ian w-b Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 afternoon all we all know how a .22 is ment to be better for huntting and the .177 for hft/ft,but what about the .20 for some one that likes to do a bit of both.im looking for a new gun so am open to any coments/help on this.. x thanks Ian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaxiDriver Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 Probably(?) limited choice of pellets Probably(?) smaller choice of guns available too Go 177 and use a heavier pellet for hunting ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biffo Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 afternoon all we all know how a .22 is ment to be better for huntting and the .177 for hft/ft,but what about the .20 for some one that likes to do a bit of both.im looking for a new gun so am open to any coments/help on this.. x thanks Ian. I'll be able to tell you soon, I've just bought a Theoben Evolution in .20, I've just not been out to use it yet though ! Up to getting my FAC I always used .177 (PCP) with a heavy pellet (over 10g) and that seemed to do a pretty good job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 I never knew 22 was better. Bloody 'ell, been selling myself short all these years The Hw80 in .20 was mustard U. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_No Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 I'd like to try a .20 myself, hens teeth though and limited pellet choice + increased cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 afternoon all we all know how a .22 is ment to be better for huntting and the .177 for hft/ft,but what about the .20 for some one that likes to do a bit of both.im looking for a new gun so am open to any coments/help on this.. x thanks Ian. I used one quite a while, the limiting factor is pellets. Crossman accupell are the same weight and trajectory in both .22 and .20- trajectory gain is nil and i never noticed any better windages while shooting. FTT and holopoints from H&N were very good but i cant say way better than the same in .22 cal. The gun was a theoben sirroco 2000. I cant honestly say i would have another .20 at sub 12 ft lb and wouldn't bother at all in FAC unless it was very modest in output, there is just not the choice in ammo and if you buy one that wont shoot the lighter H&N or cant get them locally there is nil gain over .22. The only thing i might note is i shot a load of magpies one evening with .20 H&N holopoints and they litrally blew thier sculls apart - i have never seen this in .22 or .177 sub 12ft lb guns. the shots were perhaps 20 yds average Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian w-b Posted February 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Thanks for your input, it might have to be a .177 the with a heavy slug for hutting . thanks Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_No Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Thanks for your input, it might have to be a .177 the with a heavy slug for hutting . thanks Ian Don't forget that changing pellet will effect your zero so if you zero with the lighter pellet your POI will be different when youre hunting with the heavier pellet. Sorry if I'm teaching Grandma but its worth mentioning! ATB D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Thanks for your input, it might have to be a .177 the with a heavy slug for hutting . thanks Ian There is comparitively little between the three in the field, personally all mine are .22 these days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimfireboy Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 In my opinion .20 is the best hunting calibre sub 12 ft lbs . They fly flatter than .22 even at the same pellet weight because they have better drag coefficient so the take longer to slow down, therefore holding their energy for longer down range. I have been using air rifles for vermin for 35 years and have used all four calibres but for the last 15 years or so my .20 theoben sirocco has been my air rifle of choice on most occasions. It's great with 11.4 grain h&n ftt . I reckon one foot pound energy per one grain pellet weight is the ideal minimum for small vermin. Unfortunately this almost rules out the .22 off ticket but I did say ideally. Just try .22 heavies or .25 at sub 12 ft lbs and you will see for yourself, it's not really enough. Other than very short range work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lord_seagrave Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Apologies for hijacking the thread. I've been meaning to put a note in the For Sale section for a while. I have a .20 HW97k that I used mainly for target work (both indoors and out). I bought it brand new in about 2004, but it was not (to the best of my knowledge) a Hull Cartridges import. It's had a few thousand pellets through it (which have all, with the exception of half a tin of Logun somethingorothers, been H&N FTTs), but it has been very well looked after. Very solid and very accurate, but I simply don't have time to shoot it any more - for nearly five years, it hasn't had a round through it. As you can tell, I am in no particular hurry to part with it, but it would be available for sale (with or without the glass {Hawke Pro-Stalk 3-9 x 50}, gunbag and a tin and a bit of pellets) for the right price. PM if interested. Cheers, LS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 