Hello, ive only been shooting pcp for a few years and was wondering any thoughts on the hammer 50. I have a texan 457 right now but was looking for something a little more powerful for hunting. I know you can upgrade the spring and bottle for the texan but it's really thick where i hunt and don't really care for the length of the texan. I would really appreciated anyone thoughts.
New to big bore pcp
- Thread starter Wesley982
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You already have the better gun! 
https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/traded-my-hammer-for-a-texan-308-best-choice-ever/?referrer=1
https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/traded-my-hammer-for-a-texan-308-best-choice-ever/?referrer=1
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Look into the AEA Challenger bullpups that are considerably shorter than comparable rifles. AEA makes big and HUGE-bore airguns.
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Look into the AEA Challenger bullpups that are considerably shorter than comparable rifles. AEA makes big and HUGE-bore airguns.
+1!
they are darn good quality for the money. Plus for hunting bullpup is the only way to go.
Pretty sure AEA will eat Benjamin bulldog and air force’s lunch and dinner with their line up.
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depemds what your doing with it .. i see alot of people punching paper with a big bore, all talk and no action lol .. my friends buddy has been slaying large hogs on a local farm with the 50, your only getting a couple a shots and using alot of air though .. like i said, depends on your use, you got the truck right there with ya, not a big deal ..
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Look into the AEA Challenger bullpups that are considerably shorter than comparable rifles. AEA makes big and HUGE-bore airguns.
+1!
they are darn good quality for the money. Plus for hunting bullpup is the only way to go.
Pretty sure AEA will eat Benjamin bulldog and air force’s lunch and dinner with their line up.
Not so sure about that...
They have the power, but the manufacturing quality is subpar. Also, the design choices are kinda weird. When I got my AEA is didn't have any place for sling studs. Ok fine, I added my own M-LOK sling mounts and moved on. Then the pic rail for the tripod would spin with the least force, and that was integral to the trigger guard. Then the bolt action for that ultra hard spring is ridiculously difficult to pull. So they come out with a retofit kit for a lever action after using the first batch of buyers like test dummies. Whoever designs these things sure ain't hunters. +7 pound single trigger pull doesn't lend itself to very accurate airgun shots. I know many have done work on their trigger to improve it, but I just had to take my Bulldog out the box for a nice crisp two stage 3.5 pound very predictable pull.
I know money is tight all the way around, and these give a lot of bang for the buck. But all these issues just to save $200 bucks over a Bulldog? That doesn't inspire confidence that the things will last. I'll take a 5 year manufacturer warranty with a tad less power over a 1 year distributor warranty.
I really wanted to like it, but I prefer the Bulldogs in every way. Including looks!
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Your Airforce Texan 45 is a much more powerful plarform. Than either the hammer or aea. With the 4500 psi African air ordinance valve prob 900 fps with 500 grain slug. My stock tx2 valve 50 cal Texan shoots 650 grain spire PT at 750 fps. Food for thougnt.
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my .457 texan with doug's work and the CF bottle does right at 629fpe
my new hammer does 619fpe with a follow up shot if needed.
here is the hammer @ 30yrds which usually are my shots from a ladder stand.
my new hammer does 619fpe with a follow up shot if needed.
here is the hammer @ 30yrds which usually are my shots from a ladder stand.
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I had the same thoughts about the big long guns!
Starting out with a Texan but didn't care for the length or the fact that the accuracy was affected by seating depth of the projectile...had to be just right! Didn't really care for the trigger either.
Talked to a few other hunters and decided on a Hatsan Piledriver in .457.... checked all the boxes except for the length problem. Trigger is awesome and adjustable!
Hunted one year with it and took a doe at 72 yards but still didn't like the length... barrel was 34 inches long! So I had the bright idea of making it a carbine! Had the barrel cut and crowned to 24 inches...took a risk on accuracy and performance but worked out great!!!
My opinion on big bore airgun hunting is no matter 400 or 600 fpe is that if you're taking ethical shots on big game you shouldn't be shooting past about 75 yards and really should be kept to the 50 yard range! In all reality your using a gun that matches the power of a Magnum pistol cartridge!!! Well placed shot at either of those power levels will absolutely get the job done!
50 yards with Mr Hollow Point 280 grain... pulled the first one of 4 shots...was all on me!
James from Michigan
Starting out with a Texan but didn't care for the length or the fact that the accuracy was affected by seating depth of the projectile...had to be just right! Didn't really care for the trigger either.
Talked to a few other hunters and decided on a Hatsan Piledriver in .457.... checked all the boxes except for the length problem. Trigger is awesome and adjustable!
Hunted one year with it and took a doe at 72 yards but still didn't like the length... barrel was 34 inches long! So I had the bright idea of making it a carbine! Had the barrel cut and crowned to 24 inches...took a risk on accuracy and performance but worked out great!!!
My opinion on big bore airgun hunting is no matter 400 or 600 fpe is that if you're taking ethical shots on big game you shouldn't be shooting past about 75 yards and really should be kept to the 50 yard range! In all reality your using a gun that matches the power of a Magnum pistol cartridge!!! Well placed shot at either of those power levels will absolutely get the job done!
50 yards with Mr Hollow Point 280 grain... pulled the first one of 4 shots...was all on me!
