Airforce Ok Im ready for a .357 air rifle. Which one?

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crittahitta

crittahitta

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Mar 10, 2017
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Long Island NY, United States
Just to be clear. I have a .457 Texan carbine with carbon fiber tank and tx2 valve. I also have a slightly modded .25 condor ss. So I’m looking for a .357 caliber rifle for fox and coyote as my upstate property is being over run. My friends are asking me to hunt them off their back deck as they are getting too close. I also just want a 357. So Obviously Im a Airforce fan. I also like the carbine length. So I'm deciding between the texan carbine/texan ss or the recluse 11. Any other suggestions would be appreciated under $1500. I have cf tanks and 2 compressors so air is not an issue. Just want to know if the extra $500 is worth it for the Texan over the recluse?
 
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I would suggest the AEA Challenger Elite .357 it's heavy, not as long as the Air Force texan and it packs a punch while being regulated.

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AEA CHALLENGER ELITE REGULATED BIGBORE BULLPUP .35, .45, .50 & .51 CAL

*RESULTS MAY VARY PER PERSON DOES NOT COME WITH ANY PICTURED SCOPES OR ANY OTHER ACCESSORIES. PHOTOGRAPHS, DRAWINGS AND DESCRIPTIONS AND OTHER INFORMATION ARE PURELY INDICATIVE. AEA RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE, MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS OR FEATURES AT ANYTIME. DOES NOT COME WITH ANY...
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Or you could get a benjamin bulldog 357 customized by veridiam air, I believe it's called the pitbull or the bulldozer it packs close to 350fpe
 
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Scotchmo said:
Bulldog M357

$930 at Pyramyd Air, plus they have a 20% “KICKOFF” discount code, and a free soft case.

Total $744
Click to expand...
As an M357 owner I endorse this message. The .357 Rattler is a cool rifle, but not a $1500 rifle. If you find one for that price I suggest that you jump on it.
 
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Though very different designs, the Texan 357 Carbine and the Bulldog M357 compare fairly closely:

Texan 357 Carbine
Weight: 7.5 lbs.
Length 39”
490cc, 3000psi
Up to 300fpe
Side lever
Single shot

Bulldog M357
Weight: 7.7 lbs.
Length 36”
440cc, 3000psi
Up to 300fpe
Rear side lever
5 shot magazine
 
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Scotchmo said:
Though very different designs, the Texan 357 Carbine and the Bulldog M357 compare fairly closely:

Texan 357 Carbine
Weight: 7.5 lbs.
Length 39”
490cc, 3000psi
Up to 300fpe
Side lever
Single shot

Bulldog M357
Weight: 7.7 lbs.
Length 36”
440cc, 3000psi
Up to 300fpe
Rear side lever
5 shot magazine
Click to expand...
As a hunting rig, I'd go with the magazine fed bullpup.
 
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Ezana4CE said:
As an M357 owner I endorse this message. The .357 Rattler is a cool rifle, but not a $1500 rifle. If you find one for that price I suggest that you jump on it.
Click to expand...
I have an original Bulldog 357, have had it for a few years. Me and my dad have put 1000's of slugs and pellets tonight it, have not even had to change a oring. Still holds air for months, never jammed, all I've ever done to it is clean it.
 
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Ezana4CE said:
As an M357 owner I endorse this message. The .357 Rattler is a cool rifle, but not a $1500 rifle. If you find one for that price I suggest that you jump on it.
Click to expand...
I had a Rattler. I bought mine for coyotes and other medium game. Guess if you are shooting coyotes off a porch or your bench it would be fine. Toting it over hill and dale? You better be in great shape. It is large and heavy. Mine was plenty powerful but never reached the power levels I was seeing others get. Then there is the trigger. I saw a couple YT influencers say it was pretty good. No, no it is not. But then again I don’t like the trigger on the Edgun semi auto either.
I would not buy one without being able to handle it and try the trigger. Your perception may be different than mine.
 
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Chukar60 said:
I had a Rattler. I bought mine for coyotes and other medium game. Guess if you are shooting coyotes off a porch or your bench it would be fine. Toting it over hill and dale? You better be in great shape. It is large and heavy. Mine was plenty powerful but never reached the power levels I was seeing others get. Then there is the trigger. I saw a couple YT influencers say it was pretty good. No, no it is not. But then again I don’t like the trigger on the Edgun semi auto either.
I would not buy one without being able to handle it and try the trigger. Your perception may be different than mine.
Click to expand...
@Chukar60 As far as the Rattler's trigger goes, it may need some TLC from you. My trigger felt like it was dragging and grainy when I first got it. When I inspected the internals it appeared these are just assembled parts with no real attention to fine detail in the combined operation, aside from minimal lube here and there. So I gave the parts a good cleaning and lubed the trigger assembly's pins and internal bushings and the sear contact parts. It pulls and breaks pretty smooth now.
 
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Airgun-hobbyist said:
@Chukar60 As far as the Rattler's trigger goes, it may need some TLC from you. My trigger felt like it was dragging and grainy when I first got it. When I inspected the internals it appeared these are just assembled parts with no real attention to fine detail in the combined operation, aside from minimal lube here and there. So I gave the parts a good cleaning and lubed the trigger assembly's pins and internal bushings and the sear contact parts. It pulls and breaks pretty smooth now.
Click to expand...
I admit to being intimidated by the semi auto action as far as tearing into the gun. Even if the trigger would have been improved the weight and size was more than I wanted for a roving hunting gun.
I sold it and got an FX Panthera Compact hunter in 30.
Like I said, other‘s perceptions may be different than mine.
 
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I won a Bulldog M357 at EBR in the raffle. It is my first big bore and I’m fairly impressed with it.

The rear side lever is clunky, but the 5 shot magazine functions very well. The trigger is also surprisingly good and comes from the factory set at just a tick over 2 lbs.
 
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A little unconventional, but I'll toss in the Evanix Rex as an option.

As a AF fanboy, I'm currently infatuated with my Evanix Rex P .357 at the moment. It was exactly what I was looking for (highly compact and very packable). AF just doesn't offer such a tiny package. If long guns are more your thing, Evanix offers Rex P barrels in 500 and 730 mm.

Very similar to what anyone would be used to in an Air Force Texan, minus the length. It offers easily swappable components too. Having both the CF bottle and the small butt bottle that it came with, the small bottle will only give you about a 5 good shot string, but it's so much fun to wave it around in compact form that I almost don't mind the more frequent refills.
 
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crittahitta said:
I would but that gun is too long for me
Click to expand...
20241115_100949.jpg

You probably can't find one much shorter.

Another great thing about tray loaders are that they aren't pickey about projectiles
 
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