In my opinion .20 is the best hunting calibre sub 12 ft lbs . They fly flatter than .22 even at the same pellet weight because they have better drag coefficient so the take longer to slow down, therefore holding their energy for longer down range. I have been using air rifles for vermin for 35 years and have used all four calibres but for the last 15 years or so my .20 theoben sirocco has been my air rifle of choice on most occasions. It's great with 11.4 grain h&n ftt . I reckon one foot pound energy per one grain pellet weight is the ideal minimum for small vermin. Unfortunately this almost rules out the .22 off ticket but I did say ideally. Just try .22 heavies or .25 at sub 12 ft lbs and you will see for yourself, it's not really enough. Other than very short range work. This is not my findings on trajectory. Same weight, same energy = same drop. Lighter weight H&N FTT were a different matter but there aint much in it after all 7 yrds is pretty much the trajectory advantage in .177 over .22. .20 crossmans were once over stated on thier BC this lead to much crontrovesty in the past. I actually tested this in the past side by side on the range, only i cannot remember the H&N .22 and .20 compared- it was better in .20 though not enough to make any difference. As for ruling out the .22 sub 12ft lb off ticket- funny i certainly kill more with my .22 lazerglide than i do with my FAC rapid each year I have only .22 cal sub 12ft lb these days and .22 at FAC levels, theirs a lot of good logic in this when you need more ammo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catweazle Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 .20 crossmans were once over stated on thier BC this lead to much crontrovesty in the past. There was also a big gaffe on the Theoben website and printed literature about .20 ballistics. I had a big row with Hugh( the Ben of TheoBen ) about it, he finally admitted it was a mistake. This misprint lead to a lot of people thinking the .20 was some kind of miracle calibre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pimpkiller Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 The magazines usually concluded They were a jack of all trades but hampered due to availability. 177 for easy accuracy 22 for sledge hammer performance but the 20 was poor at either even if you can get them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitsinhedges Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 (edited) .20 with H&N FTT pellets is unbeatable for sub 12. Heavy 177 pellets do not hit harder than light ones, they just drop more. It's the frontal area of the pellet that matters for hitting power. Edited February 17, 2012 by sitsinhedges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 18, 2012 Report Share Posted February 18, 2012 There was also a big gaffe on the Theoben website and printed literature about .20 ballistics. I had a big row with Hugh( the Ben of TheoBen ) about it, he finally admitted it was a mistake. This misprint lead to a lot of people thinking the .20 was some kind of miracle calibre. Yeah, i just did it without using any names Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimfireboy Posted February 18, 2012 Report Share Posted February 18, 2012 Same weight with smaller surface area equals higher bc, so slower to lose velocity it gives a flatter trajectory as it reaches the target quicker. Never said sub 12 ft lbs .22's dont kill vermin. I've shot loads with a .22. I just think that they work better with a bit more poke. I find the .20 better at sub 12 ft lbs than the .22. Heavier, less aerodynamic objects need more power / velocity for the same performance as far as trajectory is concerned. Just my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 Same weight with smaller surface area equals higher bc, so slower to lose velocity it gives a flatter trajectory as it reaches the target quicker. Never said sub 12 ft lbs .22's dont kill vermin. I've shot loads with a .22. I just think that they work better with a bit more poke. I find the .20 better at sub 12 ft lbs than the .22. Heavier, less aerodynamic objects need more power / velocity for the same performance as far as trajectory is concerned. Just my opinion. Mate, you might be thinking about it too much .177 is exepted to be the flatest and you get around 7 yds, any difference between .22 and .20 dont add up to a hill of beans. I did like mine and if there was the same availability of ammo across the brands i would have another- but there aint and i aint ever gonna go through the hassle again for 4-5yrd at the very best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimfireboy Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 H&n .20 ftt's work for me so I'm sticking with em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitty tree Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 hello. i have a sherridan .20 blue streak no probs rats/rabbits/pigeons. no messing . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimfireboy Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 I had a blue steak years ago it was a great little lightweight gun. Bit stiff to pump but I wish I still had it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 I had a blue steak years ago it was a great little lightweight gun. Bit stiff to pump but I wish I still had it. Same ,ere U. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.