Date: 28/3/2024 7:19

Seneca Recluse II Reviews

Seneca Recluse II 500cc Air Rifle

Average Customer Review

Rating 4.54.5 (33 reviews)
1 star
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The most helpful favorable review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Rating 5.05.0 5.0

Rating 5.05.0 5.0

Rating 5.05.0 5.0

By Roger from USA on 2014-07-23 12:49:49

Things I liked:

This one is fine. It is accurate and hard hitting. I cast 85 grain lead bullets that would normally go in a 380 auto and it shoots them well which saves money over buying pellets. It shoots them at 810 fps on low power and 850 fps on high power. It is most accurate at 2500 psi down to 2000 psi. At full pressure the accuracy seems to suffer some. My neighbor saw this and he insist I give him the website so he could get one too.

Things I would have changed:

It is too easy to pull to full power when you are trying to use low power.

What others should know:

Do not lay this gun on its side when charging it! The internal seal can then fail to seat and you will have one **** of a time getting it to hold pressure until it reseats. Either stand it up on end or lay it upright in a shooting position to charge it. Now that you know that, you can avoid my frustration and keep on shooting. I have this same gun in 50 cal. The 35 is better. It shoots more shots between charges and the bullets are more accessible.

The most helpful critical review

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Rating 2.02.0 2.0

Rating 1.01.0 1.0

Rating 3.03.0 3.0

By james from USA on 2013-03-05 09:07:03

Things I liked:

Lot's of power....

Things I would have changed:

Improve quality. It is certainly not made by Sig Sauer or Heckler & Koch. Bolt was loose right out of the box, had to use epoxy to tighten it up. Butt of gun became loose after about three weeks of owning it... Shouldn't have to do these things after paying alot of money for this gun.

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  • 12 Next
  • Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Verified Purchase

    Things I liked:

    The look of this rifle is great,love to shoulder it,rear sight is the best thing ever on a big bore rifle.

    Things I would have changed:

    Bolt to the new upgraded one,or make available with hammer

    What others should know:

    Buy it,the best thing ever

  • Rating 4.04.0 4.0

    Rating 3.03.0 3.0

    Rating 2.02.0 2.0

    Verified Purchase

    Things I liked:

    Beautiful Gun, great traditional look and feel.

    Things I would have changed:

    Mine doesn't hold air. Shipped from factory without any testing. I took it to a dive shop to get initial pressure so valves and o-rings would seat. Still loses air from the muzzle / breach. When disconnected from the air connection, it also loses air. If I were selling these, I would not just recommend the service and sighting, I would do it as a matter of service. I received mine and would not hold air. 3 weeks for me to return and replace. If it were my company, I would require testing and sighting before shipping. Money saved when you consider employee time solving issues. Send out a tested and sighted gun and reduce the wasted employee time for solving problems. A little extra care would save a lot of money in customer service. AND I would be a happier and possibly return customer, not so sure now.

    What others should know:

    Expect issues with the gun, may need to return for service. Pay the extra money for testing and sighting (just to save aggravation and to be sure valves etc. are seated) Can't rate it because I can't shoot it.

  • Rating 4.04.0 4.0

    Rating 4.04.0 4.0

    Rating 4.04.0 4.0

    Verified Purchase

    Things I liked:

    I really liked the power that it has. I have the 357/9mm. I like the number of shots I get. . . I like the ability to cast bullets for it. I like the double air chamber for more shots. Since I have not had this gun very long, I cannot be objective on longevity and other things that may or may not happen as I use the gun more. I gave it a 4 overall for the following reasons. 1. Trigger pull. 2. Loading. 3. Cocking scratchiness. It is not a smooth pull. But in time, it probably will smooth out. 4. Accuracy (so far). This accuracy could be the result of such a hard trigger pull. Eventhough it has about a 1.5 inch CTC at 40 yards, I think with time and a trigger fix to lower the poundage, the accuracy should improve. I also have not tried a number of different pellets in the gun. Thus, I may not have the Golden Pellet that shoots cloverleafs yet.

