.25 cal? pros and cons please

[airarmsandy]

evening all, ive been thinking of adding a .25 cal to my firearm cert has any body got any experience of this caliber and could there be a list of pros and cons? thanks in advance andy

[secretagentmole]

1) Hits like a brick.

 

2) Unless FAC flies like one as well!

[turbo33]

Is there any point to .25? Your getting back into loopy trajectory territory....tin hat on In FAC, .22 seems to be the choice as with the extra air over non fac, you get a nice flat trajectory and plenty enough wallop to take out anything on the list. An 18 to 21grn .22 pellet with 27ftlbs+ air behind it is more than adequate for pretty much any situation I would have thought.

I run bis mags, .22 through mine at 36ftls and they will pass straight through a pigeon at 50 yards, creating massive internal damage. I can't see the point for even more damage from a larger/heavier pellet. But its all down to personal choice

Edited January 8, 2014 by turbo33

[timmytree]

If your target moves you can run after the pellet and catch it.

When you go back to .22 you've got a good supply of .25 doorstops, paperweights and seafishing leads.

[kent]

Downside? obtainability, if your gun is fussy you might be really stuffed on that one. There is little to gain but if pellets were common and much more selection locally then it might well be a great choice.

[pork chop]

stick to 22 buddy bigger pellet choice more guns ,as said above hits like a brick and drops like one

[Jim_gsxr1000]

better off using a .22LR far better if your going to the bother of FAC air guns

[kent]

better off using a .22LR far better if your going to the bother of FAC air guns

For 99 out of 100 tasks I agree, need to remember most rifle shooters today progress from 12 ft lb air power so these things will always be popular with them

[Rimfireboy]

The marksman .25's run 530 fps at 11.7 ft lb, so not too slow really.. Better at FAC levels though obviously. You've got the advantage of surface area over the .22 so in theory, should hit harder?

[NIGHT SEARCHER]

Yes i have 3 x .177 cal 6 x .22 cal 1 x .25 cal.

The .25 cal is a Hatsan Striker 1000s wooden stock i give £100 for it brand new i put a £30 scope on it and a £20 Silencer so all in £150 sorted and good fun.

I use the .25 cal on Rats in Barns and pig pen`s it hits like a sledgehammer a right old pop.

I use Marksman 21 grain pellets and Ram Point 27 grain pellets.

I only use it out to 30 yds has pellet drop is bad beyond 35 yds.

But at close range the .25 cal has devour-stating impact power

My gun is doing 11.9 ftlb with the 27 grain pellets.

But the .25 cal are a lot slower getting to your target.

I have had Rats move just before impact and do one like they see the pellet coming.

I do use Night Vision on a .22 PCP most of the time but the .25 cal at close range is good fun.

 

Happy

[Dougy]

Cons,

 

1 limited pellets

 

2 need "some" power to see the real benifit to chucking a heavy pellet down range.

 

3 rainbow trajectory

 

4 PCP would definately be the only way to go to have any benefit,and therefore very limited choice of rifles in FAC compared to a 22

 

Pros;-

 

1 Hit hard.

[Underdog]

I enjoy mine. shooting straight up at birds is good. 30yds and under is fine on rabbits. Mine is sub 12 and many a pellet is re-usable!

 

I can imagine an FAC one being very good. I can also see the reasoning behind the naa sayers but I tell ya....it is kinder addictive whacking something with that big pellet!

As for the pellet choice argument.....more than enough choice is available! Out of the six types I have tried between 18-31grn they all work. The 18 grn BSA pylarms knock the snot out of woodies! H&N trophies are the same.

 

U.

[pabs]

At FAC power they are devastating, and no 'rainbow' trajectory.

Bigger kill zone.

H&N Baracuda or JSB Kings usually work well in most barrels, especially the Kings(basically a .25 version of an AA Field or JSB Exact) and they are readily available.

Edited January 8, 2014 by pabs

[Dekers]

A .25 in 12ft lb will have a very limited use, frankly in FAC its use isn't much wider!

 

Consider very carefully what you want of it before you invest!