James from Michigan
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Thanks for the info and I like your gun. Really sweet. Where I hunt it's so thick I'm luck to shoot out to 60 yards. I'm going to look into your gun. Thanks
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I want to thank everyone for there input and it's nice to have this place to ask questions. It's not cheap getting into pcp
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You're right. It's not cheap getting into PCP. My first foray into PCP was a Texan .308 and the learning curve was a lot steeper and more costly than I could've imagined. I was given some great advice on the forums and also given some horrible advice. Just because we have a keyboard doesn't make us an expert on anything. Here's a few things what I learned the hard way so maybe you don't have to repeat some of my mistakes. Since you've already done some pcp you're ahead of the curve.
1) You're gun is awesome. The Hammer is not even close to the Texan for all around power and accuracy. Not sure if you have the standard length or one of the shorter versions. Maybe the biggest question is suppressed or not. After market silencers add to length and weight. If you're shooting in thick cover you probably could benefit from the carbine or LSS version.
2) Your barrel will foul. It needs to be cleaned after every shooting session. Don't let anyone tell you different. Lubing pellets helps tremendously (both with accuracy and anti-fouling) but the barrel will still lead up. I nearly blew my gun up before I realized this. 10 wt. silicone RC shock oil and you can't go wrong. I use it for both sizing slugs and shooting.
3) Find the ammo that your gun is happy with. My Texan will spray supposedly good bullets all over the place (6"+ groups at 100 yards) but is 1.5" all day with the food it likes to eat.
4) If the .45 Texan isn't doing the job for you at the ranges you're talking about, you shouldn't be hunting with it. An upgrade kit generating a bit more fps isn't going to really make a marked difference in your results. Good shot placement is much more important than another 50 fps.
5) When on the bench, shoot tethered. There are enough variables with bullets, air pressures, etc. and having at least one fixed parameter is paramount. I chased my tail for a long time on this one. Once I shot tethered I was able to fine tune the happy zone for my gun. Turns out the .308 loves small-ish (110 gr.) bullets at around 2800 psi. That's contrary to the experts say 'should' be the best.
Hopefully some of this helps or confirms some suspicions you already have. I pissed away thousands in useless items that didn't do what they were supposed to.
1) You're gun is awesome. The Hammer is not even close to the Texan for all around power and accuracy. Not sure if you have the standard length or one of the shorter versions. Maybe the biggest question is suppressed or not. After market silencers add to length and weight. If you're shooting in thick cover you probably could benefit from the carbine or LSS version.
2) Your barrel will foul. It needs to be cleaned after every shooting session. Don't let anyone tell you different. Lubing pellets helps tremendously (both with accuracy and anti-fouling) but the barrel will still lead up. I nearly blew my gun up before I realized this. 10 wt. silicone RC shock oil and you can't go wrong. I use it for both sizing slugs and shooting.
3) Find the ammo that your gun is happy with. My Texan will spray supposedly good bullets all over the place (6"+ groups at 100 yards) but is 1.5" all day with the food it likes to eat.
4) If the .45 Texan isn't doing the job for you at the ranges you're talking about, you shouldn't be hunting with it. An upgrade kit generating a bit more fps isn't going to really make a marked difference in your results. Good shot placement is much more important than another 50 fps.
5) When on the bench, shoot tethered. There are enough variables with bullets, air pressures, etc. and having at least one fixed parameter is paramount. I chased my tail for a long time on this one. Once I shot tethered I was able to fine tune the happy zone for my gun. Turns out the .308 loves small-ish (110 gr.) bullets at around 2800 psi. That's contrary to the experts say 'should' be the best.
Hopefully some of this helps or confirms some suspicions you already have. I pissed away thousands in useless items that didn't do what they were supposed to.
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Thanks Steelhead. The 457 checks all the boxes for me but the length the guns is what around 4' long and i'm only 5'8. That's a good idea about the ls didn't think of that because i love the accuracy of the Texan and he has enough power for deer hunting. I think ill try to sell my texan and go that route.
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One more thing. I already know the texan well and don't have to learn a new rifle. Im glad that i joined this form. thanks
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It very easy to shorten a barrel!!! Shorten your Texan barrel to carbine length stick with lighter bullets and normal ranges. If you put a regular stock on a Texan it is 100 percent better too shoot. I agree 100 percent with the advice steelhead gives. My 50 cal Texan experience many of the same problems. Switching to powder coating my slugs sizing and then lightly on lubeing gave me best results. I also clean my barrel every 15 to 40 shots. I shoot tethered 99 percent of the time .
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Thanks everyone for the info. I've been talking with Cad with lethal air because his place is only 40 mins away and he is going to upgrade my 457. He is also going to switch out the barrel and put in a carbine one. I bought the gun new and i know if it's been taking care of and i already know the texan.
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I cannot recommend the Mad Dog stocks enough. Bought a .457 SS a few years ago at the last minute before a hunting trip as another rifle I had ordered was delayed.
Did not really like the .457 SS and was thinking of selling after my ordered rifle arrived. Read about Mad Dog stocks and ordered one. The once piece stock made the gun much stiffer and accurate. With the Mad Dog it is also possible to shoot off hand with some confidence (old guy, not so easy to shoot off hand anymore).
Did not really like the .457 SS and was thinking of selling after my ordered rifle arrived. Read about Mad Dog stocks and ordered one. The once piece stock made the gun much stiffer and accurate. With the Mad Dog it is also possible to shoot off hand with some confidence (old guy, not so easy to shoot off hand anymore).
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Peter is spot on. For the best performance the Texan needs either a Mad Dog or a Diamond stock. I have tw Texans, one with the Mad Dog (.308) and one with the Diamond (.50). I camo'd the Mad Dog .308 and custom ordered a Forest Green laminate from Diamond for the .50. Great additions and like Peter said they make the Texan way more comfortable to shoot.
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