.22 VS .25 Slugs, What's your choice and why?! The Ultimate Poll

[ThomasT]

Out of curiosity what kind of game do you shoot with pellets? Small birds i guess? Cheers!

Hello @hacabrera071

A .22 caliber 25.39gr pellet can bring down in one shot a 35 pound pig. The key is like @Firewalker stated, "placement".

ThomasT

 

[Centercut]

I’m a ground squirrel shooter. Made my first trip to Nevada already and will be going on my second trip next week. First trip I killed just over 100 with the air rifles. Now I have tried both 22 and 25. 10 foot pounds of energy difference is not significant in my opinion. I am a 22 guy all the way. On my first trip most shots were 100-150 yards. I did make a couple at 250. To me, the 22 just seems to handle everything better.

Which slugs, weight and speed are you shooting in .22?

 

[hacabrera071]

I pest and hunt small game up to rabbit size in a rural area. I live on 10 acres but there are a number of houses within slug range and there is a high likelihood that people will be out riding bikes or walking the dog. The fact that pellets loose their energy faster and have a shorter range is a benefit rather than a liability.

My thinking is this...
How far away can you spot a bird, rabbit or squirrel?
How far away can you consistently hit the 1 inch kill-zone on the animal?
How much energy do you need to dispatch the animal?
How much energy is wasted/not needed after the projectile passes through the animal?

You may be a better shot but for me, under my typical conditions, 50-60 yards is my practical limit and a 30-33 fpe, .22 caliber PCP shooting pellets will do the job just fine. I can consistently hit where I want/need to don't need to compensate for inaccuracies with excessive power. I don't need/want more energy or range.

As far as .22 caliber power goes, 30-33 fpe (16-18 grain pellets) is typical and practical for most mainstream PCPs (like my Air Arms, Daystate, Feinwerkbau, FX and Weihrauch rifles) giving reasonable shot-counts.

To up the .22 caliber power I use my Impact with 25 grain JSBs tuned to around 50 fpe. At this power level the Impact has no problem dispatching groundhogs, raccoons or porcupines.

For more .22 caliber power my Panthera is (currently) shooting 34 grain slugs at just over 60 fpe. I've killed two coyotes (at about 50 yards) with this setup. When I'm done testing slugs, the Panthera will get a new liner and be tuned to shoot pellets.

Slugs have a "cool factor" but from the economical perspective, pellets are a lot cheaper (cost and air) so I can shoot more, they have proven they are effective and (repeatedly) demonstrated that they are more accurate than slugs within their effective range. Yeah, slugs have a better BC and don't drift as much in the wind but that really is a benefit at longer than the ranges I typically shoot at.

In my comment to the OP, I prefer .22 caliber for the reasons listed above. If I was typically shooting larger, tougher pests (groundhogs) or animals like ground squirrels at longer ranges the I'd definitely go to .25 or larger.

As a side bar, I did hunt squirrels with slugs and my Panthera last fall. The young lads who have permission to hunt on my property had the squirrels spooked to the point that you couldn't get within 60 yards of them. I setup a chair and rest in the hardwood bush and took 18 squirrels that season - all head-shots, all on the ground with a safe backstop - at between 60 and 80 yards.

View attachment 458063

My thought is: Don't underestimate the power of modern .22 caliber PCPs. Each to their own eh?
Cheers!

I hadn’t thought about the fpe factor for hunting… your comments really bring just about everything I’ve read together, in my CF and RF rigs I usually focus more on bullet weight, speed and drop since most of what I do is target shooting out to distance… for hunting hogs, coyotes and deer I just use a 6.5PRC and I know they’ll be dead for sure…

anyways, coming back to air guns for hunting, seems we have to be more cognizant of energy on target, and that makes sense as we have less projectile weight and less speed… I was thinking about getting an airgun to use in the same manner I use my other rifles (target practice and hunting), but now that you put things in perspective I think I need 2 different tools for the 2 purposes described above… one airgun for backyard hunting, more than likely a .22 cal shooting pellets and another rig for target practice from 100-200+yds perhaps in .25cal.

Thanks @Vana2 i appreciate your input sir!

 

[Larryt]

Well, only allowed up to .22 without firearms license. Much easier to get a .50 BMG license than .25 cal air rifle.

 

[Franklink]

I pest and hunt small game up to rabbit size in a rural area. I live on 10 acres but there are a number of houses within slug range and there is a high likelihood that people will be out riding bikes or walking the dog. The fact that pellets loose their energy faster and have a shorter range is a benefit rather than a liability.

