Benjamin Bulldog .457 looks interesting

[redlined_b16a]

[Greg_E]

I got a Pyramyd ad today, going to be above $1000 and it mentions a gravity fed 3 shot magazine which makes me think it is only 3 shots at 450fpe. That seems a little low, but I guess the air tube also isn't that big so maybe.

From another thread it is .457 and the max length of projectile might have been around .750 (but I could be wrong).

Also from that other thread, you can not directly swap a 457 barrel into your old 357 Bulldog, they had to change the receiver to handle a thicker barrel and probably different transfer port location/size. That said, they'd be fools if they didn't make a 357 version on this new receiver so you could swap back and forth. Probably a 3 shot, 300fpe in 357 tune that a few people might really want, and cheaper than buying a Pitbull modified and tuned old BD357. They should also do a 257 on this new platform, probably under 200fpe but it could be whizzing along above supersonic for long range target shooting or small game.

[Pellethuntr]

Good to see Crosman on the scene with another big bore. I agree with what Greg said, they would be making a mistake not making .357 barrels for it.

[MisterAP]

https://www.benjaminairguns.com/airguns/big-bore/bulldog-457

$1100
3 shots 760 fps
3k PSI

[Spacebus]

Not bad! It's not a Texan competitor, but definitely a solid effort from Benjamin. Sticking with the Bulldog form factor was definitely a good move. I wonder how well they were able to dampen the muzzle report.

[FuzzyGrub]

They just announced at Shot Show and here it is already.     

Not sure I could come up with a use, outside of a log splitter. 

It will be interesting for what parts can swap back to the 357. 

[bear air]

I wonder how close they were to that ballistics gel lol.

[TroyHammer]

Welcome10 is 10% off plus free ground shipping

[LegionAir]

They should also do a 257 on this new platform, probably under 200fpe but it could be whizzing along above supersonic for long range target shooting or small game.

Rich Dudek makes a .257 bulldog with a TJ barrel. Not a bad price either https://www.airgunrevisions.com/product/benjamin-bulldog-257/

[Eskimo_Airgunner]

Agreed, and think it is interesting that the Gunnar was or is going to be offered in .45 but not .357.  I thought for a moment one line was possibly absorbing the other but I guess not?

[bear air]

Not a fan of the bulldog design. I sure wish crosman would make a big bore rifle in a classic configuration or bottle gun.

[Wayne52]

I got the same email from them yesterday, it's tempting but deer season is a ways off yet.

[FuzzyGrub]

Wayne,

Don’t you mean elk or bear? 

Here in NY, they proposed big game Airgun use a number of years ago.  But, it was never approved.  Not sure what the opposition was, or if it just didn’t have the support.

[Wayne52]

Wayne,

Don’t you mean elk or bear? 

Here in NY, they proposed big game Airgun use a number of years ago.  But, it was never approved.  Not sure what the opposition was, or if it just didn’t have the support.

If I bought a 45 cal that means there's good options for .457 molds available, I would much rather cast whatever I might be shooting.  By the way I read that email I can get a 10% discount if I buy one, it is tempting though.  I do like the AEA big bores and they're about the same weight as the Bulldog and I do like the wood stocks on them as well, who knows what will be for sale right around August is what I'm thinking by the way that AEA is pumping out newer guns continuously.

[Greg_E]

Wayne,

50 cal might be better. 3 shots at 450fpe with 45 or 3 shots at 600fpe to 700fpe with 50 (.510)? We all know that the original 357BD would take deer and larger if you hit the right spots, and do it at only 185fpe and with nearly 10 shots worth of air, but is bigger better? Some states require a certain power level, some require a certain caliber (or larger).

So we have:

457BD at up to 450fpe

Hammer at up to 700fpe

50 cal AEA at around 400+fpe

AEA S45 at ?

I think I remember the Bushbuck 45 being rated at over 400fpe

Airforce is up there, but I don't know what the energy is, at least 400fpe in 45



I did note that in the video they had it listed as 457/357 so I'm guessing there will be a BD 357 mk2 built on this chassis and it will possibly hit 300fpe for a few shots. We know this is possible from third party work, so it would make sense that Crosman builds a mk2 357 on this same chassis (but we've already discussed this).

