Advantages of .22 caliber 25gr vs .25 caliber 25gr?



I'm a cheapskate. .25 JSB's are 350 for around $19 per tin. .22 are 500 for around $19 per tin.

.22 will use less air (typically, not always)

For paper, I'd also drop to the 18 grain pellets, 830-ish fps, save air, accurate.

40 yards, .22 is accurate, and the 18 grain have less energy, and usually quieter. Suburbia can be a noisy place, no reason to add to the noise

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Noise level is definitely a consideration. Brian at EDgun assures me that the R5m's power setting are easily accessible. So...

Thanks for the reminder.



 


My opinion go .22 with lighter pellet, or .177. Those 25 grain at those speeds carry a lot of energy...for Suburbia! Please be safe!



Beach-gunner

Dennis

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Safety is always at the forefront of my mind. My home is on the corner lot, on a steep slope with a dense wooded area at the bottom. My biggest problem is the noise level when the pellets impact the target.

BTW, I enjoyed your pix of your recent hunting trip. Keep up the good work. And thanks for the reminder about safety.


 


In my opinion at the distances you are talking about there is no advantage to the 25. BUT I'd love to know how they would compare at 75 and even 100.

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Occasionally -- i.e. rare occasion -- I do get to stretch my target shooting out to 100+ yards. On those occasions the .25 calibers ( FX Impact and FX Wildcat) have outperformed my .22 caliber Vulcan Gen IV. The wind conditions did affect the performance of guns. But wind and other environmental conditions are a fact of life.

Thanks for your input.


 


Either will be more than enough. When I was a kid I used a Daisy 880 with open sights to hunt squirrels and if they got within 30 yards they were dead meat.

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Somehow, having enough and slightly more than enough causes me anxiety. Inferiority complex, I suppose. I always seem to opt for overkill. But at my age (63 yoa), I've resigned myself to my shortcomings.

Thanks for your wise counsel.


 


Pretty much whatever you aim at with either caliber will be dead at those ranges. Paper or pest. Seriously.

How do I know? I have the Daystate Wolverine HP in 22 cal slinging the redesigned 25.4g at 920 fps. I also have the EDgun R5M 25 cal slinging the 25.4g at 900 fps.

Ballistic Coefficient will be negligible at the 30-40 yard ranges you'll be shooting so choose whatever gun you want really.

Things to really think about:

1. Ammo availability - with the advent of the Red Wolf HP, those redesigned 25.4g's are hard to find now, so you may have to wait for ammo.

2. Air consumption - slight advantage to the 22 cal

3. Does the R5M sling those redesigned 25.4g's well?? I have no idea. So I'd first talk to Brian over at EdgunWest or anyone else here who can chime in and tell you if they've shot those pellets through their gun and what kind of accuracy you should expect. I do know that the R5M in 25 caliber shoots the 25.4g's really well - heck, it's the preferred pellet weight straight out of the box.

4. Does the 25.4g 22 cal redesigned pellet fly accurately at lower velocities you're stating: 860-880 range? Again, something to consider.

5. The 22 cal 25.4g redesigned fly really well out of the LW polygonal barrels slinging them above 900 fps. The R5M has a standard LW barrel. I'd like to know how the regular LW barrels handle this heavy pellet at speeds lower than 900 fps before making the decision you're trying to make.

I know I've just complicated things in a way for you. But those are things I'd consider if I were in your shoes.

I'd recommend the R5M in 25 caliber because it's a tried and tested platform for many shooters on this forum and we know the gun is very accurate with them.

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This is all your fault, you know. I would have been perfectly satisfied with my current "arsenal" -- as my wife calls it -- but you had to get that awesome Matador R5m, laminate, and post pictures of it.

Not to mention the Red Wolf Walnut you highlighted.

Seriously though, the list of concerns and questions you listed is quite comprehensive and greatly appreciated. Thanks for your advice.


 


I like to watch the squirrel hunter youtube channel. A lot of times he uses a 177 or 20 cal sub 12 fpe and hunt from about 25 yards. He normally is a "one shot - one kill" shooter with that power level. At the level you will be using you can practically shoot small game anywhere and still kill them. 

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Is that done by our English cousins?

They are by law restricted to 12fpe without a permit, I believe. 

I will give them a look-see.


 


......22........ way too much damage for .25 cals. you'll be sick of raking splinters, building backstops, and wondering where your pellet came down in thru someone's glass 5 blocks away.......... many of us as airgunners dont fully realize the fact that .25 (6.35mm) is really TWO jumps from .22....... somehow , the powers that be whom influence lead pellet and airgun manufacturing - they skipped right over .24 caliber (or 6mm) ---- airsoft got it --- how does THAT happen ? ? idk. idc anymore , either... i'm not even fighting for 5mm these days....

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I agree about the .25 caliber's impact on a backstop. I use a steel-belted radial tire with shoot n see stick-on targets on the tread side. This setup, at 40 yards is an efficient pellet trap. 

My bird feeder, that is a magnet for squirrels, chipmunks and even a rare raccoon, is 30 yards from the tripod mounted on my patio deck. Behind the bird feeder I've placed a three-quarter inch plywood board (8ft x 6ft), and reinforced with two 4ft x 6ft rubber stall mats. The privacy fence behind this setup is 8 feet high. So far, so good.

Thanks for your input.


