Best Texan with no Mods?

[Dpowers]

With the CF?  Eh, you may not be missing out on velocity, since you could charge the gun a bit higher.  However, I'm no expert on the big bores.  Mr. Quackenbush only uses a 25" OAL barrel on his .458 Outlaws.  Extreme air rifles uses a 28" OAL barrel on their standard .457's.  Both of those companies pretty much focus on big bores.  Airforce uses a 24" barrel on their Texan Carbines and TexanSS's.  I'm no engineer or math wiz- Bob would have to sit down and do the math for you...  But when two duty experts are using less than 30" barrels on successful hunting rifles, I tend to see that as evidence that 28" is about the longest you'd ever need.  As far as twist rate and such, I really don't know.  I can't remember his handle, but there was a shooter here who shot highly modified Texans, and I don't believe he ever used a factory barrel.  But he was also going for extreme range and target shooting.  Doug Noble is the resident expert in all things Airforce, and he may chime in at some point.  Or you could PM him.   

Here is the contact info for TJ's he does business the old fashion way .

Mike Sayers at TJ's Liners

Mr Sayer
TJ's Enterprises
3652 Neltner Rd
Alexandria, KY 41001
859-635-5560

You will have to get a barrel from TJ, and then send it to a tuner.  TJ doesn't do finish work on barrels.  He only provides the blanks.  You could absolutely cut and re-crown the factory barrel, or you could just buy a Texan Carbine.  You'd have to go aftermarket for the LDC, if you need/want one of those though.  I'm not sure how good or the availability of a factory Texan LDC.

How do I reach out to Doug?
Thanks for THe contact info.

[Lani52]

You really do not need a TJ barrel.

Buy a full length Texan cf or regular Texan 457,  you can convert it later to cf.

You can also buy a Texan 34 inch barrel. They are LW, smother than a TJ and just as accurate.

I had a 28 inch Ranger 45, my buddy Tom at the same time bought the exact same rifle with a 36 inch barrel, he had much more velocity and FPE.   
You will loose roughly 10 to 15 FPS per inch.

There is  no magic with a TJ barrel, they are accurate, they are made to be a to recline BLack powder cartridge guns.  Somewhere along the line, airgunners discover that we did not have to turn them down as they were designed to be a liner and we could get different bore sizes which were more comparable with bullet shooting airguns.but due their manufacturing method, it makes the interior rougher inside compared to the Texan factory LW barrel.I have had 4 TJ’s, one I sent back because it was too rough inside. The other 3, I fire lapped.

They are accurate barrels, but as said here, they have to be machined to fit your Texan.

You already have a 457 valve in your 357,  it is what AF uses in the 357/457, for the price of the Texan barrel, I am assuming 225 or a bit more, a drop in fit, you have a 457 full rifle.

If the brush is so thick, you can’t get through it with a 34 inch barrel, how are you going to see far enough to shoot .  Now bear in mind, I have never hunted in Va, but our Oregon coastal rain forests have more vegetation per acre, per pound than the South American rain forests, and the fact I have killed well over 200 deer, 51 elk and 4 or 5 bear here, I personally would go for a drop in 34 inch factory barrel from AF, if you need advice or more parts they will help you out.

Regards,

Roachcreek

[ZackUSAF82]

I hunt in MD with my regular .457 Texan with RL Shroud on it in thick brush all the time...it's 56" long.  Yes, seriously.  I hunt in urban areas and the people let me hunt because my gun is quiet and I am super safe hunter, thus why I need the shroud.  I've taken 5 deer now with it, I use NSA 220's, I haven't chronied it but I get 4 shots ragged hole at 50 yards and the 5th isn't low enough to make much of a difference.  I never get a chance to shoot much outside of 50 yards, one spot I set I can get to 75 but with the flat shooting 220's it's only mildot difference, maybe mildot and a half...been a while since I've shot at 75 yards.

I also bought my son the CF-Series .457 SS, it's a beast with NSA 254 HP-BT's...once again, only sited it in and haven't chronied yet but we were getting a tighter group than my Texan and around 6 shots IIRC, this was back in January.  I will chrony them the next time I get them out just to see, but for me when it's a hunting setup I just care about the bullet hitting where the crosshairs are, and so far I've had no problem with that and no wounded animals.

