Benjamin Benjamin Bulldog M357 Impression
- Thread starter Ezana4CE
- Start date
ok I hope your endeavors prove true, I would more personally be interested in accurately shooting than magazine rattling. Anyway I am sure you will get it ironed out. Good shooting and I hope you get some hunting in. Have fun and may the odds be always in your favor
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@Greg_E With a 5-Year warranty I wouldn’t sweat it. If one Dog goes down, I’ll send it to the vet and grab another from the kennel. If I want to shoot or hunt with one, that’s what’s going to happen. I enjoy getting a rig setup to where I’m good to go with it. I’ve got enough confidence in the platform that there isn’t much many folks can say to me about it. I have experience with them that no one can take from me.
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Umarex is a little... Less than Crosman in this regard. I can't even get a parts diagram for the Hammer. Crosman is way better in this regard!
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@extradrygin2001 I should be ok with it. Right now I’m just feeling this one out. This damn heat has been been making it a longer process than I’d like, but I do what I can. I hadn’t been shooting much over the last couple months. Sucks that you had a lackluster experience with yours. I’m not the greatest shot. When I’m in practice I can usually do ok. Don’t let my mediocrity speak for the platform.
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300 ft lb is the minimum for deer in Texas. Your gonna need to try some heavier cast bullets.
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@c_m_shooter Unless something changed between last season and this season, that is incorrect. If you have evidence of the 300 ft/lb regulation that you speak of please post it.
Source: https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/...eep, javelina,,pre-charged pneumatic air guns.
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315 was what they decided when the law was being written. I was at a couple of the meetings. It was not accidental. The Air Force guys took them on a controlled hint with a Texan .307. 315 ft lbs is the rated power of that rifle.
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@c_m_shooter I took a screenshot directly from the TPWD site. Here it is and I’ll edit my previous post to include the link beneath the screen shot.
The regs clearly state a 215 ft/lb minimum, caliber, suggested projectile weight, or an alternative projectile/velocity combination that equates to the 215 ft/lb minimum for taking deer and other game animals except eastern turkey. It was also printed the same in the hard copy of last season’s Outdoor Annual.
Thanks for being a part of the push to expand regulations to include hunting with airguns in Texas. According to my chronograph data, the Benjamin Bulldog M357 shooting NSA 110 grain slugs doing at least 939 fps fits the bill.
The regs clearly state a 215 ft/lb minimum, caliber, suggested projectile weight, or an alternative projectile/velocity combination that equates to the 215 ft/lb minimum for taking deer and other game animals except eastern turkey. It was also printed the same in the hard copy of last season’s Outdoor Annual.
Thanks for being a part of the push to expand regulations to include hunting with airguns in Texas. According to my chronograph data, the Benjamin Bulldog M357 shooting NSA 110 grain slugs doing at least 939 fps fits the bill.
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You can push the Magnum a lot higher, you already have the porting to do it. Probably just turn the hammer spring in a couple turns and decrease shot count down to about 3. Or get the long Pitbull tube with regulator and pump to 4500, could probably get 10 shots before it falls off the reg. Mine was up at 230+fpe with the Benjamin bullets when I first put those pieces together, turned it down because I didn't see much value. And shortly after I got a 0.510 so power no longer mattered to me, I just wanted a decent number of shots with enough power for smaller critters, if I need more, then I'll grab a Hammer and bash things. Probably should have bought a Texan LSS, but I'll work with what I have for now.
I should also mention that I think those 110gr are probably wasting air, I have a feeling that something heavier will get moving better. If you want some of those 130, 135, and 155 just send me a private message with your address and I'll get some out. I think I can only do 25 each until I can make more. Just not sure when I can sit and pour pounds of lead, need more of a 50cal as well.
I should also mention that I think those 110gr are probably wasting air, I have a feeling that something heavier will get moving better. If you want some of those 130, 135, and 155 just send me a private message with your address and I'll get some out. I think I can only do 25 each until I can make more. Just not sure when I can sit and pour pounds of lead, need more of a 50cal as well.
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@Greg_E Thanks for your help and input. The 110 grain NSAs are a baseline for me. Barrels in other Bulldogs I’ve shot have shot them pretty well. I’ll continue to experiment and test with other ammo and grain weights. I can adjust the hammer spring for more velocity. I don’t see a need to add a 4500 psi airtube, just yet. I believe that this gun can take down any native Texas game animal as it is out of the box. As for testing ammo, this will be an ongoing process for me.
