what calibre for what usage?

[slugger]

well as im a noob i need to get myself an air rifle......i have thoughts on a good springer/gasram....... preferably a self contained gun [pcp's seem to be a lot of agro comparativly]?

anyways, in the old days i was only ever a .22 kinda guy......but from what ive been reading so far theres an awfull lot of you running 177 ... so it got me wondering why?

so for clarity lets have an idea of what gun you use [favourite if youve got many] what calibre, and whats your main use [target/hunting/indoor range/short-range/long-range etc....i kinda need to build a picture in my mind so i can make an informed descision

thanks guys n gals

[demonwolf444]

the saying is is .177 for feather and .22 for fur, but i know what you mean, any .177 has a flatter tradjectory, and there for less change in elevation would be needed, but wont hold its energy for long as it a smaller pellet

a .22 holds its energy for longer but as a heavyer pellet it will have a less flat teadjectory than the .177 and there fore it is harder to use in situations where you will be shooting over variable distance, as there is a bigger magin for error,

In my opinion if your going to get a sub FAC .22 because you want to shoot rabbits, you will shoot with it fine at medium range but if you want to shoot longer range , you should get a FAC .22 or just a .22 rimfire?

If your leaning towards a .177 you should beable to shoot further more confidently because of the flatter tradjectory when your sub FAC, but again if you want to shoot long distances , i would just go for a FAC .177 and a decent scope set up or a .22 rim fire

remember most small game will go down with less than 4ft/lbs to the head, its really just the didtances you will be shooting from to consider,

all my guns are reletively crapp compeared to the people on this forum but they are all sub 12ftlbs and will all take out a rabbit at 40 yards on a quiet day but ually im closer than that soo ive no need for a rimfire. or FAC air

[UKPoacher]

For non-FAC, i.e. under 12 ft/lbs then .177 has a lot going for it; flatter trajectory means 'point and shoot on a 1/2" diameter kill zone' from around 10 yds to almost 40 yds, less holdover on longer ranges so less margin for error, and cheaper ammo. A .177 pellet hits just as hard as a .22 pellet despite what some will tell you. It might be smaller and lighter, but it travels faster and so delivers the same energy.

 

In the olden days .22 were favoured because many guns could not deliver the same power in the smaller calibre. That is a thing of the past. Once people discovered Weihrauch air rifles and traded in their .22 Birmingham made guns .177s gained favour for hunting as well as target shooting.

 

The only reason I would choose .22 over .177 is for FAC rated guns and to be perfectly honest I can't see any advantage of a .22 FAC air rifle over a .22 rimfire other than cost of ammo.

[slugger]

some good points made there fellas i like the idea of increased fps, and yes i would stay below 12ftlbs, so fac rated rifles dont really come into it for me ....... i just remember my old hw80k with [if memory serves] 25-30 ftlbs......that thing would hold a near perfect tragectory right out to 80 odd yards [very minimal drop] but i guess with sub 12ftlbs 50 yards is gonna be my realistic max-range? if so i guess the least drop the better.....and a quicker time from "bang" to "thump" which is always good news i tell you what is amazing after all these years away from gunning........the fact that [from what ive read so far] a lot of the old-school favourites are still right up there in the top 10 of springers/gasrams , almost as if i've not been away all these years lol [pcp's asside of course]

so its looking like i might be converted to 177, unless of course the .22 possy swing it in their favour

[Beretta28g]

What about going .20?

 

 

Trajectory of a .177 and energy retntion of a .22 in one.

[UKPoacher]

What about going .20?

 

 

Trajectory of a .177 and energy retntion of a .22 in one.

 

Err, no! If only life was that simple. The .20 calibre falls between the two. It isn't as flat as .177 but not as loopy as .22 Some say it delivers the best of two calibres, but in truth it is just a compromise.

[slugger]

plus ive not seen a pro-sport [think i want one lol] in .20.......aaaaaaaaand in the old days at least getting pellets was a lot harder ?