Just some food for thought, I would recommend following Mr. Roachcreek's advice, he knows what he's talking about and I've gleaned so much info in my time on this board reading his fantastic posts.  JMHO.

[ShakySarge]

I hunt in MD with my regular .457 Texan with RL Shroud on it in thick brush all the time...it's 56" long.  Yes, seriously.

Exactly. Folks complaining about the full size being too long have obviously never carried a regular shotgun or rifle in thick brush and terrain. Boggles the mind.......

[Dpowers]

Fallowing your guys reasoning.
In tentatively going with the 34" barrel Texan CF tank.
Later on I will either buy the 24ish barrel or just get the original barrel cut and recrowned.

Is the 34" barrel capable of pushing the 457 heavy and light slugs with a relatively flat trajectory out to a 100 some yards? Without mods?

With discount the 457 Carbine CF and Regular Texan CF are the same price.

[SteveB]

I have the 357ss it's accurate to well past a hundred and I'm shooting 106  thru 120 grain. No issues except the valve seat cracked so it didn't hold air. But airforce took care of it and no problems.

[anti-squirrel]

I hunt in MD with my regular .457 Texan with RL Shroud on it in thick brush all the time...it's 56" long.  Yes, seriously.

Exactly. Folks complaining about the full size being too long have obviously never carried a regular shotgun or rifle in thick brush and terrain. Boggles the mind.......

What boggles my mind is a general assumption that everyone has the same idea of dense underbrush.  I can attest to Roachcreek's idea of dense terrain.  I did a lot of mountain biking through the OR, WA, and CA coast.  If you have trails, things ain't so bad.  Off trail it becomes a dense wall of GREEN.

Last Remi 870 I carried through tight brush here in Central VA (just south of the OP) where I live and hunt still felt too long for stalking deer off-trail.  Out of a stand IE: in-transit to a stand, sure, no problem.  Stands are usually on the edge of fields and forest, so not too bad.  Pocahantas is also very clear for state forest- older trees and not as much undergrowth.  But in the dense brambles and swampy land here in Central VA on the James and where I live in New Kent, and down in Charles City...  Stalking is pure misery.  No trails, very young forest, just non-stop waist to overhead brush and never more than a 40 visibility  Most of the time, 20 yards would be about the max clear shot.

My 870 was a good bit shorter than a Texan at "only" 46 and some change inches.  PepeGraves uses an assortment of Korean PCPs for his deer hunting exploits, though I don't know if he's using stands or stalking.  The older forests toward the western part of VA tend to have less undergrowth, but I'd still be inclined to find as short a gun as possible.  At this point, my Leshiy with a .30 barrel would be enough.  Wouldn't mean many shots but when hunting, you don't take many!

[ZackUSAF82]

I would agree that stalking is tough, I did kill a doe last year stalking with my 56" long Texan, and SOMD brush is no joke.  But yes, most of my hunting is done sitting beside a tree, I would not want to stalk often with my gun.  My son's CF SS is a different story, that thing is so light and short, it's perfect for that and I am very much looking forward to using it if I do any stalking this year.

[ShakySarge]

I hunt in MD with my regular .457 Texan with RL Shroud on it in thick brush all the time...it's 56" long.  Yes, seriously.

Exactly. Folks complaining about the full size being too long have obviously never carried a regular shotgun or rifle in thick brush and terrain. Boggles the mind.......

What boggles my mind is a general assumption that everyone has the same idea of dense underbrush.  I can attest to Roachcreek's idea of dense terrain.  I did a lot of mountain biking through the OR, WA, and CA coast.  If you have trails, things ain't so bad.  Off trail it becomes a dense wall of GREEN.

Last Remi 870 I carried through tight brush here in Central VA (just south of the OP) where I live and hunt still felt too long for stalking deer off-trail.  Out of a stand IE: in-transit to a stand, sure, no problem.  Stands are usually on the edge of fields and forest, so not too bad.  Pocahantas is also very clear for state forest- older trees and not as much undergrowth.  But in the dense brambles and swampy land here in Central VA on the James and where I live in New Kent, and down in Charles City...  Stalking is pure misery.  No trails, very young forest, just non-stop waist to overhead brush and never more than a 40 visibility  Most of the time, 20 yards would be about the max clear shot.

