king ratcatcher Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 wright you guys, im going to get an s400k, but im very muddled on what caliber to go for, now i know we all have our opinions and so on, but what do you lot have for just hunting, cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roblade Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 its not about what other people have its about what you would feel most comfortable with. I prefeer a .177 due to the flater trajectory and less need to get the range perfect before taking the shots. If you have little expericance with airguns i would recomend a .177. which ever you choose though i would sujest you fidn out where your local club is and join up before parting with any money to buy a rifle, not only is it a good place to practise but most the time you would be able to try out other memebrs rifles to see if it really would be the best rifle you want. ROB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bindi Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 (edited) It really all depends upon what you want to shoot and at what ranges. If you are going for feathers, then i would agree with roblade and go for the .177, but if bunnies are your main goal then I would go for the .22 as the greater mass (yes, aimed well) will have greater killing power. If you fancy doing field target too, then most FT shooters I know shoot with .177 (for the improved trajectory). If its general hunting I would be inclined to differ from roblade and go for the .22, BUT its is personal choice. The larger .22 pellets aren't as fiddly to handle when its cold and your stuck in a bush waiting for a bunny to pop its head up. best wishes Bindi Edited February 18, 2006 by bindi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roblade Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 bindi, i totaly agree with you, the only reason i recomend .177 to new shooters is its a lot easier to pick up a .177 and start hitting things with it. .22 takes a lot more practise! but if your willing to put in the time and effort to learn the hold over/under it really is a lot more satisfying. but i do know a couple of shooters who go out as a pair one shoots with a S410 .177 and the other with a .22 S410 neither can claim to have the bigger bag over all. What will give you a bigger bag is practise practiuse practise and then a bit more practise in your spare time LOL I also think a good bit of field craft will make a big difference to the size of your bag when you hit the fields. These two points matter a whole lot moe than wondering what size pellet to throw. Another very important thing you need to learn is how to guestimate the ranges you will be shooting, its a lot easier than it sounds, firstly THROW OUT THE TAPE MEASURE! set up your zeroing targets every 5 paces, measure everything in foot steps (unless you have a lazer range finder) one decent sized pace is roughly 1 yard. that will give you a good idea of the pellets trajectory. and you can never have too much practise! You can practise range finding anywhere from shoping at tescos to walkign to the pub. Pick a marker and see if you can guess how many paces it is to that marker, then just think about how much hold over it would be for that distance. Open ground (fields) things will seem to be a lot further away and in cluttered ground (woods) they will seem to be closer (or is that the other way round LOL) like i said join a club and see what others are shoting and what would be a good standard, i certainly would hope you dont get a new rifle and start taking shots at vermin without knwing both your abilities and the rifles. ROB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackthorn Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 .177 .22 put in the right place they both kill shot a .22 for a lot of years now shoot a .177 and i wouldn't go back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magman Posted February 19, 2006 Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 always had .22 but it all comes down to personal choice. bought aas400k last summer and love it ,swapped from hw77k another love of mine. both bloody good guns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emdee Posted February 19, 2006 Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 i had always used a .22 calibre for all my shooting up until last year when i bought a bsa spitfire with a .177, and a .25 barrel ( both spare ) as well as the .22 fitted. as a matter of experiment i changed the barrel to the .177 and to be honest i now own two other guns in .177. as a hunting calibre the flatter trajectory makes it so much easier to hit the kill zone,and on both fur and feather i have not noticed any difference in stopping power . the exception to this rule being rats, which i would not attempt to shoot with anything less than .22 anyway. remember that if the shot is on target ,i.e, the rabbits brain then regardless of stopping power, the rabbit will still be humanely despatched. and you cannot kill something deader than dead,regardless of whether it is hit with a .177 pellet or an atomic bomb. the flatter trajectory of the .177 also makes it easier to effect a clean kill when lamping, as you do not have to be so precise at range estimation , which as anyone who lamps will tell you is a lot harder at night than in daylight . hope this helps mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNAKEBITE Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 I am neither a hair dresser, a sailor and I do not drive a Mazda MX5 so I shoot a .22 It makes me feel all butch Time to get my tin hat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROB REYNOLDS UK Posted February 23, 2006 Report Share Posted February 23, 2006 i say .177 for paper ,.22 for the live stuff ..why not try the .20 if your staying at 12lb ft best of both worlds then ...its .22 or nothing for me .. as you cant beat a bigger hole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancs Lad Posted February 23, 2006 Report Share Posted February 23, 2006 Real men shoot .22. Bi shoot .20 .177 well, Im saying no more. ITS all down to personal oppinion. and wether you can take the leg pulling. I would go for the s410 myself, in .22. But I have ALWAYS shot .22. I was looking for a tx200 in .177 but couldnt find on that was left handed at the time I was looking. So its now in .22 but I am possibly considering changing the barrell. Confidence is the Key, if your confident with .177 then shoot em, if your confident in .22 shoot them. Either one will Kill, knock down and put holes in paper. When shot right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNAKEBITE Posted February 23, 2006 Report Share Posted February 23, 2006 I was looking for a tx200 in .177 but couldnt find one I was looking as well but they don't do them in pink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackthorn Posted February 23, 2006 Report Share Posted February 23, 2006 I was looking for a tx200 in .177 but couldnt find one I was looking as well but they don't do them in pink. snakebite i Se we are back to why where clogs when you can ware pumps, and they come in all colours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNAKEBITE Posted February 23, 2006 Report Share Posted February 23, 2006 I was looking for a tx200 in .177 but couldnt find one I was looking as well but they don't do them in pink. snakebite i Se we are back to why where clogs when you can ware pumps, and they come in all colours To be realy honest I don't care what anyone shoots! I just have a pop at .177 as a bit of fun, I just hope eveyone realises this and takes it as it is meant! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackthorn Posted February 23, 2006 Report Share Posted February 23, 2006 I was looking for a tx200 in .177 but couldnt find one I was looking as well but they don't do them in pink. snakebite i Se we are back to why where clogs when you can ware pumps, and they come in all colours To be realy honest I don't care what anyone shoots! I just have a pop at .177 as a bit of fun, I just hope eveyone realises this and takes it as it is meant! i think we all know that mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sniper-Blend Posted February 23, 2006 Report Share Posted February 23, 2006 I personaly have always gone for a 22. i would never go bk to a 177. the problem with having a 177 it makes it more flimsy when shooting in the wind as it is lighter. I currently shoot a BSA Lightning XL 22. and its really impressive, i only have a cheap scope on it which is an AGS Saphire mildot 3-9x40 and even though it is cheap it really is an amazing scope but like all the rest say it is really all down to preferance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulos Posted February 24, 2006 Report Share Posted February 24, 2006 i much prefer .22, simply because i feel more confident in its stopping power, .177 may very well kill as well, but i always have doubt in the back of my mind and that affects my shooting, so stick to what i know. my big sausage fingers keep dropping .177 pellets as well. :*) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sniper-Blend Posted February 24, 2006 Report Share Posted February 24, 2006 Like the above i have always found that when out shooting especially at close range i.e ratting then a 22. has a lot more stopping power than a 177. i have found that when using a 177. on rats that it can pass right through which in my books is not a good thing, were as when i use a 22. i have not had this problem with the pellet passing through Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted February 24, 2006 Report Share Posted February 24, 2006 Assuming we are talking 12ft/lb: To be honest, from what I have learnt .177 and .22 are equally as affective. They both deliver the desired effect. For me however, the .22 is easy to handle and in hunting terms, and I mean PCP not springer, gives moves more shots per charge. So for me .22 is the way to go. As for the .177 being easier for a new shooter to pick up, well humbug. Wether it be .177 or .22, you need to learn to be proficient, before you decide to hunt, full stop! No one should try and hunt a live target, until they fully understand the mechanics of their rifle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sniper-Blend Posted February 24, 2006 Report Share Posted February 24, 2006 As for the .177 being easier for a new shooter to pick up, well humbug. Wether it be .177 or .22, you need to learn to be proficient, before you decide to hunt, full stop! No one should try and hunt a live target, until they fully understand the mechanics of their rifle! I agree mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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