35 or 45?

[JDR]

Seriously thinking about diving into airgun deer hunting this fall when season opens. Undecided as of yet which big bore is right for me. Our state allows .35 cal. and up.
Most of my shots would be between 50 and 100 yards. I know the .45 slings heavier lead but does it have drastically more of a drop than a. 35 cal?
Should I go with the FPE of a .45 cal or the .35 cal for those shots past 50 yards? Actually thinking about mostly head shots on doe's to try and save messing up the meat.
Would really like some real world input from some of you fellows who have hunted and killed whitetail deer with a big bore.

Thanks
Ray

I think others have said this. Shoot the lungs. Much bigger target. I have heard several bad things from hunters who whent for the head. Shooting off antlers and lower jaw was 2 of the stories. Could also shoot off the nose. The head has a tendency to move faster and more often than the body. Due to low velocity of air rife, not that much hydroshock so very little meat will be damaged. Air rifle kills the same way as an arrow, little shock just massive blood loss.

 

[ray1377]

I think others have said this. Shoot the lungs. Much bigger target. I have heard several bad things from hunters who whent for the head. Shooting off antlers and lower jaw was 2 of the stories. Could also shoot off the nose. The head has a tendency to move faster and more often than the body. Due to low velocity of air rife, not that much hydroshock so very little meat will be damaged. Air rifle kills the same way as an arrow, little shock just massive blood loss.

Blood loss is going to call for a larger entry and exit wound. That's where .45 scores higher points than the .35 I would think. I've read somewhere that the bullet casting part is easier to get into with a .45 ,more mold options or something to that effect.

Thx
Ray

 

[Rob_in_NC]

Rob, I have thought about that. I remember getting my Prod and tuning it for weeks to get it where I wanted it to be come squirrel season. It was a task, but it was doable. I've black powder hunted and some have said airgun hunting is closer to that than PB hunting. So that will surely help when it comes to the kentucky windage side of things . I surely do appreciate the comment sir.

Thx
Ray

Yes, sir... any time. There is a lot of experience on this forum for sure. Should you go 45, and it happens to be a 457 and you'd like to try some slugs from a cheapo Lee mold, let me know. I'm sure they could be sized if you have the equipment. I'm sure others here who cast may offer the same depending on what you choose. Save yourself from buying a butt ton of molds just to find something that works.
Another tip...
With my big bores I generally find a mold that is 'good enough' for practice and close enough POI to the 'really good stuff' (NSA or Mr Hollowpoint) and will use that, saving the $$ bullets for the real deal. I'm always close enough that it's only a matter of a click or two of adjustment and then verifying at range before a hunt.
Good luck in your endeavors, sir!

 

[CrosmanEngineer]

I spoke with a guy at a shooting event about air gun hunting. He made the suggestion to buy a block of ballistic gel and shoot it with your slug of choice at the maximum distance you think you would hunt at. Check the block for damage, depth of penetration and any expansion of the projectile. This will give you an idea of how effective your setup will be. If you can record it in slow motion that is even better!

His example was, if you only get about 2-3" of penetration at 100 yards with your favorite slug, you are shooting too far. Move in closer and try again.

As was stated above, know your limits!

John

 

[ray1377]

I spoke with a guy at a shooting event about air gun hunting. He made the suggestion to buy a block of ballistic gel and shoot it with your slug of choice at the maximum distance you think you would hunt at. Check the block for damage, depth of penetration and any expansion of the projectile. This will give you an idea of how effective your setup will be. If you can record it in slow motion that is even better!

His example was, if you only get about 2-3" of penetration at 100 yards with your favorite slug, you are shooting too far. Move in closer and try again.

As was stated above, know your limits!

John

Yes sir, I would imagine a complete pass through would be what you should be looking for with your particular airgun to aid in more blood loss.
That's where this forum comes in so handy. A bunch of big bore hunters will gladly tell you how a particular projectile did out of their particular airgun at a given range and on what quarry. That kind of info is priceless and yet doesn't cost you a penny.


Thx
Ray

 

[gendoc]

i have taken many deer with a .457 airgun in various makes and models since
2017. also quite a few with .30 and .357 guns i have.
the .30 is for neck and head shots real up close and personal.
the .357 is head, neck and lung shots again, real close !
being here in south alabama, maybe 3 miles from the gulf of mexico,
our mornings during deer season usually consist of fog and dew on the ground
i hunt the mornings.....due to my eye sight.
dont know how many of you have heavy dew on the ground while blood trailing
a deer. seems to be an obstacle even with a powder burner.....
but the .457 works the best for me inside of 50yrds.
i choose my shots, alot more deer walk than fall on my hunts.

 

[RM.510bigbore]

My experience is full solids cast slugs for pass throughs. Also many of the NSA swaged slugs also act like a solid and still produce pass throughs. I have 475 grain large diameter .510 Hollow Points that will not pass through... Perfectly formed hollow points ,no blood trails. For your 457 a $25.00 2 cavity 457 solid cast and a $20.00 lee .457 Sizer die.. Soft lead can be had for $1.00 a pound if you look around. Airgun ammo too pricey I'd cast,its pretty easy and very satisfying.

 

[RM.510bigbore]

Correction in previous post Lee 2 cavity Aluminum Mold with handles $25.00 and a sizer die kit from lee $20.00. Lee casting equipment very affordable.. Decent quality for the hobbyist

 

[gendoc]

my cast & sized .457 405gr Lyman RNFP completely wrecks the front running gear, when the time is right !!!