 
I've asked the same question. I had a Kral PB built for this pellet in .22. I'ts my first PCP but I'm shooting the Monsters in .22 under 1" at 75 yards off the trunk of my car. Shooting them between 860-880fps. .25 has a better natural impact dump upon impact with greater surface area it slows down faster but this, as well as .001 BC, makes no difference for what you're doing. ...doesn't mean it's not worth spending hours researching though!

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Researching, then trial and retrial. That may in fact be a big part of my attraction to this hobby.

Thanks for your info on the efficacy of there monsters at 860-880 fps. Useful information.


 
.......if i were shooting grackles and pidgeons at over 80 yards.....25 cal...... sometimes the .25 syth rod gets them at 120+ yards... the .22 version just didnt have quite the extended range for me.... wish they would have let try .24 cal / 6mm...... would have been like .22-50 swift , or the .204 varmint guns...

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"...24 cal / 6mm..."

That is interesting!
 
I’m waiting on that shipment too, I have taken grackles out to 106 yards with my streamline 22. Now I’m wanting the r5m 25 cal long for longer shots. Even though a lot of birds dropped first shot I feel the pellet zipped right through and didn’t dump enough energy. This is just my personal opinion within 60 yards and closer most birds were dropped with 22 18grn jsb with my gun set on high. 

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Your post reminds me of the occasions - at least 3 -- where I've placed what I feel are perfect heart-lung shots on Collared Doves, with my Vulcan Tactical Gen IV, only see the bird shake it off and fly away. These shots were made at approximately 30 yards. No such issues when using any of my .25 caliber rifles.

Thanks for the reminder of the shortcomings of the .22 caliber.


 
The RD .22 has a BC advantage over the King .25. With that said, you really aren’t going to capture this BC advantage shooting at your stated distances. You’d begin to see the RD .22s fight outside influences better at possibly 55 yards plus. 

I think you would get better efficiency from the .25. It takes more air to get that little 25gr .22 moving fast as compared to the 25gr .25. at the same speed. 

If I were you and considering the distances you are shooting, I’d go with the .25 shooting the Kings at 880 fps or less. You’d get a lot of shots and those tins come in 350 count. 

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You make a compelling case for the R5m Matador in .25 cal.

Thanks for your input.


 
Surface area wins...hence .25 cal. Surface area provides more efficiency potential using the same weight ammo and will create a larger wound channel. 



I would should neither weights at 30-40 yards though....really over kill. At that distance I shoot my 20 gr (.25 cal) at 750~ fps (25~ fpe).... 

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Thanks for your well-thought out and knowledgeable input.

Brian, at Edgun West says that the Matador R5m is amenable to easy power adjustments.


 
I’m waiting on that shipment too, I have taken grackles out to 106 yards with my streamline 22. Now I’m wanting the r5m 25 cal long for longer shots. Even though a lot of birds dropped first shot I feel the pellet zipped right through and didn’t dump enough energy. This is just my personal opinion within 60 yards and closer most birds were dropped with 22 18grn jsb with my gun set on high. 

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Your post reminds me of the occasions - at least 3 -- where I've placed what I feel are perfect heart-lung shots on Collared Doves, with my Vulcan Tactical Gen IV, only see the bird shake it off and fly away. These shots were made at approximately 30 yards. No such issues when using any of my .25 caliber rifles.

Thanks for the reminder of the shortcomings of the .22 caliber.


2manyairgunz

i would love to have the guns you have and doing a lot of research has led me to 25cal. Plus a lot of my experience with powder burners. I have enjoyed edgun videos, and bugged him and edgun west a little. They were both very nice to talk with and seemed to be the type of people that would truly stand behind the product. That has really pushed me towards the r5m, the dimensions should also be easier for my wife to shoot being 5’1”. Now he just needs to get that shipment in so i can put in some pics for the calendar!
 
I’m waiting on that shipment too, I have taken grackles out to 106 yards with my streamline 22. Now I’m wanting the r5m 25 cal long for longer shots. Even though a lot of birds dropped first shot I feel the pellet zipped right through and didn’t dump enough energy. This is just my personal opinion within 60 yards and closer most birds were dropped with 22 18grn jsb with my gun set on high. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your post reminds me of the occasions - at least 3 -- where I've placed what I feel are perfect heart-lung shots on Collared Doves, with my Vulcan Tactical Gen IV, only see the bird shake it off and fly away. These shots were made at approximately 30 yards. No such issues when using any of my .25 caliber rifles.

Thanks for the reminder of the shortcomings of the .22 caliber.


2manyairgunz

i would love to have the guns you have and doing a lot of research has led me to 25cal. Plus a lot of my experience with powder burners. I have enjoyed edgun videos, and bugged him and edgun west a little. They were both very nice to talk with and seemed to be the type of people that would truly stand behind the product. That has really pushed me towards the r5m, the dimensions should also be easier for my wife to shoot being 5’1”. Now he just needs to get that shipment in so i can put in some pics for the calendar!

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You do have one distinct advantage that I greatly envy: Your wife engages in our hobby, apparently. Makes it easier to justify that must-have new rifle. My wife never touches any of my rifles and disapproves of any additional gun purchase.

Which R5m are you waiting for? My preference is for the blue laminate, for now anyway. That could change any minute.


 
Blue laminate in 25long to match her blue eyes. Yes having a wife that likes to shoot and also a veteran has its advantages. But we may change colors if I get edgunwest to send pics and she picks one out. I was hoping it would be a Veterans Day gift that we could both play with. I’ve got a athlon Midas TAC 6-24 just waiting. She want to get a redwolf but the length would make it a bench only gun, but might be our next or a raw!