They call Sam Yang 909 airguns "Seneca's" these days......

Sam Yangs are "The Thutty-Thutty of Bigbore Airguns".

I say this because both are one of the first on the block, have a track record of success, and have achieved widespread popularity, yet both are still often looked down-upon, and discounted as being inferior.

A tuned SamYang 909, or DC has just enough of everything to get the job done in a short-range deer hunting/predator calling bigbore air rifle (the newer ones seem to be more powerful, and may not suffer as badly un-tuned compared to the older ones). Shooting the super-lightweight EPP/UG boolit, I find it to be very close to the perfect airgun for calling predators in the rain forest.

How much power do you REALLY NEED for your bigbore airgun hunting needs?

I myself don't like to see more than around an inch, maybe an inch and a half of rise on the way to zero, and consider the maximum range to be where the slug has about the same amount of drop if not just a TAD more (airguns biggest advantage is precision.....I won't sacrifice precision for range). So I use a maximum PBR (point blank range) of about 3 inches. This usually equates to a 50 yard zero with a 250+fpe SamYang with a maximum range of 60 yards, and a 40 yard zero with a stock SamYang with a MPBR of about a 50 yards. I use this calculator to take some of the guesswork out of figuring trajectory, retained energy, etc. http://www.handloads.com/calc/index.html

I've seen great penetration on coyote out to 50+yards using the super-lightweight EPP/UG, so this set-up is considerably more than "adequate" for my predator hunting needs. Lead boolits excell at penetration.....even the really light ones!

Good points: The Sam Yangs are (consistently) VERY accurate. The short 22inch barrel of the 909 guns are handier to carry than most .45 bigbores. SamYangs are simple to take apart/maintain (with the exception of getting the valve out which is rarely needed.....the tool required isn't a common one), they are readily available, there is LOTS and LOTS of cheap bulk ammo on the market (for the Recluse, and the 909/909S), and they have power suitable for deer/medium game out to 50-60 yards.

Bad points: First and foremost, the newer SamYang triggers are reported to be absolutely ATROCIOUS, requiring some work to get them decent. Many folks find the SamYangs to be a bit "homely" (especially the double tube). Manufacturing standards have wavered a bit over the years. The cocking levers are a bit weak (there are now aftermarket levers readily available), and some of the breech sleeves can blow out of spec causing blown-out o-rings. I have a custom-made breech sleeve made from stainless steel, but know of no one currently offering aftermarket breech sleeves for sale. Making a custom breech sleeve may require custom fitting to the particular rifle due to manufacturing tolerances. The rear sight can hinder the mounting of scopes with large objectives, and they cannot be stored with a full fill of air over extended periods without risking exhaust valve deformation. An aftermarket foster fill fitting is bought by many SamYang owners as well, as they are generally preferred over the Korean fill fitting setup.

Once these issues are addressed, you are left with a solid bigbore airgun for hunting use.

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They call Sam Yang 909 airguns "Seneca's" these days......