    Things I would have changed:

    1. Change the way it cocks. . .It is scratchy? when you pull back the lever, making it hard to stop in low power. 2. Definitely change the trigger mechanism. . .it has a VERY VERY hard pull. 3. Somehow add a sling mechanism. . . My Recluse is HEAVY.. .I do not see how folks say it is a light gun. I also have the double chamber 500cc. 4. Change the way you load it. You have to push the ammo forward and up into the chamber. Your fingers cannot push it forward enough, I use another pellet to push. 5. No way to lubricate the O-ring under the sliding silver cover. You can lubricate the O-ring on the back half of the loading chamber, but the ring on the front is unreachable. You could play the game of tilting the gun and dropping chamber oil in hopes of lubricating the ring. 6. The rear sight could be moved forward, just enough to where you can get a Scope mounted.

    What others should know:

    1. Make sure you have HIGH scope rings, or your rear sight will be in such a way that you cannot mount your scope. You can move your scope back a ways to solve this problem, but. . . it shouldn't be a problem in the first place. 2. Accuracy is fairly nice. . .I am getting about 1.5 inch groups at 40 yards using Diabolo 81 grain pellets. But I believe that they group could be smaller if the trigger was something like 2 to 3 pounds. 3. The gun is heavy, and that helps out with the Trigger Pull being so heavy. The gun is heavy enough to help compensate for movement when pulling such a heavy trigger. 4. There really isn't much power difference between low and high power. maybe 50fps? Yet on high power you are burning up more air. To me it isn't worth it. I shoot low power. 5. I have casted 85 grain and 105 grain 356 bullets for the gun. both work well. 6. It will blow through a 2x4 with 81 grain pellets. Don't under estimate the power of this gun. 7. I would purchase it again

  • Rating 4.04.0 4.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Rating 4.04.0 4.0

    Things I liked:

    I own several air rifles, most all are .25 cal. One a .30. None of these would drive a pellet through a 2x4. So I order a Recluse refurb from PA on Thursday afternoon. Saturday morning it's on my porch. I had to attach the trigger but it was rather hard to do, my allen key rounded out the head on the final turn. The stock is loose so I tightened the screw but it's still loose. I wanted the single tube, but they sent a 2. I thought I'd send it back, until I took that first shot. I can only get it to low power. That's enough for me. I don't know if it's defective or I just don't have the muscle to get it to 2. Low power is enough so I slide in a pellet and it blasts that pellet right through a 2x4. All my other guns are quiet, but this sounds like a 20 gauge shotgun. It is LOUD! It being a refurb it has some minor scratches in the wood but the metal is deeply blued, beautiful. Filled it to 200 bar and shot it 6 times, it went down to 135.

    Things I would have changed:

    It could come with a suppressor. It's hard to cock. I read it will loosen up after 20 shots, but it's a refurb, unless the hammer and spring were refurbed. It's a little heavy but with all that's going on with this gun It'll do.

    What others should know:

    If you order one specify which Recluse you want, single tube or two. It uses a lot of air. If you shell out that much cash for a nice rifle, buy a compressor! I bought a battery powered compressor from Amazon for $420. It will pump to 300 bar. It's not my go to rifle unless a bear stomps through my yard. But it fun to see wood shatter from the back of that 2x4. I'll have a follow up after a few hundred shots.

  • Rating 4.04.0 4.0

    Rating 4.04.0 4.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Things I liked:

    Way more powerfull than I expected. Glad I didn't start with 50 cal. Would like my wife to get into it. Perfect first big bore Imo.

    Things I would have changed:

    Not at this time. Limited time with it so far.

    What others should know:

    My first air rifle and I can't say enough about the look and feel. And pyramid sent it out immediately, I appreciate it so much when an online store ships in a timely manner. Thanks Pyramid!!! I'll be back for more..

  • Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Things I liked:

    Power. The wide range of bullets in .357. 75 grain Nelson's at 980 fps. 190 grains at 700 fps. 200 ft. lb. very accurate and well built rifle. Almost as beautiful as my Sumatra Carbine. Sam Yang/Seneca makes rifles that are works of art you will want to display. Will hold 200 bar pressure for weeks, maybe months. Mine is the single tube version. Less shots, more power, so I prefer it to the double. It is loud, just the way I want it. For the price, this is an excellent rifle, and powerful.

