Which caliber for racoons, groundhogs?

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Stalker I took a coyote last night with my Bobcat .25 shooting heavies at 50y. My .30 is in repair so I used what I have. I do like my .30 better, it hits with 55ft/lb's at 50y my .25 hits with 35ft/lbs at 50y. When things don't go according to plan with shot placement the extra power helps. I remove lots of pests on farms and I feel a coyote drops easier than a coon considering head shots. Nothing like all the info we give out on this forum. Can confuse a fellow. Goodluck
 
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Sounds like 25 cal is favorite choice here. When I posted the question 30 cal was strongly suggested, many said the 25 was marginal.
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An old thread for sure. Glad you brought it back up. Just took one this evening at 35 yard with a 22. DRT never moved, not even the tail twirl.

I believe its a case of not wanting to wait for the shot and just shoot em in the arse and humanely put them down. A 30 cal for chucks? Dont some states let you use 30 cal for deer? As has been said, shot placement is key. You can miss just as bad with a 45.
 
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Yes you can shoot a deer in my state with .30 Cal rifle. Good shooting on that coon. Even though I remove farm pests with my airguns I only shoot head shots. I just started removing coyotes in my area because the deer hunters have been giving me heck for letting them pass. My night camera's are filling up with coyote now so I put them on the list. I think the night sounds while out late on a hunt is the most relaxing hobbie I have had. Good luck with your new gun I believe you will enjoy it as much a all of us on the nation. 
 
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Sounds like 25 cal is favorite choice here. When I posted the question 30 cal was strongly suggested, many said the 25 was marginal.
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An old thread for sure. Glad you brought it back up. Just took one this evening at 35 yard with a 22. DRT never moved, not even the tail twirl.

I believe its a case of not wanting to wait for the shot and just shoot em in the arse and humanely put them down. A 30 cal for chucks? Dont some states let you use 30 cal for deer? As has been said, shot placement is key. You can miss just as bad with a 45.
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My question was in regards to coons.
 
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I shoot 5-15 coons a year. The only way to drop them is with a headshot. A .177 must be hot and using a stout pellet. Spent 3 years whacking them with a 900fps 18gr .22. Switched to a .25 for the last two years. The .25 still requires the exact same shot placement as a .22 or they just suck it up and run. Buy a .25 if you are just looking for an excuse to buy one but the only difference in shooting groundhogs and coons with a .25 is the pop and the price. An accurate nice handling gun for quick shots is key. If you are looking for a caliber to make up for a marginal hit, you are going to have to jump up to a .45 and that's a cannon in a neighborhood.
 
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So you guys don’t think a 30 is needed ? Or there is not that much of a difference from a 25 ? This gun will get shot very little, maybe a couple shots a month, maybe once in six months, after sighting in and getting familiar with it. I have killed a couple with 177 springer but it’s obvious when shooting them, that is not the best choice, I don’t care how they do it in Europe. As far as accurate shots, these will be “ treed” by my dog and when iam talking treed it may be on the shelf in my garage, on my roof, backed into a corner by my dog and seriously pissed off, so not sitting still in the least, they are very agitated ! Growling hissing trying to fight my dog sometimes.
 
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For coons I believe in using as large a caliber as you can safely shoot where you are. Only the OP will be able to make that decision for his location. I've seen coons hit with .22 Long Rifle and .410 shotguns still try to fight dogs once on the ground. They are tough animals but a head shot with a good pellet in .177 will cleanly kill one at the ranges mentioned by the OP. Will the .25 or even the .22 kill one more quickly? Depends on the shooter. How safe do you need to be and can you put the shot where it needs to be. I prefer .177 for the vast majority of my air gun shooting but this particular use could benefit from the larger calibers depending on shooter and conditions.
 
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Clyde, I think the answer to your question regarding the best caliber for the job, is the same as the best handgun for self defense.....the one in your hands! Don't get carried away by the numbers. It takes a well placed shot to do a humane job on either critter, and the difference between suggested calibers does not offset a poorly placed shot. 
 
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GLPalinkas said:
+3 on what others have stated..... You need hard pellets to penetrate the skull and the JSB do not fit the mission. I am a JSB fan and use them for all my target and general pest control applications. However, raccoons have a VERY tough skull. I use a .25 Marauder with H&N Baracuda Hunters.
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I cant say I disagree with this.I will say this,when I stepped up to a 55 fpe .25, the JSB’s worked a lot better than they did out of a stock 38 fpe .25 Marauder. With 33.95 JSB going 850, I have much better success on coons and groundhogs.
 
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Spryguy1. said:
Would just like to say this: I have anchored more hogs with my .22 Mrod using 14.3 CPHP than I ever could/did with JSB (any weight) in .25 caliber from an Mrod.I'm talking groundhogs now. Coincidence? I think not.I have to agree with these folks that are saying to use a harder pellet.It really sucks ,too, cuz the JSB are the most accurate pellets in my .25 Mrods,but I really do not like them for hunting much.Have had far better success rate with 14.3 Crosman premier hollowpoint in .22. Best of luck and happy hunting,gentlemen.
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Update: I have since writing this,acquired a more powerful .25 cal than the .25 Mrod and my new one is a 55 fpe rifle.I now use this rifle with the 33.95 Rangemaster pellet which is a version pf JSB 33.95 mk1/ or maybe mk2.Anyhow,when using this powerful .25, I would recommend this over most .22’s including my .22 Marauder and cphp 14.3
 
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