Self-Loading A Continuing Field Review: Working With Western Rattler .45 LS

[Ezana4CE]

As a hunter I’ve been captivated by airgun hunting for several years now. Since obtaining a semi-automatic airgun I’ve been searching for the tools to handle the animals that I hunt or frequently encounter. Some of this includes nuisance work. I haven’t been too busy doing nuisance work over the past couple of years, but I anticipate things will pick up due to several changing circumstances. I am primarily concerned with feral hogs damaging agricultural land. I’d hunted them and still hunt them with .357 air rifles and have encountered a few challenges that I’ve documented. Mind you I’m no pro, I aim to do what I am asked to do and what I see fit to do, circumstances permitting. If can kill these animals and /or drive them away with pressure, it’s usually a win. When it comes to killing problematic nuisance animals, it’s nice to have a carcass to show every now and then. Not having a blood trail makes this more difficult for me to recover a shot hog that runs off, particularly considering that I usually encounter problematic feral hogs at night.

Enter the Western Rattler .45 LongStrike.


It is my intention to use this rifle on hogs (and maybe deer) and to compare the effects of the .45 and .357 on feral hogs. My focus will be to see i .45 slugs can produce any type of blood trail on feral hogs taking broadside, double-lung shots. I have no timeframe that I’m aiming for. It will happen when it happens. I don’t bait hogs that I’m not trying to trap, so when you see footage, photos, or read about me shooting these hogs, I’ve either been notified about their presence, prepared to ambush them based upon my info that i gathered, or I may just luck up on a hog or a group.

If you’ve read my .357 Rattler threads you may know that I’ve had issues with that rifle. It was purchased used and I’ve communicated with other owners of both the .357 and .45 and was told that the .45 doesn’t have the issues that their .357s had. I’ve also viewed a healthy amount of content on this rifle. I want to see what is what. I like the platform for what it is supposed to be. I’d like to see if a new Rattler performs better than my used Rattler. The folks at AOA were kind enough to to inspect my Rattler for issues I was concerned about repeating from my experience with the .357. It should be good to go, so I look forward to documenting my experiences trying ammo and taking this rifle afield. Considering how long it is, I may also purchase a standard length barrel that the regular Rattler .45s come with. The LS stock barrel is made by TJ Enterprises and the standard Rattler.45 barrel is a Sub-MOA barrel.

I would also like to be upfront and state that I was offered a moderate discount on my rifle by some kind folks at AOA. I was a bit hesitant about accepting, but I was able to reach an understanding that AOA or Western Airguns is not seeking a favorable review in exchange for a discount. I was encouraged to “tell it like it is” according to my experience. I aim to do just that. I can only assume that the discount is because someone put in a good word for me due to: me being active on forums for a number of years, I freely share some of my eventful airgun hunting experiences with the airgun community, and most importantly I actually use these rifles for what they’re built for….hunting afield. Considering that this is a new rifle with a valid 1-year warranty, I will attempt to refrain from jumping to conclusions out of frustration when I encounter issues with the rifle and see how problems can be sorted out utilizing my warranty.

More photos to come. I’m trying to decide which scopes I’m going to pair with this rifle. It will have its own traditional scope and its own thermal scope. Right now my high-resolution thermal scope is on my .357 Rattler. I may swap it out or just use my Pulsar Thermion XQ50 Pro LRF on this Rattler. Both are good thermal optics. Not sure which traditional scope I want to use. I have a few not mounted. I definitely want a FFP scope on here. We’ll see.

I want to believe that this gun is one of the best air rifles for me as I get after hogs and deer hunt in the East Texas piney woods and pasturelands. I’m about to find out if it’s a pipe dream or reality.

 

[duchunter007]

Looing forward to seeing more info on the Long Strike

 

[Ezana4CE]

Looing forward to seeing more info on the Long Strike

@duchunter007 look forward to being able to put it
The LongStrike through its paces. The Rattler platform shows promise. There are a few things I’d like to see improved. I’ve shared some of these things with AOA to be passed on to Western Airguns. I’ll discuss some of it in this thread.

 

[duchunter007]

@duchunter007 look forward to being able to put it
The LongStrike through its paces. The Rattler platform shows promise. There are a few things I’d like to see improved. I’ve shared some of these things with AOA to be passed on to Western Airguns. I’ll discuss some of it in this thread.

