Quackenbush Air Guns

.458 LA Outlaw Air Rifle
A powerful, big bore air rifle suitable for hunting

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The long action Outlaw is a 500fpe .458 caliber hunting rifle.

There’s no magic or secrets involved in making a powerful airgun, it’s just simple physics, the rifle has to flow more air.  The energy source is compressed air and you have to use a lot of it to make a higher power airgun.  To flow more air you need a bigger valve and a heavier hammer and a stronger spring to open the valve against increased resistance.  But when making things bigger, you have to make sure that you’re thinking of the shooter and the proportions necessary to make it feel right to the shooter, otherwise you end up with an oversized, clunky rifle.  The solution is to optimize air flow using finesse instead of force to make a usable hunting rifle.  With a 25” barrel, this rifle is 44” overall.  It weighs approximately 8lbs. 6oz.  The stock is familiar to tens of millions of shooters because the stock is the same shape and proportion of modern center fire rifles, like the Winchester model 70 and the Remington 700.

The LA Outlaw shoots a 430gr bullet at 732fps, which is 509fpe.  This rifle will produce two powerful shots from its reservoir on one fill.  It doesn’t need to be line fed from a scuba bottle, it doesn’t have the dependency of life support from a remote air source. 

The .458 cal. barrel is made expressly for airgun use.  It is not a firearm barrel.  This barrel has the correct rifling configuration and twist rate for an airgun.  I chose .458 cal. for this rifle so the shooter could use any of the ready-made bullets or bullet molds intended for use for the 45/70 cartridge.  Because the barrels are made from solid bar stock they are machined to the exact bore size without exception.  This way the standard size bullets fit the barrel; it is not some oddball caliber.

The Outlaw rifle is tremendously adaptable.  I shortened up the Outlaw rifle and made a pistol.  Now I’ve stretched the Outlaw to make a 500fpe rifle.  During testing the rifle exceeded 600fpe, so I had to make the valve a little smaller because my target was 500fpe.  When building an airgun a balance must be struck between size, weight and power.  This describes how the gun can be used and the number of shots per fill.  I’m not after ultimate power, all of the rifles and pistols I’ve made have been capable of higher performance, but what good is ultimate power if the gun can’t be carried or used readily?  I have certain energy levels as a mark that are ideal for the purpose. 

The LA Outlaw rifle operates on high pressure air, 3,000 psi.  It can be filled from a scuba tank, airgun hand pump, or high pressure (3,000 psi) compressor. 

Prices for the LA Outlaw: (current August 2022)
Shipping & insurance is additional
Prices subject to change
   Stalker grade* $750.
   Standard          $800.
   Select*               $860.
   Superior*  $1,060.
     

*based on availability
  I set out to build a "Standard" grade rifle.  When I find a stock that has a blemish or needs a repair this
  serviceable stock is discounted and it becomes a "Stalker" grade rifle.  The stock may be very good
  looking, and you may not even see the repair, but it is repaired and I can't sell it for the Standard
  grade. 
  Most of the stocks I make are Standard grade.  It is becoming more difficult to purchase higher grade
  wood at an affordable price, but if I have a higher grade stock, I will offer it.
  I make a limited amount of higher grade guns, but the grading is done after the stock is finished
  and the metal is polished & blued.  Although I may pay more for higher quality stock blanks, not every
  one of those blanks will make a truly fine stock.  And some metal, no matter how hard you try, will not
  polish to a fine enough finish.
  Not every gun intended to be a higher grade will result as an acceptable finish, one that will be
  considered a higher grade.

  I don't take deposits or any money up front.  I only accept payment when your rifle is finished and ready
  to be delivered.

The standard rifle I make is right handed.  I can make left handed rifles, (putting the machine cuts on left side or the right side is the same amount of work, so I don't charge extra for it) but you just need to tell me at the time of ordering so I can machine the parts for left hand.  It has a genuine left hand stock too (a mirror image of the right hand stock).  See the Stocks page.