap which is an aftermarket shroud endcap. I have not shot these bolts using the factory shroud endcap. This allowed me a little more room to work the bolt in about another inch or two. The bolts have to be twisted with the riffling down into the bore starting gently as to avoid tearing the ends of the fletching.
A look at the space between then end of the barrel and the end of the shroud. The rounded ends on the bottom and top is some sort of factory barrel support. Behind it are three additional supports purchased from Pitbull Airguns.
Here’s a look at the bolt pushed all the way down to the nock. It felt like it was resting against thetransfer port valve.
I only fired the same two bolts repeatedly because I don’t know how to keep the fletching from getting torn up yet. The bullet styled field tips seem to be better quality than the Air Venturi tips that came with the bolts.
After taking the first shot I filled the reservoir to approx 2800 psi. Here’s the next shot after the fill.
Then I removed the Donny FL shroud adapter endcap which is an aftermarket shroud endcap. I have not shot these bolts using the factory shroud endcap. This allowed me a little more room to work the bolt in about another inch or two. The bolts have to be twisted with the riffling down into the bore starting gently as to avoid tearing the ends of the fletching.
A look at the space between then end of the barrel and the end of the shroud. The rounded ends on the bottom and top is some sort of factory barrel support. Behind it are three additional supports purchased from Pitbull Airguns.
Here’s a look at the bolt pushed all the way down to the nock. It felt like it was resting against the
I only fired the same two bolts repeatedly because I don’t know how to keep the fletching from getting torn up yet. The bullet styled field tips seem to be better quality than the Air Venturi tips that came with the bolts.
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From the looks of things I can get one, maybe two good shots with this stock Bulldog shooting these 375 grain bolts from within 50 yards. I think that’s a sufficient distance to take a deer from a tree stand shooting a broadhead, but I’d like to see what velocities this gun is producing with these bolts before considering shooting one from ground level. I’d also like to practice a lot more.
@AirArcher66 How many good shots can you get from a 3000 psi fill? I took shot from around 2550-2500 psi and saw about a 20 MOA drop from 52 yards out.
Shots starting at lower pressures dropped significantly as seen here.
My best shots were taken with a starting reservoir pressure of around 2800 psi. I didn’t have enough sunlight coming through to have the chronograph set up close to the muzzle and I didn’t know how these bolts were going to fly, so I didn’t want to try to shoot over the chrony with it about 10 yards from the muzzle (where there was decent sunlight). The way some of my shots hit I probably would’ve shot the chronograph. Also, can you recommend an airbolt quiver that can securely hold broadheads? I have no clue who makes and sells quality quivers or what type I should be looking at and I don’t want to get sliced.
These are the broadheads:
100 grain
125 grain
@AirArcher66 How many good shots can you get from a 3000 psi fill? I took shot from around 2550-2500 psi and saw about a 20 MOA drop from 52 yards out.
Shots starting at lower pressures dropped significantly as seen here.
My best shots were taken with a starting reservoir pressure of around 2800 psi. I didn’t have enough sunlight coming through to have the chronograph set up close to the muzzle and I didn’t know how these bolts were going to fly, so I didn’t want to try to shoot over the chrony with it about 10 yards from the muzzle (where there was decent sunlight). The way some of my shots hit I probably would’ve shot the chronograph. Also, can you recommend an airbolt quiver that can securely hold broadheads? I have no clue who makes and sells quality quivers or what type I should be looking at and I don’t want to get sliced.
These are the broadheads:
100 grain
125 grain
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For example with my Claw .50 It would shoot 6 arrows at low power with a completely flat string somewhere in the 380 fps ( cannot remember the exact nombers ) and the arrows where in the 450+ gr range ,...again cannot remamber the exact number ( need to pull out an old thread on GTA to check exactly )
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Check with the bolt open if the nock covers the transfer port in any way because if it does then you lose a lot of power there.
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These heads are OK but still not cut on contact broadheads, better then machanical but prone to get stuck into bonewitha straight hit and the razor stlyle blades are prone of breaking,....whatch that video and you see the superiority of cut on contact broadheads as well as more heavier heads,...I would not go under 125gr
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@AirArcher66 I didn’t even think to look into the breech with a flashlight while a bolt was loaded. If 125 minimum is best with these types of heads, I have to figure out a way to get these bolts closer to 400 grains by adding an additional 25 grains to the tips. I’m wondering if there is some sort of weight that can be added and affixed between the tip and the ferrule. Or should I be looking for heavier field tips? Also is there a way to replace the fletching once these vanes get torn up?
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I've never used vanes before, for my archery I only use feathers, I think to just put stichy velcro like the old style .357 airbolts will do well for you for less interference with the shroud shell.
I don't like these heads even at higher weights, I would seriously look into the Magnus Snuffer or the Wensel Woodsman heads they come in weights up to 160gr,.....also a lot of other heads to check out at 3 Rivers, as weel as field points and blunts of every concievable weight
3 Rivers also sell weight inserts to ad weight to the front of the arrow.
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Also just by looking of the poor penetration on that target ( unless you have some kind of wood behind ) I'm guessing these arrows are pretty slow,.........it should blow throught that target like butter, hardly slowing down.
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@AirArcher66 I noticed the penetration aspect as well, but since I have no personal context I don’t know what’s going on. I was thinking reduced velocity may have been because the nock was possibly resting on the
This was my first time shooting air bolts so I’m pretty ignorant here. One day when I can get out earlier in the day with the sun overhead I’ll be able to chronograph the bolt speeds. The target says it’s rated to stop all width archery arrows and bolts (with field tips) up to 650 fps. I don’t know if that has something to do with the lack of penetration. You think this gun is capable of pushing bolts through this target?
The 110 grain NSA DB-HP slugs were chronographed at 779-665 fps. That’s the range of the 8 shots that registered there were probably 16 that didn’t. That was with the chronograph set up about 6-8 yards from the muzzle.
These vanes are plastic. The appear to be glued on or something.
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Never seen those targets before so I did some reserarch and seems they are real good quality and great stopping power so disregard my previous penetration comments
........still I would love to shoot some of my arrows from my guns to see what would happenUpvote 0
@AirArcher66 Lol ok. Grabbed the target on sale for around half price. it's a lot larger than I thought. I almost ordered two to place them in tandem , but they sold out before I could get another one in my cart.
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@AirArcher66 Dunno what it's filled with, but it took the paint off of my field tips in about two shots.
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@AirArcher66 I think the .50 Dragon Claw comes with a lot more power than a stock .357 Bulldog. I was thinking about adding an extended airtube to the gun to maybe get a 3-4 good shots on a fill. Thoughts?
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