Most reliable Big Bore?? Long Term Use

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Ezana4CE said:
@Airgun-hobbyist the amount of rounds shot I’d imagine equate to mileage on a car. Aside from the smaller Sidewinders, I’m not sure how much lead the average Rattler owner is putting down range. Factoring in pellets, I can shoot 200-300 shots in a full day if I really put the time I’d like to in order to get better acquainted with the rifle. I actually expect people to have issues or at least maintenance questions over time. If you don’t shoot the gun much I guess you have little to say.

Personally, as you already know, I’m already encountering cycling issues. If they cannot be rectified or take some sort of extraordinary rebuild, then it’s not what I would consider reliable air gun long-term. When I press the trigger, I expect a shot to follow. This could be a one off or maybe it happens to others, but time will tell. Ultimately time is the metric that separates long-term from other timeframes. I am interested in reading about the collective experiences of Western Rattler/Sidewinder owners.
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I agree with the mileage analogy, and was thinking of the same when I replied earlier. With mileage comes maintenance. One would never expect their automobile's or a semi auto powder burner's to function, perform well, or not break down for very long without regular cleaning, lube, and or maintenance.

The semi auto airgun should be looked at in the same respective way. They need more care, cleaning, lube, and general maintenance than traditional lever cocking poppet valved airguns to perform flawlessly as designed when the trigger is pulled.

As to your gun, I believe that it just needs a deep cleaning, lubed and/or resealed. It has had a few owners and has had a lot of lead put through it over it's lifetime. Something or somewhere likely has a bad seal, fleck of lead, built up powder or dirt, or is worn of lube. It could even have hidden rust from previous use causing it to malfunction. The lead mileage in your Rattler has really proved it's worth and viability as a long tern use and reliable big bore.
 
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Airgun-hobbyist said:
I agree with the mileage analogy, and was thinking of the same when I replied earlier. With mileage comes maintenance. One would never expect their automobile's or a semi auto powder burner's to function, perform well, or not break down for very long without regular cleaning, lube, and or maintenance.

The semi auto airgun should be looked at in the same respective way. They need more care, cleaning, lube, and general maintenance than traditional lever cocking poppet valved airguns to perform flawlessly as designed when the trigger is pulled.

As to your gun, I believe that it just needs a deep cleaning, lubed and/or resealed. It has had a few owners and has had a lot of lead put through it over it's lifetime. Something or somewhere likely has a bad seal, fleck of lead, built up powder or dirt, or is worn of lube. It could even have hidden rust from previous use causing it to malfunction. The lead mileage in your Rattler has really proved it's worth and viability as a long tern use and reliable big bore.
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@Airgun-hobbyist I can’t confirm the number of previous owners. I forgot what the member I bought it from told me other than that he bought it from another person. As for rust, I have’t seen any. Nor did I see heavy leading throughout the bite where. I scoped it. Lead flakes? Sure, I can believe that because I saw one fall into the internals around the mag. I was unable to retrieve that sliver. Outside of that, I can’t speak to anything long-term about this particular rifle or the Rattler platform. I don’t think the previous owner even shot it much. Personally I’m enjoying my Rattler.

As I stated previously. I have several years of experience with the Benjamin Bulldog platform and experience with several Bulldogs. That platform had proven reliable to me. Other Bulldog owners seem to have had similar experiences from what I’ve read on forums.
 
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Ezana4CE said:
@Airgun-hobbyist I can’t confirm the number of previous owners. I forgot what the member I bought it from told me other than that he bought it from another person. As for rust, I have’t seen any. Nor did I see heavy leading throughout the bite where. I scoped it. Lead flakes? Sure, I can believe that because I saw one fall into the internals around the mag. I was unable to retrieve that sliver. Outside of that, I can’t speak to anything long-term about this particular rifle or the Rattler platform. I don’t think the previous owner even shot it much. Personally I’m enjoying my Rattler.

As I stated previously. I have several years of experience with the Benjamin Bulldog platform and experience with several Bulldogs. That platform had proven reliable to me. Other Bulldog owners seem to have had similar experiences from what I’ve read on forums.
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Indeed, the Bulldog has proven to be a very reliable platform. It's at the top of the list in all calibers and power levels, with very few manufacturing or mechanical issues, modified or not.
 