Ive been kicking around on getting either the .357 or the .45 LS, not in a rush right now but I will be adding one to my air gun family!

 

[RobbieGio]

Hoping it works out well for you and the .357 was just gremlins in a used rifle and you get it worked out. Heard some really good things about the Western rifles. For a while there it seemed every time I went into AoA, someone was purchasing one or another in a different caliber.

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

That is a fine choice for hogs and deer alike. I think that you are going to be pleasantly surprised by the accuracy of the TJ barrel. I'd suggest the lightest scope possible, as it is already a fairly heavy unit to be lugging around. Because you dispatch a lot of pest critters at night, a scope wuth a larger objective and with more magnification will suit your well for seeing in the dark (without the thermal). I look forward to your hunts.

 

[Cyoteone]

As a hunter I’ve been captivated by airgun hunting for several years now. Since obtaining a semi-automatic airgun I’ve been searching for the tools to handle the animals that I hunt or frequently encounter. Some of this includes nuisance work. I haven’t been too busy doing nuisance work over the past couple of years, but I anticipate things will pick up due to several changing circumstances. I am primarily concerned with feral hogs damaging agricultural land. I’d hunted them and still hunt them with .357 air rifles and have encountered a few challenges that I’ve documented. Mind you I’m no pro, I aim to do what I am asked to do and what I see fit to do, circumstances permitting. If can kill these animals and /or drive them away with pressure, it’s usually a win. When it comes to killing problematic nuisance animals, it’s nice to have a carcass to show every now and then. Not having a blood trail makes this more difficult for me to recover a shot hog that runs off, particularly considering that I usually encounter problematic feral hogs at night.

Enter the Western Rattler .45 LongStrike.
View attachment 23413

It is my intention to use this rifle on hogs (and maybe deer) and to compare the effects of the .45 and .357 on feral hogs. My focus will be to see i .45 slugs can produce any type of blood trail on feral hogs taking broadside, double-lung shots. I have no timeframe that I’m aiming for. It will happen when it happens. I don’t bait hogs that I’m not trying to trap, so when you see footage, photos, or read about me shooting these hogs, I’ve either been notified about their presence, prepared to ambush them based upon my info that i gathered, or I may just luck up on a hog or a group.

If you’ve read my .357 Rattler threads you may know that I’ve had issues with that rifle. It was purchased used and I’ve communicated with other owners of both the .357 and .45 and was told that the .45 doesn’t have the issues that their .357s had. I’ve also viewed a healthy amount of content on this rifle. I want to see what is what. I like the platform for what it is supposed to be. I’d like to see if a new Rattler performs better than my used Rattler. The folks at AOA were kind enough to to inspect my Rattler for issues I was concerned about repeating from my experience with the .357. It should be good to go, so I look forward to documenting my experiences trying ammo and taking this rifle afield. Considering how long it is, I may also purchase a standard length barrel that the regular Rattler .45s come with. The LS stock barrel is made by TJ Enterprises and the standard Rattler.45 barrel is a Sub-MOA barrel.

I would also like to be upfront and state that I was offered a moderate discount on my rifle by some kind folks at AOA. I was a bit hesitant about accepting, but I was able to reach an understanding that AOA or Western Airguns is not seeking a favorable review in exchange for a discount. I was encouraged to “tell it like it is” according to my experience. I aim to do just that. I can only assume that the discount is because someone put in a good word for me due to: me being active on forums for a number of years, I freely share some of my eventful airgun hunting experiences with the airgun community, and most importantly I actually use these rifles for what they’re built for….hunting afield. Considering that this is a new rifle with a valid 1-year warranty, I will attempt to refrain from jumping to conclusions out of frustration when I encounter issues with the rifle and see how problems can be sorted out utilizing my warranty.

More photos to come. I’m trying to decide which scopes I’m going to pair with this rifle. It will have its own traditional scope and its own thermal scope. Right now my high-resolution thermal scope is on my .357 Rattler. I may swap it out or just use my Pulsar Thermion XQ50 Pro LRF on this Rattler. Both are good thermal optics. Not sure which traditional scope I want to use. I have a few not mounted. I definitely want a FFP scope on here. We’ll see.

I want to believe that this gun is one of the best air rifles for me as I get after hogs and deer hunt in the East Texas piney woods and pasturelands. I’m about to find out if it’s a pipe dream or reality.

