I already have an IZH46m and a Daisy Avanti that I thought had me covered for small game. Are they not sufficient?I sold my Daisy Powerline because the seals have to be replaced every couple of years.I have a compound bow I could use for large game and self protection from wild dogs, hogs, etc. But I was hoping the Texan could fill that role better.
You can use a big bore and a hand pump as a survival tool. Its actually already a tried and true method. Lewis and Clark carried their .45 PCP all over the American west and were able to maintain it (they even made parts for it when it broke down). It would be miserable to pump. But if you are only shooting it to take medium and large game, you’re not going to have a calorie deficit. You’d probably only have to pump it up once a month at the most frequent. You would set aside time to pump it up then just be circumspect with how often you shoot it. You’d really want the gun to be a homesteading weapon. Something to grab to go hunting with on the back 40 so you can save firearm ammunition. Going that route, you’d also want to get into casting your own projectiles for it. You may consider using light round ball over bullets. Its easy to cast and Texans shoot them well out to at least 50 yards. Most importantly, it uses little air per shot compared to the heavy slugs most people shoot from their Texans. You’ll get several more shots for your pumping effort. A .45 Texan will kill a deer just fine. So will a .30 for that matter. I prefer the .30 calibers for Florida deer. They’re quieter and shoot flatter for less air usage per shot. Because we are not currently in a survival situation, you’d still want to factor in the cost of a compressor or a scuba tank you can get filled. The time to master the gun is now and you’ll want to have easier air sources than hand pumping for practice shooting. As far as maintaining a Texan and hand pump, you just need orings and silicon lube. Pure silicon with no petroleum product. I would also recommend buying multiple hand pumps when they go on sale. The generic Chinese pumps are the best value for the money. I’ve picked up all of mine for around $35.
I’m interested in a big bore airgun and hill pump as a potential survivalist tool. I’m led to believe that the Airforce Texan SS or LSS in .457 can take deer. Are there any better options? Any data on SS dB vs LSS dB?As far as an air rifle and hill pump combo, are there maintenance requirements that can not be met without a supply of freshly manufactured parts (e.g., gaskets, seals) that have a shelf life that makes stockpiling of such parts pointless?Thanks
JenI'm not a survivalist, so take this recommendation at face value. A smaller caliber gun that might work for taking small to medium size game could be a Nova Freedom from ATI. In 22 cal. it can shoot around 30 fpe. with an 18 grain pellet, or 25 fpe with a standard 14 grain pellet. It is a multi pump PCP with a small air reservoir capable of around 7-10 shots from 3000psi to 2000psi. Has a 10 shot clip, and can be filled either by using the on board pump handle or external source via a fill probe. (compressor or hand pump).The beauty of this gun is that it is easy to pump and fill to a usable pressure, because the air reservoir is counter pressurized to about 1800 PSI. This means that with around 10 pumps your gun pressure will be 2000psi and with 30 pumps you have enough pressure (2500 psi) for 5 or 6 shots @ 900+ fps. Once you achieve 2500psi. it takes about 5 or 6 pumps (per shot} to maintain that 2500psi level. It can be filled to 3600psi max, giving you more than 10 good shots. They are very accurate in the 35 to 50 yard range. (The extent of my yard) Obviously won't take down game as big as a deer, but very efficient and easy to use for something smaller.
Quote from: Bullfrog on August 13, 2019, 10:04:12 AMYou can use a big bore and a hand pump as a survival tool. Its actually already a tried and true method. Lewis and Clark carried their .45 PCP all over the American west and were able to maintain it (they even made parts for it when it broke down). It would be miserable to pump. But if you are only shooting it to take medium and large game, you’re not going to have a calorie deficit. You’d probably only have to pump it up once a month at the most frequent. You would set aside time to pump it up then just be circumspect with how often you shoot it. You’d really want the gun to be a homesteading weapon. Something to grab to go hunting with on the back 40 so you can save firearm ammunition. Going that route, you’d also want to get into casting your own projectiles for it. You may consider using light round ball over bullets. Its easy to cast and Texans shoot them well out to at least 50 yards. Most importantly, it uses little air per shot compared to the heavy slugs most people shoot from their Texans. You’ll get several more shots for your pumping effort. A .45 Texan will kill a deer just fine. So will a .30 for that matter. I prefer the .30 calibers for Florida deer. They’re quieter and shoot flatter for less air usage per shot. Because we are not currently in a survival situation, you’d still want to factor in the cost of a compressor or a scuba tank you can get filled. The time to master the gun is now and you’ll want to have easier air sources than hand pumping for practice shooting. As far as maintaining a Texan and hand pump, you just need orings and silicon lube. Pure silicon with no petroleum product. I would also recommend buying multiple hand pumps when they go on sale. The generic Chinese pumps are the best value for the money. I’ve picked up all of mine for around $35.Thanks, much. If the daisy and Steyr are not powerful enough, then perhaps my Thomas FT? Configured for hunter class, it’s 20 FPE, which is 5 times more powerful than the Crosman 22. It’s PCP, though, so I’d have to top it off with a hand pump occasionally.Regarding O-rings and silicon lube, are both needed for the rifle and the pump? I see some O-rings have a shelf life as low as 3 years, and others can last indefinitely. So I guess it could work to stockpile O-rings made of the right material. But for silicon lube, the shelf life is as low as 5 years even if stored in the original container, and much shorter if stored incorrectly.
If it were a shelter in place at the homestead kind of survival situation, many PCPs would do the job.On the other hand, if it were a "I gotta schlep a bunch of gear around in the woods" type of deal, a PCP could be cumbersome due to its size/weight and ancillary stuff required to fill and maintain it. In that case, I'd choose something like a 1322 with a 1399 stock for small game. A light rifle in .22lr would handle everything else, including larger game.
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