Large Caliber Guns - These air rifles are not meant to shoot tin cans. Most can produce enough saliva energy to throw a whitetail
Interest in airguns is increasing. Maybe it's because airguns can circumvent increasingly restrictive gun laws and no-discharge ordinances, or because they're just plain fun.
Large Caliber Guns
The most interesting part of the airgun world are the so-called big bores, which fire projectiles larger than .25 caliber. Make no mistake, these guns are not backyard blinkers. They are serious hunting guns built with big game in mind, producing enough energy to take down deer and boar sized animals.
Myths And Legends About The Mighty .50 Cal
Only 15 states currently allow hunters to shoot big game with airguns, but several have openly discussed allowing the practice in the future. And most states allow the taking of small game such as coyotes and varmints with air rifles. Here's a look at some of the better big bores available today.
With a .51-caliber bullet, the Air Force Texan 50 CF can produce 800 foot-pounds of energy. Air Force Air Gun
The Air Force Texan is one of the air rifles that started the big bore air gun craze. The original Texan was very popular with hunters, leading the company to develop variants of the rifle, including ones with shrouded barrels that greatly reduce noise. The Air Force recently developed a carbon-fiber tank for a higher pressure of 2,625 pounds per square inch, and a new valve that can handle the extra PSI. This allows the Texan 50 CF to produce 800 foot pounds of energy with a 520-grain .51-caliber bullet. The new tanks can be retrofitted to any early model Texans, giving hunters even more power with their existing rifle. As the name suggests, all Texan rifles are built at the Air Force's Fort Worth, Texas plant with premium components such as matching grade Lowther Walther barrels and two-stage adjustable triggers. Starts at $1,229; airforceairguns.com
Hutson's newest bullpup packs some serious power in a compact package. The PileDriver delivers .51 caliber pellets at 850 feet per second for over 800 foot pounds of energy. It takes a lot of pressure to close, requiring the air tank to fill up to 4,300 PSI. The high pressure in the reservoir allows a shooter to take five full power shots, allowing for many follow-up shots if needed. Although the PileDriver has a 33-inch barrel, the bullpup configuration keeps the overall length down, so moving through heavy cover with it isn't a chore. An adjustable chin rest and buttpad help make shooting the rifle comfortable, and a long Picatinny rail lets you mount almost any optic. The Pile Driver is also available in .45 caliber, and it throws small pellets at about 50 fps, allowing six shots before powering off. $1,179; hatsanairgunsusa.com
The 7 Largest Big Game Rifle Cartridges
Umarex is probably best known for its realistic reproductions of popular firearms such as airguns, but they have established themselves as a serious boring competitor with the introduction of the Hammer. Made in the USA, the hammer delivers 700 foot pounds of knockdown energy to reliably engage big game with a .51-caliber, 550-grain bullet. Although the hammer has yet to reach the public, many professional airgun hunters have taken some important animals, including American bison and Cape buffalo. Notable features include an 8.5-inch Picatinny rail, Magpul AR-style grip, rear sling stud, three M-LOK attachment points, and a Foster connection to allow the carbon fiber stock to withstand up to 4,500 PSI. It can be pressed quickly to higher pressures. The trigger breaks cleanly at about 6 pounds, and the bolt rotates easily with about 2 pounds of weight, so you can quickly retrieve a second pellet if you need a follow-up shot. $849; umarexusa.com
The Evanix Rex is compact, but can shoot a .45-caliber bullet at about 400 feet per second. Evans
The Evanix Rex has a silhouette similar to an AR style pistol. Although smaller than other big bore air rifles, the Rex still packs a punch, delivering a .45 caliber pellet at 395 feet per second with about 260 foot pounds of energy. To top it all off, the 4-pound preloaded pistol operates at about 3,500 PSI to deliver about five full-power shots. The unique trigger guard is also an underflow cocking mechanism, which allows the user to load the Rex by pushing the guard forward to reveal the chamber. $700; evanix.com
I had the privilege of using one of the Dreamline's predecessors to photograph seagulls and pigeons inside rubbish transfer stations. The features that endeared me to this Swedish airgun manufacturer's guns (including an externally adjustable control that lets the shooter dial up or down power on the fly) have been improved in the new model. The Dreamline is almost infinitely tunable, with fine adjustments for valve flow, hammer tension, and regulator pressure, to help you squeeze every bit of precision. Although it doesn't cost as much as premium FX models, the Dreamline features the same barrel housing and liner system that allows the user to easily change the gun's caliber and twist rates to suit different types of ammunition. And the adjustable dual-stage trigger feels like it belongs on a game rifle. The Dreamline cocks via a side lever and feeds from a rotary magazine, which holds 13 .30 caliber pellets or more if you choose a smaller bore. $1,099, fxairguns.com
Wow The World's Biggest Caliber (.905!) Rifle In Action!