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Todays results. Griffin slugs: 140 grain rebated boattail slugs shot from 43 yards. I didn’t adjust scope retocle to accommodate the change in weight. The first shot hit high and I held for the other 4 rather crudely. These slugs hit the bullet trap noticeably harder than the NSAs. One shot hit particularly hard sending the metal target clip and the clip’s adapter flying through the air, dropped the target, and made the trap jump. The trap is braced by sections of wood wedged behind it.
Below are data from two (5-shot) shot strings shooting the Griffin 140 grain rebated boattail slugs from a stock Benjamin Bulldog M357. In a 1st shot comparison, Notice an increase in fpe by about 21.32 fpe in exchange for sacrificing 73fps (982 fps - 908 fps = a difference of 73 fps); see the fastest (1st shot on a topped off reservoir around 2900-3000 psi) 110 grain NSA slug shot yesterday at 982 fps in post #1 compared to the fastest 140 grain RBT Griffin slug shot this evening in this post at 909 fps. That’s a 30 grain difference in slug weight comparing the 1st shots from the two aforementioned shot strings.
In the notes below that’s supposed to read “finish at 2000 psi.”
Pictured below are an NSA 110 grain hollow point dish base slug (left) next to a Griffin 140 grain rebated boattail slug (right).
More to info to come. Packing my gear for the evening.
Edit: i rushed out to get a few mags off chronographing these above pictured Griffin slugs. I didn’t adjust my scope to shoot them I just shot them. Two mags without paying a whole lot of attention to DOPE for chronograph data. Then the pictured group using roughly estimated holds. They held good enough for me to work with them more in the future. My setup was not comfortable at all, but I made due with what was on-hand to get more data out there.
I also shot a few mags of the NSA slugs but the groups look horrible because I didn’t realize that I was reading DOPE from another Bulldog/scope combo and was trying to apply it. In the process I was getting frustrated on why my corrections weren’t remedying the issues I was seeing. I felt stupid when I thought about it as I packed my gear up and realized that I’d hand written my DOPE for this gun during my previous session and have yet to transcribe it digitally. That’s on me. Oh well. I’ll get it together.
Below are data from two (5-shot) shot strings shooting the Griffin 140 grain rebated boattail slugs from a stock Benjamin Bulldog M357. In a 1st shot comparison, Notice an increase in fpe by about 21.32 fpe in exchange for sacrificing 73fps (982 fps - 908 fps = a difference of 73 fps); see the fastest (1st shot on a topped off reservoir around 2900-3000 psi) 110 grain NSA slug shot yesterday at 982 fps in post #1 compared to the fastest 140 grain RBT Griffin slug shot this evening in this post at 909 fps. That’s a 30 grain difference in slug weight comparing the 1st shots from the two aforementioned shot strings.
In the notes below that’s supposed to read “finish at 2000 psi.”
Pictured below are an NSA 110 grain hollow point dish base slug (left) next to a Griffin 140 grain rebated boattail slug (right).
More to info to come. Packing my gear for the evening.
Edit: i rushed out to get a few mags off chronographing these above pictured Griffin slugs. I didn’t adjust my scope to shoot them I just shot them. Two mags without paying a whole lot of attention to DOPE for chronograph data. Then the pictured group using roughly estimated holds. They held good enough for me to work with them more in the future. My setup was not comfortable at all, but I made due with what was on-hand to get more data out there.
I also shot a few mags of the NSA slugs but the groups look horrible because I didn’t realize that I was reading DOPE from another Bulldog/scope combo and was trying to apply it. In the process I was getting frustrated on why my corrections weren’t remedying the issues I was seeing. I felt stupid when I thought about it as I packed my gear up and realized that I’d hand written my DOPE for this gun during my previous session and have yet to transcribe it digitally. That’s on me. Oh well. I’ll get it together.
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I've always had really good luck with Griffin slugs, try the 125grain with the plastic ball in the hollow (I forget the part number).
(edit) the LDC boat tail in .358. You might find a few fps by sizing them down to .357, depends on your barrel.
(edit) the LDC boat tail in .358. You might find a few fps by sizing them down to .357, depends on your barrel.
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@WarriorPoet Good looking slugs. Those chronograph numbers look like you’re shooting from an older .357 Benjamin Bulldog. I’m trying to keep this thread focused on the newer Benjamin Bulldog M357. If you’re referring to shooting cast slugs from the older .357 Bulldog, can you ask your question in the thread below? Similar things have been discussed in the thread below as well. @Greg_E is also in that conversation.
www.airgunnation.com
Just Seeing These Slugs Benjamin .357, 147 Grain
Looks like a decent hunting slug. I like the meplat. That ought to punch a nice hole. 100 for $49.99 that’s about $0.50 per slug. https://www.airgundepot.com/benjamin-flat-point-357cal-147gr-100ct.html Anyone using these? Any Bulldog shooters? If so, what’s your impression?
