GTA
All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General => PCP/CO2/HPA Air Gun Gates "The Darkside" => Big Bore AirGun Gate => Topic started by: YEMX on July 11, 2024, 12:33:32 PM
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Well, I've taken the first step into true Big Bore. The largest I've owned/shot to date is .357, but that was only pellets. I also technically have a 7mm, but that's still just a barrel (I'll get another Texan SS platform for that "build" early next year).
Md allows air rifle's to be used during deer firearm season. Even though I'm not particularly happy about the .40/400 fpe requirement, I don't see it changing. I'll be spending the next few weeks/months setting up and shooting the Texan. I'm currently learning as much as I can about this platform online, but if anyone has insight, experience, etc., that would be greatly appreciated. Projectile suggestions would also be greatly appreciated! Anyhoo, I'll update when I get the rifle in, and set it up and such.
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Well .45 and Texan are 2 things I do not own LOL Mr. Hollowpoint has some good stuff on YouTube. I do have a Piledriver in .510 so I have some heavy lead experience, will chime in if needed.
PS Wisconsin just opened big game to air rifles, but have not found minimum requirements yet.
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After shooting a few different option I now shoot the NSA 240 grain HP in my SS. They shoot one hole at 50 and MOA at 100 if I do my part.
I'm pushing them at about 900fps.
I top off the tank between shots but there is a very capable second shot in the tank if I need a quick follow up in a hunting situation.
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Well .45 and Texan are 2 things I do not own LOL Mr. Hollowpoint has some good stuff on YouTube. I do have a Piledriver in .510 so I have some heavy lead experience, will chime in if needed.
PS Wisconsin just opened big game to air rifles, but have not found minimum requirements yet.
+1 For Mr. Hollowpoint, Bob's videos pretty much explains it. I have several .45 cal guns, they are happy anything from 180g to 240g, anything above that they go all over the place.
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I appreciate the input y'all!! Thank you!!
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After shooting a few different option I now shoot the NSA 240 grain HP in my SS. They shoot one hole at 50 and MOA at 100 if I do my part.
I'm pushing them at about 900fps.
I top off the tank between shots but there is a very capable second shot in the tank if I need a quick follow up in a hunting situation.
How's the expansion on those?
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Well .45 and Texan are 2 things I do not own LOL Mr. Hollowpoint has some good stuff on YouTube. I do have a Piledriver in .510 so I have some heavy lead experience, will chime in if needed.
PS Wisconsin just opened big game to air rifles, but have not found minimum requirements yet.
+1 For Mr. Hollowpoint, Bob's videos pretty much explains it. I have several .45 cal guns, they are happy anything from 180g to 240g, anything above that they go all over the place.
Interesting! Thank you! I'll definitely keep this in mind!
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How's the expansion on those?
I have not shot them at anything big enough to stop them yet but I would imagine it's quite good
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How's the expansion on those?
I have not shot them at anything big enough to stop them yet but I would imagine it's quite good
OH!! LOL
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Honestly I would rather have a solid tip and trade expansion for penetration but Nick doesn't sell these slugs in that configuration and having a laser accurate and readily available slugs trumps all. I prefer a passthrough for a good blood trail on deer sized game. The fact of the matter is you're not likely to anchor a deer in it's tracks with a heart/lung shot. I want to be able to find it if it runs 100 yards.
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NSA hollow points are there for balance not expansion..
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Honestly I would rather have a solid tip and trade expansion for penetration but Nick doesn't sell these slugs in that configuration and having a laser accurate and readily available slugs trumps all. I prefer a passthrough for a good blood trail on deer sized game. The fact of the matter is you're not likely to anchor a deer in it's tracks with a heart/lung shot. I want to be able to find it if it runs 100 yards.
That's solid advice. I appreciate it! This will be my first foray into deer hunting with airguns, so thank you for this tip!
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NSA hollow points are there for balance not expansion..
Interesting! I never thought of a HP in that way. I always thought of HP's main purpose is to expand to dump as much energy into the target as possible...
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That is from Nick himself..
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I wasn't expecting the Texan to be delivered so quickly! But I was pleasantly surprised by a large box on my porch this morning! I'll mount the scope later (Bushnell Engage 2.5-10 scope, 30mm tube). Only things I plan on doing to this Texan are:
- Swap out A2 grip w/Ergo grip *DONE*
- Add low profile Pic conversion scope rail *DONE*
- Swap factory aluminum bottle w/CF 500cc 4500 psi bottle
- Swap SS shroud end cap for DonnyFL LDC Adapter end cap *DONE*
- MAYBE throw on a quick camo paint job
The last thing I need to get to round off this rifle is an Emperor LDC. I'm also working on getting a tethering tank set up so I can tether this rifle at the range so I can get it tuned and sighted in a little easier.