My 870 was a good bit shorter than a Texan at "only" 46 and some change inches.  PepeGraves uses an assortment of Korean PCPs for his deer hunting exploits, though I don't know if he's using stands or stalking.  The older forests toward the western part of VA tend to have less undergrowth, but I'd still be inclined to find as short a gun as possible.  At this point, my Leshiy with a .30 barrel would be enough.  Wouldn't mean many shots but when hunting, you don't take many!

I was born and raised in Virginia and hunted all of it from the swamps to the mountains. I understand exactly what thick means. Pepe is out of Pittsylvania county if I recall and yes, the laurels there get so thick you can barely see 5 feet in front of you and the pines get just as bad with briars so thick you would be better off using a machete to navigate through it. (Lived there for 6 years). Still, never had an issue with long guns. It all boils down to the individual. Given the choice, I would go with the longer barreled full sized CF but that's me. Are the shorter carbine and SS lengths easier to swing around, sure, not saying they can't be. But, my next Texan purchase will be the Standard or the LSS.

[anti-squirrel]

I hunt in MD with my regular .457 Texan with RL Shroud on it in thick brush all the time...it's 56" long.  Yes, seriously.

Exactly. Folks complaining about the full size being too long have obviously never carried a regular shotgun or rifle in thick brush and terrain. Boggles the mind.......

What boggles my mind is a general assumption that everyone has the same idea of dense underbrush.  I can attest to Roachcreek's idea of dense terrain.  I did a lot of mountain biking through the OR, WA, and CA coast.  If you have trails, things ain't so bad.  Off trail it becomes a dense wall of GREEN.

Last Remi 870 I carried through tight brush here in Central VA (just south of the OP) where I live and hunt still felt too long for stalking deer off-trail.  Out of a stand IE: in-transit to a stand, sure, no problem.  Stands are usually on the edge of fields and forest, so not too bad.  Pocahantas is also very clear for state forest- older trees and not as much undergrowth.  But in the dense brambles and swampy land here in Central VA on the James and where I live in New Kent, and down in Charles City...  Stalking is pure misery.  No trails, very young forest, just non-stop waist to overhead brush and never more than a 40 visibility  Most of the time, 20 yards would be about the max clear shot.

My 870 was a good bit shorter than a Texan at "only" 46 and some change inches.  PepeGraves uses an assortment of Korean PCPs for his deer hunting exploits, though I don't know if he's using stands or stalking.  The older forests toward the western part of VA tend to have less undergrowth, but I'd still be inclined to find as short a gun as possible.  At this point, my Leshiy with a .30 barrel would be enough.  Wouldn't mean many shots but when hunting, you don't take many!

I was born and raised in Virginia and hunted all of it from the swamps to the mountains. I understand exactly what thick means. Pepe is out of Pittsylvania county if I recall and yes, the laurels there get so thick you can barely see 5 feet in front of you and the pines get just as bad with briars so thick you would be better off using a machete to navigate through it. (Lived there for 6 years). Still, never had an issue with long guns. It all boils down to the individual. Given the choice, I would go with the longer barreled full sized CF but that's me. Are the shorter carbine and SS lengths easier to swing around, sure, not saying they can't be. But, my next Texan purchase will be the Standard or the LSS.

I concur for a treestand, but for stalking, shorter is better.

Actually, I prefer shorties when up in a tree, but it's been a few years since I set foot in a stand   At this point, I think I'd be more inclined to grab an air-bow like the Bulldog, Verminator, or Air-Saber.  SPA purportedly is releasing an air-bow, too.

[ShakySarge]

I hunt in MD with my regular .457 Texan with RL Shroud on it in thick brush all the time...it's 56" long.  Yes, seriously.

Exactly. Folks complaining about the full size being too long have obviously never carried a regular shotgun or rifle in thick brush and terrain. Boggles the mind.......

What boggles my mind is a general assumption that everyone has the same idea of dense underbrush.  I can attest to Roachcreek's idea of dense terrain.  I did a lot of mountain biking through the OR, WA, and CA coast.  If you have trails, things ain't so bad.  Off trail it becomes a dense wall of GREEN.

