I've tried 177 hades in a few different rifles with mix results. My findings are that they like a harsh initial blast rather then a push down the barrel.
To be legal for deer in my state they need to be .40 cal (and up), 400 fpe., and non- full-auto That should give you a benchmark of anticipated preference. Otherwise, the .357 would be the better option in my opinion.
Pellets will out preform slugs in the large majority of rifles because they and designed to self stabilize. Slugs will out preform pellet only if you have the velocity and twist they require. But at the end of the day are you our preforming a rimfire or making a Fisher space pen?
To put things in perspective, RWS made a .25 cal Model 48 and 52. These were very short lived because they were grossly underpowered compared to the .22 as a garden gun.
Daystate rifles make a lot of mechanical noise and the high powered ones cannot be made very quiet. I've not used any of their E-rifles but I assume they would be as noisy as the analog system. My suggestion is make sure it's not the rifle rather than the report you're hearing.
GMI offers dies which could be used with a mallet the same way some reloaders use hand dies with a mallet. You will probably not find a manufacturer recommending this method due to abuse by some users.
You ordered products from an individual claiming to know what they are doing and found out they don't. Every hobby has these kinds of people. If you want quality buy from manufacturers that have built this hobby, not Tom, Dick, and Harry.
I've got several Daystate rifles and they all vary in natural wood color and oil finish. When ordering new you should specify to the merchant your desired shade and see if they can meet your needs. They may even be willing to send pictures of what they have in stock.
The first rule of casting is to know your alloy composition. Solder has varying alloy mixes and hardness. If SHTF that's not the time to be learning. If I was going to make do with an airgun there would be considerations made with each shot to recover lead. I have a bin of spent pellets...
I've looked at many of Thor's products, but for me, it comes down to price. $800+ will buy a lot of pellets. Then I add my time and wear on parts will it pay for itself in the long run?
I'm working on a Crosman 1322, but I'm waiting on parts from China. The quality of parts sold in the US has been a quick refund because they couldn't maintain quality control.
The best description of a Fox is a muffled pop. Size for size, you're only going to notice a difference in pitch from one brand to the next, and this may translate as quieter to some folks. In an empty room, they all echo.