I'm still waiting on the CF bottle to come in, should be here today though. It was actually cheaper to buy a "standard" Texan and acquire a 500cc CF bottle and do the swap myself. Not by too much, but it IS cheaper. Plus I get a touch more air capacity.
I'll update with pictures when I take some. Again, I appreciate everyone's interest and advice! Please feel free to share as much info as y'all want!
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That is from Nick himself..
I wasn't doubting you- I was just commenting that I've never thought of using a HP in that way before.
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Ya, new to me also... Never thought about it...
Ray
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I wasn't expecting the Texan to be delivered so quickly! But I was pleasantly surprised by a large box on my porch this morning! I'll mount the scope later (Bushnell Engage 2.5-10 scope, 30mm tube). Only things I plan on doing to this Texan are:
- Swap out A2 grip w/Ergo grip *DONE*
- Add low profile Pic conversion scope rail *DONE*
- Swap factory aluminum bottle w/CF 500cc 4500 psi bottle
- Swap SS shroud end cap for DonnyFL LDC Adapter end cap *DONE*
- MAYBE throw on a quick camo paint job
The last thing I need to get to round off this rifle is an Emperor LDC. I'm also working on getting a tethering tank set up so I can tether this rifle at the range so I can get it tuned and sighted in a little easier.
I'm still waiting on the CF bottle to come in, should be here today though. It was actually cheaper to buy a "standard" Texan and acquire a 500cc CF bottle and do the swap myself. Not by too much, but it IS cheaper. Plus I get a touch more air capacity.
I'll update with pictures when I take some. Again, I appreciate everyone's interest and advice! Please feel free to share as much info as y'all want!
Tom, I have the Emperor with the extension on the Umarex Hammer and do not have to wear ear plugs shooting it. If you can afford it the extension it is well worth the money. All my big bores have LDCs on them.
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Tom, I have the Emperor with the extension on the Umarex Hammer and do not have to wear ear plugs shooting it. If you can afford it the extension it is well worth the money. All my big bores have LDCs on them.
I've been wondering about that extension... I have one I can use (luckily the Ronin and Emperor share dimensions)... But I'm not sure it would be any benefit- the Texan SS already has a reflex shroud that's twice as long or more, as a DFL extension. Plus the Emperor is already 11" long! To make it 17" long, PLUS the shroud? That's a lot! Still, I'll give it a try for S&G. I'll probably just stick with the Emperor by itself though...
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I recommend 10/10 to get a Mad Dog stock when you have some spare cash. They are an excellent upgrade and help with the overall ergonomics a lot.
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I recommend 10/10 to get a Mad Dog stock when you have some spare cash. They are an excellent upgrade and help with the overall ergonomics a lot.
Oh, I've been eyeballing his stocks since the very beginning! LOL
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Tom, I have the Emperor with the extension on the Umarex Hammer and do not have to wear ear plugs shooting it. If you can afford it the extension it is well worth the money. All my big bores have LDCs on them.
I've been wondering about that extension... I have one I can use (luckily the Ronin and Emperor share dimensions)... But I'm not sure it would be any benefit- the Texan SS already has a reflex shroud that's twice as long or more, as a DFL extension. Plus the Emperor is already 11" long! To make it 17" long, PLUS the shroud? That's a lot! Still, I'll give it a try for S&G. I'll probably just stick with the Emperor by itself though...
I can still get in a ladder stand with the hammer and extension. Yeah it's long but beats drawing attention to my yard when I am shooting it. It sounds like a nail gun going off. The total length is about 65" when fully extended from butt to muzzle.
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I can still get in a ladder stand with the hammer and extension. Yeah it's long but beats drawing attention to my yard when I am shooting it. It sounds like a nail gun going off. The total length is about 65" when fully extended from butt to muzzle.
I'll for sure try it with and without the extension. OAL (If I'm mathing correctly) for the SS with just the Emperor makes it the same length as a standard Texan, and with the extension brings it to roughly the same length as a Texan LSS... So It's not like the rifle will be longer (or much longer) than a factory configuration.
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Does anyone cast their own slugs? What molds are you using? What are you sizing to, if you're sizing slugs? Also, for those shooting the Texan, what pressures are you filling to?
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My excitement got the better of me again!
I ordered a NOE mold, 458-244 4 cavity. My idea is to eventually get the mold modified. I'll send it to Erik and have two cavities HP'd, and keep two cavities as solids. I also picked up a sizing die to bring it down to .457.
Having said that, I'm going to start off with NSA 240 gr slugs, just to get the party started. I'm still waiting on the CF bottle to show up before doing final assembly of the rifle. I also had to order a new set of scope rings, the one's I have are too tall for my liking.
