N/A I think we need a new caliber among .25 and .30 for hunting and Target shooting

A few years back I was looking for this exact thing. I ended up on the .257 bandwagon. I built a converted disco with a TJ’s 1:14 liner to start but the shot count was low and was single load. I then moved into converting a Winchester 70-35 to the .257 caliber. This was and is much better, after modifying the magazines for the smaller cal. I’m able to fit the 257420 bullets. I get one full mag of 7 shots on a 230bar fill on high power 150 fpe and two full mags when tuned down to 120 fpe.

I’ve come to the conclusion that the .257 is about as close as we air gunners are going to get to the perfect balance of power and BC . If I were to go down this road again, I’d now start with a bulldog ( weren’t available at the time) tune it for the 257420 bullets and be happy.
 
I think y'all just described the characteristics of the Air Force guns.
You can get a .257 or .308. They are powder burner diameters and shoot longer slugs at higher BC's with high very high FPE. The only downfalls are they are not regulated and you have to single load. I really wish AF would update them...
Really easy to regulate AF guns. And put a big bottle on. Single load vs loading a magazine. Unless you have more than two magazines pretty much a wash time wise.

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Huben Power Dream Regulator
Huben Power MAX-ATH Universal Regulator
Home brew plenum setup with Huben Power regulator 1/2, U adapter, 120CC 3000psi tube and Trajectron angled adapter.
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Really easy to regulate AF guns. And put a big bottle on. Single load vs loading a magazine. Unless you have more than two magazines pretty much a wash time wise.

Top to Bottom
Huben Power Dream Regulator
Huben Power MAX-ATH Universal Regulator
Home brew plenum setup with Huben Power regulator 1/2, U adapter, 120CC 3000psi tube and Trajectron angled adapter.
View attachment 572354View attachment 572355

View attachment 572353
Amazing what you achieved !!

It looks ugliest than our of the box !
 
Ratzy. That is some nice modding! You would think that AF would catch on and offer some of the features that customers want. I feel like they have offered almost the same gun for like two decades...
I think that is by design. They know just how many options are out there to upgrade a very simple platform. So they just stick to the basics, other than barrels.
 
Only a American air arms Slayer in 257 would have worked great because of the bullpub configuration .. but the 257 evol is supposed to be aviable pretty soon.. in it's current form the leopard is not capable of shooting 72gr - .257 bullets between 980fps to 1000fps but who knows fx valves are evolving pretty fast.. maybe a Pantera would.
 
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One of my pet bores. In reality I think 257 is the real answer to most elr problems but 284 may have an advantage in 1 specific bc/trajectory application if a gun were built from a projectile up.
Mold selection to small..Not enough power to take advantage of the high BC bullet . Best bullets will be from 135gr n up . There is a 100gr BT but no reports about how it has worked.. 257 has the best mold selection n now tj has 1-8 n 1-9 twist to go with the 90gr to 100gr pils .
 
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The .308 Texan is still the most powerful production air rifle in .30 cal, hands down. With the right slug and tune, it’s capable of over 400 FPE and confidently reaches past 300 yards. It’s a single-shot powerhouse—not built for speed, but for serious long-range precision and ethical hunting.

I hunt and target shoot tethered—I’m not a stalker. I prefer trail cams, blinds, and strategic setups. Running tethered gives me two big advantages over most PCPs: one, I’m essentially working with a high-powered regulated platform; and two, I’ve got unlimited air for any hunt. I use a 6.8L CF tank that delivers around 80 high-power shots with 150 grain boat-tail FN slugs.

The Texan .308 isn’t for every setup, but for long-range hunting with serious stopping power, it’s in a class of its own. When you’ve got the right tune and slug, there’s no substitute for that kind of punch and consistency, top it off with a Zulus HD 5-20x with range finder you have a coyote worst nightmare.
 
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AirForce, Bulldog,.....

Those guns mentioned as "best candidates".... — are visually displeasing to my eyes, very displeasing.... 😵‍💫


ABut a .257 shaped like a Uragan 2, Wildcat BT, Prophet, etc. — that would get me to sell some guns in a hurry to finance my order! 😊

Matthias