• The AGN App is ready! Search "Airgun Nation" in your App store. To compliment this new tech we've assigned the "Threads" Feed & "Dark" Mode. To revert back click HERE.

Looking for .30 to .45 repeater

Jump to latest Follow Reply
J

JamesW1

Member
Nov 27, 2022
43
8
Dothan, AL USA
Hi All,

Looking for .30 to .45 repeater. Prefer sidelever but semi-auto ok. Looking for an end-of-the-world air-rifle -- for no-excuses quality -- it just works. Don't want to buy from a company known for flaky or non-existent support. FPE preferred at 150 FPE or higher with excellent accuracy. Looking for mouse fart quiet or equipped for available moderator.

So .... where do I go?
 
rangur1 said:
American Air Arms - Slayer
Click to expand...
Heck Yeah !!!!!!! ...if you have the money that platform is fantastic.

what is your budget, and what kind of power you looking into ( .30 cal rarely gets to 150 FPE, .45 can go way, way higher ) ? ... lots of options out there just need to narrow down where you at.
 
  • Like
Reactions: shambozzie and JamesW1
Upvote 0
AirArcher66 said:
Heck Yeah !!!!!!! ...if you have the money that platform is fantastic.

what is your budget, and what kind of power you looking into ( .30 cal rarely gets to 150 FPE, .45 can go way, way higher ) ? ... lots of options out there just need to narrow down where you at.
Click to expand...


I guess I'll need to go for .45. Don't have any budget in mind but I know anything I buy in no-excuses land is going to cost. May have to sell some other toys.

Just need to see what the field is like right now.
 
Upvote 0
JamesW1 said:
Hi All,

Looking for .30 to .45 repeater. Prefer sidelever but semi-auto ok. Looking for an end-of-the-world air-rifle -- for no-excuses quality -- it just works. Don't want to buy from a company known for flaky or non-existent support. FPE preferred at 150 FPE or higher with excellent accuracy. Looking for mouse fart quiet or equipped for available moderator.

So .... where do I go?
Click to expand...
benjamin .357 bulldog
 
  • Like
Reactions: N2 Shooter, mercado and JamesW1
Upvote 0
You're not getting anywhere close to mouse fart quiet with a 357 or 45

With a 30 you can get "backyard friendly" with a can most of the time, but mouse fart absolutely not.

If it is really a SHTF purchase... you can buy 2, 3 or 4 of certain rifles for the price of 1 of these super high end rig some are suggesting. In SHTF it's not bad to have spare parts and possibly purchase a break barrel springer for small game hunting. Otherwise you might want to think about multiple backup hand pumps.

My strategy would not be blow all my budget on one ultra high end gun, even as it may be very dependable. It also may not and then you're out of luck. You can get an AEA Challenger 357 or 45 for shooting white tail and then have plenty of money for a Guantlet 30 which could also kill whitetail but can be tuned down to be suitable for smaller game. I have found the Guantlets to be completely reliable and exceptional performance for the value. A tuned down Guantlet 30 is also pretty quiet and you just need an alley key to quickly adjust it's power level.

I took my Guantlet 30 today out after a couple months of no shooting... I was shooting some random ammo in it for kicks last time I had her out on the bench. Got some "FX Atomic 44.8" (basically JSB Hades) wanted to get the gun zeroed in for. Well, it was already zeroed and bullseye. Shot a bunch of metal spinners, knocked a couple out of the ground, and called it a day. That's a heck of a gun for the money, and if I had to keep only one for survival that would be it.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: N2 Shooter, bearair and JamesW1
Upvote 0
i know you are leary of certain companies , but my aea big bore .357 has a minimum fpe with 125gr of 320fpeit is a tank dont use pellets , slugs are best, adjust your velocity with projectile weight cause the power is there regardless. and if you buy from thepelletshop.com or fox air power you will have good service. terry at fox air power just sent me orings for a .30 challenger 32inch barrel and it only cost $6 and its in the mail. just dont buy from bentacllc and you will get a good air rifle, id stay away from the lower end semi autos and all the hp platforms because the bolt well its a bolt and its 2mm too long so causes issues like having to hold that bolt back while inserting a mag, the challenger platforms are much better, the challenger pro and challenger big bore both have side leaver. and if you wait a month a reg version of the big bore is comming ive dreampt it up so its comming , watch for it next month and bet me if you dont believe. here is my big bore .357 with emperor(that ive modified ) enjoy it is a standard version ,