Anyhoo, just a small update.
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The slugs Air Force makes are .458... Wondering about this myself... I haven't slugged the barrel yet on mine,,
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I am looking forward to seeing your results with that slug mold. I have been thinking about getting one since I got this rifle but I don't have time/money to experiment with a bunch of different things to find something that is accurate. When I got the Texan I emailed Nick and told him what I had and he recommended the 240 grain as that's what shot the best out of the SS for everyone he had talked too. No trial and error at all. I got the slugs in the mail, shot about ten of them to get the scope dialed and it's been shooting lights out ever since.
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I am looking forward to seeing your results with that slug mold. I have been thinking about getting one since I got this rifle but I don't have time/money to experiment with a bunch of different things to find something that is accurate. When I got the Texan I emailed Nick and told him what I had and he recommended the 240 grain as that's what shot the best out of the SS for everyone he had talked too. No trial and error at all. I got the slugs in the mail, shot about ten of them to get the scope dialed and it's been shooting lights out ever since.
I'm still starting with those 240 grain slugs from NSA- they're readily available. But I can't help but tinker. I'm hoping the NOE slugs work out- No offense to NSA, it's just cheaper to cast my own. Also, if I'm feeling lazy, but want to do SOMETHING, I can cast slugs. It'll be a little bit though, getting molds HP'd is pricey, and I've got some things to take care of adulting-wise first.
CF bottle came in today, got the valve swapped over. Also found a good deal on a used 60 minute tank, 4500 psi. Picked up some things from Airtanks Plus so I can fill and use the 60 minute tank as a tether tank. Once everything gets here, I'll try to make some time to head to the range.
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In case anyone is curious, a Texan SS with DonnyFL LDC adapter and aftermarket 500cc 4500 psi bottle has an OAL of 40.5".
I found a 3d printed "stock" on ebay and want to give it a try. I'm not liking how the metal butt plate assembly fits (or rather, how it doesn't quite fit). The "stock" I ordered slips over the tank. It's not like the typical one you see w/the raised comb. I'll post pics when it gets here. It covers up about 8" or so of the bottle. I'm not doing a very good job describing it LOL.
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It'll be a little bit though, getting molds HP'd is pricey, and I've got some things to take care of adulting-wise first.
I know you are not having all of the cavities HP'd but will you try the slugs before having the mold modified?
I am more interested in how they shoot without a HP.
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MP molds has a .460 collar button mold. Easy to size for your barrel and easy to get up to speed. You really should slug your barrel, airguns come in .452, .456 and .458 sizes.
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It'll be a little bit though, getting molds HP'd is pricey, and I've got some things to take care of adulting-wise first.
I know you are not having all of the cavities HP'd but will you try the slugs before having the mold modified?
I am more interested in how they shoot without a HP.
Oh absolutely! I'll let you know when I cast some...
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MP molds has a .460 collar button mold. Easy to size for your barrel and easy to get up to speed. You really should slug your barrel, airguns come in .452, .456 and .458 sizes.
I'll get around to slugging it before doing any shooting. I need to know what to size my slugs to
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I have a original Texan that I cut 4" off the barrel and frame to shorten for a R&L shroud I had OAL length is now 52", I have since added a CF bottle modified the valve, added a AAO medium hammer spring, shooting a home cast 280-288gr slug from a NOE 460-300 2 cavity mold that I size to 457.5-458 on a 3600psi fill first shot runs 926fps 2nd +- 880fps 3rd 840+- ending psi around 2700psi. Here's pics of the bullets I cast and the rifle.
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Tom give accurate molds a look, there might be something that will work well with the texan. Also there is the option of 2 different style slugs in the same mold block. I have the 45-170A and the 45-185O in the same block.
https://accuratemolds.com/catalog.php?page=20#catalog-anchor
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The "stock" finally came in today. All I need now is the Emperor LDC. The new OAL is 41" exactly. Here's a pic:
(https://i.imgur.com/4yRzSOg.jpg)
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Got the Emperor in... With the Emperor installed, it's 51" OAL. 2" shorter over all than the LSS... Of course, this also comes at the cost of less power... But it's still more than enough power to meet the state requirements...
(https://i.imgur.com/FiQO0Te.jpg)
I want to cast some bullets and get to the range!!
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Been looking at the .457 in CF with SS....
I can highly recommend Accurate Molds as a quality mold.
Slug your barrel and spec it -0.000 to +0.002 at 0.002 over your "slugged" diameter. I've been using the Lee hand press and Lee .303 sizer for my Challenger 30 slugs.
Be curious if you're successful with the high shoulder shot this season with the Texan or stick with the classic two lung shot?