[TopDown]

Always fancied a .20 myself. Might still swap out my .22 for one. I can't see an advantage of .25 over .22. .22 hits hard enough and has pellets dealing well with FAC power. That argument can of course be made in respect of many calibres.

[NIGHT SEARCHER]

There`s lot`s of .25 cal pellets out there.

RWS have just started doing Superdomes. Superfield. Superpoints. in .25 cal.

.25 cal is getting a lot more popular for short range vermin control under 35 yds.

The impact power is outstanding. I have head shot Rats and the impact has spun them round.

The pop on impact is massive. And the pellets dump there Kinetic energy very well.

You get very clean kills has the shock wave kills them with 27 grain pellets.

In sub 12 ftlb the 27 gn pellets do drop after 35 yds but under 35 yds great.

In FAC Say 30 ft lb they should be good out at 60 70 yds.

[Underdog]

Funny int it...them that dont use one all poopoo the idea and us that have one love them!

[Dekers]

Funny int it...them that dont use one all poopoo the idea and us that have one love them!

 

 

 

Every gun and every calibre has a use for someone, sometimes that use is limited, or very limited, sometimes people move on and get a better suited rifle selection for their applications!

 

Sometimes people just have to make the best of what they have.

 

That doesn't mean a .25 is useless!

Edited January 9, 2014 by Dekers

[secretagentmole]

Why not get a Wolverine .303?

[Michael170874]

Unless your throwing it at 60 plus ftbls power i wouldnt entertain it .my mates both had those koreas that look like over under shotguns ugly things in 25 cal putting out 80 ftbls and still the trajectory at 70 yds was stupid compared to my 22 fac airarms doing 28ftbls they drop like a breeze block .theres nothing that a 22 fac wont knock over in small game ,so why give yourself a headache with this pointless caliber

[kent]

The marksman .25's run 530 fps at 11.7 ft lb, so not too slow really.. Better at FAC levels though obviously. You've got the advantage of surface area over the .22 so in theory, should hit harder?

 

Yeah, make a bigger hole? but will also penetrate less due to the larger surface area by the very same std.

[wraivi]

 

Yeah, make a bigger hole? but will also penetrate less due to the larger surface area by the very same std.

Not necessarily less penetration, the terminal ballistics rely very little on surface area.

The sectional density of the round and velocity will have a greater influence on penetration.

[Dekers]

The marksman .25's run 530 fps at 11.7 ft lb, so not too slow really.. Better at FAC levels though obviously. You've got the advantage of surface area over the .22 so in theory, should hit harder?

 

 

 

Yeah, make a bigger hole? but will also penetrate less due to the larger surface area by the very same std.

 

At sub 12ft lb the difference in energy transfer isn't worth wasting your breath for, as long as both stay in.

[kent]

Always fancied a .20 myself. Might still swap out my .22 for one. I can't see an advantage of .25 over .22. .22 hits hard enough and has pellets dealing well with FAC power. That argument can of course be made in respect of many calibres.

 

I have used .20 it suffers badly with pellet availability and some .20 pellets have exactly the same weight as comparison to .22 in the same brand (they just make them longer) this means trajectory is equal. To be honest sub 12 ft lb at 30 yds all 12ft lb guns are equal in the hunting field at 30 yds as regards hitting your target.

 

The best .20 pellet I found was H&N hollow points, although I can't see why but they did actually expand at best airgun pellets squish down a bit on entering quarry but these did, maybe a softer batch? Anyway hit in equal places and dead is dead and they lost the plot about 35 yds like all wad cutter and hollow point pellets I have ever used.

 

would I buy another .20 ? not unless pellet availability equalled the .22 and I needed another gun, same with .25 cal - if anyone has a BSA lightning .25 tube I am interested though

[Rimfireboy]

Unless your throwing it at 60 plus ftbls power i wouldnt entertain it .my mates both had those koreas that look like over under shotguns ugly things in 25 cal putting out 80 ftbls and still the trajectory at 70 yds was stupid compared to my 22 fac airarms doing 28ftbls they drop like a breeze block .theres nothing that a 22 fac wont knock over in small game ,so why give yourself a headache with this pointless caliber

Sorry, I never realised that .25 was pointless. Thanks for the heads up on that one.