Question for big bore hunters

[CoyoteHammer]

Hi guys, through the years I’ve had/have .22’s, .25’s, and .30’s and I’m tempted to try hunting with a big bore. With every step up in caliber the sound from the muzzle increases as one would expect. But there is a fine line to being backyard friendly and not. I’m not looking for backyard friendly at all but more like game/predator friendly. With anything Ive hunted using 30-125 fpe (w/mod) almost always allowed for follow up shots or a more productive night due to the muzzle being tamed. The animals, for the most part, have no clue what just happened. Unlike pb’s where I’d get a shot off and the rest of the hunt is usually quiet due to the rather loud BOOM from the muzzle end. At 125fpe moderated, I feel like I’m at that “fine line” where anything more may scare nearby game/predators away after taking a shot. One example, I had 6-7 deer grazing about 50 yards in front of me and a fox came in ~90 yards. I dropped the fox, the deer scattered maybe 10 yards away, looked at each other, then returned to grazing. Will I lose that effect if using let’s say a .458 with a great Kami or emperor??

Does anyone have experience in this area or words of wisdom for me. I’ve never seen, held or heard a big bore go off in person so it’s difficult to judge as youtube is the only thing I can go by.

 

[PapaT]

From the hangout I was at a couple of weeks ago, I listened to one of the guys talking about it took him 3 shots to get his Netvor hold figured out for a deer at 300+ yards. The deer stayed through 2 shots, and dropped on the third. He then proceeded to remark on how quiet my moderated Texan was. Both guns are chambered in 458

 

[Ezana4CE]

Hi guys, through the years I’ve had/have .22’s, .25’s, and .30’s and I’m tempted to try hunting with a big bore. With every step up in caliber the sound from the muzzle increases as one would expect. But there is a fine line to being backyard friendly and not. I’m not looking for backyard friendly at all but more like game/predator friendly. With anything Ive hunted using 30-125 fpe (w/mod) almost always allowed for follow up shots or a more productive night due to the muzzle being tamed. The animals, for the most part, have no clue what just happened. Unlike pb’s where I’d get a shot off and the rest of the hunt is usually quiet due to the rather loud BOOM from the muzzle end. At 125fpe moderated, I feel like I’m at that “fine line” where anything more may scare nearby game/predators away after taking a shot. One example, I had 6-7 deer grazing about 50 yards in front of me and a fox came in ~90 yards. I dropped the fox, the deer scattered maybe 10 yards away, looked at each other, then returned to grazing. Will I lose that effect if using let’s say a .458 with a great Kami or emperor??

Does anyone have experience in this area or words of wisdom for me. I’ve never seen, held or heard a big bore go off in person so it’s difficult to judge as youtube is the only thing I can go by.

@CoyoteHammer I only have limited experience with big-bore air rifle hunting, so take what I say as info from personal experience. The bulk of my hunting has been done with the Benjamin Bulldog platform in .357, but I also have used the Western Rattler in .357. To answer your question, a few things are important. Foremost is distance to target. Big-bore bullpups sound louder to the shooter than they do to the animals and bystanders because the action is close to your ear and they use a lot of air compared to small bores. When I first shot a Western Bushpig one of the first things I noticed is that it sounded quieter than my Benjamin Bulldog M357. Neither of these rifles are backyard friendly. The Rattler is quieter, but the way mine is setup, it is also less powerful. I hunt hogs more than anything with these rifles. I have taken deer with my Bulldogs and coyote with my Rattler. I don't think I've shot anything beyond 60 yards. I have been able to take follow up shots on deer with the Bulldog. They didn't spook until the 3rd shot. My guess is that the report is that much different than a centerfire report from their vantage point.

As in your example with the fox, I've seen deer do that within 50 yards of me at ground level. I missed the first shot and put the deer down with the second. It ran about 60 yards and expired from a double lung shot. I didn't see a blood trail. I had to grid search for it. If they don't see you, I think you will have a lot better chance of taking a follow up or second shot. I don't hunt with moderators so I can't comment on that. I hardly use my moderators. I'm in a rural area so my big bores pale in comparison to the sound of firearms that are frequently shot in the area. I can't provide you with further details because my hunting experience is limited to a few big bores. I hope this helps some. I think it would really help to know what you're hunting and which style of hunting you wish to employ (tree stand, ground blind, spot and stalk, etc).

 

[CoyoteHammer]

Excellent that’s exactly what I was looking for . I appreciate your answers big time. I prefer to not use a mod to make the oal shorter, easier to maneuver. My, still new to me, Vulcan 3 is louder than my Uragan 2 for sure (125 fpe vs 110 fpe) so I added a Mod40 to take the bite out of it. But I think you’re right, the V3 is shrouded and most likely doesn’t need the extra length as I’m in a very rural area. But with a big bore I assumed it would be a must have item.