Hope all who own the Rattler 45 will find this very useful. Like many out there I had serious issues with this gun. Had to send it back twice. Was shooting all over the place and did manage to jam with high arc 454 230 grain bullets. The problem is not so much the ammo being loose. The barrel is 454 and the mag is 456. 455 to 456 is ideal. 454 should shoot without jamming. Mine had a regulator issue that Airguns of Airizona to this day doesnt realized they fixed. Guy who actually serviced the gun both times left cocky nots to the report and for me to read accusing me of cranking the regulator way up. First time he did this i rhought he was talking about the power dial. Second time it was clear he was refering to the reg. Because this time he wrote reg. His cockyness comes at the point is had almost zero air and he took the regulator apart to make sure a certain stem or something hadnt broke by low air. It was fine. But he must have missed how it was assembled by the manufacturer because after he put it back together it worked like never before. Kept going hot but now it funcions propperly. I did not dare to touch it though till very recently. Sighted it in with my airforce scop and the few recomended and seemingly only bullets this thing could shoot without jamming, the high arc 360 grain flat nose.
Here is where things get corrected. Last time i made my own hollow point 280 grain bullets. After a succesful sighting in wiyh the high arc 360 bullets i loaded up my hollow points. Sighted in great and no jams. It will never jam again and the magazine will not fail to cycle. The jamming problem is due to the barel placement. The barrel cannot stick out past and into rhe way of any bullet tip rotating. It doesnt matter how tight. Well, it does for other reasons but not this one. The bullet goes in and stops at a taper or something. Those bullets wil work their way back and forth when the gun kicks. They will eventually slide all the way to the front. I think even the flat point 360 grains do this but they actially bounce back rather than jam. Here is the fix. Use a bullet of 455 456. Then you still have the pressure to cycle the mag. Take the silencer and shroud off. Looden the allen screws. Tightn the barrel gently till it comes in contact with the mag. Rotate back just enough to turn the mag by hand. This is where things are different. Insert one bullet that fits a little snug and wont slide back. Push forward till it hits. Rotate the mag slowly by hand untill the bullet his the barrel. Relax it and back out the barrel a little at a time till the bullet clears. Tighten back a hair till the bullt starts to hit. Back it out just enough that you cant feel it contact anymore. This is to fine ton the hair line clearance. Tighten up the allen screws. Check one more time to be sure no contact.
This is what i had to do in order to fix my gun. It shoots very well. Just dropped a 200 lb boar yesterday with my 280 grain molded hollow points at 20 yard dirct into the forehead. Went down and never got back up. Bullet was 780 fps out the barrel. Last hear the same exact shots would not hit where i nedded and on a pig, that can be a mortal wound and they run off vs an instant kill. I have shot nearly 200 round in the last few day sifgting it in. First with the high arc then the hollow points. The magazine rotated as it should every time. I can see where a bullet too small could cause it to not have enough back pressure to rotate the mag. The hollow points are 455. It doesnt lose much back pressure

 

[Ezana4CE]