[Spacebus]

Wayne,

50 cal might be better. 3 shots at 450fpe with 45 or 3 shots at 600fpe to 700fpe with 50 (.510)? We all know that the original 357BD would take deer and larger if you hit the right spots, and do it at only 185fpe and with nearly 10 shots worth of air, but is bigger better? Some states require a certain power level, some require a certain caliber (or larger).

So we have:

457BD at up to 450fpe

Hammer at up to 700fpe

50 cal AEA at around 400+fpe

AEA S45 at ?

I think I remember the Bushbuck 45 being rated at over 400fpe

Airforce is up there, but I don't know what the energy is, at least 400fpe in 45



I did note that in the video they had it listed as 457/357 so I'm guessing there will be a BD 357 mk2 built on this chassis and it will possibly hit 300fpe for a few shots. We know this is possible from third party work, so it would make sense that Crosman builds a mk2 357 on this same chassis (but we've already discussed this).

I think the Texan .457 is now 400 FPE in the old version short barrel and over 700 FPE with the new TX2 valve, CF tank, and long barrel. It's also the lightest in the 400+ FPE group. The Evanix Rex Ibex .50 cal is pretty impressive in power while also being very light, a bit pricey though.

[Pellethuntr]

The problem I see with AEA is parts availability especially down the road. At least with Crosman I know I can call them up and have a part to my door within a week.

Food for thought, I know not everyone cares about fixing their own airguns. Anything mechanical that I spend more than $200 on I expect to be able to use it for a long time and that usually means replacing parts on occasion. I recently bought a sub $300 Savage Axis rifle, it shoots close to MOA and I killed a number of deer with it this year. I fully expect to pass it on to my 5 year old some day. I expect the same from an airgun.

[Spacebus]

The problem I see with AEA is parts availability especially down the road. At least with Crosman I know I can call them up and have a part to my door within a week.

Food for thought, I know not everyone cares about fixing their own airguns. Anything mechanical that I spend more than $200 on I expect to be able to use it for a long time and that usually means replacing parts on occasion. I recently bought a sub $300 Savage Axis rifle, it shoots close to MOA and I killed a number of deer with it this year. I fully expect to pass it on to my 5 year old some day. I expect the same from an airgun.

From all accounts parts are easy to get, but I agree, it's not like ordering from Crosman. Even other American airgun manufacturers, Like AirForce, don't have the amazing parts resources that Crosman has, they really have a special niche.

This is just a personal anecdote and hardly indicative of Crosman as a whole, but the only rifle I have that is difficult to deal with is my only Crosman. The rest of my rifles are Chinese or Korean (not sure on the Daisy) and only the Korean rifle has had zero issues. My Chinese guns only started leaking when I started tinkering, but they haven't had a leak since I got them dialed in and stopped opening them up. The only hard to get thing for my SPA guns are barrels, but that wasn't the case not that long ago. Haven't had to get anything for my AEA yet, but the vendor is very responsive to email.

[Pellethuntr]

From all accounts parts are easy to get, but I agree, it's not like ordering from Crosman. Even other American airgun manufacturers, Like AirForce, don't have the amazing parts resources that Crosman has, they really have a special niche.

This is just a personal anecdote and hardly indicative of Crosman as a whole, but the only rifle I have that is difficult to deal with is my only Crosman. The rest of my rifles are Chinese or Korean (not sure on the Daisy) and only the Korean rifle has had zero issues. My Chinese guns only started leaking when I started tinkering, but they haven't had a leak since I got them dialed in and stopped opening them up. The only hard to get thing for my SPA guns are barrels, but that wasn't the case not that long ago. Haven't had to get anything for my AEA yet, but the vendor is very responsive to email.

I am glad to hear AEA has been good about parts, I want an AEA .45 in the worst way but I will never buy a gun again that I can't easily get parts for. I am less than impressed with Air Venturi. It has been months and I can't seem to get a hold of anyone about getting a part for my 909. I was recently talking with a friend who is working for a start up company that bought out a few smaller airgun companies. They are bringing a few of their own gun designs to the market this year and he was asking me what I thought. I told him I like the specs and the price point but what about parts availability? He said he has been pushing for a huge parts resource since he started with them. They are listening. I told him if he could make a section of their website dedicated to ordering parts directly with no calling or emails he would have a winner. Time will tell where they land with it but if they can do that I will become a fanboy!

[LegionAir]

Very easy to get parts for AEA. Bin(main distributor) sent them to me for free, didn’t even charge for shipping