Gamo isn't new to air shooting, but they haven't really dipped their toes into the big bore world until they introduced the Big Bore TC-45. You may have noticed more than a resemblance to the Evanix rex, and that is no accident. Rumor has it that Evanix makes the big bore for Gamo, and the TC-45 works just like the Rex does. The barrel on the big bore TC-45 is just over two feet. It features an integrated modulator to keep things quiet while pushing a 350-grain .45-caliber bullet at 900 feet per second with nearly 400 foot-pounds of energy. A carbon-fibre tank acts as a barrel and delivers three full-power shots before the point of impact collapses. Like the Rex, loading is accomplished using an under-lever trigger guard cocking mechanism. The trigger breaks at just 3.5 pounds, making offhand shots easy despite the rifle's 12-pound weight. $999; gamousa.com
If one big bore isn't enough, why not two? The Seneca Double Barrel PCP shotgun has two .50 caliber smoothbore barrels that allow you to fire "shells" loaded with #6 or #8 shot. The company claims the payload in each shell will travel at about 1,130 feet per second. To put that in perspective, most conventional trap loads hover around 1,150 to 1,225 fps. However, the shells are much smaller than 12 gauge, and hold less ammunition. While I wouldn't carry a Seneca double barrel with me in a duck blind, I bet it would be a blast in the dove field or to use when chasing rabbits. Shells are easy to load through the sliding breech, and you can buy preloaded shells or fill your own to develop custom loads. Air bolts and .50 caliber slugs can also be shot through the Senaka. After removing the choke tubes, you can either load through the nose. Expect about 600 fps and 140 foot-pounds with slugs, and 425 fps and 170 foot-pounds with bolts. $899; airventuri.com
Semi-auto air rifles are extremely rare, and large bore semi-automatics are almost unknown. But Evanix has set out to change that with a pre-charged .30 caliber pneumatic air rifle that delivers bullets as fast as you can pull the two-stage trigger. The air velocity allows a shooter to empty a seven-shot rotary magazine in less than two seconds, allowing plenty of opportunities for quick follow-up shots. The rifle is fully ambidextrous and the magazine can be inserted from either the right or left side. You can also adjust pressure on air speed for accuracy and power. Simplifying ring selection, Weaver attaches optics using a rail. The Airspeed is chambered for .177-, .25-, or .30-caliber pellets. $1,105; evanix.com
Joseph Albanese's first career was in wildlife management, a profession that took him from the shadow of the Statue of Liberty to the Alaskan bush and back again. He spent several years as a freelance writer before joining the Field and Stream staff as Gear editor in 2021. In general, in the shooting community, there are two types of people. The first are those who either prefer a field gun for hunting or simply. Others are those who see no point in large bore guns. Big bore guns can be intimidating but once people shoot them, they can usually see the appeal.
The Best Rifle Caliber For All Big Game Hunting
Of all the things to shoot for fun, the big bore handgun is one of the best ways to put a smile on your face. Not everyone feels comfortable shooting a large caliber handgun and that's okay. They are the strongest guns to fire and usually a
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