    Things I would have changed:

    Air pressure gauge is not even close to accurate. You should fill these rifles using a compressor with an accurate gauge (I highly recommend the Benjamin Traveler). The gauge on my Sumatra is very accurate, (and they are the exact same gauge by the same manufacturer). The screw on cocking arm is a bit low budget, and could use some improvement, but it works. I would produce this rifle as a 5/6 shot (bullets, not pellets) lever action based upon the Sumatra design (metal revolving cylinder, not cheapo plastic), and leave it loud. It's a rifle, not a BB gun, and keep it under 42 inches.

    What others should know:

    Short rear Dove Tail (11 mm.) rail, and you should use a DT to Weaver adaptor no longer than 12 cm. This will place your line of sight above the front sight on the rifle. especially helpful if you are using a laser. Do not attach anything directly to the dove tail, unless you are prepared to do modifications like using an elevated scope. The plastic rear sight that comes with the rifle arrived broken, and no wonder, it's a piece of crap, but no one is going to use it anyway.

  • Rating 3.03.0 3.0

    Rating 2.02.0 2.0

    Things I liked:

    Light, you wouldn't get too tired carrying, holding it all day. Points well.

    Things I would have changed:

    Fiber optic sights would have been nice, or some weaver rails on the front and back of the gun (for AR compatible sights). Some moderation would have been nice as well.

    What others should know:

    Before you buy this gun, read this: My first impressions were a sense disappointment, this gun REQUIRES ASSEMBLY. Meaning, you WILL NOT be able to shoot this gun out of the box. What needs assembly? The COCKING LEVER. Let me put it this way, its like buying a brand new car, it looking beautiful and everything you wanted, then you look inside the driver's side and see that there isn't a steering wheel. And you find the steering wheel in a box with the necessary fasteners, and you realize that you don't have the correct tools + you cannot find instructions how to put it on. If you still want to buy this after reading that, buy a 22 inch flat head, brass punches, and a socket head screw set (you may also need a rubber mallet). For me? I might return this and get an Air Force Texan for this headache.

  • Rating 4.04.0 4.0

    Rating 4.04.0 4.0

    Rating 4.04.0 4.0

    Things I liked:

    Quality is decent. Like other reviews said you have to give it time to break in and then it functions great

    Things I would have changed:

    Needs an adjustable trigger

  • Rating 4.04.0 4.0

    Rating 4.04.0 4.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Things I liked:

    The accuracy of this Gun is pretty amazing as well it's the light weightness of it, I love the wood grain of the rifle as well

    Things I would have changed:

    The Air Valve opening and closing and Having to resort to Beating it with a Hammer to get it to close I had the 1st 2 Rifles sent Back before getting a Working one that Held Air. I did like the Fact that you had to install the cocking handle with a Phillips screw as well pretty flimsy

    What others should know:

    Overall a Pretty nice gun

  • Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Things I liked:

    Well made, beautiful. Has the looks and feel of more traditional rifles. The power on the 357 is unbelievable. Test shots on 18 inch block of ballistics gel with the 127 gr bullets were surprising. On a full charge, on low power setting, fhe penetration was 12 inches, on full power, the 127 gr bullet shot completely thru all 18 inches and put a half inch dent in a steel door. Awesome!!

    Things I would have changed:

    Better trigger, lighter pull. Cocking lever could be stouter, it has a wobble while cocking.

    What others should know:

    This gun, with in reasonable range, will drop game up to white tail deer, with no problem If you scope mount as I did, then you will need to buy a 40 mm scope or smaller. I bought a 50mm and found I had to remove the rear sites to allow room for the larger scope tube. Removal is easy with screwdrivers and a small diameter punch to remove the drift pin.

  • Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Things I liked:

    I like that i can shoot bigger slugs. Easy to load. Like the 2 different power settings.

    Things I would have changed:

    Be nice to see a 2 stage adjustable trigger.

    What others should know:

    Trigger is a little on the heavy side for my liking.

  • Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Things I liked:

    The wood work is amazing The accuracy is outstanding The power is mind-blowing

    Things I would have changed:

    Nothing

    What others should know:

    This gun is well put together and the wood on it is amazing reminds me of a shotgun and sounds like one this gun is not bite your friendly it's very powerful and accurate Im getting one under 1" groups with Aero Magnum 128 Devastators gun has been tuned by Saddle Mountain gunsmith this is a amazing very pleased with the performance found some affordable ammo at GT bullets that's sized for 38 357 just make sure when you go to check out check the box for 358 and make sure you leave them a note telling them not to put the wax on the bullets tell them it's for and airgun I'm getting just under 2" group with the 165 grain is well put together you can't go wrong

  • Rating 4.04.0 4.0

    Rating 4.04.0 4.0

    Rating 4.04.0 4.0

    Things I liked:

    Accurate and enough room for different kind of big bore pellets.

    Things I would have changed:

    Make the trigger a true 2-stage, less heavy one.

    What others should know:

    The rifle could look super great if more attention was paid from quality control; but evidently they did not, and this is our second one exchanged. It seems some kind of traditional peculiar air-device with its 500 cc cylinder size. It has a wood stock with a beautiful design and a much acceptable finish. I could think of a better finish for the price it sells as for instance my trigger guard has two mold-casting-metal ugly stamped marks in it (so need some grinding + job painting again, to remove them) and a couple of other burning marks on the wood stock (it will need also a little of sanding work). It is a loud one too. If you want to read our whole review and speed/energy with different DrillDog Big Bore Pellets go to https://www.drilldogbigborepellets.com/p/sam-speedpressureenergy.html We like that you can shoot arrows with it.

  • Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Things I liked:

    The fit and finish are excellent and the pre tune shot consistency is not bad either. I read a lot of reviews before purchase and everything is as expected. Because I wanted a little more out of my rifle, I sent it out for tune to Will Piatt, at Saddle Mountain Gunsmithing. He did a great job and even added a weaver rail to replace the stock dovetail, as I use that system for my scopes and did not wish to purchase additional rings. My shot consistency is great, with 13 shots between 956 and 875 FPS using 81 grain JSB pellets and 200 bar charge, on a nice true bell curve. Before tune it was 7 shots from 924 to 846 fps in a sloped pressure drop, using same pellets. 924, 908, 903, 888, 876, 867, and 846, still not too shabby. The accuracy is consistent and I can easily hit kill zone in medium game out to 100 yards. Weight and feel are that of traditional center fire hunting rifle, and the iron sites work just like they are supposed to. I will not hesitate to hunt with this rifle.

    Things I would have changed:

    I do not know that there is anything that I would change. It is exactly as expected, a great shooting single shot PCP air rifle that is perfect for hunting small to medium size game. I have heard that the charging handle is the weak link, and breaks, but that is easily remedied. There are multiple aftermarket types available on the net, and gunsmiths who work on these. Is it worth the effort and expense to get a tune? I firmly believe so. At the price of this rifle, an extra 275 - 300 dollars for a tune still puts you under what some of the other rifles are going for, and every stock PCP could benefit from a good tune in order to achieve optimum performance. If this were not true there would not be so many tune parts and services available on the net. Also, this is single shot, so no continual shooting, your F/U shots take a bit longer. If that is an issue, then perhaps a Hatsun, Benjamin, or Evanix would better suit you. I don't mind the single shot, so this is a non issue.

    What others should know:

    Bottom line....Buy what you want out of a PCP air rifle to begin with, don't try to make something into what it is not. If you are looking for an reasonably priced big bore PCP airgun for hunting and plinking, that is well made, has great fit and finish, gets the job done, and can achieve even more with a good tune, then please consider this PCP air rifle. If you are going be held up because this does not shoot like a center fire rifle, and is single shot, I really think you should look elsewhere. I love shooting this Recluse and it is absolutely perfect for what it is. In the future, I may decide to purchase any one of the brands listed above, depending on what type of shooting I decide to do at that time. But for now, I am perfectly satisfied with this rifle. Also, Will Piatt does great work, as many of you know. If you e-mail him he does have discount code for those who are drop shipping to him for tune prior to receipt, a service that in my opinion is well worth it. Don B

  • Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Rating 4.04.0 4.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Things I liked:

