New to big bore - suggestions, please

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Noose

Member
Sep 11, 2018
33
1
TX, United States
I grew up on .177 and .22 BB and Pellets. CO2, Pump, Spring, etc. so I'm not a total noob. That said, I'm selling my 60 acres and moving to 5. It's still out in the country and I can get away with air as we are still sparse and I know what's out there in my shooting lane. As I'm having to move from traditional 6.5, 7.62, and .452 hunting rounds with powder and primers, I'm looking for what is probably the Holy Grail. Assume I don't want to spend more than about 1600 or so on the rifle (PCP air charging separate and expensive, I know). I'd like a big enough bore that if I shot a small hog I can take it down. Here's a summary of what I'm after:

*.30 or .357 to keep it subsonic and still have enough to get the job done without going overboard withe the .452.

*Suppressed to the point of being very quiet (for the caliber, obviously)

*Regulated

*Some kind of auto feed rather than single shot

*Prefer the higher pressure on board air so I get more shots between recharge.

I'm OK with an aftermarket suppressor and/or aftermarket regulator but I can't/won't carry around a tank if I'm after a coyote or hog.


 
Having a big bore air gun that's regulated and having enough power to push a heavy slug is not feasible unless you are willing to spend a lot of money. The two off the shelf guns I can think of is the AAA slayer and the ataman which are well over 1800. Having a regulator is not necessary since big bore are guns only need two of three shots which is plenty for most hunts
 
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Having a big bore air gun that's regulated and having enough power to push a heavy slug is not feasible unless you are willing to spend a lot of money. The two off the shelf guns I can think of is the AAA slayer and the ataman which are well over 1800. Having a regulator is not necessary since big bore are guns only need two of three shots which is plenty for most hunts
 
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I am going to rain a bit on the sunshine here. Texas regulations allow big bore air rifles for large game, but requires 215 FPE or higher be used. If all he is hunting is non-game species, such as the invasive wild hog, then this requirement MAY not apply in his case. But if he is shooting Deer, it will. I like the Benjamin Bulldog, and own one. But a stock model from the factory is slightly short of the required 215 FPE mark (I only get about 195 FPE with the Nosler Extreme 145 grain round). There are tuners, who port the valve and transfer port, who get about 300 FPE out of that specific air rifle, but their services set you back about three hundred dollars. And yes, a moderator does make a significant difference in the noise. It drops the noise level from about that of a 22 long rifle powder gun, to an un-moderated break barrel air rifle. 

1536759270_7423817635b9915e6e5d650.53825540_bulldog with snail.jpg

 
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Feral only - hog and coyote. I won't be shooting deer on the property... I was unaware of the 215FPE requirement. Perhaps I need to look at the .452 calibers. I want to keep it subsonic and suppressed so that I don't have a "crack". The reason for the built-in regulator is that I will shoot a lot of paper. Primary role will just be target and fun. Secondary will be hogs/coyote. The problem is that it MUST perform the hog/coyote job well. It can't be an afterthought or "maybe". The idea behind a regulator is to be able to keep POI from shot to shot target-like. I'm a pretty good shot with my current rifles and have no trouble putting a bullet in an earhole at 150 yards as long as the rifle/ammo combo is capable of that kind of accuracy. I'd like to have that same level of accuracy out to 100 if possible. I know with subsonic it's an artillery lob but with a properly zeroed bullet drop reticle I'm fine doing the required hold under/over.
 
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I understand you want a regulated rig for target shooting but just how many shots do you need when shooting yote & feral hogs?

Against all common trends I still like the DAQ .458 a lot. Once you find the round it likes they group well. Admittedly I was very picky about fill pressure and a one shot hunting situation so I didnt bother with an aftermarket ldc but you could get one. One "fill" -was 2200psi in my case- & one shot then repeat, very very accurate. 2 shots inside 1-1/2" at 100 yards and a 3rd that cleared the barrel anyway.

For long target work as no matter what rifle you will have to have an scba sitting right there, maybe look into a tank regulator and shoot tethered when not hunting? Many big-bore shooters enjoy shooting tethered and there are some good threads on it in the airtank/compressor section of the forum.




 
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In .45 cal you don't have to worry about sonic crack. At that caliber you will be more like 600-700 fps range, far cry from 1000+, but anyway to push heavy 180-230 or even 300 grain bullet you need power. I'm in the same boat - looking for quiet big bore. Looks like those two things do not go well. You get quiet or you get powerful. 

I have Evanix Max .357 it is loud. I ordered Hatsan Hercules Bully .357 - had to return. I have no idea, who named that gun QE(quiet energy) - yes it was powerful, but by no any means, it was quiet. I was not able to set up a scope, every single shot was like a rimfire, very clear high pitch sound. I just realized, if I'll keep shooting, my neighbors will call police in no time and I don't live in a busy town. Closest neighbor is at least 200-300 yards away
 
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Take a good look at Ataman 11 shots on the regulator 7 round magazine for pellets get a single shot tray from pit bull airguns and some tomahawks .355 from Aeromagmun. Mine is very accurate. I think its everything thing you are looking for.
Click to expand...

Thank you Setho... That looks like a great solution. I watched a couple of videos and wow, first 9 or 10 shots are right at 908 FPS or so with almost no variation. How far off from POI are the tomahawks from the Exacts when you shoot? I'll be adding a DonnyFL moderator to it as well so there's that. I have a family member that works at a scuba shop and can fill SCBA tanks to 4500 so I'll be looking for two of those that are newer date stamp so I have have one to fill and one to use... 
 
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I agreed with addertooth about adding moderator onto bulldog .357 cal. I'm using it too from pitbull airguns also their ammos are great and specifically tell you which to use with tray or mag. Next i'll be looking to add a regulator to get more shoot count. Price is cheaper than high end air rifles like FX or RAW or AA etc.. but it is effective enough for hunting and plinking. Also don't forget about depinger to reduce noise even more. Beware though this air rifle is not a toy and not to everybody liking in designs but i like it! 
 
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I just did the DePinger and Long Moderator on my Bulldog last week, it’s brand new and tetherd in at 2900 psi shooting 130gr hollow points I averaged 179 FPE, this is brand new and I’m just starting to test slugs and I’m working my way up in weight, 81-110-130 so far, I also have 170gr hp’s and 220gr hp’s to try. My Texan.357 likes the 220’s.

1544338331_3110283605c0cbb9b8f3b86.86203677_0F072EC7-91E0-46B9-B64D-D65F2BE0B6AF.jpeg

 
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I'm still out there shopping. I got a nice christmas bonus so I'm going to get what I want. After tons and tons of research, it just doesn't seem a true big bore can be quieted down to a neighbor friendly level. That said, I'm on 5 acres and my closest are at least 200 yards. I think at this point I'm going to go back to my original plan.... Airforce Texan SS. I know I'll get 4 or 5 shots right on target if I'm going to eliminate a predator or feral hog. I'll get a 4500 carbon fiber tank and an inline regulator so I can target practice without charging over and over.

Looking around it seems like the "demolition ranch" setup is about the best price possible and I get pretty much everything I need. I have a local scuba shop that will fill for free (brother) but I haven't yet verified if they can do 4500. If not, I'll have to get 3442 HP steel tanks and get a couple of them instead. They'll fill about 10 times and if I have 2, I'll have about the same number of refills and he can take one back and forth while I'm using the other.

Is there a forum vendor that will match/beat the demo ranch setup that can be found online? I'd prefer to support forum vendors...
 
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