N/A Best 45 cal
- Thread starter Poke-E
- Start date
i have had about all of them and the
Hatsan Piledriver has been the most reliable, powerful, and accurate of them all.
i've had 2 texans, the badger, the hammer, the quacks, the extremes, the bush buck,
and several others and they all did good on pigs and deer, but not as good as the Piledriver's
power and accuracy.
i cast my own 405gr lyman RNFP for 720FPE out of the muzzle.
2 bucks this year so far at about 60 yrds.
its a well appreciated .457 in my opinion....
Hatsan Piledriver has been the most reliable, powerful, and accurate of them all.
i've had 2 texans, the badger, the hammer, the quacks, the extremes, the bush buck,
and several others and they all did good on pigs and deer, but not as good as the Piledriver's
power and accuracy.
i cast my own 405gr lyman RNFP for 720FPE out of the muzzle.
2 bucks this year so far at about 60 yrds.
its a well appreciated .457 in my opinion....
Upvote 0
Texans are my favorite rifles. I own all calibers in the Texan lineup (257, 308, 357, .457 CF TX2 Carbine, 457 CF TX2 long barrel, and 510 CF TX2 long barrel) for a reason. I only hunt with them and I can attest to their lethality! The only other rifle that I have is a Gauntlet .30 caliber tuned by Hajimoto and is a worthy rifle to be amongst my Texan collection. I buy all of my rifles on my own so I can give an honest assessment on everything I shoot. Yes, I have tried the other major big bore brands and I have sold them all or gave them away. I’m not a content creator nor do I take freebies from anybody.
My favorite and go to is my Texan .457 CF TX2. If game is 160 yards or less, it will be dead!!! One of the best documented caliber ballistics on the market and ammo selection is plentiful! These rifles are designed for hunting and thus concentrated on power and major air use to deliver performance. If you want shot count and lower power this isn’t the rifle for you. This is a designed killing machine! *** The caveat to this is the smaller calibers 257 and 308 can be tuned way down to shoot lighter ammo and get a few more shots. Very effective and efficient for big bore air and small game hunting using very light ammo!!!
I have a list of reasons to choose a Texan over others! It’s fact and experience based narrative and not opinion based! I have owned and shot most other brands for comparison sake.
1. Lifetime warranty
2. Made in the USA
3. My long 34 inch barreled rifle with the scope and bipod, fully accessorized (for me) is only 9.2 pounds. Easy to carry. My carbine fully decked out only weighs in at 7.95 pounds.
4. No magazines that can break. You can use any size and weight of bullet up to 1 1/4 inches long in the Texan 457, minimal limitations because of single loading and proper bullet seating. Other brands severely limit you on bullet size based on using the mag but you can still single load most other brands but are still limited. Reloading the Texan only takes 5 to 6 seconds, “IF” a second shot is needed with LOTS of practice.
5. Fewest O rings on the market and each is easy to change quickly.
6. Fewest moving functional parts. Simple and easy design.
7. Only a max fill of 3600 psi with the carbon fiber bottle and TX2 valve to deliver these accurate power numbers. No 4500 psi fills needed to make power. You will quickly that the sweet spot will be in fact below 3600 psi AND STILL makes up to 65% MORE power than those with a 4,500 psi fill needed to make much less power. You do the math, less air / more power versus more air / less power. I have a tuning guide as well. Just ask for it!
8. Filling to only 3,000 or 3600 depending on the model, you get multiple refills from breathing tanks. Makes shooting more enjoyable and more “mileage” from your fill tanks in the field or range. Also re read #7!!!!
9. Easy to field strip for maintenance with minimal tools.
10. Trigger is smoother on the Texan and mine breaks at 2.2 pounds.
11. Foster fill nipple versus a probe that others use that can get lost or not fit.
12. The most efficient and powerful factory stock valve system on the market. Straight line from the bottle to the muzzle.
13. Quality and consistent Lothar Walther barrels.
14. Infinite tuning capabilities. Tuning on the fly in only seconds
15. Customer service is top notch and available here in the USA. Factory parts are readily available and along with a lifetime warranty, they’re shipped fast and free.
16. Easy to accessorize without adding a lot of weight.
17. The .457 caliber has the best documented ballistics on the market. Most available commercial ammo. If you cast like I and a lot of others do, a limitless supply! The sweet spot for the 457 CF TX2 long barrels are 290 to 330 grains. The sweet spot for the 457 CF TX2 carbine short barrel is 240 to 300 grains. Shooting lube groove plain base or GC base bullets will yield better performance.