airgun2.jpg


airgun3.jpg


airgun4.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: JamesW1
Upvote 0
Aetheral-Sniper said:
i know you are leary of certain companies , but my aea big bore .357 has a minimum fpe with 125gr of 320fpeit is a tank dont use pellets , slugs are best, adjust your velocity with projectile weight cause the power is there regardless. and if you buy from thepelletshop.com or fox air power you will have good service. terry at fox air power just sent me orings for a .30 challenger 32inch barrel and it only cost $6 and its in the mail. just dont buy from bentacllc and you will get a good air rifle, id stay away from the lower end semi autos and all the hp platforms because the bolt well its a bolt and its 2mm too long so causes issues like having to hold that bolt back while inserting a mag, the challenger platforms are much better, the challenger pro and challenger big bore both have side leaver. and if you wait a month a reg version of the big bore is comming ive dreampt it up so its comming , watch for it next month and bet me if you dont believe. here is my big bore .357 with emperor(that ive modified ) enjoy it is a standard version ,
Click to expand...


Excellent info, thanks.

The Challengers look sweet but have some serious length to them. The Challenger Bullpup in .35 with 24" barrel really checks a lot of boxes for me. Do you have any experience with that one?
 
Upvote 0
well i can tell you the 24inch barrel .357 challenger is a bolt where the big bore .357 30inch barrel is a side leaver. the 24inch barrel pup is half the power of the big bore and only holds 8 in the mag heaviest is about 105grain in mag, the big bore has 10round mag and holds upto 160grain in the mag. i think the big bore bullpup is 37 inches with a 30 inch barrel and more power than you will ever need. but you can have a regulator installed in the 24inch bullpup for an extra 80bucks, so its really up to you, the high end power level of the 24inch barrel bullpup .357 with a reg is about 140fpe for the first mag and half the second. then you are going to drop in energy. but what more can you ask for for under 600 new. the 24inch is shrouded and baffled and the big bore 30inch barrel is also shrouded and baffled but both would need moderation in the citythe 24inch weighs 2 lb less.
most people dont like the bolt on the 24inch but it is great in my opinion, i just wish the mag was deeper i do not like shooting singles...(i have the .25cal 24inch bullpup regulated hahaha. and i am 6'5" so a longer barrel looks right on me. i am waiting for the big bore with side leaver to also get a reg. that deeper magazine and higher capacity gets me sold. ya know you may be able to get a 24inch barrel for the big bore, i think the first gen had a 24inch barrel. terry at fox air power could tell you more he replies to emails fairly quickly. tell him i sent you he knows my name my real name...
he can set you up with either and help you decide. money wise the 24inch is alot cheaper but why settle for half the power available. why settle for a bolt instead of a side leaver , unless you like a bolt like i do(i like a bolt better than the side leaver personally, i am trying to convince terry to change out a big bore side leaver forr a bolt just for me. they are not made with a bolt. and that side leaver locks in place push button unlocks , but that means it takes longer to put in another round and the bolt is way faster, if you know how to use a bolt that is...
that is what i know, and i own the standard version of the big bore .357 and it is long , with the emperor's 12 inches added its very long, i had to add another rubber buttpad to balance it from being front heavy. but the rifle rocks. i am getting it in a bullpup next year and next month i am getting the new 50 big bore that is never been seen yet but i know it is comming ... i am buying that one, you might be able to find a gen 1 big bore , if any exist they all had 24inch barrels in bullpup config and bolts but you can also get a .45 or 50cal and not worry about energy (expensive projjectiles though) so if you get the bolt or the big bore in .357 here is a place i like they have lower weight stuff in .356 option and that is what shoots out of both rifles , good darn bullets and the place is GT BULLETS google it.
that is hands down the best place to get 9nn projectiles and .356 diameter projectiles. and goodness they have prices cheaper than buying the lead for casting. and it is soft enough i damage some and have to toss em in the re cast pile so its soft enough. hope all this is helpful, kinda a comparison over text haha... .
 