[bullet boy]

Get a .177 calibre in non FAC!!

[UKPoacher]

plus ive not seen a pro-sport [think i want one lol] in .20.......aaaaaaaaand in the old days at least getting pellets was a lot harder ?

 

If .20 is the dream ticket why is it such a minority calibre? Anyway, Prosport is the way to go and if you can run to it, a V-Mach kit takes a few minutes to fit and improves it even more.

[Dekers]

12ft lb guns.

 

.177 flies the fastest in principle and is the lightest pellet, it has a decent arc but it does NOT carry it's energy well.

 

.20 is NOT the best of both worlds of .177 and .22, it is not as flat as a .177 and doesn't hit as hard as a .22, consider it the worst of both worlds!

 

.22 carries its energy well, but has a loopy trajectory, it is NO LESS ACCURATE than a .177, you simply have to spend more time considering drop!

 

.25 is an excellent CLOSE range rat gun, but useless at anything else!

 

ATB!

[slugger]

Get a .177 calibre in non FAC!!

 

 

well it looks like im after a prosport in 177 next question, pellets ? ive been lookin on the bar site and theres sooooooooo much to chose from, i guess [and only a guess] a good brand domed pellet is the way forward ......but what weights? heavyer for more impact velocity, or lighter for more accuracy? ..... considering 'most' of my shooting will be target-orientated with only the occasional bunny-bashing-session i guess i prefer the notion of longer-range accuracy, so what do ya recomend guys?

[bigchap]

i had a prosport in .177 until recently and found the best pellets to be aa fields in 4.51mm.

Edited December 19, 2010 by bigchap

[slugger]

i had a prosport in .177 until recently and found the best pellets to be aa fields in 4.51mm.

thanks........what do you mean by "best" ? accuracy/consistency/power?

[pabs]

AA fields 8.4gr, definitely for target shooting. Bisley Mags for hunting, might produce a little more power and hold a bit more energy further out, though the AAs have no problem with Crows out as far as 50+ yrds.

[hoTshoT-16]

AA fields 8.4gr, definitely for target shooting. Bisley Mags for hunting, might produce a little more power and hold a bit more energy further out, though the AAs have no problem with Crows out as far as 50+ yrds.

i use aa fields in .22 and are an effective round against most pests

there something like 14gr in .22 so they pack an powerful punch when they hit

[The Duncan]

but i guess with sub 12ftlbs 50 yards is gonna be my realistic max-range?

 

If you can put 5 pellets inside a pound coin sized circle at that range whenever you want, then yes.

:yp:

[UKPoacher]

i had a prosport in .177 until recently and found the best pellets to be aa fields in 4.51mm.

 

Mine is good with AA Fields too. But, recently I have tried some JSB RS and they do push the effective range out a few yards. Definitely worth a try in .177 springers.

[Albion]

When shooting .177 I'd go for a heavier pellet. It carries it's energy slightly better and resists crosswinds more than a lighter pellet. Of course it will be slower, so the trajectory will be a bit more curved, but this shouldn't be a problem in said calibre!

 

The general thought is that domed pellets are more consistent/accurate. However if you fancy a departure from domed, I find RWS super-points accurate to 30yds (although I've only tried them in .22 flavour, but in a handful of guns). For close range ratting RWS h-points are good at hitting harder than domed or pointed pellets. Other brands of pointed or hollow pellets have been less than impressive

 

Happy shooting

[hoTshoT-16]

.22 are better for hunting upto 40yds imo

[kent]

well as im a noob i need to get myself an air rifle......i have thoughts on a good springer/gasram....... preferably a self contained gun [pcp's seem to be a lot of agro comparativly]?

anyways, in the old days i was only ever a .22 kinda guy......but from what ive been reading so far theres an awfull lot of you running 177 ... so it got me wondering why?

so for clarity lets have an idea of what gun you use [favourite if youve got many] what calibre, and whats your main use [target/hunting/indoor range/short-range/long-range etc....i kinda need to build a picture in my mind so i can make an informed descision

thanks guys n gals

 

