favorite gun/cal for South Florida iguana hunting

[Maguana]

Hey all. Im new here and looking to upgrade from a cheap Umarex .177 to a PCP for iguana hunting. My dilemma is between .22 and .25. The .177 has done great over the years (well over 1000 iguanas) but struggles with the big boys. Looking for a tactical or bullpup style with a larger carbon bottle that's accurate and quiet. What are you guys using?

 

[zerochance]

Hey all. Im new here and looking to upgrade from a cheap Umarex .177 to a PCP for iguana hunting. My dilemma is between .22 and .25. The .177 has done great over the years (well over 1000 iguanas) but struggles with the big boys. Looking for a tactical or bullpup style with a larger carbon bottle that's accurate and quiet. What are you guys using?

@JaceSpace1369 Uses a .177 Krait L. He says it’s the most quiet air gun without a moderator. I’m sure he’ll disagree with your statement of the .177 “Struggles with the big boys” iguana.

 

[CoyoteGod]

Most .22 calibers bull pups with a good harmonic tune and a good moderator like a Donny Yokozuna will be pretty darn quiet. I would say this opens up a lot of choices for you, especially if you are going to stick to pellets.

 

[Maguana]

Most .22 calibers bull pups with a good harmonic tune and a good moderator like a Donny Yokozuna will be pretty darn quiet. I would say this opens up a lot of choices for you, especially if you are going to stick to pellets.

I agree however I've spoken to a few sales reps at AOA and Pyramid and they both said if I have any doubts go with the bigger caliber. I get their point but there are some disadvantages...more expensive pellets, less shots per fill and for the most part louder in .25

Help me reach 10 posts so I can PM in the classifieds!

 

[Rey]

It really depends on surroundings. Your asking for whisper quiet. That probably means of people near by.
.177 is great because the projectile dont go far after going through the target. The .22 on the other hand will go a long way. Take into consideration the environment your shooting in. Let that predict the weapon of choice.

 

[JaceSpace1369]

It really depends on surroundings. Your asking for whisper quiet. That probably means of people near by.
.177 is great because the projectile dont go far after going through the target. The .22 on the other hand will go a long way. Take into consideration the environment your shooting in. Let that predict the weapon of choice.

This is true, I've shot iguanas in the dome at 30yds and 50yds with a canal behind me and with both domed pellets and low expansion slugs both around 900fps and you will see both projectiles skip the water and go as far as 100-160 yards. This is in .22, I've seen the same in .25 and .30 but even further.

I love shooting .177, but it's less forgiving, you need to read your wind and make sure that it's precise.

 

[JimD]

I think a lot hinges on how wide open the places you are shooting are. How close are things you cannot hit? If they are close, I would choose a sub 20 fpe airgun, 22 or 177. My Prod is about 18 fpe and my P35-177 is about the same. Neither will carry nearly as far as my more powerful airgun and I suspect either would dispatch even a large iguana with a well placed brain shot. If I was out in the open, I would want at least a 30 fpe 22. It will carry more which is a good thing as long as there is not things that cannot be hit within 500 yards or so. I would be confident with these guns with brain shots on the largest iguana within 50 yards. I would want to keep the "little guns" within 30 yards. If you want to take body shots on big iguanas you may need to step us to 40-50 fpe which is more easily reached in a 25 caliber. I would be surprised if any iguana could absorb an impact from my P35-25 to the vitals. It is 46-47 fpe, over 900 fps on 25.4s. I would expect the pellet to exit unless both front shoulders are in the pellet path - but that would be fine, the bone fragments from the first shoulder would maximize damage to the lungs.