benjamin bulldog vs. seneca recluse ???

[JeffB1961]

i'm strongly considering getting a big bore for deer . .35 cal. or larger airguns are legal in Va. for hunting deer . my only PCP experience is my .25 gauntlet which i am very happy with in it's stock form .

i like the bulldog because of the bullpup design and the multi-shot clip , but i go back and forth between thinking it looks cool ... to thinking it looks goofy . and it seems to have a lot of plastic . but ..... crosman is awesome about having parts for their guns at very reasonable prices ! 

the recluse is wood and metal and single shot . but ...... it allows choosing between high and low power . the recluse also offers the option or using arrows which is legal in Va with a doctors form saying i can't pull a bow which i won't have any trouble getting . but i'm guessing seneca doesn't offer parts like benji does  

i like the .357/9mm because it allows either pellets or slugs/round ball for ammo . add in the recluses high/low power and that seems to offer a LOT of options . 

i'm wondering which offers more stock power for slugs on deer . also which is easier to work on ..... videos on youtube make them look similar in difficulty as far as tuning and such . i keep going back and forth and this week the recluse is a hair ahead . i already have a bushnell AR 4.5-18 SF scope for which ever i get . 

what are y'alls thoughts/experiences on these guns ? what do y'all recommend ? 

thanks , jeff 

 

[Willie14228]

Jeff if you want to go with a bow I would go with the Pioneer Airbow it is also a Benjamin

I will be blunt it has been my experience while both of these guns will take a deer I really do not care for the amount of time it takes to drop a deer with them, It will take a very precise shot 

The Bulldog issue is that the Magazine limits your size of rounds and the FPE stock is only about 198 this is after the hammer spring is tightened as far as it will shoot they can be tuned up with aftermarket parts and work to get that higher but I am assuming you want something that will work good out of the box

The Senaca Only produces 160 FPE per specs this is a very baseline( Actually to low in my opinion) FPE when it comes to deer hunting

I would advice looking at the Texan the loading chamber is much longer and will allow heavier bullets you can product upwards of around 400 FPE with the .357 and there is a kit available for shooting bolts and bullets or round balls 

I love hunting with the Bulldog but I hunt Yotes, Pigs and other game under 100 pounds, as funky as the gun looks it shoulders very well and caries easy through the brush I just wish Crosman would update the system and hope it up to get it more power