Tried all three .177,.22, .20 myself. .22 will always be my favourite hunter, .177 the only target choice and .20 a good split for the casual club shooter /hunter but not easy to get the gun or the ammo but you need to buy lots of ammo when you find what it likes and there aint much choice. if you need the flatter trajectory of the .177 over the .22 cal for hunting go .22 fac IMO, if you think .177 kills just as well as .22 it does but only for brain shots and the brain is only a small part of the head

[The Duncan]

When shooting .177 I'd go for a heavier pellet. It carries it's energy slightly better and resists crosswinds more than a lighter pellet. Of course it will be slower, so the trajectory will be a bit more curved, but this shouldn't be a problem in said calibre!

 

The general thought is that domed pellets are more consistent/accurate. However if you fancy a departure from domed, I find RWS super-points accurate to 30yds (although I've only tried them in .22 flavour, but in a handful of guns). For close range ratting RWS h-points are good at hitting harder than domed or pointed pellets. Other brands of pointed or hollow pellets have been less than impressive

 

Happy shooting

I personally wouldn't bother with the heavier .177 pellets, what you gain in wind-cheating is trounced by the more pronounced trajectory.

You can counter the wind with practise anyway.

:yp:

[Holden]

well as im a noob i need to get myself an air rifle......i have thoughts on a good springer/gasram....... preferably a self contained gun [pcp's seem to be a lot of agro comparativly]?

anyways, in the old days i was only ever a .22 kinda guy......but from what ive been reading so far theres an awfull lot of you running 177 ... so it got me wondering why?

so for clarity lets have an idea of what gun you use [favourite if youve got many] what calibre, and whats your main use [target/hunting/indoor range/short-range/long-range etc....i kinda need to build a picture in my mind so i can make an informed descision

thanks guys n gals

177 or 22 ?? there both as bad as each other if you cant hit the target, i am sick of hearing this debate , one for feather , one for fur ,my ase,'

i use both, an if you can shoot straight you;ve got no problem.

 

cheers nick

[Albion]

I personally wouldn't bother with the heavier .177 pellets, what you gain in wind-cheating is trounced by the more pronounced trajectory.

You can counter the wind with practise anyway.

:yp:

 

Point taken, but I see it the other way. i.e. gravity is constant and easy to practice with, whereas wind is far more variable. Each to their own

[The Duncan]

Point taken, but I see it the other way. i.e. gravity is constant and easy to practice with, whereas wind is far more variable. Each to their own

Fair point Albion. I guess I'm happier adjusting windage

Do you find any advantage from the point of terminal ballistics? Don't heavy weight .177's tend to over-kill ? Good at energy retention at range though

I favour 8.4 grain AA field 4.52's and if shooting a rabbit (headshot for me, as always) and it is less than 25 yards away, I wait till its hopped a touch further away as I find iver penetration can be an issue.

They seem to kick for longer even with a well-placed brain shot if the pellet has passed clean through the cranium.

Personally, I prefer it when they just fall over, with just a kick.

 

ATB

 

Duncan

[Albion]

Fair point Albion. I guess I'm happier adjusting windage

Do you find any advantage from the point of terminal ballistics? Don't heavy weight .177's tend to over-kill ? Good at energy retention at range though

I favour 8.4 grain AA field 4.52's and if shooting a rabbit (headshot for me, as always) and it is less than 25 yards away, I wait till its hopped a touch further away as I find iver penetration can be an issue.

They seem to kick for longer even with a well-placed brain shot if the pellet has passed clean through the cranium.

Personally, I prefer it when they just fall over, with just a kick.

 

ATB

 

Duncan

 

TBH I can't recall shooting a rabbit with a .177, only pigeons. I tend to favour something that penetrates well for pigeons. Since 3 out of 4 of my rifles are .22, I'm just more used to a heavy pellet and loopy trajectory.