Wondering what y’all recommend (if not restricted by budget) for an airgun dedicated to whitetail. So far, I had sorta zeroed in on offerings from Daystate, but wanted to see suggestions from others.
Much appreciated.
Much appreciated.
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Best airgun options for whitetail?
- Thread starter scrummykoalas
- Start date
Nothing Daystate makes is suitable for deer hunting. I own a Benjamin Bulldog .357cal, and I would not use it either, but here are my choices for deer hunting:
- Bulldog .45cal
- Texan .45cal
- Hatsan Piledriver .45cal
- Umarex Hammer .50cal
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Ok so I feel like the hatsan is almost expensive as the Texan without a lifetime warranty. Airforce is amazing lifetime customer service that is really second to none. I feel the same about the hammer. It's a little more power than the Texan but not much especially when you consider the new CF bottle option. I can tell you this tho. While you certainly can kill deer with a 357 or even a 30. The bigger bullet of a 45 or 50 is going to help you considerably with getting a consistent blood trail and a quicker death. I had the bulldog as well and I got rid of it. I would recommend getting the Texan 457 carbine or ss version. I got the LSS and it's amazing but really really long. And a bit heavy. Definitely a good gun for a blind that's big enough for you. I would recommend 457 over 50 simply because lee makes 20 dollar molds to make your own bullets and they work great. The 50 will cost you a couple hundred to have one made because it's not a common 50 cal size. I think it's .501 but don't quote me on that. The 457 is a true 4570 mold so there's tons of cheap molds out there. God bless and do yourself a favor and get the Texan. Don't think you need a reg either. It's completely unnecessary with these guns.
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I can personally vouch for the AirForce Texan SS .457 (no mods) shoots the NSA 240gr Hp very well. Took a nice 8pt last year. Shot him at 65 yds with complete pass through, watched him drop within 50 yds.
This year I shot a doe with an AEA HP Max 45 cal. which also shoots the NSA 240gr Hp very well. I shot her at 40 yds. and she never took a step she just rolled backwards and done.
This year I shot a doe with an AEA HP Max 45 cal. which also shoots the NSA 240gr Hp very well. I shot her at 40 yds. and she never took a step she just rolled backwards and done.
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Throw in the mix the Evanix REX-IBEX in .45 or .50
Texan .45 or .50 are hard to beat tho
Bushbuck .45
XP .452 and bigger calibers
Extreme, again in .45 and up
Texan .45 or .50 are hard to beat tho
Bushbuck .45
XP .452 and bigger calibers
Extreme, again in .45 and up
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i have owned all of them except the .45 bulldog.
i perfer the Piledriver .457 over the texan and hammer for out of the box accuracy and power.
it also is a very simple design and easy to repair when/if needed.
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The Texan .45-.50 is a solid choice. The threaded shroud in my LSS seems to make all the difference (harmonically) for accuracy. Dropped a good size 8pt white tail on opening day with mine at ~62y.
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The Bushbuck .45 is a proven deer slayer and has taken much bigger game than deer. Just ask Kip Parow at AOA
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.357 and bigger calibers are very limited in use.
This year I will use my Vulcan 3 .30 to hunt my deer of the season.
.30 is really versatile.
This year I will use my Vulcan 3 .30 to hunt my deer of the season.
.30 is really versatile.
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here in the southern most part of alabama, 3 miles from the beach, .30 is legal
and the uragan had no problems taking this doe on the corn pile.
last season pic. another coming soon
and the uragan had no problems taking this doe on the corn pile.
last season pic. another coming soon
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Really? Okay then, well you learn something new everyday!here in the southern most part of alabama, 3 miles from the beach, .30 is legal
and the uragan had no problems taking this doe on the corn pile.
last season pic. another coming soon
View attachment 312838
- Was that a headshot or bodyshot?
- Which ammo?
- What is your gun producing power wise?
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From having a Texan TX2 valve 50 cal for three years I can't give you the same experience as others My Texan eats the pin that goes through the trigger. Airforce techs know nothing except to change every part. My barrel was extremely rough. My Texan currently does shoot well and cleans up well too..After 3 hrs of hand lapping with multiple lead laps starting at 120 grit. My Texan eats parts and requires being able to diagnose and or repair yourself. So truthfully my Texan has some reliability issues. My experience shooting game a 50 isn't too big. Often no blood trail . Tracking with no blood thick brush pretty hard. I'd go big cal unless you are taking head shots.
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Lee makes .515 450 grain mold.for $25.00. Sizeing kit to .510 like $25.00. Casting for.50 no more expensive than than any other caliber. Molds same price doesn't matter caliber.
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neck shotReally? Okay then, well you learn something new everyday!
- Was that a headshot or bodyshot?
- Which ammo?
- What is your gun producing power wise?
nsa 47.2 gr dbhp
105 FPE with 50gr knockouts which is my new hunting slug
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Legal where I hunt.Too small for most laws in the USA.
I will share results if I am able to shoot at a deer on January hunt.
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