357 Texan review

[dieselten]

Hello everyone, I am brand new to PCP airguns.  I have never seen one in person before today, or an air tank for that matter.  But I have been shooting and competing with firearms for about 40 years.  Anyway, I ordered a 357 Texan from Wild West and received it today along with a new tank and some pellets.  I also ordered pellets from Hunter Supply and Nielsen Specialty.  I drove to the Dive Shop and they could only get about 3900 into my new tank, but that was enough for a first go around with the new Texan.  I also bought a new chrono as my Magneto Speed is not very friendly with lead bullets.

So I set a target up at 50 yards and started shooting.  I started with JSB 81 grain and got on target easily.  This pellet was shooting groups with pellets touching at 50 yards but the groups were shifting their point of impact.  This could have been me experimenting with my hold, as this was the first time I ever fired a PCP but it also could have been from fluctuating velocity as I will show you.

I chrono'd the JSB for 13 shots, starting at 3000 psi fill and ending at about 2000 or maybe a little higher:
932
1010
1020
1045
1059
1066 - 204.47 FPE
1064
1056
1044
1037
1019
1012
992

So the first shot was really low, it didn't seem to do this later with the heavier pellets though.  This low initial velocity might be the reason for the different POI's, or it could have been me trying to figure out how to hold this thing.


Next I chrono'd the Hunters Supply 170 grain FP .358 for 6 shots starting at 3000 and ending about 2000:
869 - 285.1 FPE
852
826
810
787
767

The groups from these were not great, I will give my thoughts at the end.

The last bullet I chrono'd was the Hunter Supply 190 grain FP .358 for 8 shots starting at 3000 and ending around 2000:
842 - 299.15 FPE
828
820
799
786
781
756
741

These velocity strings and groupings were fired with the hammer spring adjuster as it was delivered, approx. 2 full turns from full tight.  I started running out of air but I decided to adjust the spring.  I tried it backed way off to about 5 or 6 full turns from full tight.  I didn't chrono but did shoot for groups.  The accuracy was terrible.  So I adjusted it the other way.  I went to about a half turn from full tight and the groups tightened up nicely.  I fired a few groups with the Nosler swaged lead Ballistic Tip and was very impressed.  One hole groups.  I was not able to chrono this bullet but I will next time.

Anyway my thoughts on accuracy.  obviously each bullet needs to be tuned with the hammer spring.  I did not get any 1 hole groups with the Hunter Specialty of the Neilsen bullets like I did with the JSB and the Nosler.  I think part of it might have been me searching for the right hold but these cast slugs were all loose packed in boxes and the bases were nicked up.  I used to shoot Scheutzen and cast my own bullets and I would mercilessly cull them for weight and imperfections in order to shoot small groups.  The JSB and the Nosler were not dinged up, the bases were perfect.  And the bases are the most important part of the bullet for accuracy.

So I am looking forward to getting some more air and trying this again.  I will chrono again with the spring adjuster tighter where the groups were better.

Nick

[MJP]

Pretty nice bellcurve with the jsb, nice review, looking forward for more a pics of the rifle details.
Marko

[Prouzy]

Very nice! Interesting it shoots the JSB pretty well so far.  For sure the balance between bullet, power wheel and fill pressure. Most certainly your hold will be important, thats a loooooonnnngggg barrel so you are one with that bullet for a while 

[dieselten]

Thanks guys.  I have been thinking and I think I will abandon using the Atlas bipod on a picatinny adapter at the front of the barrel cover.  Since the barrel is not free floating it induces stress and unless the stress is identical for each shot the groups will suffer.  I will shoot with a big soft bag right in front of the hand pad and a rear bag.

[Prouzy]

Ive wondered a out the barrel contact as well.  I did not notice a difference in my .457s with the exception of adding a shroud. Maybe slight improvement with the shroud was some recoil reduction??? I would like to see how it responds to a muzzle brake or air stripper of sorts, also influencing barrel harmonics as well??

Any idea internal measures, ie twist and bore? I wonder if it is similar in the .457 where the twist was to match up with the fpe, ie to perform best with big long bullets? But then again, if it did well with JSB........