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edited to add: in my 357 I'm shooting them at 904 fps average.
In my 357, not a bulldog, for ease and simplicity sake I settled on using hornady cowboy bullets (I think they renamed them frontier), 158gr semi-wadcutters. They are a swaged bullet, knurled, and lubed with a dry waxy type lube that works very well. They are advertised as .358 in diameter, and with the lube coating they are +. I run them through my sizer for my barrel and probably about 15% or so of them I put in a pile to plink with, they don't have any resistance when running through my sizer, the rest I shoot. Worst 6 round groups I shoot at 110 yards are 2.5", rarely are they that big. More than good enough since I limited myself to 70 yard and less shots on broadside only deer, behind the shoulder, wadcutters and semi-wadcutters cut the entry hole on a deer and leave good blood trails always with pass through every time. I shoot 6 round groups because the tune I have on mine is a two shot tune at the bench, one shot hunting because I have to adjust fill pressure to compensate for temp changes while in the field to make sure I have one shot in the required range and am not bumping valve lock if temps rise or falling to low the shot will be off due to harmonics changes. I shoot 2, refill, repeat for 6 shot groups with an extreme spread of less than 6 or 7 fps, a third shot slows too much and changes harmonics. You really need to size all your slugs to what your barrel wants. I've seen a couple reviews on retailers sites where someone was happy with them in a bulldog, optics planet was one of them, can't remember the other site.
I had two boxes I purchased locally that were small, barely measured .357 with lube cleaned off, completely useless in my 357. Retailer would not take them back, called hornady and politely bitched about it, they sent me two new boxes and did not make me send the two useless boxes back. The new ones were proper size.
they make them in 158gr round nose and 148gr hollow base wadcutters also. These are the ones I use, the picture here must have been taken with some/most of the lube cleaned off to show the knurling clearly. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010717283?pid=382348
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@karl_h Thank you for that info. Your rig’s producing a more power than mine currently is, but I’d like to try that ammo. Hopefully I can find a velocity range that shoots them well after adjusting the hammer spring some. I try to work with two shots max for hunting. If I can’t do it with two, I don’t need to be out there. In fact I’m fortunate to get a second shot in the field (if needed).
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in 40 years when deer hunting, not crop damage shooting(20 back to back in the 80's on crop damage patrol < 2 minutes). I can count on one hand the number of times I've taken more than one shot whether handgun/rifle/pcp while deer hunting. In the few cases I've shot more than once back to back, I put down a different deer with each shot, once with a handgun(twice if you count pigs), 2 times with a PB rifle.
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Another thought on shooting this rifle. For me it takes some adjusting shooting this air rifle from a rest. Either I or the rifle am jumping upon pressing the trigger. Focusing on maintaining a consistent follow through is an important aspect of shooting this air rifle, for me. When it’s your turn, keep this in mind. You definitely know you’re shooting a big bore when you’re behind this rifle.
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Color me clueless, I was just setting up a package to send to @Ezana4CE of several of the hornady bullets, all of mine are anywhere from 2-8 years old. The oldest ones I have are their 158gr hollow point semi-wadcutters, I only ever bought one box of those because they did not fly well at all out of my rifle, but I did have to size them down when new. They have shrunk, not kidding. All the other types I have left shot well enough and I had labelled each box with the measured diameter of the bullet. The bullets in every single box are smaller than the label I put on, too small to be of any use to me if I ever get my 357 back up and running. How in heck does a lead bullet shrink? I measured them with two different calipers and a micrometer, all in agreement. I even for no reason grabbed a big handfull and pushed them through my sizer, not one was touched. All the bullets I have except the one really old box are 2-4 years old now and are in various stages of shrinkage.
It's been two years since I shot my 357 pcp, I have not had any response from the manufacture to many emails and contact forms I filled out on their webpage, I need a part and my rifle has been down for a long time.
After I had two defective boxes I purchased locally that were small in diameter, which hornady replaced at not cost or trouble, I made it a point to open every box I ordered online and measured/labeled them.
I have to stop recommending these bullets from hornady.
It's been two years since I shot my 357 pcp, I have not had any response from the manufacture to many emails and contact forms I filled out on their webpage, I need a part and my rifle has been down for a long time.
After I had two defective boxes I purchased locally that were small in diameter, which hornady replaced at not cost or trouble, I made it a point to open every box I ordered online and measured/labeled them.
I have to stop recommending these bullets from hornady.
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