Hope all who own the Rattler 45 will find this very useful. Like many out there I had serious issues with this gun. Had to send it back twice. Was shooting all over the place and did manage to jam with high arc 454 230 grain bullets. The problem is not so much the ammo being loose. The barrel is 454 and the mag is 456. 455 to 456 is ideal. 454 should shoot without jamming. Mine had a regulator issue that Airguns of Airizona to this day doesnt realized they fixed. Guy who actually serviced the gun both times left cocky nots to the report and for me to read accusing me of cranking the regulator way up. First time he did this i rhought he was talking about the power dial. Second time it was clear he was refering to the reg. Because this time he wrote reg. His cockyness comes at the point is had almost zero air and he took the regulator apart to make sure a certain stem or something hadnt broke by low air. It was fine. But he must have missed how it was assembled by the manufacturer because after he put it back together it worked like never before. Kept going hot but now it funcions propperly. I did not dare to touch it though till very recently. Sighted it in with my airforce scop and the few recomended and seemingly only bullets this thing could shoot without jamming, the high arc 360 grain flat nose.
Here is where things get corrected. Last time i made my own hollow point 280 grain bullets. After a succesful sighting in wiyh the high arc 360 bullets i loaded up my hollow points. Sighted in great and no jams. It will never jam again and the magazine will not fail to cycle. The jamming problem is due to the barel placement. The barrel cannot stick out past and into rhe way of any bullet tip rotating. It doesnt matter how tight. Well, it does for other reasons but not this one. The bullet goes in and stops at a taper or something. Those bullets wil work their way back and forth when the gun kicks. They will eventually slide all the way to the front. I think even the flat point 360 grains do this but they actially bounce back rather than jam. Here is the fix. Use a bullet of 455 456. Then you still have the pressure to cycle the mag. Take the silencer and shroud off. Looden the allen screws. Tightn the barrel gently till it comes in contact with the mag. Rotate back just enough to turn the mag by hand. This is where things are different. Insert one bullet that fits a little snug and wont slide back. Push forward till it hits. Rotate the mag slowly by hand untill the bullet his the barrel. Relax it and back out the barrel a little at a time till the bullet clears. Tighten back a hair till the bullt starts to hit. Back it out just enough that you cant feel it contact anymore. This is to fine ton the hair line clearance. Tighten up the allen screws. Check one more time to be sure no contact.
This is what i had to do in order to fix my gun. It shoots very well. Just dropped a 200 lb boar yesterday with my 280 grain molded hollow points at 20 yard dirct into the forehead. Went down and never got back up. Bullet was 780 fps out the barrel. Last hear the same exact shots would not hit where i nedded and on a pig, that can be a mortal wound and they run off vs an instant kill. I have shot nearly 200 round in the last few day sifgting it in. First with the high arc then the hollow points. The magazine rotated as it should every time. I can see where a bullet too small could cause it to not have enough back pressure to rotate the mag. The hollow points are 455. It doesnt lose much back pressure

@Cyoteone Thank you for sharing your experience. However, this is a thread in which I will put a considerable amount of my time in sharing my experiences with my newly purchased Western Rattler .45 LS. This is not a complaint thread. I would like to encourage you to post about your experiences with your Western Rattler in your own thread. That way you can have an ongoing discussion about issues you have encountered in your experience. I have done what I’m suggesting that you do, so I don’t see it as an unreasonable request. If you are unsure about how to start your own thread, there are several members and some personable HAM staff members who would likely be very willing to assist you.

 

[AtlasAirguns]

Awesome. Good, honest reporting is hard to come by. Real world feedback is what benefits manufacturers to refine their product, not fluff. Will look forward to your adventures

 

[Ezana4CE]

Awesome. Good, honest reporting is hard to come by. Real world feedback is what benefits manufacturers to refine their product, not fluff. Will look forward to your adventures

@AtlasAirguns I’ll do what I can to communicate what I find that works, what can be improved, and what I find problematic. This was not a frivolous purchase. Before deciding to purchase I was motivated to further research this rifle by my experience with the .357 Rattler and seeing what Dana and Terry have documented with these rifles afield. I had been watching the Rattler platform for a couple of years before purchasing. I believe that there is serious potential in this hammerless PCP platform or I would not have purchased another. I hope to confirm my beliefs despite past issues and issues that others have communicated to me concerning their experiences with their Rattlers. I’d like to see my Rattlers dialed in and operating optimally on a consistent basis with multiple ammo and scope pairings to provide me with better opportunities to put hooves in the air. I have high hopes.

 

[Ezana4CE]

Right now I’m going through my optics trying to decide what to pair with this rifle. I have a Sightron STAC 2-20x50mm FFP IR not mounted on anything. I found a few SFPs that I really should be trading or selling that won’t be mounted on the Rattler LS. I have to go through some more optics to see. I can also take a Hawke Sidwinder 4-16x5m FFP IR and mount it on here. I really like these sopes. I could mount an Athlon Helos BTR gen 2 2.5-12x44 FFP IR (Mil), but I’m not a really big fan of this scope. I had it mounted on my .357 Rattler. It’s nice and compact. Let’s see what else I have that may work.

Edit: After going through some of my scopes. I may start with my Sightron STAC 4-20x50mm FFP IR in some Burris Signature rings. I don’t want to remove my Helos from my Bushpig. I may move a Sidewinder around if the Sightron doesn’t pair well. I’m not a fan of the floating cross hairs in the MOA-2 reticle, but it’s not a bad reticle. As for thermal, I’ll start with my Pulsar Thermion XQ50 Pro LRF.