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Taylor.Nicholas said:
I got a 357 western rattler currently and have had no issues with it. I was gonna sell it to upgrade. If you guys were to upgrade from my platform to a larger caliber, what would you choose?
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It's a lot more air, expense, and lead going from 357 to 45 caliber. Like double, everything. I don't know if I would sell the 357 to "upgrade" just to have a bigger caliber unless your hunting regulations or big game requires more power or a bigger caliber. If they did, then the Rattler 45 would be a great choice and is a very hunter friendly semi auto platform. Overall weight seems to be the deciding factor for most airgunners because alot prefer more light weight rifles even in a big bore airgun. The loaded and scoped weight of the Rattler's are actually comparable in weight to similar pb rifle caliber weights.

The 357 Rattler is a very versatile caliber, going to a multitude of power levels with basically just a twist of the power wheel.
 
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Airgun-hobbyist said:
It's a lot more air, expense, and lead going from 357 to 45 caliber. Like double, everything. I don't know if I would sell the 357 to "upgrade" just to have a bigger caliber unless your hunting regulations or big game requires more power or a bigger caliber. If they did, then the Rattler 45 would be a great choice and is a very hunter friendly semi auto platform. Overall weight seems to be the deciding factor for most airgunners because alot prefer more light weight rifles even in a big bore airgun. The loaded and scoped weight of the Rattler's are actually comparable in weight to similar pb rifle caliber weights.

The 357 Rattler is a very versatile caliber, going to a multitude of power levels with basically just a twist of the power wheel.
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I mean it's a fantastic platform. Don't get me wrong, but I was thinking of going the Bintac MCAR route. I'd like it for distance firing, and big game. Have we seen much of their reliability lately? Thanks for the response.
 
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Taylor.Nicholas said:
I mean it's a fantastic platform. Don't get me wrong, but I was thinking of going the Bintac MCAR route. I'd like it for distance firing, and big game. Have we seen much of their reliability lately? Thanks for the response.
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Look at the history on AEA is accuracy, reliability, and quality; you are going to find a great discrepancy there. They are not a brand that has historically been on the even the middle tier of reliability or accuracy, just volume sales which generates both "likes" and "dislikes". Maybe took at the Bulldog M457 as the Bulldog is a decent proven platform.
 
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Airgun-hobbyist said:
Look at the history on AEA is accuracy, reliability, and quality; you are going to find a great discrepancy there. They are not a brand that has historically been on the even the middle tier of reliability or accuracy, just volume sales which generates both "likes" and "dislikes". Maybe took at the Bulldog M457 as the Bulldog is a decent proven platform.
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Ill check out some youtube videos. I was trying to figure out if I have the scope mounted correctly? I did notice one other western rattler owner that had their scope way back on the end. Do you have a recommendation for placement?
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Taylor.Nicholas said:
Ill check out some youtube videos. I was trying to figure out if I have the scope mounted correctly? I did notice one other western rattler owner that had their scope way back on the end. Do you have a recommendation for placement?
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Everyone preferences are different, as is scope eye relief for bench shooting or hunting. Here's how the military and hunter's tend to set up their rifles... When setting up a hunting scope setup it is best to "shoulder" the rifle with your eyes closed several times until it feels like it is coming up and rests naturally in the arm with a good cheek weld on the buttstock. Then, open the eyes up and "see" where the scope is in relationship to the naturally shouldered rifle. Without moving your gun, head, or cheek weld, this will show you if the back of the scope needs to go forward or back based on a full clear image, and even up or down with different height of scope mounts so it is centered to your eye.
 
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I have owned my .457 CF Texan for a number of years now and have had no issues with either power or accuracy. Sent hundreds of rounds from like 140gr up to 500gr down range. Maybe its just MY rifle, but it hasn't let me down as of yet. Oh, and the only "Mods" I have is a Diamond Gunstocks stock and a Limbsaver Deresinator on the barrel.
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