I mostly hunt from ground blinds and a tripod. Distances that I hunt can be close range and out to 165 yards. I’m trying to decide what platform to go with and it’s tough to choose! I like the airforce Tex-Rex brush gun but I’m turned off by a single shot. Then I get turned on by the challenger elite with it being a regulated multi shot but I’m not a fan of its country of origin. .457 or .510? Lots of choices….help!!! Btw this will be used for predator hunting and the small possibility that NYS allows big bores for deer season in the future

 

[PapaT]

I thought magazine and regulated would be things I cared about when I was first looking, but the Texan has converted me for big bore. As for moderated or not, I shoot it unmoderated at my house with neighbors on all sides of me and nary a notice/care. I don't do "extended" sessions at once, and not if neighbors other side of the fence I shoot along are outside. They would notice more than an air nailer sound at that point.

 

[Chief55]

I love airforce guns myself. I like to single feed as well, never saw it as a handicap but I shot a lot of TC Contenders and pistol hunted a lot with them as well as sidelock muzzleloaders. I liked the challenge of getting up close.

I grew up in upstate NY, and I know that you have Hugh deer there so if they opened it up for air a .51 would be just the ticket. People think .45 for flat shooting but the .51 can be a great option. That brush gun is awesome to me, and I would have got one myself, but I really don't need one at this point in my life.

Some would say a .51 is not good for predators, but it can be. Looking outside of the box a .51 airgun is the same size as a .50 muzzleloading barrel and can shoot the .50 sabots made for muzzleloading and with a duplex load sabot you could shoot a .357 out of it or use .45 pistol bullets using MP sabots. I used the 175gr .357 Duplex loads in a custom inline .50 BP pistol I had when I was younger, and it was amazing. That is why I tell people to get a .51 rather than a .50. The .50 can't shoot the sabots they are too tight but the .51 can and people do use them. I got 1-inch groups off a bag at 100yd using these in that custom .50 pistol. This is why I really thought about getting a .51 for myself and if I was younger, and was constantly hunting, I would have got one in a heartbeat. These can be had in a 175gr or a .195gr and would be cooking from a .51 and they are made to go fast so you should be able to push them as fast as you want with good results. They have them for .45 cal BP as well which should work in our .457 barrels as well. If I still had my .457 Element Max, I would give them a try in it myself. I personally would not shoot them in a shrouded gun or through a moderator though, not sure how fast the sabot comes off the bullet.

Precision Rifle - Duplex Saboting

These are some of the videos of people shooting sabots from airguns just so you can see that I am not talking out of my ass here about this.

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These are being shot from .50 sabots.

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[Grunt64]

Hi guys, through the years I’ve had/have .22’s, .25’s, and .30’s and I’m tempted to try hunting with a big bore. With every step up in caliber the sound from the muzzle increases as one would expect. But there is a fine line to being backyard friendly and not. I’m not looking for backyard friendly at all but more like game/predator friendly. With anything Ive hunted using 30-125 fpe (w/mod) almost always allowed for follow up shots or a more productive night due to the muzzle being tamed. The animals, for the most part, have no clue what just happened. Unlike pb’s where I’d get a shot off and the rest of the hunt is usually quiet due to the rather loud BOOM from the muzzle end. At 125fpe moderated, I feel like I’m at that “fine line” where anything more may scare nearby game/predators away after taking a shot. One example, I had 6-7 deer grazing about 50 yards in front of me and a fox came in ~90 yards. I dropped the fox, the deer scattered maybe 10 yards away, looked at each other, then returned to grazing. Will I lose that effect if using let’s say a .458 with a great Kami or emperor??

Does anyone have experience in this area or words of wisdom for me. I’ve never seen, held or heard a big bore go off in person so it’s difficult to judge as youtube is the only thing I can go by.

I used to think the same thing, even with a moderator, one shot from a big‑bore PCP would clear out anything within 100 yards. My setups are a .308 Texan with a Yokozuna and an AEA .357 with a Ronin, and both still have that sharp PCP pop to them. I figured that was enough noise to blow a set.

One night proved me wrong.

I dropped a coyote at 130 yards with the Texan shooting a 152gr at 990 fps. Clean hit, quiet impact, and I assumed the woods were empty after that. As I walked back to my Kawasaki Mule, I have a headlamp that clips on my hat and felt like something was watching me. I peeked over the bank ware I parked the Mule and there were 3-4 coyotes standing 10–15 feet away, eyes glowing in the light.

I was honestly shocked. The gun wasn’t even loaded because I thought nothing would stick around after the shot. Turns out big‑bore PCPs don’t spook predators the way we imagine. They don’t associate that sound with danger, and in my case they actually came *toward* the shot, probably thinking there was a free meal.

That won’t happen again — I stay loaded until I’m ready to get in the Mule now. Just sharing the experience because it changed the way I think about noise and follow‑up opportunities with big‑bores. Also, never underestimate coyotes. My location is in the very northern part of N.Y, 8 miles from VT