    This is a mate to my Dragon Claw and I was hopping for a better experience from the Claw Got into PCP after I told my self I wouldn't. My first buy was the Benjamin Discovery and out of the box it leaked what looks from the gauge port O rings, still leaking. Next I bought a Benjamin Marauder. 22 pistol, yep you guessed it, it leaked but was fixed after tighten the foster fill port. Feeling lucky I purchased a .177 Marauder and everything was great out of the box but I wanted a .22 cal Marauder. This was a disaster of a buy, the gauge medal readout came loose and this one leaked air. After removing the plastic lens and repositioning the metal read out and giving the presure gauge a little twist I have it up to par. Feeling lucky I purchase and received my Sam Yang Dragon Claw today. After a few asembley things I tried to pressures the gun, no go so out come the Dawn. Bubbles coming from the Foster fitting, it was a little more then finger tight. It may be the black cloud I live under.

    Things I would have changed:

    Receive a air gun without mechanical problems especially when you pay $900 for the package

  • Rating 4.04.0 4.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Rating 4.04.0 4.0

    Things I liked:

    The look of it. Very nice wood and I love the artwork on the receiver. I like the fact that it comes with iron sights that are removable. The power is great. Accuracy is very good with the right ammo

    Things I would have changed:

    Make the forearm much longer. Make forearm more bipod ready. Make the trigger adjustable. Make a stainless bolt.

    What others should know:

    This air rifle is very accurate (with JSB 35 cal,81gr pellets and 67 gr round balls) and very loud. There are a lot of casters out there making 35 cal ammo so, it will be easy to get good ammo all the time. This is an "up to" medium sized game air gun and shouldn't be looked upon as a deer rifle. Get the best glass you can afford, you'll love it

  • Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Things I liked:

    This one is fine. It is accurate and hard hitting. I cast 85 grain lead bullets that would normally go in a 380 auto and it shoots them well which saves money over buying pellets. It shoots them at 810 fps on low power and 850 fps on high power. It is most accurate at 2500 psi down to 2000 psi. At full pressure the accuracy seems to suffer some. My neighbor saw this and he insist I give him the website so he could get one too.

    Things I would have changed:

    It is too easy to pull to full power when you are trying to use low power.

    What others should know:

    Do not lay this gun on its side when charging it! The internal seal can then fail to seat and you will have one **** of a time getting it to hold pressure until it reseats. Either stand it up on end or lay it upright in a shooting position to charge it. Now that you know that, you can avoid my frustration and keep on shooting. I have this same gun in 50 cal. The 35 is better. It shoots more shots between charges and the bullets are more accessible.

  • Rating 4.04.0 4.0

    Rating 3.03.0 3.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Things I liked:

    I like the power and the accuracy. Good for 1 inch groups of 5 shots at 50 yards with good bullets that fit the barrel. .357 to .358 fit my barrel great. Number of shots per charge. 10 good shots on high power, close to 20 on low power.

    Things I would have changed:

    Cocking lever comes loose. Parts of the trigger mechanism are not hardened. Trigger pull is too hard.

    What others should know:

    Gun is very accurate with good fitting bullets. I am getting a bunch from Mr Hollowpoint in tin so I can use them here in California in Condor country. Send your gun to Saddle Mountain Gunsmith and get the trigger work done. If you are shooting under 50 yards, the heavyer ammo may deliver more power. I like the lighter ammo for a flatter trajectory at longer ranges. For hunting, I will be using 87 grain tin bullets which are the same size as 124 grain lead. Tin is 2/3 the weight of lead but tin is too hard to mushroom.

  • Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Rating 3.03.0 3.0

    Things I liked:

    the power

    Things I would have changed:

    the cheap pot metal casting cocking bolt to cock the rifle

    What others should know:

    you will need a carben fiber tank about 120 cub/ft. or a steelhigh pressure 120 cub/ft tank that fills at least 3500 psi.if you get a 80cub/ft allumanim 3000psi you will only get 1 to 3 full fills.

  • Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Rating 5.05.0 5.0

    Things I liked:

    Very nicely balanced gun, extremely hard hitting.

    Things I would have changed:

    Smoother cocking action

    What others should know:

    This gun hits like a sledgehammer out past 50yards. Definately care should be used when shooting.

  • 12 Next

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