Taurus Bulldog—North to Alaska

My Taurus Bulldog build by Veradium Air is reaching it’s conclusion. Brian is finishing up the camo on the stock insets and then she’s headed to UPS. A digital snow camo w/painted stock was our 1st choice, but the pattern came in too large and didn’t look appealing at all. The Realtree Xtra is just fine with me. Trust me—there’s more here than meets the eye.

More to come after I have her in my hands….

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State Fish & Game opened up PCP hunting this year for Caribou and Black Tail Deer, .35 caliber and above. The deer are predominantly on the large and smaller outlying south central/south eastern Islands(Kodiak, Afognak, Montague, Admiralty, etc). Various Caribou herds are spread throughout the state. At this point I am hoping to be able to get out in the Fall for a Caribou hunt.
 
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Is 300 fpe at the muzzle enough for Caribou? Yes I know well placed shot and all, but what if you slightly miss? Just thinking a 457 or 50 (or 58 or 72) might be a better option. Stock Bulldog 457 is in the 400-450 fpe range so probably 500+ once people start working on them. Zeus in both calibers is a lot, and if you get a decent Hammer it is supposed to be up to 700fpe. Not sure what the Hatsan Piledriver produces, but it must be 600+. And of course the Airforce Texan being right up there in 457 and 50.
 
Understandable consideration. One of the most common rifles used for years by the Alaska Natives to take Caribou was the 22 magnum. Utilizing a 30, 40, or 50gr projectile, they will typically produce between 300 and 330 fpe. garnering clean ethical kills. This last weekend my Taurus tested out at 380fpe shooting a 185gr slug on a 3600psi fill. Bob, Mr Hollowpoints tests on his own Taurus showed that she peaks in delivered energy using somewhere around a 193gr projectile.

Brian has assured me that there are owners of this model in the south who are getting over 400fpe on a 3800-4000psi fill.

I am fairly certain, that with proper shot placement along with a good range, she will have no problem living up to the task at hand.

The problem that I have with some of the rifles that you’d mentioned are size and weight. While they may be solid performers in a blind style hunting situation, they are nothing that I want to carry for spotting and stalking in the open Alaskan terrain. And in comparing the trajectory produced by the stock Bulldog .457 to the Veradium Taurus .357—the .457 projectiles are like lobbed softballs.