Think about something that can also shoot Airbolts, a broadhead will take a deer down way faster then a bullet ( Airgun )But otherwise, a .357 will certainly do it but If I have to go for bodyshots I take the biggest caliber I feel comfortable with, it would be a .50 for me.
Sorry, should have stated that i guess. In our state on your own land their is no restrictions on caliber or fpe for deer. In other words, if it will kill a deer you can use it. ThanksRay
Quote from: Nomadic Pirate on December 29, 2021, 07:39:18 PMThink about something that can also shoot Airbolts, a broadhead will take a deer down way faster then a bullet ( Airgun )But otherwise, a .357 will certainly do it but If I have to go for bodyshots I take the biggest caliber I feel comfortable with, it would be a .50 for me.MannyI understand what your saying, but when u go up in caliber doesn't it naturally shorten your available kill distance? I mean won't a .35 shoot flatter farther than a .45 or a .50?ThanksRay
Go with the design of gun you like best, that is also most accurate. I like shorter light bullpup style and would be inclined to get a modified and tuned Benjamin Bulldog from https://www.veradiumair.com/ for deer and hogs down there. They are powerful and accurate enough for any shot placement on deer and can put a hog down with accurate head shots behind the ear without worry. There is several long gun manufacturer's that make quality and accuracy a priority also. But almost all have to be single loaded. I am not a fan of that for hunting. The magazine and it's capacity for decent length of slug is another reason for choosing the Bulldog.Stay away from the .45 Challenger Bullpup for now untill the factory gets the barrel bore dimensions correct. I have a .45 Challenger Bullpup that was all the rave when it came out, but it is not as accurate as it should be. The barrel bore is way too big to be accurate with any standard sized ammo. Going up to the correct sized slug has tightened it up some, but not to any reasonable standard of accuracy. The are really heavy for a deer hunting rifle as well.
Quote from: ray1377 on December 29, 2021, 07:42:48 PMQuote from: Nomadic Pirate on December 29, 2021, 07:39:18 PMThink about something that can also shoot Airbolts, a broadhead will take a deer down way faster then a bullet ( Airgun )But otherwise, a .357 will certainly do it but If I have to go for bodyshots I take the biggest caliber I feel comfortable with, it would be a .50 for me.MannyI understand what your saying, but when u go up in caliber doesn't it naturally shorten your available kill distance? I mean won't a .35 shoot flatter farther than a .45 or a .50?ThanksRayLets just use the 900 as the magic number,900 fps, now if you go for instance .45 or .50 unless underpowered there will be bullets in the low/medium weight range that will make you exceed that magic number, the FPE on paper will be a bit less then with heavy bullets but at that point It will not make a difference, I think sometimes people get a bit to hung up on FPE at those levels.a 210gr .50 that travels 900 fps or more would be a devastating round.a 180gr .45 bullet that travels 900 fps or more will also be a devastating round,and both would be just as good as a .357 travelling at those speeds for a bit longer shots,when it comes to body shots I will always take a bigger hole,....unless we are talking brain shots.
I have a bulldog with a pitbull hammer spring and moderator. It's a smooth cycling gun. It's short enough to handle well in the woods. It can be had for about 650$ new if you shop around. I feel it's on the lower end of power for the distances I'm used to hunting with a firearm so itll take some learning to hunt well with an air rifle for me. Really like this bulldog but I think for hunting the texan is the way to go. It's long and awkward but the power is great. The new big 9 from aea or others of there guns seem attractively priced per their performance.
Here in south dakota we are still waiting for large game to be legalized for air guns. The largest thing I've shot with the dragon slayer is a raccoon. I actually bought the dragon slayer many years ago as a project gun. I replaced the o rings and it's been a great shooter since. It's a fun gun to shoot but the newer big bores out power it by a long ways.
Quote from: Nomadic Pirate on December 30, 2021, 12:12:48 PMQuote from: ray1377 on December 29, 2021, 07:42:48 PMQuote from: Nomadic Pirate on December 29, 2021, 07:39:18 PMThink about something that can also shoot Airbolts, a broadhead will take a deer down way faster then a bullet ( Airgun )But otherwise, a .357 will certainly do it but If I have to go for bodyshots I take the biggest caliber I feel comfortable with, it would be a .50 for me.MannyI understand what your saying, but when u go up in caliber doesn't it naturally shorten your available kill distance? I mean won't a .35 shoot flatter farther than a .45 or a .50?ThanksRayLets just use the 900 as the magic number,900 fps, now if you go for instance .45 or .50 unless underpowered there will be bullets in the low/medium weight range that will make you exceed that magic number, the FPE on paper will be a bit less then with heavy bullets but at that point It will not make a difference, I think sometimes people get a bit to hung up on FPE at those levels.a 210gr .50 that travels 900 fps or more would be a devastating round.a 180gr .45 bullet that travels 900 fps or more will also be a devastating round,and both would be just as good as a .357 travelling at those speeds for a bit longer shots,when it comes to body shots I will always take a bigger hole,....unless we are talking brain shots.From all I've been reading so far it would seem there are more "off the shelf" ammo choices for the .45 than for the .50 cal.What concerns me the most with some of these newer style big bores is the fill pressure. That is one reason I'm researching so much. I would ratherhave a gun that fills to 3000psi instead of one that requires 4500 psi. And yes I understand you get more shots and power with higher fill pressures but4500 is a bunch of air to have to come up with if you don't have your own compressor ThanksRay