  • Like
Reactions: JamesW1
Upvote 0
i just checked fox air power and they are sold out on both of those bullpups, now the difference in length between the regular challenger 24inch and the big bore is only 2 inches the big bore is 40 inches . so that longer barrel and twice the power and side leaver look very nice.
thepelletshop.com probably has the big bore but almost everyone is sold out of the 24inch bullpups right now.i just checked and everyone is out of darn near everything at the moment, i happen to know all the aea dealers are waiting on shippments and the ships are stuck in port at shang hi on the other side of the planet. and everyones shippments are over a month late. if i were you(i am waiting on those shippments for my next big bore)
i would just wait another month. i promise you there is something awesome and regulated comming to aea in big bore. and that next shippment is almost all bullpups. so just wait, here is a pic of my .25cal 24inch bullpup, ive added some plastic conduit to the back half of the barrel to make it look cooler

a.25bp1.jpg


a.25bp2.jpg


a.25bp3.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: JamesW1
Upvote 0
Aetheral-Sniper said:
i just checked fox air power and they are sold out on both of those bullpups, now the difference in length between the regular challenger 24inch and the big bore is only 2 inches the big bore is 40 inches . so that longer barrel and twice the power and side leaver look very nice.
thepelletshop.com probably has the big bore but almost everyone is sold out of the 24inch bullpups right now.i just checked and everyone is out of darn near everything at the moment, i happen to know all the aea dealers are waiting on shippments and the ships are stuck in port at shang hi on the other side of the planet. and everyones shippments are over a month late. if i were you(i am waiting on those shippments for my next big bore)
i would just wait another month. i promise you there is something awesome and regulated comming to aea in big bore. and that next shippment is almost all bullpups. so just wait, here is a pic of my .25cal 24inch bullpup, ive added some plastic conduit to the back half of the barrel to make it look cooler
Click to expand...


I dunno why AEA does not extend that shroud all the way back to the breech. Seems like they could eliminate some serious noise that way.

Buy.... hey .... what do I know?
 
Upvote 0
no you right , that is what i was thinking when i felt bare barrel, i pulled out some plastic conduit from the hardware store and cut it with a knife and put it there, they really could have brought the shroud all the way back, in some ways aea is just nonsense. i have already marked the hp platforms off my list cause the bolt, you see the bolt, it is 2mm too long. the mag wont insert without holding the bolt back, and that is stupid all the rifles ive evr owned the mags can be inserted without holding back the bolt, all the challengers the bolt ones you can insert the mag fine without holding the bolt, its just dumb. so i wont buy any of those hp platforms beyond the hp standard custom .25 i have and as soon as someone screws up and tells me there is no o-ring on that thin part of the bolt probe. i will pull out my #1 file. and then buff it pretty afterwards...
and that bolt issue really pisses me off cause id like the hp semi-auto bullpup .25 but why pay that much for a gun i cant stand the bolt on...i will stick with the challengers. my .25 avenger came friday and i like it, feels ugly but for a blind person it is easy to tune and use and i muzzleloaded a .243dia 95grain hornadey supershock reload bullet(i have to take the shroud off to put it in the aea gun but the avenger i just send it down the barrel) it makes the avenger.25 put out over 80fpe, but its muzzle load only too long for the breach at all.
but i am pretty sure its only gonna take one...
the .338 dia 200-230 is the one that will fit the .357 i am not sure if the 230 will fit the breach, and i dont wanna muzzle load so i am getting the 200gr first and if there is plenty of room i will get the 230gr and be shooting 50cal weight with a .357
that is why i got the big bore it puts out the same power as the gen 1 aea 50cal challenger big bore. and at a 3800 fill it is almost self regulating. almost. the first 10 shots are all over 300fpe. now in a month when it gets in two different aea dealers have said they are holding a regulated 50cal big bore for me oh yes they are getting regulated. i told them how, remember the zeus 58 rt model, well that air cylinder will exchange with the 500cc big bore air cylinders and now china knows it and the shippments of them are on the way just not here yet...
so trust me if you buy a bullpup now you will be kicking yourself for not waiting. yes i have 4 .25cal air guns hahaha i expect coyotes four legged and two legged in the next decade so i stocked up. .
one semi auto(probably a .357 air arms or fx, also 1 more .357 big bore bullpup regulated when it comes in and a 50cal for material denial(shooting vehicles that are chasing my bug out vehicle just to stop them from trying to stop us. and i will have all i need. well casting supplies are next and last a corbin swage press but that is last it is costly... and no my semi-auto will not be an aea...the terminater platform is an hp platform. nope i dont buy stupid twice. and eventually i will give that standard custom to someone i dont care for so much. along with a vever hpa compressor that the autostop is not functioning proper like. so ill give it to em and it will fail on em. problem solved... have a good one.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JamesW1
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Resources
Menu