BTW- welcome to Airgunning and the forum! Chris

[dieselten]

I am planning to slug and check twist today.  I am also having trouble uploading pics, my file size is too big annd I dont know how to resize on my ipad.

[Prouzy]

I think photobucket works best: http://s5.photobucket.com

Looking forward to hearing more.

[dieselten]

Rifle details:
357 Texan
1-16.25" twist (measured)
.357 groove (measured)
Night Force 8-32x56 Benchrest scope
Airforce picatinny adapter & Atlas bipod

[rintafile]

Nice!

[dyotat100]

Again airforce blows it. To fast of a twist. They just don't listen or read what works.

All they care about is making a big number. They even lowered it from 400 fpe to 350 fpe. Looks like to make there claim it will be in the 700's with a over weight slug and rainbow trajectory.

[nielsenammo]

If that gun has a 16 twist, which is way too fast, none of the bullets you got from me ever had a chance.  You will need to shoot long heavy bullets out of that gun just like in the Texan .457.

Pellets, EPP slugs and long heavy bullets is my guess what will work in it.

[nielsenammo]

I will order up a mold I think will work in this barrel.  Nothing I have right now I would expect to work in that twist barrel.  You would think AF would let their customers know what they tested with so you could order bullets that work in the gun.

[dieselten]

I called Airforce and they recommended the Hunter Supply 190 grain.

The Nosler 145 Ballistic Tip and the JSB 81 grain both shoot very well. 

I still have a lot of testing to do with rifle hold, spring tension, and bullets.

[dyotat100]

It figures they would recommend Hunter Supply. They are some of the worst bullets you could get. Like you said, they come like a box of marbles and have been beaten pretty good. But even before shipped there bullet quality is not good. 

[rsterne]

When are manufacturers going to understand that big bores need slower twist rates than small bores?.... 

Bob

[nielsenammo]

I don't understand why it is so hard to figure out what bullet weight shoots at 900-950 fps out of the gun and set the gun up for it.  Who wants to shoot 800 fps slugs, just for a fpe claim?

Once you know the weight bullet that is ideal you order a barrel with the correct twist rate so it will fire them accurately.  For me, that is a winning formula.

I just ordered a bullet mold I think the .357 Texan will shoot well but won't know until it gets here and tested.

[Prouzy]

When are manufacturers going to understand that big bores need slower twist rates than small bores?.... 

Bob

Based on the reports that they were still figuring out barrel choices, it seems the figured a fpe and chose a barrel that would shoot something decent enough to coincide with claims vs fps and accuracy at anything less than  the bullet that met their fpe statements.  Im fairly impatient but waited until August when I heard this and figured I needed to move on.  I hope it all works out, I just didnt want choices to be round ball and something that shoots at 700fps, regardless of fpe.

[Gut2Fish]

Even if Airforce's target bullet was 190 grain it would be stable in a 1 in 20 twist at 825 fps. 1:20 twist would have been slow enough for lighter grains to track at range. It seems they thought a .357 air rifle should be designed to shoot .35 Winchester 245 grain slugs. 1:16 isn't as bad as the Bulldog's barrel. I've two HP molds that may do well. The bigger 155 grain HP is .744 in. long which should have tractability long range.

[45Bravo]

These bullet weights, and velocities are on par with a .38spl. Loading in a powderburner.,

While respectable power coming from an airgun,
they are decidedly on the low end of what modern powder burner hunters like or are accustomed to using.

To me it harkens back to the days when the 1873 Winchester and Winchester 92 were king,

Both used pistol caliber cartridges, at low velocities, and you still took medium sized game with them.
You just had to pick your shot carefully.

Unlike today with the ultra-magnums that seem to be popular with powder burner hunters..

As airgun technology evolves, the velocities will go up.

The air gun manufacturers will learn (hopefully) what twist rates are best for what weights and calibers to make them accurate.

[MJP]

A good read in the forums would be enough r&d any manufacturer would need concerning twist rate.
All the testing has been done by the endusers and enthusiasts. But no they just go by wild guess.

Marko