Last Remi 870 I carried through tight brush here in Central VA (just south of the OP) where I live and hunt still felt too long for stalking deer off-trail.  Out of a stand IE: in-transit to a stand, sure, no problem.  Stands are usually on the edge of fields and forest, so not too bad.  Pocahantas is also very clear for state forest- older trees and not as much undergrowth.  But in the dense brambles and swampy land here in Central VA on the James and where I live in New Kent, and down in Charles City...  Stalking is pure misery.  No trails, very young forest, just non-stop waist to overhead brush and never more than a 40 visibility  Most of the time, 20 yards would be about the max clear shot.

My 870 was a good bit shorter than a Texan at "only" 46 and some change inches.  PepeGraves uses an assortment of Korean PCPs for his deer hunting exploits, though I don't know if he's using stands or stalking.  The older forests toward the western part of VA tend to have less undergrowth, but I'd still be inclined to find as short a gun as possible.  At this point, my Leshiy with a .30 barrel would be enough.  Wouldn't mean many shots but when hunting, you don't take many!

I was born and raised in Virginia and hunted all of it from the swamps to the mountains. I understand exactly what thick means. Pepe is out of Pittsylvania county if I recall and yes, the laurels there get so thick you can barely see 5 feet in front of you and the pines get just as bad with briars so thick you would be better off using a machete to navigate through it. (Lived there for 6 years). Still, never had an issue with long guns. It all boils down to the individual. Given the choice, I would go with the longer barreled full sized CF but that's me. Are the shorter carbine and SS lengths easier to swing around, sure, not saying they can't be. But, my next Texan purchase will be the Standard or the LSS.

I concur for a treestand, but for stalking, shorter is better.

Actually, I prefer shorties when up in a tree, but it's been a few years since I set foot in a stand   At this point, I think I'd be more inclined to grab an air-bow like the Bulldog, Verminator, or Air-Saber.  SPA purportedly is releasing an air-bow, too.

Air Force definitely needs to put more focus with the CF TX2 in it's shorter platforms and smaller calibers. I spend my time about half and half depending on the terrain. I do like how short the bulldog is for those shots with a shooting stick or just leaning on a tree. With a full length Texan, it would be quite interesting.

[anti-squirrel]

Matt, I've eyeballed the CF Texan more than a couple times- especially the .35.  My girlfriend seems determined to get a bigbore at some point, and I love simple platforms, but I've spent some time discussing smaller-bore slugthrowers with her and she's sweet on that idea- especially with NSA having such quality slugs at a good price! 

There's no doubt AF guns are capable in every regard for project guns.  Now- keep in mind we do a fair bit of canoeing and a full length AF Texan would be a bit much... Of course, I could just ducktape a paddle-blade to the bottle     But this ain't about me- it's about a more compact AF platform in big-bore for smashing bumper-thumpers and song-dogs!

So back to the scenario:  I think the OP would be well served opting for a big bore 24"-barrel Texan; it will knock down anything found in the eastern US at what I deem realistic ranges. 

[Lani52]

I have considered adding a 2 inch crutch pad to my LSS so it can do double Duty as a crutch and polevault for jumping barbwire fences. 

Roachcreek

[Nomadic Pirate]

The thread has strayed a bit from it's original purpose,

I agree that hunting with longer guns isn't to bad,...heck I spent years and years carrying a 68" Hill in the jungle here.

The OP at the beginning of this thread had the missconception that shorter barrels are less accurate then longer barrels, and that it's just not the case

If you looking for significant more power by any mean go for longer barrels, but don't just get a much longer hunting gun for accuracy purposes if power isn't required.

[ShakySarge]

Matt, I've eyeballed the CF Texan more than a couple times- especially the .35.  My girlfriend seems determined to get a bigbore at some point, and I love simple platforms, but I've spent some time discussing smaller-bore slugthrowers with her and she's sweet on that idea- especially with NSA having such quality slugs at a good price! 

