My Bulldog thus far. (added graphic content)

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ajshoots

ajshoots

Member
Apr 1, 2015
2,054
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Uniopolis, Ohio, United States
I ordered this Bulldog combo from Crosman last Tuesday. http://www.crosman.com/airguns/air-rifles/bulldog-big-game-hunter-s-pack . Using the 20%off Tuesday code, I felt it was a really good deal. In all honesty, I had no real intentions to buy a Bulldog until ztirffritz posted about buying his. After seeing the new reduced price coupled with 20% off Tuesday, I just could not resist. The package arrived today, but unfortunately, I had to leave for work just minutes after it arrived. After work, I cranked up the heat in my shop and went thru the gun. I cleaned the bore with the supplied cleaning rod and swabs. I checked all the allen screws and lubed the breech o-ring. I mounted the scope from the combo with the supplied rings. Even though the scope is rather large, I really like the fine mildot reticle and so far I am impressed with the scope overall. I mounted the bipod with the supplied adapter and all that was left was loading the mags and filling to 3000psi. I had ordered 4 tins of 81gr JSB's and a couple boxes of Noslers. Since deer hunting is not legal with big bores here in Ohio, this gun will be used mainly for coyotes, so the JSB's will be fine as long as they are accurate. Filled to 3000psi, the first 5 shots with JSB's gave 919fps avg with an ES of 29fps. 10 shots had an ES of nearly 100fps and that is just not exceptable. I already have guns that get a very limited number of shots, so I was not dissapointed. I only expected 5 good shots and I got that!! I was rather suprised that the 5 shots with JSB's had a really good ES and showed an actual bell curve. 150fpe avg with 81gr JSB's is awesome in my mind. I only hope they shoot good once I can test accuracy. After shooting a few strings and getting almost identical results, it was time to see what the Noslers could do. My tanks were about empty, but I had enough for one last 3000psi fill. Would have loved to fill my tanks and keep shooting, but my wife would not be happy if she was woke up by the noise of my compressor. The first shot was only 685, but shots 4,5, and 6 were all 739!! If I threw out shot one(meaning only fill to 2900psi) I had 5 shots at 729fps avg with an ES of 37fps. Again, I was happy with 5 rather consistant 170fpe shots. These are just my initial results with the Bulldog and hope to test accuracy in the coming days. I figured that I would have to spend alot of time tuning this gun and doing some mods to make it suitable for me. So far, I was wrong. I have always thought the Bulldog was horribly ugly as well. In person I actually like it. The trigger also suprised me. Though it is a 2 stage which I don't like, the final trigger pull is 1lbs 11oz. It is very solid and for a hunting rig, I am pleased with the trigger. Overall, it shoulders very well and all the complaints I thought I would have, I have none so far. If this thing is accurate, I will have to call it a winner!! With the scope and bipod, minus mag or bullets, it topped the scales at 11lbs.
 
I got the bulldog zeroed at 30 yards this morning using JSB 81gr pellets. 5 shots had it in the bull. I refilled and fired a 5 shot group at 30 yards just using the supplied bipod and resting off my kids outdoor toy box. All 5 were in the same dime sized hole. I expected horrible groups, but again, I am suprised by this gun. On the same fill, I loaded another mag and took 2 sighters to figure out holdover at 75 yards. I was easily able to then go 3 for 3 on my Do All .22LR steel paddle targets. I believe the paddles are around 2". The Bulldog is surely not a BR gun, but for a big bore, I feel the accuracy is proving more than acceptable for its intended purpose. I am sure that a precision made big bore like the Slayer is much better in all regards. But, based on the new lowered base price of $850 for the Bulldog coupled with available other discounts, this is a bargain for a big bore. I know info is very limited which makes it hard to get a good represenation of how well these guns perform on average. At this point, I am unsure if I just got really lucky or if this is indicative of how the Bulldog performs?
 
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Got the scope mounted but haven't sighted or shot the thing. It shoulders well. It had a bit of air in it when it arrived that scared the piss out of me because I thought it was dry when I pulled the trigger. No damage done, except to my underwear. 



You don't realize just how much bigger a .357 is until you see it compared to other pellets. It's HUGE.

