Western Airguns All Things Western Rattler 357 & 45 - Master Thread

[Airgun-hobbyist]

The Western Rattler in 357 & 45 caliber's master thread (inspired by @Ezana4CE) for the owner's and prospective owner's to compile, read, and search for good information on the Western Rattler big bore. Please contribute what information you have learned, read, videoed, or viewed down below, albeit maintenance, pictures, settings, slug accuracy, FPS and PFE, scope and hunting setup, hunts, etc...

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

Here's a great video of the Rattler 45 Carbine length hunting hogs and axis deer in Texas. Thanks for another awesome hunting video Dana.

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

Tuning video, courtesy of Airguns of Arizona.

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

Some slug weights, speeds, and bc number out of the 45 Long Strike.

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

Here's the infamous Mr. Hollowpoint, lead caster extraordin-air, doing his thing to test and educate with the Rattler in 357 caliber.

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

Shooting Gear Reviews doing some accuracy shooting and hunting with the Rattler 357.

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

Some more good quality Shooting Gear Reviews with the Rattler 45. It looks like Airguns of Arizona sent the Long Strike for testing.

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

This Atlas Airguns video just dropped a couple of hours ago, reviewing and shooting the 45 Long Strike.

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

Link to micro polishing the magazine and adjusting the barrel for smoother operation:

Western Airguns - Sidewinder - Easy hack for better efficiency and lower noise

Sidewinder (+Rattler?) fans, As you may know, the SW barrel can be moved closer to the magazine, reducing air loss and noise from the semi-auto action. However, when it is too close, the magazine stops advancing and you can get a blast of air on the cheek. Having taken mine to that point, I...

www.airgunnation.com

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

Here's Rooster shooting good groups, showcasing speeds of different ammo and group sizes on the shorter barreled Rattler 45.

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

The Rattler 45 barrel diameter is 0.685" and the muzzle threads are M17-1 for reference to putting on a muzzle brake. An experiment with a thick carbon sleeve 24.25" to maintain barrel tension and muzzle brake with M17-1 threads is in order... I put a modified tanker style muzzle brake on an AEA Challenger Bullpup 457 and it was shown to have noticably less recoil (nearly none on the big heavy beast) and no discernable barrel whip.

 

[Ezana4CE]

Western Rattler Maintenance:

Instructions on how to clean a Western Rattler barrel (video courtesy Expert Airgun Reviews of using a .30 Rattler)

How to remove and replace the barrel on a Western Rattler (video courtesy of Airguns of Arizona featuring Don)

 

[Ezana4CE]

General Information on the Western Rattler 357:

"Western Airguns Rattler .357" AGN Thread
https://www.airgunnation.com/threads/western-airguns-rattler-357.1269107/

"Rattler 357 and 457" AGN Thread
https://www.airgunnation.com/threads/rattler-357-and-45.1311850/

"Working to Figure Out the Western Rattler 357" AGN thread
https://www.airgunnation.com/threads/working-to-figure-out-the-western-rattler-357.1320047/

Western Rattler Hunting and Performance:

Western Rattler .357 Accuracy Testing by @Cheplicki

Western Rattler .357 Deer Hunt video by @Cheplicki aka Michigan Airgunner

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

Chairgun ballistics app chart for Rattler 45 shooting a 343 grain HP-RBT swaged slug, 170 bar regulator setting, and close to full power on the adjuster setting. 5 mph crosswind.

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

Long Strike range testing with a variety of ammo for accuracy today. The light ammo looked like a shotgun pattern, waisting air and lead. The groups tightened up as the slug length and weight went up. The best slug as predicted was the NSA .454 350 grain HP-RBT slugs that I had cut down to fit the magazine. (.998" long and 353 grains).

I had some pretty tight groups from 100 and 175 yards going with these heavy NSA slugs, so with the last 4 slugs I had I dialed to 235 yards to check accuracy at that range. After a sighter and scope adjustment I was working on an moa group but then I threw the last shot about 6" with a big assed flinch. (Still getting used to this mechanical semi auto big bore I guess...)

All in all it was a good day. The trigger is a little gritty feeling and something needs attention/lube/polishing there.

 

[Ezana4CE]

@Airgun-hobbyist 235 yards? Which scope/reticle is that?

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

@Airgun-hobbyist 235 yards? Which scope/reticle is that?

Nightforce NX8 2.5-20×50 with the TREMOR3 reticle. It's pretty precise with small dots, but busy/cluttered if you're wanting to see the impacts while using holdovers.

 

[Asher]

I am seriously considering getting a long strike 45. Curious about optimal diameter for accuracy. Doesn't surprise me that longer slugs seem to work better, my K1s are the same way. I already make .46 slugs for my challenger bullpup, and have a sizer to make them .457 for my don cothran. I've already checked with corbin that I could get a size reducer that will take them from .46 to .452 in one step, but hoping I can learn what is optimal from others before pulling the trigger on a reducer size. I'd be willing to send some of my .457 slugs to a long strike owner for testing too

 

[Ezana4CE]

I am seriously considering getting a long strike 45. Curious about optimal diameter for accuracy. Doesn't surprise me that longer slugs seem to work better, my K1s are the same way. I already make .46 slugs for my challenger bullpup, and have a sizer to make them .457 for my don cothran. I've already checked with corbin that I could get a size reducer that will take them from .46 to .452 in one step, but hoping I can learn what is optimal from others before pulling the trigger on a reducer size. I'd be willing to send some of my .457 slugs to a long strike owner for testing too View attachment 499660View attachment 499661

@Asher Tristan of Atlas Airguns did a good job of addressing Rattler .45 slug diameter here https://community.hardairmagazine.com/threads/rattler-45-long-strike-review-50-100yd-more.2867/

 

[caliusoptimus]

Doesn't surprise me that longer slugs seem to work better, my K1s are the same way.

I've noticed this trend with my 357 rattler. I have 1 short slug that shoots well, the rest are long bois. Have a hunch about why...

The magazine isn't going to align to the barrel perfectly every time. The slug will jump out of the mag and into the rifling imperfectly every time, leading to the slug being off centerline and with a different yaw. These imperfections show on target. Longer slugs have a longer patch of lead engaging the rifling which may allow it to self-align better than those with a shorter engagement.

I figure it doesn't matter how long the slug happens to be... what really matters is how long is the prtion of the alug in contact with the rifling (the bourrelet length). My testing has shown this to be at least partially true.