There's no doubt AF guns are capable in every regard for project guns.  Now- keep in mind we do a fair bit of canoeing and a full length AF Texan would be a bit much... Of course, I could just ducktape a paddle-blade to the bottle     But this ain't about me- it's about a more compact AF platform in big-bore for smashing bumper-thumpers and song-dogs!

So back to the scenario:  I think the OP would be well served opting for a big bore 24"-barrel Texan; it will knock down anything found in the eastern US at what I deem realistic ranges.

I am inclined to agree. My SS does just fine. Ghost(Tommy) on here tagged a whitetail with it last season.

[ShakySarge]

The thread has strayed a bit from it's original purpose,

I agree that hunting with longer guns isn't to bad,...heck I spent years and years carrying a 68" Hill in the jungle here.

The OP at the beginning of this thread had the missconception that shorter barrels are less accurate then longer barrels, and that it's just not the case

If you looking for significant more power by any mean go for longer barrels, but don't just get a much longer hunting gun for accuracy purposes if power isn't required.

Agreed. The Short version is just as accurate, if not more so from my limited experience with them.

[anti-squirrel]

The thread has strayed a bit from it's original purpose,

I agree that hunting with longer guns isn't to bad,...heck I spent years and years carrying a 68" Hill in the jungle here.

The OP at the beginning of this thread had the missconception that shorter barrels are less accurate then longer barrels, and that it's just not the case

If you looking for significant more power by any mean go for longer barrels, but don't just get a much longer hunting gun for accuracy purposes if power isn't required.

Agreed. The Short version is just as accurate, if not more so from my limited experience with them.

This may be a result of the projectile's dwell time in the barrel, or perhaps harmonics.

[Nomadic Pirate]

The thread has strayed a bit from it's original purpose,

I agree that hunting with longer guns isn't to bad,...heck I spent years and years carrying a 68" Hill in the jungle here.

The OP at the beginning of this thread had the missconception that shorter barrels are less accurate then longer barrels, and that it's just not the case

If you looking for significant more power by any mean go for longer barrels, but don't just get a much longer hunting gun for accuracy purposes if power isn't required.

Agreed. The Short version is just as accurate, if not more so from my limited experience with them.

This may be a result of the projectile's dwell time in the barrel, or perhaps harmonics.

Absolutely,...with the relative low speeds we are shooting, the longer barrels lend themselves to be less forgiving to human influence regarding accuracy if you are less then perfect with your form,

Ed had a great video on the subject years ago,.....I like listening to Ed

[anti-squirrel]

The thread has strayed a bit from it's original purpose,

I agree that hunting with longer guns isn't to bad,...heck I spent years and years carrying a 68" Hill in the jungle here.

The OP at the beginning of this thread had the missconception that shorter barrels are less accurate then longer barrels, and that it's just not the case

If you looking for significant more power by any mean go for longer barrels, but don't just get a much longer hunting gun for accuracy purposes if power isn't required.

Agreed. The Short version is just as accurate, if not more so from my limited experience with them.

This may be a result of the projectile's dwell time in the barrel, or perhaps harmonics.

Absolutely,...with the relative low speeds we are shooting, the longer barrels lend themselves to be less forgiving to human influence regarding accuracy if you are less then perfect with your form,

Ed had a great video on the subject years ago,.....I like listening to Ed

I'm with you there- as indicated by my Lelya and Leshiy.  My 250mm Leshiy barrel is every bit as accurate as my 350mm barrel- the 350 is just faster by ~ 80 FPS.  I'll add that the carbines and shorter guns really handle, shoulder, and swing with less effort, and I find my form is more consistent too.  But that's getting off topic again.

[ShakySarge]

The thread has strayed a bit from it's original purpose,

I agree that hunting with longer guns isn't to bad,...heck I spent years and years carrying a 68" Hill in the jungle here.

The OP at the beginning of this thread had the missconception that shorter barrels are less accurate then longer barrels, and that it's just not the case

If you looking for significant more power by any mean go for longer barrels, but don't just get a much longer hunting gun for accuracy purposes if power isn't required.

Agreed. The Short version is just as accurate, if not more so from my limited experience with them.

This may be a result of the projectile's dwell time in the barrel, or perhaps harmonics.

Likely a combination of both. Less dwell time, less flex overall. Makes perfect sense.