 
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Lee, It is surely not Marauder quiet, but I find it to be better than I would have thought. It certainly could be quieter for those that may require more stealth. However, even my rather sensative ears don't require hearing protection when shooting outside. For indoor chrono work the Bulldog requires me to wear my ear muffs. I do alot of shooting in the winter months from the warmth of my laundry room and shoot out the window. While it is bearable to not wear hearing protection, anymore than a couple shots and I reach for ear plugs or muffs. Based on the 150fpe I am getting with the 81gr JSB's, I applaud Crosman for coming up with an effective shroud/baffle combo. If the design allowed for easy install of an LDC I would get one and assume the gun would be ridiculously quiet for a bigbore. Unfortunately, after communication with Neil C prior to getting my Bulldog, he made it clear that an LDC requires extra fabrication. He was 110% correct. Because of that, I can live with the noise as it really isn't bad at all.
 
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After putting a couple hundred rounds down the tube, I feel that I have a very realistic perspective of the Bulldog. I would like to stress that with the very limited amount of real world use and reports on this gun, I am really unsure if my results are typical or maybe I just got lucky?? This gun just keeps me impressed on many levels.

This is not a BR gun and not marketed as such. As a medium to big game hunting rifle, my gun gives almost nothing to complain about. It is comfortable to shoulder and shoot. The balance based on the overall weight is good and the trigger is more than exceptable for a gun in its class. Keep in mind my needs only require pellets and with the 81gr JSB's the accuracy is way better than I would have expected. With that said, I have only chronoed bullets and have not shot groups, but I have no need for bullets when pellets give 150fpe.

What could I complain about?? The realistic shot count is only 5. I will admit that for its intended use, 10 shots could easily be used. In this class of gun, who really cares about shot count??? Not me!! Honestly, past that based on current price with discounts, I can't come up with a valid negative argument that holds water!?! For a gun that I really wanted to hate and really never gave a chance, it has proven me totally wrong. Again, either I got very lucky or those that have made negative comments have either never actually spent any amount of time with a Bulldog or just got a poor example. I was warned that the barrel would need replaced, tuned, etc. Out of the box, mine has been one bad MF-er!!

Many of us have been dissappointed with Crosman's lack of attention to the wants of the hardcore airgunners like most of us on this very forum. I am one of those, but have come to realize that Crosman's market is MUCH bigger than us!! We are the minority in regards to their sales and marketing strategy. I will be the first to admit my dislike of the Bulldog was based solely on looks and what others posted that again was mostly based on hearsay and unsubstantiated claims. Solid first hand experience has shown me this gun is for real.

I will continue to update if I find any issues or anything that might help a potential buyer or current owner. I wish more people would post about this gun as I am still very curious if I am just lucky or my results are the norm for this .357 bullpup??
 
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With the bipod mounted, the gun balances right at the trigger. Shouldered, it feels lighter than 11lbs since the balance point is basically at your trigger hand. Though I have never shot a Bobcat, I did shoulder one at a gun show. I would compare the Bulldog somewhat to the feel of a Bobcat. I don't know if that is because both are "bulky", but it definitely is not like shouldering a Cricket.

It could be awhile before I get around to trying any bullets or roundball. Since my .25's and .30 are more than enough for any animal I can hunt in Ohio, the Bulldog is really overkill. It is definitely more of a novelty for me. I have been shooting starlings with it if that tells you anything. LOL!! As good as the JSB pellets shoot and the rather flat trajectory they provide, I may never shoot bullets unless Ohio makes big bores legal for deer. I actually just checked chairgun and suprisingly my Bulldog with JSB's shoots flatter than any of my other airguns.
 
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Speaking of starlings, I just got this one at 40 yards.
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Not sure if the 81gr JSB'S are enough for starlings? Might have to zero the scope with the Noslers. Lol!!
 
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Alright, one person posts about helping with the starling problem with a Pulsar and your goning to help out with a bulldog. If those silly birds had any since they would move on down the road.
Also I wouldn't buy one but would love to shoot a bulldog as it does seem a good price point value. Looking forward to ko0re real world info down the road.


J
 
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