 

[ray1377]

My experience is full solids cast slugs for pass throughs. Also many of the NSA swaged slugs also act like a solid and still produce pass throughs. I have 475 grain large diameter .510 Hollow Points that will not pass through... Perfectly formed hollow points ,no blood trails. For your 457 a $25.00 2 cavity 457 solid cast and a $20.00 lee .457 Sizer die.. Soft lead can be had for $1.00 a pound if you look around. Airgun ammo too pricey I'd cast,its pretty easy and very satisfying.

Yes sir, that's my end goal. I want to be able to cast and shoot my own ammo.
Ray

 

[Greg_E]

There is an Umarex Hammer in the classifieds, claimed up to 700 fpe. You can fire Lee REAL cast rounds with minimal sizing, I'd powder coat them first. After that there are some 50-70 and 50-100 molds that drop around .515 which can be two step sized. Or you can go expensive and have Accurate Molds resize a design and cut you something, I did this and they drop right at .511 in pure lead. A round nose flat bottom at 370 grains, and a flat nose boat tail and 425 grains, cut into the same mold. The round nose are doing OK for me, I still need more trigger time and a little work on my rifle. The previous owner was getting 1moa groups.

The Bulldog 457 will just work (noting the possible barrel issues with the switch to the LW barrels). It will be easy to service!!! This should not be discounted. Pitbull, parts and simplicity are important.

As far as service for the Hammer, they treat it like a black box. But I've been forced to dig in and fix mine, so now I'm no longer afraid of digging deeper.

I also have a mildly hopped up Bulldog/Pitbull 357 that I like a lot. People hate the looks, but mine shoots way better than me. It's simple and straight forward design make it easy to service. My only concern is barrels since they changed to the Magnum, not sure if these interchange with the original.

 

[ray1377]

There is an Umarex Hammer in the classifieds, claimed up to 700 fpe. You can fire Lee REAL cast rounds with minimal sizing, I'd powder coat them first. After that there are some 50-70 and 50-100 molds that drop around .515 which can be two step sized. Or you can go expensive and have Accurate Molds resize a design and cut you something, I did this and they drop right at .511 in pure lead. A round nose flat bottom at 370 grains, and a flat nose boat tail and 425 grains, cut into the same mold. The round nose are doing OK for me, I still need more trigger time and a little work on my rifle. The previous owner was getting 1moa groups.

The Bulldog 457 will just work (noting the possible barrel issues with the switch to the LW barrels). It will be easy to service!!! This should not be discounted. Pitbull, parts and simplicity are important.

As far as service for the Hammer, they treat it like a black box. But I've been forced to dig in and fix mine, so now I'm no longer afraid of digging deeper.

I also have a mildly hopped up Bulldog/Pitbull 357 that I like a lot. People hate the looks, but mine shoots way better than me. It's simple and straight forward design make it easy to service. My only concern is barrels since they changed to the Magnum, not sure if these interchange with the original.

Yes sir, I have sort of ruled out he Hammer already. I've heard way more negative than positve about it. I do like the Bulldog line simply cause they are made by Benjamin and should be easy to work on and get parts for. Right now I'm seriously considering if I can get a gun that does what I need at a 3000 psi fill instead of having to have a gun that requires substantial more fill pressures. I just read last night that Senaca has come out with a Dragon Claw 2 with hopped up performance over the original Dragon Claw. Choices, choices.

Thx
Ray

 

[ray1377]

Good day fellows. I'd love to get this thread rebooted. I had things happen in life and didn't get myself a big bore last fall before deer season. I did however aquire a 4500 psi HPA compressor this spring and I'm digging it for sure. I can now fill my SCBA tank and any of my other PCP's with it. It works great. So it would seem I would not be limited to a 3000 psi fill big bore for this fall. I know things have changed some since last year.
Do you guys have any more great info to reveal about big bores and casting bullets since last year?
Pardon me admins if restarting an old thread is frowned upon. Just needing to obtain all the info I can before I make my first big bore purchase.

Thanks
Ray

 

[357cal]

That's good to know. I just assumed the .35 would shoot flatter out to 100 yards. I've also been watching tons of video's and reading reviews lately. Have seen a good amount of information regarding the Texan's being hard to get a good shot pattern out of. And they are pricey. But they do what they do on a lower fill pressure than most others on the market. Thanks for the info.

Ray

Most states mandate a .45 caliber as the minimum requirement; I would also suggest at least a .45 caliber. I own a 357 AEA Challenger with 340 FPE, which can take down large game; however, it is not legal here and in many other places.

 

[ray1377]

Most states mandate a .45 caliber as the minimum requirement; I would also suggest at least a .45 caliber. I own a 357 AEA Challenger with 340 FPE, which can take down large game; however, it is not legal here and in many other places.

Is your 357 Challenger able to take deer at 50+ yards or more? It has been stated that you can find more .45 caliber ammo than you can .357 so there's that to think about.
Thanks
Ray

 

[caliusoptimus]

It has been stated that you can find more .45 caliber ammo than you can .357 so there's that to think about.

There's so many different 357 boolits out there... lack of options really shouldn't be a concern.

 

[longshot81]

My personal opinion on this is .45 is pointless. If 357 isn't going to be able to do what you want, just go with .50 cal.

 

[ray1377]

My personal opinion on this is .45 is pointless. If 357 isn't going to be able to do what you want, just go with .50 cal.

From what I've read you have 2 choices with .50 cal. It's either .495 and .510 and I don't think there is a bunch of .510 size ammo molds for making your own projectiles. I could be wrong.
Thx
Ray