My thinking is this...
How far away can you spot a bird, rabbit or squirrel?
How far away can you consistently hit the 1 inch kill-zone on the animal?
How much energy do you need to dispatch the animal?
How much energy is wasted/not needed after the projectile passes through the animal?

You may be a better shot but for me, under my typical conditions, 50-60 yards is my practical limit and a 30-33 fpe, .22 caliber PCP shooting pellets will do the job just fine. I can consistently hit where I want/need to don't need to compensate for inaccuracies with excessive power. I don't need/want more energy or range.

As far as .22 caliber power goes, 30-33 fpe (16-18 grain pellets) is typical and practical for most mainstream PCPs (like my Air Arms, Daystate, Feinwerkbau, FX and Weihrauch rifles) giving reasonable shot-counts.

To up the .22 caliber power I use my Impact with 25 grain JSBs tuned to around 50 fpe. At this power level the Impact has no problem dispatching groundhogs, raccoons or porcupines.

For more .22 caliber power my Panthera is (currently) shooting 34 grain slugs at just over 60 fpe. I've killed two coyotes (at about 50 yards) with this setup. When I'm done testing slugs, the Panthera will get a new liner and be tuned to shoot pellets.

Slugs have a "cool factor" but from the economical perspective, pellets are a lot cheaper (cost and air) so I can shoot more, they have proven they are effective and (repeatedly) demonstrated that they are more accurate than slugs within their effective range. Yeah, slugs have a better BC and don't drift as much in the wind but that really is a benefit at longer than the ranges I typically shoot at.

In my comment to the OP, I prefer .22 caliber for the reasons listed above. If I was typically shooting larger, tougher pests (groundhogs) or animals like ground squirrels at longer ranges the I'd definitely go to .25 or larger.

As a side bar, I did hunt squirrels with slugs and my Panthera last fall. The young lads who have permission to hunt on my property had the squirrels spooked to the point that you couldn't get within 60 yards of them. I setup a chair and rest in the hardwood bush and took 18 squirrels that season - all head-shots, all on the ground with a safe backstop - at between 60 and 80 yards.

View attachment 458063

My thought is: Don't underestimate the power of modern .22 caliber PCPs. Each to their own eh?
Cheers!

Nice big dose of reality in the whole of your post. Sometimes the advertising and hype component of our industry outruns common sense.

 

[Firewalker]

I apologize if I came across that way, it was not my intention, it was an authentic question from an airgun noob who is trying to learn what are the real life applications of pellets and slugs in their different sizes… you know, some brands are marketing monsters that over stretch what their products can do… hence I’m asking the real users of the products to understand what really does work and for what application…

There is a bloke here that lives in Hawaii and he has had clean kills on feral hogs with .177!

The point though is that it's the shot placement more than tissue damage that makes for a clean kill.

I am not that good of a shot to do that but I've yet had a racoon, whistlepig or other critter that size run after the shot.

That said, I am going to grab the .25 with grizzlies every time due to the explosive energy dump I get at 950fps.

 

[Firewalker]

Well, only allowed up to .22 without firearms license. Much easier to get a .50 BMG license than .25 cal air rifle.

My Maverick shoots NSA 27.5GR slugs at 950fps with enough energy for coyotes, bobcats and fox.

 

[DesertSilver]

I shoot both.22 and .25 slugs that I cast.

 

[archerhmr]

I shoot .22, NSA 31.2, at 1000fps. I have shot at 1040, but that uses a bit more air. I shoot both an Impact and Panthera set at 1000fps, trajectory is close to the same but scope elevation does make a little difference

 

[Solo1]

25 easier to get higher bc more efficient

 

[Frank in Fairfield]

.22
Why?
Because I only have a .22!

 

[Nomadic Pirate 66]

Out of curiosity what kind of game do you shoot with pellets? Small birds i guess? Cheers!

Never underestimate pellets.

With the right pellet for the task and the proper shot placement you can take down critters you would not think it's possible to.

I have taken several big Wild boars with .22s my pellet of choice where EunJin 32gr and 28gr with guns in the 50-60 FPE range and H&N Baracuda with lower powered guns.


Here is a very decent sized boar taken down with a Lowly .22 springer and H&N Baracuda 21gr

 

[Tack Driver]

Seems like there’s a lot more slug options available for .22 cal. and that’s why I went with .22 for my slug gun. Plus I want to shoot NRL22 and I’m not sure if all matches allow .25.

 

[Rizz01]

.25 is my favorite these days. A lot easier for my arthritic fingers to load the mags/shot trays. Most of my shooting is at 75 + yards anyway. Still shooting .22 cal but significantly less. At least until the Notos I ordered from AoA shows up. Curious to see if I can validate the current "hype" behind this gun.