18. I have over 18,800 shots on my 34 inch barrel 457 CF TX2 and only routine cleaning and maintenance has been performed. No breakdowns or interruptions of use. All other calibers in my Texan collection have over 3,000 shots each all without any issues or breakdowns.
19. My longest kill shot is 142 yards complete pass through 2 holes on a doe. Others routinely kill out to 160 yards plus with a complete pass through, 2 holes. These rifles are fully capable of long range ethical hunting. But, you must put in the practice and know your rifle as well as your own capabilities as a shooter. Ammo selection is paramount and key for long range hunting. But that is another narrative and post in and of itself.
My favorite and go to is my Texan .457 CF TX2. If game is 160 yards or less, it will be dead!!! One of the best documented caliber ballistics on the market and ammo selection is plentiful! These rifles are designed for hunting and thus concentrated on power and major air use to deliver performance. If you want shot count and lower power this isn’t the rifle for you. This is a designed killing machine! *** The caveat to this is the smaller calibers 257 and 308 can be tuned way down to shoot lighter ammo and get a few more shots. Very effective and efficient for big bore air and small game hunting using very light ammo!!!
I have a list of reasons to choose a Texan over others! It’s fact and experience based narrative and not opinion based! I have owned and shot most other brands for comparison sake.
1. Lifetime warranty
2. Made in the USA
3. My long 34 inch barreled rifle with the scope and bipod, fully accessorized (for me) is only 9.2 pounds. Easy to carry. My carbine fully decked out only weighs in at 7.95 pounds.
4. No magazines that can break. You can use any size and weight of bullet up to 1 1/4 inches long in the Texan 457, minimal limitations because of single loading and proper bullet seating. Other brands severely limit you on bullet size based on using the mag but you can still single load most other brands but are still limited. Reloading the Texan only takes 5 to 6 seconds, “IF” a second shot is needed with LOTS of practice.
5. Fewest O rings on the market and each is easy to change quickly.
6. Fewest moving functional parts. Simple and easy design.
7. Only a max fill of 3600 psi with the carbon fiber bottle and TX2 valve to deliver these accurate power numbers. No 4500 psi fills needed to make power. You will quickly that the sweet spot will be in fact below 3600 psi AND STILL makes up to 65% MORE power than those with a 4,500 psi fill needed to make much less power. You do the math, less air / more power versus more air / less power. I have a tuning guide as well. Just ask for it!
8. Filling to only 3,000 or 3600 depending on the model, you get multiple refills from breathing tanks. Makes shooting more enjoyable and more “mileage” from your fill tanks in the field or range. Also re read #7!!!!
9. Easy to field strip for maintenance with minimal tools.
10. Trigger is smoother on the Texan and mine breaks at 2.2 pounds.
11. Foster fill nipple versus a probe that others use that can get lost or not fit.
12. The most efficient and powerful factory stock valve system on the market. Straight line from the bottle to the muzzle.
13. Quality and consistent Lothar Walther barrels.
14. Infinite tuning capabilities. Tuning on the fly in only seconds
15. Customer service is top notch and available here in the USA. Factory parts are readily available and along with a lifetime warranty, they’re shipped fast and free.
16. Easy to accessorize without adding a lot of weight.
17. The .457 caliber has the best documented ballistics on the market. Most available commercial ammo. If you cast like I and a lot of others do, a limitless supply! The sweet spot for the 457 CF TX2 long barrels are 290 to 330 grains. The sweet spot for the 457 CF TX2 carbine short barrel is 240 to 300 grains. Shooting lube groove plain base or GC base bullets will yield better performance.
18. I have over 18,800 shots on my 34 inch barrel 457 CF TX2 and only routine cleaning and maintenance has been performed. No breakdowns or interruptions of use. All other calibers in my Texan collection have over 3,000 shots each all without any issues or breakdowns.
19. My longest kill shot is 142 yards complete pass through 2 holes on a doe. Others routinely kill out to 160 yards plus with a complete pass through, 2 holes. These rifles are fully capable of long range ethical hunting. But, you must put in the practice and know your rifle as well as your own capabilities as a shooter. Ammo selection is paramount and key for long range hunting. But that is another narrative and post in and of itself.
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Holy smokes bro!!! That is a lot of information and very much appreciated!!!! I am definitely sold. I actually was going to buy a Texan .45 before I bought my dragon claw but liked the look of the claw 'Beginner Mistake'. I am definitely going to look into getting one. I was worried about having to buy a new, compressor and tank but I see it's not needed!!!! Thanks again for all for all of the great info!!!
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So I'm looking at the Texans an there are so many model .45 cal to chose from!! What are the main differences besides the price?
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Start here!!
AirForce Airguns CF-Series Big Bore Airguns
AirForce Airguns, the first manufacturer of Pre-Charged Pneumatic Air Rifles (PCP) in the U.S., has been making precision rifles for many years, developing the most technologically advanced airgun shooting system in the world. Known for their flexibility and legendary accuracy, AirForce Airguns...
www.airforceairguns.com
Now the four rifles on this page, all feature the carbon fiber and TX two valve in 457 and 510 calibers. You will see two longer rifle and two shorter rifles. The following information also correlates to the other caliber in 257, 308, and 357 with the aluminum bottle.
Regarding the longer rifles first, the LSS is a moderated long barrel. The long barrel is the un moderated version and what I shoot. Both rifles are the exact same regarding performance. The only difference is the LSS has a moderator.
Regarding the shorter rifles next. The SS is a moderated short barrel carbine. The short barrel is the unrated version and also called the carbine. Both rifles have the exact same performance. The only difference is the SS has a moderator in the carbine does not.
I only shoot the long barrels which maximizes performance, velocity, and range. The carbines are OK for what they are and I do own one in the 457 caliber. However, I always reach for my long barrels from maximum performance.
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What do you not like about the Dragon Claw? It is a fine 50 yard pig gun. If you go with the carbine version of the Texan, balistics will be similar. If you want to reach longer targets with those heavy bullets, the long barrel is the only way to do it.
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It's not that I do not like the dragon claw. I cannot seem to get mine to shoot straight. I have shot every slug Seneca makes. I have ordered some slugs from Mr hollow point and going to give them a try. I hunt deer and actually like the longer range of the Texan, and the much better selection of ammo. After reading up on some replies I believe I will get the Long barrel unsaoressed .45 for next season!!!
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Thanks for the info durd75!! I am going to go with the longer barrel unsapressed.45. more yardage is and better performance is what I am going for!!!
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I went with the long barrel unsuppressed 457 with the carbon fiber tank anTX2 Valve. I have had success with the ZAN 365gr hollow point so far!!
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I have been interested in the piledriver,would you be willing to give a little more detail on the accuracy.i have had about all of them and the
Hatsan Piledriver has been the most reliable, powerful, and accurate of them all.
i've had 2 texans, the badger, the hammer, the quacks, the extremes, the bush buck,
and several others and they all did good on pigs and deer, but not as good as the Piledriver's
power and accuracy.
i cast my own 405gr lyman RNFP for 720FPE out of the muzzle.
2 bucks this year so far at about 60 yrds.
its a well appreciated .457 in my opinion....
Upvote 0
at 60yrds POI with 1/2mil hold over was right where i wanted it to go.
originally sighted zero in at 35yrds.
also the NSA 350gr BTHP's do great too !!
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Holy smoke.... You have had them all!!!! I'm just getting into airgunning so I'm sure my arsenal will include a piledrive before it's all saiiand done!!i have had about all of them and the
Hatsan Piledriver has been the most reliable, powerful, and accurate of them all.
i've had 2 texans, the badger, the hammer, the quacks, the extremes, the bush buck,
and several others and they all did good on pigs and deer, but not as good as the Piledriver's
power and accuracy.
i cast my own 405gr lyman RNFP for 720FPE out of the muzzle.
2 bucks this year so far at about 60 yrds.
its a well appreciated .457 in my opinion....
Upvote 0
If you’re looking for both value and accuracy, it’s hard to beat a Benjamin Bulldog .457, or an AEA Challenger .45 Big Bore.
Benjamin had a crazy good sale and I picked up a Bulldog for $799. Right now, I’m debating on which model AEA to buy. The Bullpups seem to sell out fast.
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Not regulated. You fill in your garage and go hunting in cold weather, your air contracts lowering power and accuracy of your shot.
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